|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
NCAA MEN'S REGIONALS SEMIFINALS & FINALS: ST. LOUISMarch 22, 2012D.J. CooperJohn GroceReggie KeelyWalter OffuttST. LOUIS, MISSOURI THE MODERATOR: We'll get started and take an opening statement from coach. COACH GROCE:  Obviously we're excited to have a chance to compete in the regional semi‑finals. We have had a great week of practice, really enjoy being around this team. These guys have practiced well all year. They have been a tough group. I think that's the thing that stands out the most about them, is their toughness. The fact that all five postseason games including the conference tournament have been eight points or less, so we have been in some tight ball games and had to find ways to make plays late in the game to finish those games off. Just really, really proud of them. The way that they have come together and the toughness that we have played with. So we're excited about The open‑door opportunity tomorrow night, I've told our guys it's a great opportunity for Ohio University and Athens and our basketball program and we're looking forward to competing against North Carolina. THE MODERATOR: Take questions for coach. Q. Before Walter came to your program, he was kind of well‑traveled for such a young guy. What do you think it is about Ohio and your program that makes him a good fit and what has he brought to enhance your program? COACH GROCE: I used the phrase in the last week or two with him that I've tabbed him as the 'culture changer.' And I mean that with all sincerity. He is the epitome of what a student‑athlete's supposed to be, both on and off the court. He's an extremely hard worker, he always gives you his best, he cares about the team more than he cares about himself, and he's just a guy that's changed our culture. Something that we have been working very diligently at since we arrived in 2008, we have had some other guys grow and mature as well and grow up, which is really what the college experience is about. But I think Walt's helped our program accelerate in that area. So we're ‑‑ I said last week and I'll say it again that there's no way I could possible repay him for all the things that he's done for our program, his mindset. I tease him sometimes because I joke with him because he has transferred twice, Walt, heck, you're older than me. So he's like an old, wise man. And he does a great job of connecting with people, cares about people and obviously is a big part of what we do. Q. Obviously North Carolina started their season off on an aircraft carrier in front of the President of the UnitedStates, and Ohio really didn't get regional attention until late in the MAC championship. It's a stark contrast, but how much is that contrast different this weekend than it was last weekend against Michigan? COACH GROCE: Well, I don't know, again, not to disagree with you, obviously they started their season on aircraft carrier, but we were getting votes for the Top‑25 in December. So that's a national poll. This team has won 29 games, we played a lot of games on national and regional television throughout the year. Our guys don't, as I said yesterday, see themselves necessarily as a 13‑seed or a Cinderella story. I mean our basketball team's been pretty consistent. We had a couple of hiccups there during the year, maybe a stretch where we hadn't won in the west part of play where we didn't play as well, but for the most part, we have been fairly consistent. And we have approached it one game at a time, and our guys really believe in our system, they believe in one another, they believe in themselves, they believe in their ability to win basketball games and they believe in our staff's ability to prepare them to win basketball games. So for us, to be honest with you, it's been more of a business‑as‑usual approach this week as much as we can approaching the game tomorrow night. Q. It's not easy writing about your game tomorrow because we don't know about Kendall Marshall and that's just writing about it, what's it lake for you guys really not knowing? COACH GROCE: Well, obviously he means a lot to their team. And I've said this all week, I don't wish that injury upon anybody. I don't. I've actually got to know him a little bit through the recruiting process when I was at Ohio state and he's a great kid, obviously a terrific player, and I hope he's healthy. We have planned as if he's going to play, and then obviously you got to have some type of contingency plans in your mind in terms of adjustment of offensive and defensive strategy, and we have done our due diligence there, and done that as well. But it does make it difficult because obviously he makes them a different team. Q. Two questions on two things you already touched on. In your opening statement you said we're excited about The open‑door opportunity. Can you quantify what that means, what you're saying there. And then two, just to piggyback a little bit on Walt, I think that, and I haven't confirmed this, but I had heard that every team in the tournament this year had a transfer on it. Can you just kind of talk about that and talk about what that says about a trend or whatever's going on in college basketball? COACH GROCE: Sure. Open‑door concept is one we talk a lot about with our guys, as well as closed door. You have to be able in life to deal with adversity and success and when a game's over, we have kind of a 24‑hour rule that we talk about with our guys and that door's closed. But you can learn from any circumstance that you're in, good or bad, if you choose to do so. So the next opportunity is the one that's open, that's an open door, and that's obviously tomorrow night when the ball tips. So that's what I was referencing that in that way. Second question again? Q. Transfers? COACH GROCE: Transfers? Well, obviously, the experience level that Walt has in particular, and we have had some guys that have transferred in, four‑year transfers that have been good for us. But he's got a lot of experience. He's seen a lot of different things. I think if you asked him who taught you how to lead like that, who taught you how to conduct yourself like a pro's pro, he would