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NCAA MEN'S 2ND & 3RD ROUNDS: AUSTINMarch 23, 2013Andre HollinsTubby SmithRodney WilliamsAUSTIN, TEXAS THE MODERATOR: We'll go ahead and take questions for the student‑athletes now. Q. For Dre and Austin, talk about, there's a theory going around out there that now that the Big‑10 teams are not playing against Big‑10 defenses, everybody's lighting it up. You guys did it last night. Michigan did it today. Is there any truth to that? Do you think that's possible? ANDRE HOLLINS: Yeah, it's some truth to that. Big‑10 is the best conference in the nation and some of the best defense in the nation. We're playing against Big‑10 teams night in and night out and it wears on you. People know your tendencies, they know when you're good at, and the scouts are really good. So it's a difference playing against non‑conference teams, because we get a different feel and the opponents aren't as well knowledgeable about what we're doing. So that's a big key. AUSTIN HOLLINS: I think that Dre pretty much summed it up. It's a real grind in conference play when you're playing against all those Big‑10 teams and you know everyone's out to get you. At any given night, anyone can come in and win a game. So playing against defenses, we see ourselves as a good defensive team. So when teams go up against us, we're going up against other teams, some of the best defensive teams in the country are in there. So it's nice getting out of conference play and being able to play against schools out of the other conferences. Q. Andre, what do you see from Scottie Wilbekin and just his tenacity on defense and what makes him tough to go against? ANDRE HOLLINS: He's a quick defender, he keeps his hands active, he moves his feet well. He's a solid PG. I have to contain him and I have to protect the ball like any other game. Q. What are your, what's your game? What's the way that you want to, your ideal way of playing? ANDRE HOLLINS: Just let my teammates get in the flow first of all, kind of feeding off them, trying to make sure I'm playing well defensively to start off, because then they feed off to my offensive game and not trying to force too much, trying to penetrate the gaps, find open teammates, get the offense ran, push the ball up the floor. Q. For Rodney, this is a team that appears to do the physical things very well. Your team has all season. Just how much is that emphasized in practice and from your coach? RODNEY WILLIAMS: I'm sure coach is going to emphasize that a lot. The Big‑10's a really physical conference and we, it's not something that we're not used to. So we're going to go out there and play just like any other team that we played in the Big‑10. Q. Andre, talk about the matchup with Scottie Wilbekin. He seems to live for defense. Have you played against other guys like that and what do you, how do you approach those kind of challenges? ANDRE HOLLINS: Yeah, I played against one of the best defensive guards in Aaron Craft. Just going up against him, you have to be a little bit more decisive of with your moves and how you're going to attack, because they're really good defenders, they move their feet well, just be a little bit more secure with the ball. I think that works well with me, so I can, so I won't make any careless turnovers, like I do sometimes. Q. For Andre and Austin, did you guys know each other coming up and how is it just coincidence you both wound up at Minnesota and do y'all still get confused as brothers? AUSTIN HOLLINS: Coming up we were familiar with each other in high school. We knew each other just from playing against each other. We were in the same conference for a few years and then our last, my last year they were in a different conference. But that's how we knew each other. People still get us confused as brothers. Occasionally, but we're used to it by now. We're like brothers because this is like a brotherhood with the team and basketball and everything. ANDRE HOLLINS: Oh, yeah, going off what he said, we were familiar with each other. After one game our parents met, they were trying to figure out what the other Hollins was, because we wore the same number in high school and in the box score it was for Germantown it will show up, A. Hollins, 20 and then for White Station, A. Hollins, 20. That was a weird coincidence. We found out that we're not related. We came here, he was one of the deciding factors from me coming here. He was my host when I came. So from his advice, you know, we're real tight to this day. Q. Andre, has Tubby shared any stories about his especially pick battles with Billy in the SEC? ANDRE HOLLINS: No, he hasn't shared any stories with us with him, I guess. Not yet. I guess we'll wait to see. It might come up in practice or something like that. Q. For all three, saw a few tweets that coach had asked Mack Brown to stop by your practice maybe say a few words to you guys. I was just wondering what that was like. What you took away from that. RODNEY WILLIAMS: When Coach Brown came and talked to us he was basically just telling us to enjoy the moment and telling us how good of a coach we have and how good of a team we have and just to go out there and just to play our game. The season didn't end as well as we wanted it to and we all know that. So he just was just giving us positive words so we can go out there and execute and just go out there and have fun. ANDRE HOLLINS: Yeah, the main thing I took away from it was to seize the moment, take care of business, kick some butt, and it's the time of the year that live for as a player. AUSTIN HOLLINS: Yeah, they touched on most of the points, but, yeah, he was just telling us to seize the moment. And he talked about all the teams that are sitting at home wishing that they were in our shoes right now. So we know we got to make