The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Men's Basketball NCAA Press Conferences [March 18, 2015]
03.18.2015 | Men's Basketball
Texas, Butler press conference transcripts
2015 Basketball Championship
Second/Third Rounds - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Wednesday, March 18
TEXAS QUOTES
MODERATOR: From Texas, student-athletes Demarcus Holland and Jonathan Holmes. Questions for the student-athletes.
Q. Start with Demarcus. What do you know about Butler and what, in the scouting report, is most concerning to you?
DEMARCUS HOLLAND: We know they led their league in rebounding. I know they have a great coaching staff. I know they've been a good program for some years now. They play really hard. They're going to fight it out to the buzzer like we do and I just know it's going to be a brawl.
Q. Demarcus, I was wondering how Isaiah Taylor's injury earlier this year sort of affected your role in this team and sort of what you're doing on the team now and also your confidence level, having to play a few more minutes early on there.
DEMARCUS HOLLAND: With him being out, I had to play some of than one, so I had a chance to learn the game even more by being able to organize the team and being able to manage the game. My coaching staff had great confidence in me. When he came back, it moved me to the side and I was able to look at the game from a different perspective and kind of understand how to be a better leader. So I think overall, it helped me become a better leader, him being out. Now that he's back, I'm able to share some of the information with him.
Q. Jonathan, what gives you guys confidence that -- I've read after you got selected on Sunday, you believe you're playing your best basketball this season. It's been spotty. You played in a tough conference. What has you confident you guys have sort of figured it out?
JONATHAN HOLMES: You look at the last few weeks, starting with the game in Lawrence against Kansas, we played them tough and could have went either way going into the half of the four minutes. The two big home games against Baylor and Kansas State and then playing Tech and Iowa State, we had a chance to beat them and kind of blew it the last two minutes. We were confident. We knew we were playing better. We were holding each other accountable so we could feel things turning a little bit.
Q. What was it like watching the selection show on Sunday, kind of waiting for your all's name to come up? I apologize. I can't remember when in the show it came up. Was there real anxiety for you all?
JONATHAN HOLMES: It was like within the first five minutes of the show where we got selected. So, I mean, leading up to the show is the anxiety, but we didn't have to wait too long. So that was a good thing.
Q. You guys have obliterated the school record for blocks this year. Is there anything in particular that has sort of led to this, other than the fact that you've got guys that are good at it? Is that something that you can practice, or is that just guys being attentive defensively helping and that kind of stuff?
JONATHAN HOLMES: We don't really practice blocking shots, but, I mean, we have guys that are really good at that. That's how you can change the game. Like Prince Ibeh, Myles and Cam, they're probably some of the best shot blockers in the country and it's good to have them on our side.
MODERATOR: Other questions for the student-athletes? Gentlemen, thank you. From Texas, head coach Rick Barnes, we'll have a two-minute opening statement from coach and then we'll go to questions. Coach?
COACH BARNES: We're excited, obviously, to be here and be a part of this tournament. When you really get down to it, the ultimate goal, I think, of every team is to have a chance to be a part of this. When you're a part of the 68 teams that are playing for obviously what everybody wants, it's exciting. I think our guys are looking forward to it. We know that we've got a very tough opponent to start with here, with Butler, that when you look at them, you see they're extremely well-coached team, a team that really works hard defensively. They really rebound the ball really, really well and they're not going to give you anything at all easy. From an offensive standpoint, they've got some players that certainly have the ability to go off and score a lot of points. So it's really a challenge for us.
MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Barnes.
Q. Coach, you're a shot blocking team and they're a smaller team. What do you think they'll do to minimize your ability to block shots and how will you counteract that?
COACH BARNES: I think this time of year, I really do believe most teams are going to do the things that they've done all year. And the way they move the ball, they will, I'm sure, try to get our post players away from the basket. They're going to set ball screens and multiple ball screens, double ball screens, I'm sure, to open up the basket area and move the ball. Those are things they do now because they're coming out of an outstanding league themselves. So from that standpoint -- and we play, obviously, sometimes with a big lineup, sometimes we play with three guards. And so as the game goes on, we've played man, we've played zone. But I don't think they'll be surprised by anything that we do.
