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NCAA MEN'S 2ND & 3RD ROUNDS: LEXINGTONMarch 21, 2013Mike MuscalaDave PaulsenJoe WillmanLEXINGTON, KENTUCKY Butler – 68 THE MODERATOR: We have Dave Paulsen, the head coach of Bucknell, Mike Muscala and also Joe Willman, and we'll ask that the Coach open with a statement. COACH PAULSEN: You know, these kind of days are always really, really hard when you're at the end of a season, and it's especially hard tonight because I don't get to coach these guys anymore. And I've never had more fun coaching a group of guys, never had a more unselfish, resilient group of guys. This one stings. We've got to give a lot of credit to Butler. We made our run in the second half and they came up with the big plays down the stretch. I thought we defended well. Obviously, that's about as poorly as we've shot the ball. Again, you've got give credit to Butler. I thought we had some looks we'd like to have back, but that's kind of part of the territory. THE MODERATOR: We can open up for questions for the student-athletes first. Q. Mike, can you just talk about the defense Butler played on you specifically, Andrew Smith? MIKE MUSCALA: Very good post defender. You know, I think I tried to be aggressive. I thought I got some pretty decent looks, but like I said, I did a really good job of being -- he did a really good job of being physical with me. I knew he was very physical going in. I tried to get up, face up and stuff like that, but just the shots didn't drop today, so... Q. Both guys, I know it's difficult in a moment like this, but can you give us a sense, you come into this, you have such expectations, you've accomplished so much. When that final horn goes off and you know the career is over, what goes through your head? JOE WILLMAN: You know, it's not a good feeling. Spend a lot of time with these four seniors., the rest of the team, the coaching staff, put so much work in, and, you know, we've been together for so long. Doesn't feel good. You know, just sort of hits you that's your last game, last time putting on the Bucknell uniform. It's unfortunate. It happens. We just have to stay together. MIKE MUSCALA: Yeah. This is the most fun I've ever had with a team in my life. So, it hasn't really sunk in yet, to be honest. But, you know, I love all the guys on the team and I thought this year was a lot of fun. Obviously it didn't end the way we wanted it to, but I still enjoy the rest of the time I have with these guys until I graduate, so... Q. Joe, what do you know about Butler? Have you followed them and the things they've done over the past few years, did that inspire you? JOE WILLMAN: They're a school sort of similar to Bucknell. They made some great runs in the past few years. They're a great school. They play really disciplined basketball. They're a great team. You know, they're sort of a mid major, or were, getting in a bigger conference now. Just shows that basketball, you know, anybody can play basketball, and you put in the hard work and really buy into what your team is doing and you can be successful. Q. After last year's loss against UConn, a big one, what did you guys kind of say to yourself to put together that 19-2 run? MIKE MUSCALA: That was two years ago. Yeah. Joe hit some really big shots today. It was really fun to watch and, you know, I think when we're making that run, you know, we were really confident. We knew Butler was a very good team, obviously, and they're going make a run back, and Coach said at halftime when we make our offensive run, we can't relax on defense, we still have to play a good defense, because I thought we did that in the first half even though the ball wasn't going in on offense. They hit some really tough shots. They have really good players. I have to give credit to them. THE MODERATOR: Any other questions for the Bucknell student-athletes? Q. Joe, if you could just talk a little bit about how were you feeling, you went way above your average today and particularly effective during the run, what were you seeing that was giving you the open looks? JOE WILLMAN: You know, Coach did a good job scouting. Before the game we knew what kind of ball screen defense they were going to be playing. They doubled the ball screens. With that much attention on the ball and then Mike posting up inside, he gets a lot of attention, too, and the guards did a good job of just throwing the ball back and I had a bunch of basically wide open shots. I just had to put them in. So, it was just working, the guards did a great job finding me when I was open. Q. Joe, why do you think that Butler is so tough down the stretch? JOE WILLMAN: They have a lot of experience, lot of guys played in big games before. They're so disciplined, they're well coached. They don't make many mistakes. But, you know, they're a tough team. They have good players and tonight they came up with more big plays than us down the stretch. THE MODERATOR: All right. Any other questions for the student-athletes? All right. Thank you, fellas. Mike and Joe, continued success to you. Now we'll open it up for questions with Coach Paulsen. Q. Just to reiterate what was asked before of Joe, what makes Butler to difficult to play against in? COACH PAULSEN: Well, I think, you know, they don't get rattled. So when we made that run, the 19-2 run, it's not go going to be easy. We made a great run, but they're going to come back. And I think in a night when, you know -- I thought we played very well defensively, but then they -- they were able to make some counters. They got some offensive rebounds and the one possession, you know, they ran the shot clock down to about two seconds and Klarke came off a stagger and hit a 3 as the shot clock basically wound down. So their ability to run all the way through a possession and then, you know, guy make a big shot. You know, I just think they played in so many big games that they're not the type of team that's going to get rattled. Q. What does -- Rotnei Clarke had a tough first half, but really made some big shots in the second half. What does a player like that and a shooter like that mean for a team like Butler? COACH PAULSEN: Again, I thought our guys did a phenomenal job defending him. Ryan Frazier, Cameron Ayers and the whole group, so it made it really hard. But, you know, when you have to chase them so much, number one, he made big shots, but it creates space and I think Smith hit some post-ups and, you know, opportunity for Jones, made some big plays. So, you know, he's a guy that creates so much attention, so now not only can he score the ball but you're focused so much on trying to contain him and shut him down, it opens opportunities for their other guys. Q. Coach, if you could talk about what this senior class has meant to you and meant to the program in terms of their success. COACH PAULSEN: Well, I think this is a first group that I was able to recruit so this was a group of guys that cast their lot with a new coaching staff and bought in from day one. They're obviously very, very good players, but they really embody the values that we really want in our program of work ethic and passion and toughness and unselfishness, things like that, which is more important than the points they scored and the wins they produced, which obviously were terrific. And I think, you know, it's been written, at least our parts, all three guys made the Dean's list first semester. Mike is an Academic All-American. Bryson was an Academic All District, Academic All Patriot League. I think they really embody what Division 1 collegiate academics is supposed to be about. Q. Just yesterday you talked so well about how watching them on tape, it's like a coaching clinic. Having said that, when you see it, do you gain a greater appreciation for it, and how were how were they so good at their rotation and help defense? COACH PAULSEN: Well, I think, you know, they just -- they're very detail oriented and they know what they want to do. I thought we made some counters and got some good looks. I did think we actually got the ball inside to areas where Mike has been normally really, really effective, but they're very physical as well. They have the ability to kind of crowd underneath our post players when they go up and take away their legs. And their rotations are good and this is a team that's not going to beat itself, and I think that's the biggest thing. They don't -- they didn't foul night anyway. So, you know, the story of the game really was the 25-5 differential at the foul line. Some of those were down the stretch as we're forced to foul, but we didn't shoot a free throw in the first half. THE MODERATOR: Any other questions for the Coach? All right. Thank you very much, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you, Coach. COACH PAULSEN: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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