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NCAA MEN'S REGIONAL SEMIFINALS & FINALS: SYRACUSEMarch 25, 2010Louis DaleSteve DonahueRyan WittmanSYRACUSE, NEW YORK Kentucky – 62 THE MODERATOR: OK, Coach, can we ask you to make a brief opening statement before we take questions from the student-athletes. COACH STEVE DONAHUE: In terms of the game itself, I thought Kentucky came out and played tremendous defense, understanding what our strengths were. Did a great job of taking us out of things. But I thought we also at times settled down and were able to run our offense, and for whatever reason, just missed shots that we normally make. I was proud of us when we cut it to six, did everything we could, fought tooth and nail when obviously not playing our A game on the offensive end. I give Kentucky credit. They are very, very good, and they played well. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. We'll start with questions for the student-athletes. Q. Ryan, obviously a tough shooting night. Would you blame it more on one of those nights where the shots weren't falling or was it the Kentucky defense, athleticism and the fact their players are so long and pesky on defense? RYAN WITTMAN: Probably a little bit of both. I think obviously there were some pretty open ones out there where I had a lot of space to get it off. Sometimes you just have games like that where they don't go down. But they've got a lot of length on defense, obviously. Something we had to get a little bit adjusted to. I don't think Temple and Wisconsin quite had the length on the perimeter that they do. Q. Question for both Louis and Ryan: You two and Jeff Foote especially, you guys are kind of the core of this team. Do you think in these three games you've shown people who you are personally as basketball players, how good you can be, talking about getting to the next level? Have you thought about that as you've made this run? RYAN WITTMAN: I think the thing with all three of us is we haven't thought about that at all. We're not doing this for personal stuff. We're a team out there. We're not worried about individual accomplishments. We're going out there and having fun playing with our best friends. Just doing whatever it takes to win. LOUIS DALE: Yeah, I think Ryan hit it on -- you know, we're just going out there trying to win. At the end of the day, I would be satisfied with zero points and a W. So I think we just were giving it our all and just really trying to go out there and win the game. Q. For both players: It started out, I'm sure, the way you wanted it to. It got to them leading 14-12, and for the rest of the half, you guys were two out of eight shooting and nine turnovers. Can you describe how much their quickness out there and their strength at times bothered you. RYAN WITTMAN: Obviously, that was a pretty good point in the game. I think it was just kind of a thing where we were being a little too passive, not being strong with the ball. You have to give them credit. Being aggressive on defense, we didn't take advantage of that. I think after that little surge there we went in halftime and came out in the second half and executed a lot better. We were a lot more aggressive coming off ball screens and dribble hand-offs and things like that. Obviously the turnovers hurt us, because that allows Kentucky to get out and get easy baskets, which is when they're at their best. So, yeah, we weren't very strong with the ball during that stretch. LOUIS DALE: Yeah, I agree totally. During that stretch we had the nine turnovers, and we weren't strong with the ball. They were getting their hands on balls and deflections. I think their length played a part in that. We haven't really played against that sort of length during the season on the perimeter. So it was a different look for us. Q. Can you two guys talk just a little about what it felt like running out under this court and getting the reaction you got? You've been here before, but not with that kind of crowd. And also what ran through your minds at 40-34? RYAN WITTMAN: Obviously tremendous crowd support for us tonight. Playing in this place, we're used to the opposite effect. Extremely loud. One of the loudest times I've heard it here. When it got down to 40-34, we were trying to feed off that energy. Not only at that point but the whole second half when we were making our run. Really using it on the defensive end; it just didn't work out. LOUIS DALE: Yeah, the support was tremendous. A great atmosphere for us. We really had some Cornell alums and fans really come out and support us. I think the West Virginia crowd was probably on our side as well. That added to it. Yeah. Q. John Wall could end up being the No. 1 overall pick in the draft this summer. Can you talk about what it's like playing against him and what makes him so good. LOUIS DALE: Yeah, he's a great player. He's very quick and