Q. Rick, a lot of coaches like to talk about how the NCAA tournament is sort of a new start for teams. After the up-and-down year that you guys have gone through, how important is that attitude for you guys?
COACH BARNES: Well, regardless of how your year has gone, and some teams maybe have had surprising years, some teams maybe haven't had the year they'd liked to have had. But when you get into this tournament, it's a new start for everybody. I don't care if you're Kentucky or any team in this tournament, it's a new start and you realize it's a one game. It's a one-game tournament, every game or you don't get to move on. I think you realize that any team in this tournament, they're here because they've earned their way here. They're excited to be here. They get -- history has told us that crazy things can happen, and so I don't know that there's a team in this tournament that is not excited. And you do realize, hey, yes, this is a chance. But it gets down to you still have to go play basketball. You've got to execute, you've got to get your thoughts on the game and know that you're a part of something really special.
Q. Rick, it sounds like that your team, because of some injuries and some other situations have had a hard time getting some continuity this year. I think you've started the same lineup the last six games. Do you feel like you are starting to get some of that at the most important time of the year?
COACH BARNES: Yes, I would -- that's an accurate statement because we, you know, went through December after Isaiah's injury and really piecing things together, and then him coming back, trying to get back into a rhythm of what and how we thought we could play and should play. We dealt with some injuries, obviously, in February. But over the last six games, actually prior to the West Virginia game, we felt like we were heading in the right direction that way.
Q. Coach, everybody thinks of Butler about those two runs to the National Championship game. In reality, they've been good for 25 years through multiple different head coaches. I don't know how much you've seen of Butler over the years from a scouting standpoint. When you watch them play on TV or you're scouting them, what is the common theme that has made this program good for 25 years?
COACH BARNES: Toughness. I think they have an atmosphere where they've built that, where rebound -- when you play defense and rebound the ball, when you rebound the ball the way they do, that tells you that you're finishing possessions. They do a great job. You can watch them play and realize where I think they place their emphasis. Then on the offensive end, it's a team that, again, they'll spread you out. They'll move the ball. They fight. They grind it. So you go back to, as you mentioned, through the years, that's when I think Butler, that's what I think of.
Q. Rick, just how has this season been for you personally and how is it maybe different from any others? But just how has it been for you personally?
COACH BARNES: Well, I think the longer you stay in this, it seems like the older you get, the losses are harder. The fact is we've got a great group of guys and the regular season didn't go the way we would have liked it to go. But with that said, I really appreciate and admire our players for the way they've stayed with it. Because, as you know, when things aren't going well, so many people have opinions about what's happening and they don't really know what's happening. They have their opinions from an outside person looking in. From the inside, we know where we are. I think our coaching staff, my assistants did a great job of keeping our guys focused on knowing where we were, what we had to do. But the fact is we're -- the ultimate goal is to be in this tournament. We're here and I just hope that we can play our best basketball this time of year. And again, there's going to be some teams that will surprise people. There are going to be some teams that have had a great year and could be gone in one game. So that's what makes this tournament special. It affects every state in the country and you think about it, I think it's the greatest sporting event in our country. To be a part of it, to answer your question about me personally, I think that when you deal with the kind of guys that we've dealt with on our group, there hasn't been one day this year that I haven't looked forward to going to practice with them. We've got a special group of guys that have really stuck together, and that pleases me a lot.
Q. How has Myles Turner's game evolved since the start of the year, since he got on campus, to his first tournament?
COACH BARNES: I think Myles has had a terrific freshman year, in the fact that he's learned a lot. He's improved a lot. He came into a program where we have front line players, and every day having to work against those guys I think has probably helped him as much as anything. If he has struggled anywhere, it would be physically just to jump from being a young high school player. He's 18 years old coming into the college game. He has struggled, you know, some physical type -- our league is a grind, it's a hard-nosed, hard-fought league and it's the toughest it's been since I've been in Texas in terms of the parity from top to bottom. Every night was that type of game. He's improved. Like all freshmen, I think he's been up and down. Overall, when you look at it, he's still learning a lot about the college game, but I think he would tell you that the physical part of it is harder and the grind of -- that he's had to go there is probably more difficult than he could have imagined.
Q. Rick, you're in the tournament for the 16th time in 17 years, yet there's speculation about your job security. How do you deal with that personally and do you feel like you have to shield your players from that at all?
