Bruce Pearl Jared Harper Bryce Brown
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NCAA Men's 1st and 2nd Rounds: Salt Lake City Wednesday, March 20, 2019 Salt Lake City, Utah Bruce Pearl Jared Harper Q. A lot of media people making picks have said New Mexico State might be an upset with a 12-5, it Bryce Brown is a regular thing. Do you pay attention to that? Auburn Tigers What are your thoughts on that? Bryce? BRYCE BROWN: We don't try to pay too much THE MODERATOR: Questions for Auburn student- attention to it. It is one of the biggest parts of the year, athletes, please. March Madness. I don't know how long, like, before high school, middle school, high school, so it isn't new Q. Guys, first off, what do you think of New Mexico to me. I have been the type of person that wanted beat State, the depth, what you have seen in your the odds and I have been able to do that. scouting, in your preparation? Bryce? BRYCE BROWN: They're a talented team, a very deep So it is nothing new to us, we are used to be being the team like you said, they have pretty good guards, good underdogs and like I said, nothing new. bigs, and they have depth in all of those areas. So I think guarding their guards, keeping their guards in Q. Jared? front of us, you know, helping our bigs out a little bit JARED HARPER: We don't pay too much attention to because it won't be a one-man team for them. Just it. It is another motivation this year. We are playing helping out as much as we can because we're going to our best basketball this time of the year, so we are not see these quick guards, fast guards, they are kind of thinking too much of what other people are saying. It is undersized in their big, so their bigs aren't slow, what goes on in our locker room, that is our main focus undersized big as well. and doing what we need to do to fulfil our goals. Q. Jared? Q. Bryce, you talked about New Mexico State, JARED HARPER: They shoot the three-ball well, they preparing for their depth, how many guys they are a similar team to us. They like to run, they like to have. What challenge is that for you guys in press and force turnovers. So see how similar they are preparing for a line-up where there are so many to us and know the things we have to do. different looks, different type of players that you have to prepare for? Q. I'd ask both of you, how did you end up in BRYCE BROWN: We probably haven't seen that all Auburn, what were your other choices, what was year, and when you get around this time of the season, the thing that put you over the top to go to coaches, strength in rotations and we don't do that, so Auburn? that makes them similar to us. They don't shrink their JARED HARPER: I thought Auburn was a good rotation so they have 13 or 14 guys that play, all of situation for me. It was closer to home. To play as a them are capable of going off at any moment in the freshman, that was another big thing in this and I game. wanted to be part of making history. It's a perfect situation for me and Bryce and for my teammates to That's why we have to pay close attention to our come in and make history. scouting report because they shoot the ball well and, like I said, not a single person we have to focus in on. BRYCE BROWN: My situation is similar to Jared. It They have a pretty good point guard that directs most was very close to home. With Coach Pearl, we have, I of the traffic. He makes most of the play calls and felt very confident playing this system and just seeing makes most of the plays. Other guys are able to make myself fitting very well in the system as well as it was plays well and knock down shots, you know. They do a very close to home and I know he likes to play fast and good job spreading the floor and things like that, similar shoot a lot of three balls. to us, you know. And that was just part of the things I looked at that was THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Pearl, part of my interest. please. Rev #1 by #528 at 2019-03-20 18:48:00 GMT page 1 of 4 going to kick this guy to the curb and get a 25-year- Q. Hey, Coach. Just kick it off with what you spent old in here who will agree with everything I say? a couple of years out of basketball, we all know BRUCE PEARL: That's a great question. This is not about that. How tough was that for you and did overused: Surround yourself with people better than you have doubt that you would ever not only just you. You can do that now. A lot of head coaches out get back to coaching, but get back to here? there -- I'm one of them -- that's lived that, I'm telling BRUCE PEARL: Yeah, I started coaching in 1982. And you. So, you talk about Wes Flanigan, a former head what year is it now? 2019. And like I was only out of coach, who was an assistant at one time to Chris coaching for three years. So I basically have been Beard. coaching my whole life. And so you're going to ask me a question about the three years I wasn't coaching? Listen, I've got a guy named Chad Prewett, a high I'm 58 years old, two days ago. school coach in Auburn, he's the director of basketball operations, I'd stand him up against anybody. I've got I want to talk about coaching. I love Auburn, I love the an assistant director of basketball operations, Mike SEC. I'm so proud of the SEC, 15 teams have made Burgomaster, that was a manager for Jim Larranaga at the NCAA tournament last two years out of the SEC. Miami, pretty good coach. My son is my assistant That's a lot of progress, you know, for our league. I did coach, nobody better to go to to find out what to do and it six times at Tennessee. And now we've been able to not to do to piss me off. do it a couple of times here at Auburn. So obviously it's what I've always done my whole life. Having all different -- and listening to every voice, respect all the voices out there. And the one thing you And so, it's great to have the opportunity to make a don't want to do is you don't want to be so strong that difference in young people's lives because it's a they are intimidated to tell you what they think. I want ministry. And to be able to teach and to coach -- if you to know what they think. I want them to challenge my played, you remember the way you looked at your thinking. Once we leave a meeting and a decision is coach. And the impact that your coaches had on your made, I make my decision work. I'm going to make the life, not just on the field and on the court but off as well. decision to the best of my ability. It may not be the It's great to be in this place. It's where God wants me. right one. Let's go make it work. It's where I feel very blessed to be. Q. Bruce, the three years that you spent not Q. Bruce, what's different about the game plan for coaching this entire long career, how are you a a team that can go 13 deep? different coach now than you were before? BRUCE PEARL: 13 deep. You have to know all the BRUCE PEARL: That's a good question. I think a little personnel. Harris and Brown will be key match-ups. older, a little wiser, maybe a bit more patient. Maybe a When you get guys that didn't play against Kansas and little bit more grateful. Humble. But I'll tell you later leads them in scoring. You have to know them all. something, when I was out of coaching for a few years, I had a lot of bills to pay, still. So, my daughter Leah Just been very impressed with this New Mexico State told me something that I will never forget. I worked for team. They have only lost four games this year. a company for three years in addition to my time with Coach Jans is 57-10, his losses this year: St. Mary's, XM Radio and ESPN, the HT Hackney Company, we they're in tournament; Kansas, he about had them put stuff in convenience stores, that was my new family. beat; lost to Drake who won the Missouri Valley And Leah told me that she had never been prouder of contest. her father because I treated that job like it was my last. He and I, like, are second cousins in that I spent some My job as a coach may be more visible, but I had to time as assistant at Iowa.