NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Final Four Friday, April 5, 2019 Minneapolis, Minnesota Chris Beard coach and emphasize it. It's just always kind of our Norense Odiase belief of basketball, and it was kind of reinforced by Coach Knight in those years under him. Jarrett Culver Just getting to know Coach Izzo, but the last couple Texas Tech Red Raiders days have been pretty cool. Last night he was talking about his relationship with Coach Heathcote and the THE MODERATOR: We're ready to go with head defense and things like that. coach of Texas Tech, Chris Beard. Want to give us thoughts as you head into the semifinal. Yeah, people ask me all the time is it challenging? Not really. Good players want to be coached, and good CHRIS BEARD: I told the guys, if it doesn't feel a little players want that trust factor, and I think, once you different today than it did yesterday leading up to explain to the guys, this is why we do the things we do tomorrow, then we're not ready, and everybody assured and this is what defense can lead to, once they kind of me that it did. visualize and they understand how important it is, it becomes everybody's identity. We're just excited about the opportunity. To me, personally, this open practice is sacred. I grew up in But I think Michigan State's one of the best defensive coaching coming to these. It's the one part of the Final teams in college basketball, as they are every year. To Four that I've never missed. I'd come to all four me, it's much more than just the rebounding. It's the practices, sit there with my coaching friends and watch positioning and the gaps and the toughness, the the Michigan States, the North Carolinas, the Dukes, mental toughness, the lack of mistakes, the players the Kansases of the world of college basketball and playing roles, their rim protection. It's one of the best dream of being here. shot blocking teams in college basketball, but they do it by committee. It's here, and I tend to have a great time here. In our 50-minute practice today, wile try to get a lot of shots Michigan State, we have a lot of respect for obviously, up and enjoy the moment. but their defense is at the top of the list of reasons why. Q. Coach, your team plays incredibly intensive on Q. Sadly, my name is not Hondo. Hondo asked defense, which is something that Michigan State partly what I wanted to ask, so I'll take it a step likes to do. Is it fun to be able to -- most teams just further. You've been glowing in your reverence for don't play with the intensity you do on that side of Coach Izzo. I just wanted to touch on a little bit the ball. Is that a fun challenge to play someone more about the respect you have for him. There's a who has the same commitment that you do? lot of great coaches out there, but what is it about CHRIS BEARD: That's a great name, Hondo. Have Coach Izzo that resonates with you so much? you ever heard of Hondo from Luckenbach, Texas? CHRIS BEARD: There's three things. One, talking to people who know Coach and kind of study him and Q. Yes, sir. read the articles and the books like everybody, I'm 100 CHRIS BEARD: I have three daughters, but I always percent sure that this is a coach who hasn't changed said if I had a son, I was going to name him Hondo. from when he was a high school coach to an assistant Actually, the girls didn't know that. coach, graduate assistant, then assistant, now head coach, and then NCAA coach, National Championship Just to be mentioned in the same question or a coach, Naismith Hall of Fame coach. He hasn't statement with our defense and Michigan State is a changed. Everybody around him says he's the same huge compliment for our program. Yes, we try to guard old coach. at a high level. It's been the identity of our teams at all different levels and now currently at Texas Tech. But You kind of feel that. In coaching we're kind of a it's something that we try to recruit to. We certainly fraternity. We spend Aprils together and Julys. You Rev #1 by #206 at 2019-04-05 18:01:00 GMT page 1 of 5 might run into somebody at the rental car counter. One I went to Lubbock to spend a few days, but the guy that time at Peach Jam, they got one row of chairs on Court really endorsed it was Pat Knight. I met Coach Knight 3, and I just happened to be sitting somewhere, and first, and then I spent several days with Pat. We then you're sitting next to a Coach Izzo. He obviously developed a relationship that turned into a strong will not remember this story, but I do. He's just a guy friendship. that's personable, he's nice. He treats everybody, regardless of what a guy's shirt says, the logo on the Pat was the one, basically in my eyes, that got me the shirt, to me, he kind of goes out of his way. He's a job at Texas Tech. Coach might disagree, but it was coach's coach. He helps coaches. So that's the first definitely Pat, I think, endorsing. I still have a close thing. relationship with Pat today. Obviously, on the basketball court, everybody has an Q. Coach, when you look at the guard talent and idea kind of the way the game's played, and the way the wing talent throughout this Final Four, Michigan State plays is exactly how I kind of visualize including Jarrett Culver, how does that speak to the game, defense and toughness. They have an the game evolving in terms of smaller lineups and identity. He coaches his guys hard, but you can tell he a lot of guards throughout this Final Four? loves his guys, and they love him. The relationship CHRIS BEARD: I think obviously guards have been a piece is there. I just have a lot of respect for their big part of basketball forever, and certainly in today's program. game, you can -- I think it's just more versatility on the floor. Like I've never -- we're a small college, even in Q. Basketball-wise, what are the biggest Bob Little Rock, small ball. Maybe you can't go out and get Knight influences on you? those 6'8", 6'9" guys who try to play different positions. CHRIS BEARD: I think preparation. We try to get our Certainly in the NBA, Golden State, kind of transform guys prepared. I think respecting every single this. opponent. The biggest game we play is the next game on the schedule. My girlfriend, Randi, somebody In college basketball, we'd study Villanova's teams asked her the other day how big a game it was when forever, and I thought it was small ball until we went out we were playing Gonzaga, and she said, it feels just there in the Elite Eight last year in Boston. This was like it did opening night against Incarnate Word. not small ball. These guys were 6'9", 6'10", and they could dribble past and shoot, and some people say it's That's exactly right. To us, the next game on the small ball. schedule is the most important game. I learned that from Coach Knight. But you still think it's a place in basketball for the big guy. Michigan State has three or four of them we've The ability to bounce guys back into play pretty quickly. got a lot of respect for. And even on our team, we're If we had some success, he would humble them pretty not here today if it's not for Norense. We're not here quick, let's get back to work. If we came up a little bit today if it's not for Tariq. I think guards get a lot of short, he would bang them up a bit, but we were attention today in college basketball, but it's still you've always ready to play the next game. I never saw one got to have some play around the basket to advance. loss turn into two losses with Coach Knight. Player development, guys getting better, just so many things Q. Both at Little Rock and Texas Tech, you've had a with Coach Knight literally. Pretty much, maybe in lot of success with transfers, junior college most aspects of our program today, he influences in players, guys who you haven't had a lot of time to some way. build into your program. How fundamental is it to just your philosophy of building a team that you go Q. To follow up, how instrumental was Bob in just out and get some of those guys? giving you a break to start at Texas Tech, right from CHRIS BEARD: You mentioned the key word, time. I going from a JuCo there? mean, it's not arrogance. It's just the truth. We're CHRIS BEARD: I was coaching junior college really good at coaching one-year guys. Coach Cal at basketball at Seminole State College in Oklahoma, and Kentucky is pretty good at it too.