probably reference David Lighty, during his time at Ohio state. I mean he taught him and we're thankful that he did. Because Walt does such a great job, as I mentioned earlier, of connecting with our guys and helping our guys. But he's had a dramatic impact on our program. I don't know the statistic about transfers on the other teams, but I know that sometimes when that happens, they bring a different perspective, kind of an old‑school perspective. They appreciate things maybe a little bit more than younger guys. Q. Curious as far as Jon Smith, what does he give to your program and also maybe adapting to your program, was it a big challenge therefore him? COACH GROCE: Well, he's been great defensively. We kept in the game like crazy on Sunday in the second half. My staff kept saying, Whatever you do, do not take him out, he's covering up everything defensively. And John's one of those guys that sometimes you look at a stat sheet and it doesn't tell the whole story. He has so many intangibles that he brings to the game, especially on the defensive end with his shoot blocking. And he's a very high IQ basketball player. He's one of the smartest players I've ever coached and he sees things defensively. He's a terrific communicator of what's going on, especially on the defensive end. And one of the reasons we're in the situation that we're in or the biggest reason is because of how we defended all year. We have been very good on that side of the ball, so to speak, and John is a huge, huge part of that in terms of our ability to defend. Q. Curious if you took away any cell phones or anything like that during the week. And just on a more serious note, how did you manage all of the attention and focus that's been on you guys the last couple days? COACH GROCE: Well, that's a great question. I probably didn't do as good a job as I should have two years ago and I learned a little bit from that experience, and that's what started us taking the cell phones away after the second‑round win over Michigan. This week we caught a break, we were on spring break back on campus. So we got back and obviously people were excited in Athens, and I'm sure they patted our guys on the back here and there, but not nearly as much as would have happened if there were 15 to 20,000 students running around. So I think it allowed us to stay more focused. The other thing that we tried to do is make sure that we stayed focused on the North Carolina game, but at the same time, took advantage of the special opportunity that the university has and Athens has to be in the national spotlight this week and deservedly so. It's a great place, great institution, so we balanced all those requests with staying focused on North Carolina and I think we have done a better job of this, a better job of that this go round. Q. Along those same lines with keeping it to business and focus, how have you been able to separate yourself from some of the other coaching job talks and your name being out there and keeping it to business. How do you keep your family and your inner circle from hearing rumors and innuendo? And in the world of social media, how do you keep your kids, your players wondering what's going on with their coach? COACH GROCE: Well, first off, if you've ever met my wife and my two kids, my two‑year‑old runs that deal. He's a beast. It's hard to keep up with him. So my wife, her and I get a couple words with one another about every day and that's about it. So she's running around chasing him, which is a full‑time job. In terms of the other stuff, honestly, and I really mean this sincerely, it's not coach speak, I hear some of those things but I don't focus on those things. I'm focused on our team and us playing well Friday night, tomorrow night, in the North Carolina game. I'm one of those guys that to my detriment, again referencing my wife, she would tell you that once I get focused on something, I get so locked in on it that I don't deviate a whole lot. And that singular focus I think has served this team well. Our players have really bought into that, the one‑game‑at‑a‑time approach, and I think it's been a big reason why we play consistently throughout the season. In terms it of our players, I just haven't, I don't talk to them about that stuff. Our focus every day as a staff is trying to help them. That's our job and helping them in this case means getting ready for tomorrow night's game. Q. You spent a lot of time with that, but what did you take from those first four years in Raleigh with Herb? COACH GROCE: That's where my wife and I met there, first of all, so I feel very blessed to have been there for that. Obviously that's a big part of it. I really enjoyed my time there. I learned a lot there at a very young age. Herb's one of the brightest coaches I've ever been around, I wouldn't be sitting here without Herb, as well as a host of other coaches. You mentioned Thad as well. It was a phenomenal experience for me. Those four years battling and battling and coaching in the ACC and having a chance to learn under him has been invaluable to my career, to be honest. I owe him a big thanks. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, appreciate your time today. We'll take questions for the Ohio student‑athletes. Q. For D.J. and Reg, you guys were here two years ago, you're in another new stage now. Is there any similarities between two years ago walking in Providence and kind of being the new guys and then walking into this place now and being on a new stage, practice, mindset, tone, anything like that. D.J. COOPER: Yeah, our mindset is different. Coach put in the 24‑hour rule, we go out and compete and we try to win that game. And if we win, we get to celebrate and be happy for 24 hours and then we try to focus on to the next game. REGGIE KEELY: No, I don't see any similarities from Georgetown and Sweet 16. But like Coop said, we prepare for every game like we're trying to win, and that's the different mindset that we have going in from two years ago to now. Q. Walter, this is for you. You made a lot of stops before you finally found a home in Ohio. What is it about Ohio that feels like home and that it is a good fit? And