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NCAA MEN'S 2ND & 3RD ROUNDS: DENVERMarch 16, 2011Kenneth FariedSam GoodmanDemonte HarperDonnie TyndallDENVER, COLORADO THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Morehead State student-athletes. We'll get started with questions. Q. Kenneth, I know you've probably answered this question many a time. What is the key to being a great rebounder? KENNETH FARIED: Pretty much want, desire. You got to have that passion of wanting to pursue the ball and a desire to want to go get it and toughness. Q. When in your basketball life did you realize that? Most kids grow up wanting to shoot. When did you decide that was going to be your path? KENNETH FARIED: Well, my mother said, when I was young, I wasn't getting enough shots and stuff. I went home complaining, like most kids would do saying, They won't pass me the ball, everybody wants to shoot the ball. She said, Well, go get it. If they miss it, you go rebound it and you put it back yourself. Don't worry about getting shots from them or passes from them, just get the ball yourself. Q. Kenneth and Demonte, how has the team and the program changed since the last time you played Louisville in the tournament a couple years ago? DEMONTE HARPER: I think we've changed by our maturity level. I mean, we've grown up since then. We both was sophomores going into that game two years ago. Now it's just totally different for us because we've grown physically and mentally. That's what it was for us. KENNETH FARIED: Reiterating what Demonte said. We matured a lot more. We've been through a lot of tough games, hard games. We went to Florida this year, played them tough. Ohio State, played them tough. So we know what's expected from us as a team. But you can't put it past Louisville. They're a great team. It's going to be extremely hard to play against their press. They're great players. They got some great guards. Q. Are you all more confident going into this game than you were a couple years ago as sophomores? KENNETH FARIED: Well, we're not less confident (smiling). We feel confident about any game we go into, especially since we are seniors, these are our last games. We want to go out and play our hardest, put it all on the line. Tomorrow could pop up, we lose, it would be our last game. Q. What did you think when Louisville popped up again? You can't seem to avoid getting them in the NCAA tournament. Can you tell me whether it's good or bad that you keep having to play them? SAM GOODMAN: I wasn't here the first time they played. They told me what type of game it was going to be, exciting game, the toughness we have to play with. It's going to be a pretty much good game. They're a real good team, talented. We play pretty much the same with the zone and press. So it's going to be interesting. DEMONTE HARPER: Just to reiterate what he says. We're both similar-type teams, like to press, play zone-type defenses. We think it's going to be a very exciting game. Louisville is like the top three teams in the Big East, so they're a really good team. Q. Have y'all practiced here already in Denver within the last day or so? KENNETH FARIED: Yes. Q. Is the altitude a factor? Did you notice anything different? DEMONTE HARPER: Yes, we did (smiling). KENNETH FARIED: Yes (laughter). Q. Can you elaborate on that, Kenneth, how different it felt? Is it a burning in the lungs? KENNETH FARIED: Not so much a burning in the lungs. It was just difficult for all of us for our press. I mean, to break the press. For us, we do a drill three-on-three rebounding, it was hard for guys to hold block-outs and things. We had to get acclimated and adjust real quick for us to play tomorrow. We play at 11:00 tomorrow. It's going to be hard for us to play at that time, early in the morning. SAM GOODMAN: Yes, it does play a factor. But I believe that it's not just us. I mean, they're from Kentucky, too, so... I believe our press should hopefully wear them down. Q. Kenneth, is there a player or two who, as you've evolved your game, that you pattern your style after? If so, why? KENNETH FARIED: Dwight Howard. I mean, I like his aggressiveness. I try sometimes in practice, more than the game, get the spin-off that he does a lot. Teammates at the top of the key for the alley-oop. I try him because he's a great rebounder. Since Kevin Love came on the scene, I've been watching him a lot, and wow! Q. Kenneth, I know you've answered this question a lot, but can you explain how watching your mom deal with the illness she's fought through has sort of inspired you on the court and motivated you? KENNETH FARIED: I'm sorry. I kind of dislike talking about this question. She's a strong woman. Just her being as strong as she is and passionate about everything I do in life. Overall just her being there in my life to help me become a man, along with my father, and help me to make my own choices in life, my own path, is just inspired me to want to be as strong as her. Q. Kenneth and Sam, can you talk about the importance of Demonte. How important is he to this year's team? SAM GOODMAN: He's really important. He's a strong, physical guard. He can shoot the ball. He can penetrate it. He's athletic. He creates a lot of matchup problems, especially playing the point guard at his size right now. KENNETH FARIED: I mean, you can't speak enough about this man. I'm just agreeing with Sam here, but basically when I'm not playing well, he's basically stepping up. If we're not playing well, Sam steps up. So us three seniors, we know what we have to do in order to win. It speaks volumes for everybody keeps talking about me, me, me. For him to step up at tournament time and become the MVP, I mean, it just helps me even more because it takes a lot of pressure off of me and puts some on him. I don't know if he wants it or not, or accept it, but it helps our team. Q. Kenneth, I've heard you have asthma. Is that true? KENNETH FARIED: Yes. Q. Does the thin air help with that? I heard sometimes it is beneficial in this situation. Is it really killing you at that point? KENNETH FARIED: Well, it doesn't really kill me. It doesn't help me either. But as long as I go out there and play hard, keep focused on the task at hand, I'll be fine. I do have my inhaler just in case. Q. Demonte, can you talk about your journey to this point? Did you figure you would be at this point in your career, the second guy behind Kenneth when you came out of Nashville? DEMONTE HARPER: Actually, no, I didn't. I just stayed the course when I got to the program. It was tough on me for a freshman - actually for both of us it was tough. I just stayed the course throughout and I just wanted it. Getting a taste of competition two years ago, that just motivated me each year after that to just work hard. Q. Demonte, what happened in the last NCAA game against Louisville? It was a two-point game at halftime. They