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PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 9, 2012Kyle FoggNick JohnsonSean MillerLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA Arizona – 72 COACH MILLER: First I'd like to congratulate Oregon State. Craig Robinson has done an amazing job with their program. You look at the profile they have right now and the players they have returning a year from now, he's really doing a great job for himself and his program and also our conference. We knew today's game was going to be very challenging and difficult because they are so long and athletic. They score the ball very easily. They force turnovers. They're great at getting second shots. Those are all areas right now that are a concern further. But I give our guys credit. Sometimes as a coach you have a feel that your guys have been there it before, and it's somewhat understated how many postseason games we played a year ago. Brendon and Kyle's case, as freshmen, they experienced a thrilling tournament run as well in the NCAA Tournament. When you're at halftime and you're before the game and you're playing these elimination games, it certainly helps to have a team or individual players that have done that and been there before. That's where Nick comes in. I thought yesterday he did a lot of things that don't show up on the stat sheet that make you win. I loved how he responded after the Arizona State game, lead to yesterday's game. But today, to me, was one of the best games he's played at Arizona. He's had bigger games scoring, but he did so many valuable things, and he's getting better on defense. To me, he almost like helped the guys who have been doing it. Jesse and Solomon have been doing it. Brendon and Kyle have been doing it. But we really had Nick today, and I give him and our whole team a lot of credit. Second half we got back to doing the thing that's made us a good team. Hard defense, unselfish on offense. I thought the first four minutes of the second half changed the game. Q. During the road trip to UCLA and USC, after the game you talked about not only the importance of playing with intensity but also with purpose. In your opinion, how much of a factor were those two intangibles in today's second half turnaround? COACH MILLER: They were very, very important. Any time can you hold Oregon State to 61 points, keep in mind how many points they've averaged through 18, 19 games in our conference, shooting 37%, only 15 free throw attempts. You look at the rebounding, 36‑34, it takes a lot of heart, effort, intensity, togetherness to do that. Then on offense we really shared the ball. Kyle, 22 points. He made big shots though. It wasn't just an easy 22. He made several plays when they counted the most. He made a lot of plays at the end of the clock. He's really been doing that, and he had a great game here today. It's always good when you're down at halftime to respond the way we did in the second half. It makes you feel good because you know you have belief in what we're doing. You have guys that don't get done down on each other. It would have been easy for us at halftime to say it just doesn't feel right, but we did just the opposite. Any time you have seniors and older players playing like we have, guys like Nick, they follow and become a part of it. That 4:08 minutes in the second half is some of the best basketball we've played this year that got us that lead. Q. This team has not been defined by a real go‑to guy like Derrick Williams last season. To get this far, a lot of teams have to have that. How do you think you guys have gotten here without it? COACH MILLER: We've become a team with great balance. Certainly Kyle deserves a lot of credit, because any time you're on the all- defensive team on the Pac‑12, and first team all- conference player and you look at how he's playing, in a sense, he's kind of our go‑to guy right now. But Jesse Perry and Solomon Hill yesterday were a part of that. So you have really good chemistry and balance with the players that are playing. I mentioned Nick's contributions here today. Again, with Nick, it's not what shows up on the stat sheet, it's just he's a play maker. Kyle and Brendon can both tell you, as freshmen first year players, it's difficult to learn more than one position. He's always been that constant for us that's had that responsibility of learning both the 1 and the 2. The way we've played in February and in March, Nick's had a lot to do with that in terms of the things that he's learning how to do as a player here. Q. Nick, I can only assume when you came to Arizona it was to build on the great legacy. Now being in the seventh final round in tournament history, it will be the only conference team to have 20 wins in the tournament record. Is this what you had in mind in building that legacy? NICK JOHNSON: Definitely wanted to come here and win. We had our ups and downs during the season, but that's just natural. We're just trying to get to the tournament, and that's what I've been dreaming of. We've got one game left. Q. Could you elaborate on the early second half? Was there anything more to it than just defense and effort? COACH MILLER: If you watch us closely, like a lot of you do, when we're at our best is when we can create transition opportunities off of our defense. We call it