COACH BARNES: I don't. I don't worry about it. I've been very fortunate and blessed to have worked for great bosses and I can only tell you that they've been nothing but supportive to me. I think, just like with our team, I think media on the outside, they speculate. I think they try to create stories and come up with things. The one thing about this athletics is you don't always get rewarded the way you want to when you want to, and it can be cruel at times. But the fact is how can we ever complain about anything? I mean, I've got a -- I've had great players I've been able to be around, worked for great universities. Work for, I think, the greatest university there is right now and have great bosses. And so regardless of what other people say, I think I've been blessed. How do I deal with it? I've been doing it long enough to know that there always are going to be people that are going to have their opinions, and you don't worry about it. You really don't. I hope my identity is not just basketball, is probably one way I deal with it. It's what I do, but when it's all said and done, I hope that's not what people will remember me for.
MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach.
COACH BARNES: Thank you.
BUTLER QUOTES
MODERATOR: We have the Butler student-athletes Alex Barlow and Kameron Woods. Questions for the student-athletes.
Q. Alex, there's only two double-digit seeds in the NCAA tournament that are favored to win their first round game, Texas being one of them by Vegas. What are your thoughts on Texas being favored in this game?
ALEX BARLOW: Obviously, we try not to get caught up in that, who's favored, who's not. If you're in the NCAA tournament, you're a good team regardless of your seeding, regardless of your record. As you've seen every year, higher seeds lose to lower seeds. So we're not really worried about that. We're just focused on playing against them. We could be favored, they could be favored. It honestly doesn't really matter to us at all.
Q. Kameron, they're the best shot blocking team in the country. You guys, outside of yourself and maybe Tyler, I guess you could say, don't have a lot of length. What do you guys need to do to minimize their defensive impact so that you can get shots off?
KAMERON WOODS: I don't think we're necessarily worried about where they rank in terms of blocking shots. We obviously have a game plan every game. They are long. They have four guys that they rotate in that are extremely long and are capable of blocking shots. We just really have to focus on doing what we do. I think in this game we'll focus more on maybe not attacking the rim recklessly or throwing up shots that could lead to getting blocked and leading to a breakout for them. In this game, we have to be smarter in our shot selection because we want them to play against our half court D. So in that regard, we're kind of just going to play how we play. We're obviously going to be cautious and make sure we're not taking any bad shots in the lane. Other than that, we're going to do what we do. We have guys who can score from all three levels. We've played against longer teams before, so we're not necessarily that worried about it.
Q. Kameron, more on that theme. You guys did very well rebounding in your league this year. Clearly, whether you are undersized or oversized doesn't matter to you all. What do you think is going to be the key on the glass tomorrow in winning that battle?
KAMERON WOODS: It's going to be very physical to start off with. Like I said, they have a lot of big bodies. Their threes, fours and fives are very big. We have done very well in rebounding. This game it's going to be really key that we hit bodies when a shot goes up and give our guys space to go clean the glass, probably more than any other game because they're really physical and really big. The key that we've been talking about is when a shot goes up, you got to have all five guys hitting a body and all five guys pursuing the ball probably more than we have any game this season.
Q. First of all, do either of you guys have an update on the dog? Is the dog okay? Do we know if the dog is feeling any better?
KAMERON WOODS: He's good. He's good.
Q. I'm curious, the program had such great success under Coach Stevens. I'm curious what the season has been like with you all with the switch, trying to get adjusted to the different roles in the coaching staff. Was it important to prove that, quote, Butler was back?
KAMERON WOODS: For me and him sitting up here, this coaching change wasn't our first. So from that respect, we kind of knew the process for how it was going to be with a new guy coming in. But the thing about Butler that we really appreciated is that whoever comes in and runs the program, they do it the same way, we have the same values. We understand what it takes to win, and that guy at the top does a really good job portraying that down to everybody else. At the beginning of the season, we might have had a chip on our shoulders because we felt like we had a lot to prove after not playing so well last year, then coming back to the same conference and feeling like we could really compete. But the longer we've gone on, I think we've kind of -- we don't necessarily lose the chip on our shoulder, but we've kind of settled into our roles and I think Coach Holtmann has done a great job of that. And then, you know, the seniors that we have on the team have done a good job of that as well. So at this point in the season where we're at, we just want to play and compete at the highest level. I don't think we're really worried about that type of stuff anymore.
