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NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Final Four Sunday, April 7, 2019 Minneapolis, Minnesota Chris Beard ones do. With our guys, we talk about having balance, Norense Odiase we talk about having fun off the court, and being serious on the court. Jarrett Culver On this trip, we're doing the same thing. We set it up Texas Tech Red Raiders as a twofold plan. We're saying "smell the roses," has been our terminology this week, really in the whole THE MODERATOR: Good afternoon, everyone. tournament. That just means enjoying everything, but Welcome back to the main interview room. Our Texas also then being us when it comes to basketball, and I Tech media availability session is set to begin in just a think we've done that pretty well. few moments. Head coach Chris Beard will join us here in the main interview room for your questions and Q. When you were considering the Texas Tech job, his answers. After a few moments with Coach Beard talking to Kirby, I think you guys talked about by himself, we'll be joined by student-athletes Jarrett alignment and making sure there was a well- Culver and Norense Odiase. resourced program. What in your mind is a well- resourced championship program, and how has it We're going to start with head coach Chris Beard. matched that the last few years? We'll get to questions in just a moment. Coach, your CHRIS BEARD: When Kirby and I met, it was a real thoughts at this time. simple conversation. We just wanted to make sure we were on the same page. Our expectations were to try CHRIS BEARD: The best thing about this is just keep to compete for championships and to have the coaching these guys. We don't want it to end. Looking resources and the mindset and the vision to do so. forward to today, another practice, then tomorrow more preparation, and ultimately a game. Our goal has never been to make a tournament. It's been to win the tournament. It's easy to talk about, Those of us in college basketball, when you talk about and really, really hard to do. But that's where we that Monday in April, it's a special day. Just so pleased started this whole thing, was just trying to have the to be coaching these guys on a Monday night. expectations and the vision where we could be relative. Q. We always hear coaches say embracing the It starts by trying to be relative in the Big 12. If you can process, enjoy the journey. You seem to be taking get in the top half of the Big 12 and compete, you can that to an art form right now. How are you able to beat anybody once the tournament starts. That's been do that and still get these guys prepared to play as proven several times in recent history here. well as they have? CHRIS BEARD: This is what we always do. This isn't The big thing with Kirby is and I is we shared the vision anything new. We have a process that we believe in. It we could be relative in the Big 12, which ultimately has the academic piece. It has the individual work, the meant we could be relative alternately. shooting, the team practice, the film, the conditioning, the diet, the sleep -- all those things go into our Q. Coach, I got a two-part question. Part one, do process. you have an update on Tariq? CHRIS BEARD: No. But one thing we talk about from day one is just balance. I think you've got to have some kind of Q. Okay. And part two, you've said all year the release. It starts with faith and family, and then reason Matt Mooney and Tariq came to Tech is to ultimately the best players have a release. play in big games in the NCAA Tournament. Their performance last night, they were both I don't know Michael Jordan, but I've studied him as outstanding. Is that why you recruited them to much as anybody, and I know he's very competitive Texas Tech? with golf and enjoys things like that, and all the great CHRIS BEARD: We recruited them because they're Rev #1 by #206 at 2019-04-07 19:26:00 GMT page 1 of 7 talented players, number one. We knew they could where we really thought, hey, we can play with the best play well in the Big 12. They both have a proven teams in college basketball. We're good enough to do record, proven body of work, but the big thing for Tech this. And this year's team really benefited from the -- and I don't want to speak for those guys, we know culture we established year two. Vision and belief are how much we lost from last year's team with Zach and everything. Zhaire, Justin, Tommy, Niem, and Keenan leaving. I think those guys saw the opportunity to play on the big Sometimes it comes off as a little bit of arrogance, but stage but also the spot to make an impact. you've got to be willing to tell people -- I've been telling people my whole life, I think we can win championships Q. As you look at your starting lineup, all these and play on the last night of the season. guys were two stars, three stars, or in Mooney's case, not even rated coming out of high school. The reason I say that is not arrogance, it's just belief in How has that kind of bonded this team, and what we do on a day-to-day basis. I know how much specifically with Culver, how has that kind of our guys are on the practice floor. I know how hard our motivated him in his career? staff works. I know how we care for each other. CHRIS BEARD: I think the ratings and the stars and all that's good for basketball, it's good for attention and When you've got a group of people working collectively stuff, but it really has no relationship between that and and you have the courage and the backbone to tell winning. Zhaire Smith wasn't a top 100 player. He's people what you think you can do, then that's when 16th in the Draft last year. great things can happen. I think it can be a source of motivation. Every great Q. Coach, I know by now you've probably seen the player I've coached, I've always said, they print out that videos of the pretty wild celebrations in Lubbock top 100. I'll put it in your locker and put in my office after yesterday's big win. If you're from Lubbock, and put it on your wall next to your bed and go to work, you know that we can be excited, we can be rowdy. and we'll see where it pans out. What do you think about the way they celebrated? Do you have a message for everyone going forward With Zhaire, it not panned out pretty good after a year. back home? With Culver, it's coming true after two. Stars are just CHRIS BEARD: First of all, I know we have great fans stars. They don't mean anything once you get to work. at Texas Tech, and I know those students very well, It's about player development and working on your and I just hate that the actions of a select few are craft. putting Lubbock in maybe this light, but I've lived in Lubbock 13 years. I know the students. I know the Steph Curry is a pretty good player, and he didn't play people. We have core values, but sometimes just a at a blue blood. So, I mean, I just think the star deal is few people will do something, and I just hate that it kind one part of basketball, and we respect it, but more of puts that light on it. important, it's the work you put in. So my message and my voice would be let's celebrate Q. Chris, I asked Tony the same question. It sort of this, let's enjoy this, but let's do it in the right way, in a builds off of what Brian said. How much of safe way. But I want to recognize all the people that do building a program to get to this point is do that the right way. All the people that spent their convincing people in the program, around the hard-earned time and money to come here. Our hotel program, players, administrators, assistant last night was electric, but it was safe and professional coaches, that even though we haven't done this and just good. I did see some of those things, it didn't before, we can do this. We can get to this point. make me happy, but I'd like to recognize all the people CHRIS BEARD: That's big. That's the first step, is the that are doing it the right way. Hopefully this story isn't vision, and then you've got to get people on board that just those select few that made some bad decisions. really believe it and believe it in front of you, behind your back, believe it at 10:00 when they're out of town, Q. Can you tell me how, since you were talking on the road somewhere.

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