NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: Final Four Sunday, April 7, 2019 Minneapolis, Minnesota Tony Bennett Q. Tony, staying on the defense, one of the least Ty Jerome talked about aspects of your defense is blocked shots. As you reflected on last night getting nine, Kyle Guy how essential were they, and could they loom large again tomorrow night? Virginia Cavaliers TONY BENNETT: Yeah, rim protection is so important. The quickness of Auburn. And sometimes your THE MODERATOR: Virginia head coach Tony Bennett defense just breaks down. So the ability for guys to is first. Then we'll be joined by Kyle Guy and Ty either erase mistakes, and Mamadi's been significant in Jerome, student-athletes from Virginia. As soon as the that, and I know Texas Tech is significant in that session wraps up, the student-athletes will head down capacity too, but that is -- when you can play good to the breakout sessions for the starters, and I believe defense but you have some length or shot blocking the locker room is open for the non-starters. behind it, it just adds another element to being harder to score against. Coach Bennett has arrived. We have a lot of questions. We'll try to get through as many as possible So those were key plays, and they have been all year, over the course of the next half hour. whether it was someone coming from the weak side. Over the years, you saw Isaiah do it, Darion Atkins and Q. Tony, obviously, your father's a big influence on guys, and so that is important. your coaching career, but I'm just curious, coming from the NBA, where teams score a lot of points, Q. Your program has never been this far. Texas how did you decide that when you wanted to Tech has never been this far. It's a unique become a coach, that you wanted to build a situation. I'm wondering how much of the program around defense? challenge of building a program to get to this point TONY BENNETT: I think I saw it -- you know, as a is literally convincing players, coaches, the player, I was fortunate to -- Green Bay, where I played administration that it can be done? The hierarchy for my father, it was a rebuilding situation, so I was part of college basketball is just so established. of that as a player, and I watched it even when I was in TONY BENNETT: Right. That's one of the things that high school. drew me to have a chance to coach in the ACC because of the storied programs and the storied Then I observed him at Wisconsin when he went there, coaches, the Hall of Fame coaches. Can you go and and I think they'd only been to one NCAA Tournament. take a team and build your program in a way that you I'm sorry, one NCAA Tournament win in like -- it was think is best and compete against the best? like 40 years. I don't want to misquote it, but it was an amazing stat, and I saw him have to rebuild it in the Big There's a way that I know works -- or that I believe Ten and how he did it, and then the same thing at works. So when you get in those spots, you hope, you Washington State. have a vision and you hope, but you never truly know. When you come in and say, This is going to happen. So to have that experience to know that defense can We're going to be a Final Four team, or we're going to be an equalizer and use that is important. I think at all win the ACC, you believe it, and you hope it, and then levels not many teams advance without being strong you just go to work. That's what it is. defensively, even in the NBA. That's what I knew, and I've seen it work and be successful, and then you So, yes, everyone has the dreams and the goals, but always continue to adjust your offense, but that it's -- that's why we have a door knocker. You just keep probably sealed it for me as I watched the success knocking. You never know when sometimes the door come. And then even being under Coach Ryan for gets slammed in your face, but sometimes you get your those two years, those experiences watching good foot in the door and then your shoulder, and then you programs. can bust through. It's just a continual process. Rev #1 by #206 at 2019-04-07 17:29:00 GMT page 1 of 7 Having gone through that as a player and a coach, that just so special. was an incredible advantage for me. It is can you build a program and compete against the best, and then how Q. Kyle's been very open about his battles to far can you push it? manage anxiety, to kind of keep himself from getting overpressured. I'm curious how you maybe Having watched Wisconsin get to the Final Four, helped him get through some of that, and what having seen other things, it gave me a blueprint, and stood out to you about the way he handled those then you also add to that. issues to get to where he is now? TONY BENNETT: The best thing I could do for Kyle is I Q. Several of your colleagues back at UVA have pray for him a lot. I do, and I'm there for him. won NCAA titles in their sports. What's the Everyone -- we have a saying, be kind because response been from your fellow coaches during everyone you meet is facing a hard battle. Some this run? Do you hear a lot from them? Or things you have to work through with yourself and the because they know you're busy, have they backed right kind of help, and he's very honest about it. I try to off? encourage him and challenge him in ways and be there TONY BENNETT: You can tell they've been through it: for him, coach him hard. Great job; no need to reply on the text messages. The hundreds come in, so they've been through it. The We always talk about encouragement and also support you have -- the Debbie Ryan, when she was accountability, you know, being that way with him. I there, Joanne Boyle from the women's program, now constantly think about him, and for all my guys, that's Tina (Thompson), Brian O'Connor, Coach (Bruce) one of the fortunate things. You're kind of -- you know, Arena, all down the list, I can name them all, all the it's an extended family, so you are a father figure, to an coaches. It's a close-knit family at UVA because I think extent, to them. I think about that stuff, and I do that for we appreciate how it has to be done there, but there's me. That's really important for him. That's probably so many great coaches there. the best thing I could say I did. I remember when I got the job, I said, what's the key to And then we're together in this journey. That's the one building a program? And I listened to them intently thing you talk about being able to go through the highs about finding guys that fit your system, your culture, and the lows together. We've had some. I mentioned and the culture of UVA. the times we've been up here together in tough situations and then watching them grow through it. Q. On Ty, before you secured his commitment, why Just, again, thankful that he was entrusted to me for do you think he flew under the radar a little bit as a this time, and that's why you want to be a good steward recruit? when you have him for the time you get him. TONY BENNETT: He grew a little bit. You know, you look at him, and he's not the most intimidating guy Q. Tony, you guys have heard ad nauseam this year athletically. You say, well, is he quick enough? Can he about the UMBC loss. How gratifying is it to then do things? I think, did he pass the eye test? Perhaps be in this position? And is there some kind of, I not for some of the high majors, and it was early, but don't know, karmic payback that you went to where sometimes you have to go with your gut. you were then to where you are now? TONY BENNETT: Yeah, I'm just incredibly thankful. I've been fortunate, I think when I had to coach at Heard about it a lot, and we knew that. I feel like I Washington State, we had to trust our gut. Sometimes repeat myself too much. In a way, it's a painful gift. It you do, and sometimes you don't, but you have to say I did draw us nearer to each other as a team. I think it see it in him and not be afraid to get those guys helped us as coaches. I think it helped the players on because, if guys are mentally tough and have the the court and helped us in the other areas that rely on courage and the heart, maybe in certain areas they're things that were significant.