Jay Wright Eric Paschall Collin Gillespie

Big East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Thursday, March 14, 2019 Jay Wright They've had a lot of success here because of that. Eric Paschall It was more stopping that. I wasn't concerned with what we were doing. Collin Gillespie Q. Eric, it seemed like there was a more conscious Villanova Wildcats effort from you to attack the basket today. You've been struggling from three of late. Is that Villanova - 73, Providence - 62 something you've talked about, or is that just more how the game flowed today? JAY WRIGHT: Good effort against a Providence team ERIC PASCHALL: Definitely feel it's just being that's really starting to come together. The guys played aggressive. Coach gave me the confidence to be a great game last night. If you look at their team the aggressive, shoot threes, and also just take what the last five or six games, even their losses, close losses, defense gives me. tough games, and they're really playing good basketball. So I think we beat a good team, a good Q. Jay, you told us a couple days ago that the first physical, defensive team. It wasn't pretty, but you've game of this tournament can be the toughest for got to be willing to play ugly and win some of those the younger guys. Did you see a little bit of those games. So I'm proud of those guys that they did that. jitters the first few minutes, and did you like how they settled down as the game went on? Q. Eric, you and Phil have taken a big leadership JAY WRIGHT: I did. Saddiq Bey goes scoreless role in this team and obviously had a lot of young tonight. It's his first game in the Garden in the Big East guys and new guys this season. Can you talk Tournament. It's impactful, man. It's impactful to me about how this team has come together over the now. I've been here, we don't need to talk about how season and what you and Phil have done to lead long. Still when you walk on that floor, it's different. It's these younger guys. exciting. ERIC PASCHALL: Coach tells us we have to lead by example, talk to our younger guys, and just do all the I've also seen over the years in this tournament the little things -- playing defense, rebounding, not worrying team that plays the night before, they're not affected about if our shot's going in. I just feel like our whole the next day. It's if they win, it's the following day. team has been doing that. Our whole team's had a They're actually at an advantage because they played great attitude, and we're taking a step in the right a game, they're in a rhythm, and we've been sitting direction. around for four or five days. So that's what I was really concerned about, and I thought we did a good job Q. Have you seen great changes from November to coming out ready to play. December until now? ERIC PASCHALL: Yeah, definitely defensively, just Q. Jay, it seems like whenever you and Providence getting better talking and all those little things that we meet in the Big East Tournament, it's always a need to be to be a good defensive team. slugfest. What is it about the Friars that make it so tough? Q. Jay, what did you say during that time-out when JAY WRIGHT: I just think they're really well coached, they tied it at 44? and Ed's been there a long time. I've been there. We JAY WRIGHT: I don't remember, but it wasn't anything really know what each other are doing, and we've had awesomely inspiring, I can tell you that. You know, we so many tough games with each other. I think the got some good shots. I thought we were still playing players are very comfortable in terms of style of play. pretty well. I just wanted to just kind of slow down the The styles match up similarly. They're very tough momentum. They're a really emotional team. I mean defensively, very physical. They are similar styles of that in a good way, like when they get going, they get play. I'm probably complimenting us more than them out on the break, and this place gets going crazy. when I say that, because they play really physical. We Rev #1 by #181 at 2019-03-14 18:34:00 GMT page 1 of 2 want to be that physical and that tough. That's what all and Phil that's off the charts. They're our loading these games have come down to. scorers, but also we put them on the best players. They have to defend them. He's our leading Look at last year, we went to the NCAA Tournament -- rebounder. There's just so much on their shoulders. you can say it afterwards pretty handily -- but this game We don't feel sorry for them, they don't either, but it's here, we could have easily lost against Providence in pretty impressive. And when he starts the game like overtime. that, it really does inspire our team. Q. I'm sure you told these guys this whole trip that Q. The question is about Eric and kind of just you're starting on every game's going to be hard, overall this season, obviously, he's been in a and you probably say that every year, and maybe different role. You've talked about how much you mean it more this year, I'm not sure. But is you've put on his shoulders. What areas has he there a value to this game being as difficult as it specifically improved in this year, and what's kind was coming out of the chute so they really know of the next areas that you guys are working on? that now? JAY WRIGHT: He has really improved in each area of JAY WRIGHT: I think you and I have been doing this the game, but mostly in being a playmaker, where he long enough that you've asked me that question before. was always a great scorer and always a great defensive player, great rebounder. We now put the ball Q. I can't remember. in his hands to be a playmaker, where he can score, he JAY WRIGHT: It usually is valuable to the other teams, can get to the foul line, and he can get other people but this team hasn't really wanted for tough games. shots. Today only credited for two assists, but he hit We've had plenty of them. In the other years past, Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree, which should have been on we've been dominant in some games. This team, maybe three more assists for dunks. And last game I every game's been a tough game. think he had five assists. So we would have taken an easy one, but it certainly So the ability to do everything. He can guard every wasn't. I'm happy that it was a tough, physical game, position. You know, I think his game actually fits the and the guys played through it. They played through NBA game better than college. I think he's probably the physicality. I thought it was really good. going to be a better NBA player than college, and he's a hell of a college player. Again, Saddiq Bey fouls out in 15 minutes. It's a physical game. He's got to learn how to play physical Q. Coming into this year, you had the two seniors, without fouling. That's what freshmen have to learn. Phil and then Eric, but how big has Colin Gillespie's kind of emergence this year for you as a Q. Jay, you talked about wanting to get Cole in the third scorer been? game and get him in. You got him in pretty early in JAY WRIGHT: It's been awesome. He's the guy that the first half there, about eight minutes ago. How really had the significant playing time last year, even do you think he played today? How valuable were though it wasn't a lot, but we count on him in some his minutes? clutch situations. Again, he's another guy who's a JAY WRIGHT: Really valuable, man. His length sophomore and kind of treating him like a senior. He's defensively was great. He did a good job on the got to be a leader, and he's got a lot on his shoulders offensive glass. Offensively, he's always a threat to too. He's been awesome all year. On and off the score. He got himself to the foul line. We couldn't court, he's a leader in this program. have asked for anything more. He was awesome. You know, for being out -- he was out six weeks without Q. For Eric, what was it that you saw in the being able to play and being able to practice, probably Providence defense that encouraged you to take hasn't played in a game really in seven, eight weeks. It the ball to the hole as much as you did today? was really impressive. Really happy for him, happy for ERIC PASCHALL: Honestly, just my teammates finding us. me in the right spots.

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