the most of this opportunity that we have at hand. And we need to take care of business. THE MODERATOR: Okay, gentlemen. Thank you. We're going to let you go. We'll take an opening statement from coach. COACH SMITH: First, it's good to be back here today. It's the best thing about being here and being in Austin, what a great city. The hospitality's been wonderful, certainly every time you participate in one of these events, especially the NCAA tournament, it's first class. So we're just glad to be a part of it. We know we had a ‑‑ it was a good win for us, against a very good team, against a very good program at UCLA. Ben Howland's teams are always well coached and we got on a little run there and did a good job. So we're happy with the win and happy to be still in the tournament, competing against another very good program and a good friend, Billy Donovan. THE MODERATOR: Questions? Q. When you left Kentucky six years ago did you think you had seen the last of Billy on the other sideline and secondly, in this tournament, nobody's familiar with each other, you guys at least have some familiarity. Do you think that could be part of the preparation that you do to kind of know each other? COACH SMITH: Yeah, I think so. We have gone back way when Billy first got into college coaching as a graduate assistant at Kentucky and we have had our battles when I was at Kentucky and at Georgia. So, yeah, but I'm happy to be here facing him again in this type of a venue versus any other. So we play‑‑ I think we try to coach and try to teach and play a style similar. He's got some outstanding players and what Billy's been able to do, what he's done at Florida has just been outstanding. Florida's a program that really wasn't noted for its basketball and he's taken it to unbelievable heights. So I certainly want to compliment him and his team on their 27 wins. Doing the things they have done in the SEC, winning championships. So, yeah, I know he's the Dean, so he's getting older now, of that conference. It's something to be said when you're ‑‑ because Billy got involved in coaching I think at a very early age and was very fortunate, I'm sure he'll say the same thing, and he has done an unbelievable job in coaching and growing that program. Q. Did you ever think you would see him again or go up against him down the road? COACH SMITH: Oh, yeah, I'm glad we are. At some point in time if you're going up against him, you know your team has probably risen to that level of good play. Because his teams are here on a regular basis. Q. Speaking with your players, almost to a man they say it's a breath of fresh air to get out of the Big‑10 and into the NCAA. Not just because of the rough finish, but because offensively it gives them a little bit more of a chance to get into transition offense, a little bit more flow which they believe suits your offense the best. Do you agree with those statements? COACH SMITH: Whatever they say. (Laughter.) They're always right. They have never been wrong. I'm the only one wrong. I can see their point. We have kind of built this team to be that way, to be an up tempo, running team and pressing team. Unfortunately, when you play against teams that have as good or better players, you can't really force your will on them like you can on some teams that want to play the style you want to play. So if that helps them play better and motivates them to play better, yes, they're right. (Laughter.) Q. Can you talk about the evolution you see in the way Billy coaches, and the gap since you guys went against each other in the SEC. And particularly is it surprising that he has a team that is built more around its defense than its offense? COACH SMITH: His teams always play good defense. I don't know, you can't win consistently without playing outstanding defense. I think he plays multiple defenses and presses and forces turnovers. I think one thing I'm impressed with this team that he has now, is their ability to force tempo, turn you over, push it in the open court, shoot the three. We're really going to have our hands full trying to defend them. But that's the biggest concern I have is just their defense. Because they will press you, speed you up, and we have a propensity to cough the ball up, so we really need to concentrate on taking care of the ball. But his teams always defend well. I know when he had some of his great teams that won championships, they were great defensive teams. This team is pretty good also. You don't win 27 games not playing defense. Q. Your team is a team that obviously rebounds the basketball very well. How much have you instilled that toughness during the course of the season and how much does Mbakwe particularly factor into that? COACH SMITH: Well I think he had about 12 rebounds last night. But our point guard had eight. So that's a good thing. We really ‑‑ we kind of have been a good rebounding team, but we sometimes we rebound, sometimes we don't. Yeah, we work pretty hard on rebounding. I'm sure that Billy does too. His teams, they rebound the ball well also. I think that we have, especially last night, we got good production from Elliott Eliason and Mo Walker inside, so that was a big help from a rebounding standpoint. But we did give up quite a few second shots and that's a real concern, especially playing a team like Florida. They're very athletic, very quick to the ball, so we have got to really work extremely hard to box them out, especially if we're in a zone or a man‑to‑man, because they, they're pretty aggressive going to the basket. And we are too. That's something we do well, probably because we don't shoot the ball well. We have to go get the second shot, there's a lot more second shots for us. Last night there weren't that many, thank goodness. So that when you shoot over 50 percent it helps that