secondly how does this experience this weekend compare to all of your other travels in terms of importance and that sort of thing? WALTER OFFUTT: Well, obviously my relationship with Coach Groce, he recruited me when he was at Ohio State, so that's where‑‑ that's why I feel more like home than anything. Obviously I've been through a couple stops and I was fortunate that I was able to come, and I was coming to Ohio and coming to him at Ohio University. So it's been a tremendous experience and I just can't thank these guys enough and to thank God enough for putting me in the right place and being here and advancing in the tournament and really making this experience worthwhile. Q. What about in terms of where does this range and has anything in your past prepared you for this? WALTER OFFUTT: Oh, no, I think that a little bit maybe in my experience at Ohio State and the amount of big games that we played, that I played with guys like Evan Turner and Lighty and Buford and guys like that, prepared me a little bit. Obviously I didn't play much, but I think I took a lot in from those guys and I think it really prepared me as far as my leadership role and the ability to led on this team. Q. D.J., wondering what have you made of all the attention paid to Kendall Marshall's injury and how are you preparing going into this game? D.J. COOPER: No different. Just going to prepare regardless. He's a good guard. We're going to prepare as if he's playing. We don't know if he's playing for sure or not, but we're going to compete regardless and just go out and play our best. Q. What do you think of all the attention that's been paid to him? It's a national news story. What do you think of that? D.J. COOPER: He deserves it. He leads his team, they're a Top‑10 in the country every year. So when you're one of the better point guards in the country, you deserve that type of credibility. Q. For D.J., are you guys sort offended by the label of a Cinderella? Do you feel like your coach was just talking about the fact that you guys have been in the national spotlight, so to speak, for awhile now, are you guys kind of offended by that label? D.J. COOPER: No, we're not offended because we are the 13 seed or whatever. But nobody in our locker room feels like we're a Cinderella team. We feel like we can compete with anybody on the national stage. Q. For Walter, you usually draw the hardest defensive assignment when you guys play in man, you looked at Harrison Barnes. Tell me about him. It's probably pretty scary. WALTER OFFUTT: I wouldn't say scary, I'm not really scared of anybody. But he's obviously a good player. He's a NBA first‑rounder pretty soon or whenever that may be. He has great size obviously, so I have to do a good job of keep being him out of the paint area. Using my size to my advantage, get up in him a little bit, pressure him a little bit more, and keep him off the boards. But obviously he's a great player and he possesses great skills, being 6'8" and his versatility is good, too. So obviously I got to do a good job of keeping him out of the paint and we should be fine. Q. D.J., have you ever played a game essentially one‑handed with your off arm really compromised, and if so how did you play? D.J. COOPER: No, never. Q. Walter, and all you guys, but especially you, how do you get past looking at North Carolina on the uniform and playing the guys. Do you think y'all will have any problems with that from the standpoint of being maybe stunned to be playing a top seed in a regional semifinal? WALTER OFFUTT: We know that North Carolina obviously has great tradition, a lot of great players played there. Michael Jordan and all the greats and great coaches. But we think we're a good team and we know we're a good team. So obviously after this media and stuff gets over and the ball's tipped... Like when we played Michigan and South Florida, they're a big caliber team, so when the ball's tipped I think it's going to be behind us. Then we're just going to be playing basketball and whoever executes the best on the offensive end and defensive end is going to win the game. Q. For Walter and D.J., a lot of times people consider the point guard the sort of leader on the floor, yet Walt, a lot of people refer to you as the leader, too. How do you two balance that, compliment that? WALTER OFFUTT: D.J.'s the quarterback on our team, the point guard of our team, he leads by a lot by example with the decision‑making and stuff like that that he makes on the floor. He makes everybody else better, including me better. He makes our team better. I'm more of a leader more by example and vocally on the team. So I think we compliment each other very well and I'm happy to have him as my point guard. Q. Reggie, rebounding isn't really coming up, but you guys don't have anybody averaging more than five a game and you're going against a very big team. Can you just talk about your approach and your big guys' approach to what I assume is the biggest rebounding challenge you've faced in a while? REGGIE KEELY: I feel like we're deep and in the four position and we got a lot of guys averaging five rebounds a game. If rebounding is very spread out between our team, everybody contributes in that area, then I think as long as we do that, we should be all right. If everybody keeps putting in their work on the rebounding area. You get Walt with four and D.J. with five or six, and then me with six or seven, and John with five, I mean that equals out to one person averaging 10 rebounds a game. I don't think that should be a problem. Q. For D.J., I noticed in your stats that you guys are among the nation's leaders in steals and in turnover margin. What's the key there and how do you think that will play in tomorrow night's game? D.J. COOPER: First, we're going to have to get back in transition because they play so fast. We're going to keep it tight. We're going to play with our hands up. That's what coach has been talking about all year, just playing with our hands up and keeping it tight, and being able to guard our yard. THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you much for your time. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|