turned up the pressure. You were hit with one of their rallies, that put you under. How can you prevent it from happening again tomorrow? DEMONTE HARPER: The first game I think it was more so their physicality. It was a really big team we were going against. Three first-round picks, two lottery picks on their team. Towards the end of the game, their physicality and size overwhelmed us towards the end. THE MODERATOR: We'll let the student-athletes go at this time. We're joined now by Morehead State head coach Donnie Tyndall. Coach, if you want to begin with some opening remarks, then we'll take questions. COACH TYNDALL: Obviously, we're very excited to be part of the NCAA tournament. The people of Denver have been so warm and friendly in the reception of our team. We appreciate that. We know we have a tall task in the Cardinals, who are coached by one of the best coaches in the history of the game, have arguably the best backcourt combination with Siva and Knowles in college basketball the way they're playing right now. With that being said, we feel like we've earned our 13 seed by having a very consistent year, beating some good non-conference opponents. Our team is led by two very good seniors in addition to Sam Goodman, who is a solid role player as a senior. We feel like we're experienced enough and talented enough to be competitive in this game. THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up to questions. Q. What has changed with the team and the program and even you since that last time you played in 2009? COACH TYNDALL: Well, I think obviously Demonte Harper was grown from a very good mid-major player to a guy that could play just about anywhere in the country. He's a senior who's experienced, battle-tested. The ball is in his hands a good bit of time. When he plays well and confident, he's a very, very good player. Then Kenneth Faried, who had a double-double in that game as a sophomore, was a great player then, has even grown leaps and bounds since then. He's going to be a first-round pick. He's an All-American, one of the 10 or 15 best players in college basketball. He's a senior as well. We had a very good team in '09. I think this team is a little bit better. The fact that the two guys that are going to have the ball in their hands about 80% of the time are seniors and been through it, like I mentioned, they're battle-tested. I think it will lend itself to us playing well and with a little bit of confidence on Thursday. Q. Tell me the good and bad of getting Louisville yet one more time in the NCAA here. COACH TYNDALL: Well, the bad is they're a very good team and coached, again, by one of the best coaches in America. When you earn a 13 seed, that means you're going to play one of the top 10 or 15 teams in America. That's also the good part of it. I think also the fact that we have played them before. We are familiar with their team, their system. We play very similar at the defensive end, I think that lends itself to us having a little bit more confidence than say it was a Carolina or Duke that may not be any better than Louisville, but yet we haven't played them before. We haven't familiarized ourselves with their programs or players like maybe we have with Louisville's. Q. A lot of us who haven't seen you play a whole lot automatically gravitate towards Kenneth because of the numbers he puts up. Can you elaborate on some of the 'other guys' who have made this team? Is there an unsung leader that you see outside of the senior guys? COACH TYNDALL: No question about it. Our unsung leader would be Ty Proffitt vocally because he's a guy that's not afraid to challenge Kenneth or Demonte if they aren't handling things the right way. From an emotional standpoint and every day leading by example standpoint it would be Sam Goodman, who is a senior and has great energy every day in practice. We list him at 6'2", and he plays the power forward for us some, but he's actually 5'11", 6', but he's an incredible athlete, great motor, probably our toughest kid. Then Terrance Hill who has been consistently good shooting the basketball, getting to the free-throw line here as of late. All of those guys have been big pieces to the puzzle for our team. Obviously Demonte is the best guard in our league. Kenneth is the best big in our league. But those other guys know their role, and probably even more importantly they accept their role. A lot of guys don't necessarily want to accept those roles on teams across the country. Our guys have accepted their roles, and I think that's why our team has been as good as it has been. Q. When you saw Kenneth in high school, I'm assuming you didn't necessarily see a first-round draft pick. Maybe you did. What were you looking at? Did it turn out way better? COACH TYNDALL: Sure. Our whole program and MO of our program is based on toughness and grit and playing hard. What I saw, he was young, first of all, he was just 17 years old. He was 182 pounds. He was 6'7", but he played extremely hard. He would get tired quickly. But, boy, when he was fresh, he had a great motor. He wasn't very skilled. To be perfectly honest, we thought he was a guy who maybe could start as a sophomore and be an all-conference type guy his last couple years. To say we expected him to do what he's done would be crazy. But he's now 6'8", 235. His bench press when he came in as a freshman was 205, it's now 325. He's had nasal passage surgery which improved his breathing, which is a big part of why he would get fatigued in the past. He's probably the most receptive guy I've ever had in regards to coaching. He's improved dramatically. He's improved his strength, size and conditioning. With that same motor he had as a 17-year-old high school kid, it's allowed him to become the best rebounder in the history of college basketball, and absolutely, positively no doubt we could not have projected he'd be what he is today. Q. You've talked about your defensive similarities. As you've watched video of them this year, have they tweaked it a little bit different? Are they doing different things? COACH TYNDALL: In their zone, it seems to be pretty much the same. They don't, what we call, down ball screens quite as much in their zone as they did two years ago, which means they're not forcing it to the baseline as often. But the biggest thing is they're playing more man-to-man than they did with that team two years ago. I would say they've probably played 65% man, 35% zone in the last 10 games. So we not only need to be efficient and good against their zone, but they've become a pretty good man-to-man team. I think they've done that to try to keep you off balance a little bit and they've done a nice job with that. THE MODERATOR: Thanks very much, coach. Good luck tomorrow. COACH TYNDALL: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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