runs his team. He's great in transition, I think. That's the strongest point in his game. When he's out in the open floor, that's when he's at his best. He's got great vision, can find teammates and is a great player. Q. Can you guys just address how proud you are to have done what you've done and represent the Ivys the way you have. This hasn't been done by team with your profile in a long, long time. RYAN WITTMAN: Yes, it kind of hard to look at it right now, obviously coming off a loss. But I think in the next couple of weeks, days or months, whatever, I think we'll be able to appreciate it more. Obviously, it's been a tremendous run for us. A ton of fun. Just playing with this team, the guys on the team, we've been enjoying every moment of it. LOUIS DALE: Yeah, I think right now it's tough to look at. After losing, you have the messed up feeling in your stomach. But, you know, in a couple of days, a couple of weeks we'll be able to look back and realize what we've accomplished. And I think it's great for the Ivy League. Hopefully things can get better in the future. THE MODERATOR: Anything else? OK, guys, we'll let you go. Thanks for coming in. Questions for Coach. Q. Coach, when your guys are struggling like this, to get their shots, is there anything that you can do strategically to try to help them get back into a zone? COACH STEVE DONAHUE: Well, my whole approach is always a positive one. I thought that at halftime obviously we did not play well. My whole thing was we're going to take four-minute intervals here and play really good basketball. I think if you look at that 15 minutes of basketball at the start of the second half, we were outscored by the most talented team in the country 20-8. We cut it to six. I think their defense had a lot to do with it. I also think we missed shots we normally make, for whatever reason. You say Ryan, he missed some shots. He was 2 for 7. If he's 3 for 7, it's a good night. That's how crazy basketball is. Obviously we rely on making shots. That's how you're going to compete against that kind of athleticism. But I thought the guys did an unbelievable job. It's typical of this group to come out the way they did in the second half, make a run. When you're down that much against that kind of talent and just grind it out, I couldn't be more proud. Q. The same question that I asked Louis and Ryan: Can you put in perspective maybe a little bit better what you've done here, not only winning these two games, but cutting it to six against a team that showed it can run away from you a little bit. COACH STEVE DONAHUE: Absolutely. What this group accomplished is almost surreal, what's gone on the last two weeks. I've been in this league for 20 years and I have had three NBA players on one team that didn't accomplish nearly what this team accomplished. I know it sounds corny, but they love each other more than any other team in this tournament, in my opinion. That's why we're good. That's crazy, but that's why. When we got to that point and we cut it to six, I thought we had it. I thought this was our game. I have had this happen to me so many times where Ryan just comes out and he makes the next one. It's an empty feeling, but come on, what we did this year, I'm an adult. There's a lot of other things I can look back and -- these guys are going to kick themselves, but this has been unbelievable, the amount of support and outreach that people have done for these guys, and what they did over this tournament has just been incredible. I appreciate it. I understand. They will soon. Q. Coach, just if you can address the John Wall question I asked before. This guy is probably the No. 1 pick. What makes him so good? And also is Kentucky the favorite to win this whole tournament now, in your mind? COACH STEVE DONAHUE: I think there's a lot of positives about Kentucky, to answer the latter first. My concern is that I don't necessarily think for 40 minutes that they may be able to handle this against a team like us that's a little more longer and athletic with experience. Maybe the next game. West Virginia is terrific. To answer your thing about John, just one of those things that you see in kids with that length, that speed, that attitude, he's going to be making a huge amount of money playing basketball real soon. I was real proud of Lou, and people -- he throws you up 17. I know John had 8. He had a lot to do with it. But Lou played extremely well. And I hope that Lou makes a career out of playing basketball. They didn't address that. There's no question that these guys love basketball enough and are dedicated enough to make this something that they're going to try to do for a long time. THE MODERATOR: Any other questions for Coach? Coach, thank you for coming in. Congratulations on a great season. COACH STEVE DONAHUE: Thank you. End of FastScripts |
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