defense to offence. It's fast. It's creating open three‑point shots for Brendon, creating opportunities for Kyle, sharing the ball, really trying to get easy shots, easy threes, or at the rim before the defense is set up. To do that, you have to get stops and make big plays on defense. Our defense set the tone for those transition opportunities. Then you have to make the shot you shoot, which we did. Nine for 18 from three is terrific, especially in a game like today. Q. Kyle, Jesse, Solomon, they combined for 50 points. Can you talk about their impact so far this Pac‑12 tournament run? COACH MILLER: I think I called the three of those guys the heart and soul of our team yesterday, and they really are. When you talk about a go‑to guy, it's those three. Solomon, Jesse, and Kyle that really have been the most consistent players on our team. They carry us. To me they're the most respected players on our team because of their experience. Right now, we're really reliant on them. At a time like our halftime today, you're relying on those three guys to come out and set the tone. To not think that we're not going to win, but get right back into what we need to do to win. But they're good on the court. They're good off the court. I think I've said this: Brendon, the role that he's been catapulted into, it's one thing to have more of an opportunity. It's a much different thing to seize that opportunity. He's almost like a sniper for us. When he get that's open look, he changes the game. I know the other coach is constantly worried about where he is. He had a couple big shots at that stretch at the beginning of the second half. Q. Kyle, can you just describe what's really driving you and Jesse and Solomon as you guys wind down your careers and what you're trying to accomplish here? KYLE FOGG: I think just especially with guys like me and Jess, just being older, this is our last go around. We just want to win as many games as we can and kind of take this journey as far as we can go. I think we're at a great spot as a team and really coming together. Behind Coach, I think we can keep this run going. Q. Do you have an explanation for what Solomon said there, and what did you make of that? COACH MILLER: I think Solomon errored in what he said. He reacted like a lot of young people do to an emotional point in the game. But I've talked to Solomon. You can't be an all‑conference player, and as important to our team as he is, and all of a sudden lose track that you have four fouls or say something unnecessary to the official. But he learned from it. I think he's apologized to the official and felt bad. But, again, when incidents like that happen, you have two choices. I thought Angelo Chol did a great job. Angelo playing 17 minutes, these guys will tell you there is not a harder worker in the country than Angelo. He's one of the few kids that I've seen that's physically gained strength and weight during a college basketball season, and it's all hard work. I think we all love to see him do well because he deserves it. He really does. Had he some big rebounds. Four. Some shot blocks, 3 in 17 minutes. It was good to give him that time on the court. He made us bigger and did an excellent job. Q. Will him getting off his feet help you tomorrow that he had that six or seven minutes? COACH MILLER: Yeah, in a funny way, Solomon's probably fresher than he would have been. But that's a bad reason to be fresh. I don't think we want that. Q. Following up on that question, being as you are a little shorthanded, how do you handle tomorrow? Do you change your routine or figure adrenaline will carry over? How's it going? COACH MILLER: These guys are in great physical shape. We try to pride ourselves as a program. Not that we're any better than anybody else. But we have an incredible strength and conditioning program. These guys have lifted weights religiously since October. We've not missed. They take care of themselves. If you look at them physically right now, there was a time not too long ago, Nick in particular, he'd play three games in one day in the summer. Three games in three days with proper rest as hard as we've worked from early October, I think they're going to be fine. The other team will have the same dilemma or same part. That's what makes playing in a conference tournament so special. It's just resiliency. It's individual players making big plays. Many times it's just that team that wants it more that seems to be there. I hope we're that team. Q. This sounds like a silly stat. But you guys are 14‑0 this season when leading at the 10:00 minute mark in the first half. Could you explain why again on such a lead like that is such a big importance to winning the game? COACH MILLER: You know, that's something we've worked on probably since August. Right around that 10:00 minute mark‑‑ (laughing). I don't know. I would say this: We've gotten off to a lot of slow starts. We really have, and maybe that's the reason. I can remember San Diego State we fought back. That was a tough loss for us, but I think we were down 24‑3 or something like that at home. We've had our times we've dug ourselves a hole. So when we don't dig ourselves a hole, we probably like a lot of teams respond better. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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