you don't have to rebound the ball as well offensively. But that's something that we have developed over the years, especially over this year, and we have been pretty good at it. Q. Coach, I was looking through just the game points from Andre, Austin and Joe Coleman. And while they each have had their games and their moments throughout the season, it's actually been kind of rare for all three of them to all go off on the same night. Which they did last night. But does that just remind you how dangerous you can be when all three of them are clicking at the same time and has it frustrated you that they can't all get together a lot before this? COACH SMITH: Well it's basketball. I don't think anybody, whether it's Lebron James, whether it's Chris Bosh. I just watched a game the other night, I think he had two points in the last two minutes of the game. It's basketball. Somebody's going to have to pick it up and thank goodness they were able to click last night. But a lot of it has to do with the matchups and who you're playing against and what opposing teams are trying to take away from you. And then that's when you have‑‑ that's when the other guy steps up and hopefully he carries the load when the opposing team ‑‑ it's called options, you know, you got options. Andre's not scoring because he's probably got somebody, maybe the defender is in his face, and the coach has said, hey, don't let him catch the ball and let him score. Whereas with a guy like Joe, they might say hey, playoff of him. So it's a scouting thing, it's a game to game, it's a matchup situation, that's why you see ‑‑ I would love to have all 10 guys all doing the same thing, playing just the way we taught them to play and scoring double digits every timeout. But I know that's part of the game. But I was very pleased that when they do get out in transition, where we're most effective, where we're effective last night, and Joe was‑‑ even though he struggled early, he got back in the game and really became more aggressive. And that was because UCLA started to change and started to switch some, so he caught some mismatches and he got out in transition and got some easy baskets. Q. Any particular time when they are all clicking like that, does it keep the defense honest and keep them from just going after one guy? COACH SMITH: Oh, yeah, we would win every game if they would play like that and if people didn't take things away from them, we could probably, we would probably be undefeated right now. But, unfortunately ‑‑ so that's ‑‑ I don't know if it's frustration, it's just us finding that next person, player, that can pick up those pieces and be effective. Q. You guys stuck with that high pressure zone defense yesterday. Do you see that, can that work against a team like Florida? COACH SMITH: High pressure? Q. The zone defense. You stuck with that for most of the game against UCLA yesterday. Could that work against a team like Florida? COACH SMITH: Well they're a pretty good 3‑point shooting team. And UCLA didn't make, you know‑‑ they were off on their 3‑point shooting last night. So I don't think you can give Florida a steady diet of anything defensively. We got to change it up, try to keep them off balance as best we can. So we'll try to mix it up in some form or fashion. And the zone will probably be a part of it. Q. What are your impressions of Scottie Wilbekin as a defender? COACH SMITH: Scottie is‑‑ I'm just impressed with his all around game. He does some good things. Scottie's a guy that really, I wasn't really, I haven't had a chance to watch them play much, but he's a pretty crafty guard that can really deliver passes to people, he can stretch the defense with his ability to shoot the ball, and again, he's shooting for a very good percentage. I don't know, we have got to find a way to contain him as best we can. But I'm very impressed with his ability to defend as well. He reminds me, he's got a little bit of Aaron Craft in him, from Ohio State, that he really takes a lot of pride in his defense. Q. Couple of your players talked and tweeted about the fact that Mack Brown spoke to them at a practice, I was curious, how far do you go back with Mack and how did that come about? COACH SMITH: Well, coming to Austin, I've known Rick Barnes for a long time and Rick and I talk often, he extended the courtesy of, anything you need while you're in Austin, Tubby, let me know. So then he said, you know, Mack Brown? I said, yeah, we have been knowing each other for some time. I think we were involved with interviewing for a job years ago at the same time. Not football for me, him not basketball. And so since that time I've kind of watched and had a lot of respect for what he's done since his North Carolina days and here. And then he's from Cookeville, Tennessee, where a good friend of mine, Mike Sutton, coaches and knows him, knows his brother extremely well. So I've had a chance to know him. So in the business, in the coaching fraternity, you kind of, people that are successful, you know, he's a highly successful coach, and I thought his visit was very inspirational for me and I think the players were very pleased or very happy and very, how do I say it? Very thoughtful. Thoughtful words that he had for our players were well placed and very interesting. And I'm grateful that he did that. Because I think it was a big help. Just talking about what coaching is about, what we mean to them, what the profession, what coaching means to us and to him. So it was good, I'm sure it was good for our players to hear another voice, another person, another coach in the profession, in a different, in football, saying things like that. THE MODERATOR: All right. Thank you, coach. COACH SMITH: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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