Chris Beard Tariq Owens Norense Odiase Davide Moretti Matt Mooney
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NCAA Men's Regional Semifinals and Finals: Anaheim Friday, March 29, 2019 Anaheim, California Chris Beard Tariq Owens day process that has got us here has to continue. JARRETT CULVER: Everything Norense was saying Norense Odiase and just having that feeling in the locker room of getting so close to the Final Four and losing and we worked for Davide Moretti it all summer not to have that feeling again. So I mean we're at the point where we're back to the Elite Eight, Matt Mooney and I mean, it's great. I feel like we don't want to have that feeling again of losing. Jarrett Culver Q. Coach and any of the players who want to take Texas Tech Red Raiders this one as well, I don't know how much you've seen of this, but Brandon Clarke past couple of THE MODERATOR: We will start off with an opening games has had a couple of good ones. I know you statement from Coach Beard here from Texas Tech. guys, obviously your defense was strong and shutdown Michigan down low and a lot of other CHRIS BEARD: I speak for everybody in our program places, too, how much have you seen of Brandon how much respect we have for Gonzaga. In our third Clarke and any idea how you will stop him with the year of building the Tech program we talked a lot about momentum he's currently got going? consistency and we used the word program a lot. We CHRIS BEARD: We've seen a lot of him. He's one of don't just want to be an organization as really one good the best college basketball players I think to say he's season are one good team, we want to be a program. just an athlete is incorrect. He does a lot of things on That word means everything in college basketball and I both ends of the floor. We told our guys this morning think Gonzaga has done this over many years with not he's great basketball player, so we face guys like this in consistency, the roster changes. But the level of the Big 12. We will have to play well against them. If excellence has the same kind of program that we're you don't mind we will keep that to ourselves and trying to build a lot of respect for them. Simply stated hopefully have a chance to talk to you about it after the we think they're one of the best teams in college game. basketball. We think we have to build one of our best college basketball of the year that's our objective. Q. For Chris and Matt, most efficient offense versus the most efficient defense, in terms of Q. Norense and Jarrett, last year you were at this Gonzaga, can you compare them to any teams stage against Villanova. What do you remember you've faced this year? about that experience? How much has that MATT MOONEY: Yeah, they're really good offensively motivated and you what have you learned from that and we're really good defensively. So we will see who over the last 12 months? wins out. I don't know who to compare them to. I know NORENSE ODIASE: I remember what a tough team Duke played really fast and I know Gonzaga plays they were. When you get to the Elite Eight every team really fast, so we're going to have to get back on is good, every team is great. We just know that this defense for sure. year is going to be different. We've been here before. Preparationwise we will be prepared as always. We Q. Jarrett, I know you changed your shot know what to expect at this level, relaying it to the new mechanics over the last year. I was wondering guys, just bringing that fight and that toughness that what went into that decision making and what was fueled us this summer from day one when we started that process like to adjust to a new shot? looking at the Villanova loss and everything we did. JARRETT CULVER: Just to be more efficient on my We changed a lot of things schemewise, just trying to shot and the coaching staff and a lot of the GAs and get better from that loss and it's gotten us to this point. people have helped me come a long way with my shot. So we have to keep on those principles that got us I mean, I just got to work with it over the summer. I here every day, the work, the toughness, the day-to- started way back in the summer, just working on Rev #1 by #189 at 2019-03-29 22:35:00 GMT page 1 of 5 technique and just to be a better shooter. It's always other three seniors have embraced the idea of ways you can improve on your game and that was one eliminating distractions from day one, whether it be of the ways I improved. social media or turning your phone off at night or a girlfriend from time to time. Is Moro still in love? Q. Coach, we mentioned kind of the efficiency that Gonzaga plays with on offense. What makes that DAVIDE MORETTI: Nope. offense so dangerous and so difficult to go against? CHRIS BEARD: Family and friends. We spend a lot of CHRIS BEARD: Two things: One, the talent, you know, time talking about eliminating distractions, ultimately several NBA players on this roster, obviously. They're what successful people do, not just basketball, really good. So for us, that's what it's like every night in successful people know what's important and they can the Big 12. You're playing against NBA players, not a eliminate the things that aren't important. So with the lot of one-dimensional guys either, guys that can do players I don't have any concern on that. Me different things; and two, great coaching. A lot of personally I do what Wes Bloomquist our SID tells us teams around the country that have great players and to do. Wes is a DII guy, some people didn't think he they're watching these games on TV. could handle this stage, but I think he's doing a pretty good job his first year. What do you guys think, man? There's a lot of really good coaches around the country that are also watching the games on TV, but when you MATT MOONEY: Great. combine the two like Gonzaga does, a Big 12 coach and great players, NBA talent, then you're one of the Q. Coach, or anybody, Jarrett last year played a last teams standing. pretty big role but wasn't the Big 12 Player of the Year. I'm curious where you have seen the biggest Q. Coach, talk about the process after a game last jump in his game? night. Obviously you're used to playing games CHRIS BEARD: Did you want to take that Moro when you're in the conference, but a game last Culver's improvement from young to middle age night at this level what do you and the coaching Culver? staff do to get ready for tomorrow's games? CHRIS BEARD: We try to stay true to who we are. We DAVIDE MORETTI: I think every time he try to do a find ourselves in the wings a lot in the Big 12 where we shooting competition with me and he always lost, so he will play a Saturday game and then a big Monday. So tries to improve me wrong every time and he's trying to we call it a one-day prep. get some more shots up every practice, so I think he's getting better. We also schedule these type situations to put our guys in different situations, whether it be back-to-back or TARIQ OWENS: Nah, since I got here, Culver has one-day preps or two-days. Really we just stay true. been great. He puts in a lot of work. Can vouch for the We get back, immediately try to hydrate and feed the losses in the shooting drills, I'm just saying. But Culver guys, get some rest. We spend a couple of minutes puts in a lot of work. He's not earned all the accolades talking about the last game, kinda putting that to sleep, he's getting now. He's earned every bit of it. the good things, things we gotta do better and then we try to bruise the next opponent, personnel plays first Q. Chris, I wanted to go back to something and then start getting into game plan. It's hard to Norense said after the Villanova game maybe was believe that we're really doing the same things we've there some sort of taking stock in how you played always done. We recognize that we're on the biggest at all or changing the way you played maybe in stage and we're having a lot of fun here, but we've got subtle ways? to be who we are. That's really important I think is to CHRIS BEARD: Yeah, I agree with Norense, we were continue to be who we are. always trying to learn from victory and defeat. A lot of the things we do in our program are from different Q. Coach, obviously when you get to this point in people.