Q. The two of you, I know, have been around for a while so you've played for Coach Stevens. I'm just curious for your impressions of how Coach Holtmann is the same or different from him, what they might share and just your impression of the work that he's done to bring you guys back to this point.
ALEX BARLOW: I'd say they're similar in a lot of ways, a lot of their beliefs. They're both very attention -- details -- attention to details. But at the same time, they're a different coach in their own ways. They like to do different things schematically. They have, you know, different quirks about them, defensively. We're very similar to what we were under Coach Stevens was here, but there are things we've added under Coach Holtmann. Personality-wise, they're definitely different. Coach Stevens was very calm, relaxed, very rarely got mad, very rarely got on us. Coach Holtmann is a little more fiery, a little more into us, which both those styles of coaching are beneficial. You need them both. So they're both great coaches and I've enjoyed playing for both of them. Obviously, Coach Holtmann's done a great job this year.
Q. For Kameron, when you look at Texas' roster and videotape of them, does it surprise you they're an 11 seed and finished six in their conference?
KAMERON WOODS: I think when we've looked at Texas, we haven't really focused on their seed. I think when you get into a tournament, you realize that you're not going to have an easy game. Every game's going to be tough regardless of where you're at. We see Texas as a challenge. We like challenges. I think they do as well. They've been -- I know that they've been injured, haven't really played at full strength for all their games. So from that respect, they may not have been at 100 percent. But when we look at Texas and we look at their film, we see a talented team that's capable of beating anybody in the country. They've been up double digits on Iowa State, went to Kansas, played them really well. So I don't really think we see them as an 11 seed. We just see them as another challenge.
Q. You talked about losing the chip on your shoulder, second year in the league. Do you guys consider yourself still a mid-major program? You're in a big league now with -- you got a No. 1 seed and all that kind of stuff. But is that stigma, a Big 12 team being favored over a top 3 team in the Big East? Is that still sort of that Butler mid-major stuff still hanging around, you think?
KAMERON WOODS: I think from me and Alex's perspective, having been at Butler since we were in the Horizon League and were considered a mid-major, that was something we never really talked about within our program within practices or anything like that. So we just kind of leave that up to you guys. We're going to come out and compete. That's kind of what we've done. So I don't really think we see ourselves as a mid-major. We're just a bunch of guys who come out and compete together. So that's where we stand.
Q. Alex, kind of a two-part question. Number one is what team do you think Texas is most like, a team that y'all have played this year. And what games of theirs did y'all watch to prepare for this?
ALEX BARLOW: I'd probably compare them most to North Carolina. They're very big. A lot of size, a lot of length inside. Very physical, very good rebounding team. Both North Carolina and Texas have really good guards, obviously, with Marcus Paige and Taylor for Texas. Really, we just kind of watched their most recent games, the Iowa State game, Kansas, West Virginia. So really, more of their games in the Big 12 and we got a pretty good feel from those games.
MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen. From Butler, we have head coach Chris Holtmann. We'll take an opening statement from Coach Holtmann and then go to Q&A. Coach?
COACH HOLTMANN: Obviously, we're really looking forward to tomorrow. It's been a special year and one that we hope can certainly continue. This is a special group that we've had the opportunity to coach and be around on a day-to-day basis. They have a special connection. Obviously, we know what's in front of us. We have a terrific team in Texas that is certainly one of the best defensive teams in the country. Their numbers back that up. So many people talk about their size, and that's certainly evident. But they've got great discipline on the defensive end. They make it very difficult for you to score around the rim with the best two-point field goal percentage defense in the country. And it's going to be a great challenge, great challenge for our guys and one I know they're looking forward to. So we're anxious to get started.
MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Holtmann.
Q. Coach, you've faced bigger teams, like Georgetown, Xavier, so Texas' length isn't something that will stun you guys. What have you learned from previous games that you might be able to implement against Texas?
COACH HOLTMANN: I think that's right, Tom. We have faced some -- Providence is really big in our league as well. They may be the most similar in terms of size to Texas. I think it's just -- I don't know that we -- we haven't played anyone that protects the rim quite like they do. They're a terrific shot blocking team. So I think we're going to have to be intelligent about how we approach things offensively. You want to be aggressive in attack mode. We'll certainly be that. But we also don't want to be foolish and initiate break opportunities for them in how we attack. So it's like anything, you have to get into a shot blocker's body. We're going to have to move them, move the defense and be prepared to attack when that opportunity presents itself. I think it does help that we have seen some size. Not quite the team size that we'll see tomorrow.
Q. Just curious to get a sense for you, when you came here a few years ago to Butler, what did you see in the opportunity to move? It's not all that common to see someone move from a head coaching job to an assistant coaching job. What did you see there and what's been the key for you in getting Butler back to the point since that time?
COACH HOLTMANN: I appreciate the question. It was certainly a difficult move. I've said to people who have asked me that sometimes with a strange look, why did you make that move, and I've said Butler's Butler. I think the fact that that, for me, says a lot, it resonates with, I think, who I am, who our family is. It's a great fit for us, was a great fit for us. I think the move to the Big East was certainly appealing for us professionally. Having said that, any time you leave a head coaching job is difficult and it really was for sure. I think this year, to answer your second question there, I think it's just been we have had a group that has really embraced what has made Butler, I think, special and in some ways exceed expectations in the past. That is a real commitment to a team approach, a real commitment to defending consistently, tough-minded guys mentally and physically. And I think, listen, you can lose that quickly. There's no question about that. I think the fact that we went through a year like we did last year, where you're 4-14 in the league reminds you that if you don't have that, you're not going to be what we want to be. So I think we got back to some of those things that have made us good in the past. Our guys, like I said, I can't say enough. They have embraced that and run with it.
Q. As the better seed, Chris, do you feel like there's more pressure on Butler than a Texas team that's more used to being in the NCAA tournament? Rick Barnes has been there almost every year.
COACH HOLTMANN: It's a great question, because you look at the seeding and I notice not many people are picking us, including our President. So that's going to be the last time I vote for him. We recognize that that's -- Texas presents great challenges and we recognize the team that they are. I think somebody told me the other day, these types of seeds are typically 50/50 games. We recognize, I think, why a lot of people have picked Texas. They're a terrific team, come from a terrific conference. Having said that, I know our guys are excited about the challenge, and we've played good teams throughout our league and we're certainly going to play another really good one tomorrow.
Q. Chris, how would you characterize your team and what they do best?
COACH HOLTMANN: When we're at our best, we're pretty tough-minded. We have the ability to make it a difficult game for the opposition. That's probably when we're at our best. It's kind of a general statement, but that's when we're at our best. We have a tough-minded approach and that's going to be tested tomorrow with the athleticism and length and size of Texas. On the other end, we're efficient offensively. When we're efficient offensively, we're pretty good. Those two things come to mind. We've struggled a little bit here of late with our offensive efficiency. Hopefully we've cleaned that up. But when we're at our best, we have a real tough-minded approach on every possession.
Q. Coach, is Butler not being favored even as a six seed, is that the residue of just Butler, even though you're in a premiere conference now, although obviously not the one that it was a couple years ago, is that just sort of the mid-major mindset that sort of Butler still brings to mind, do you think, to people, why people would say Texas would be favored?
COACH HOLTMANN: It may be. It may be. It's an interesting question. It may be that. It also may be that I think people recognize -- I think our conference was terrific this year. People also recognize Big 12 is a terrific conference as well. I think any time you go through two leagues, two power leagues like these two leagues are, you're going to get beat up some. I think they've also had some health issues too and they're completely healthy now. That could be some of the rationale behind. Certainly there's a difference in some ways. People have mentioned it between we're a smaller school. We'll always be that. It's what makes us special. They're not such a small school. I think there's some striking differences there that kind of make it a story worth noting. But both teams are really good, and like I said, I think it's really going to come down to, as it is in all these games, who plays the best tomorrow.
Q. Coach, the state of Indiana has five teams in the NCAA tournament. You recruit nationally. The name Butler resonates coast to coast in college basketball. Can you use that, the fact that Indiana is so well represented in the NCAA tournament as a state to sell to kids come to Indiana because basketball is something very unique here?
COACH HOLTMANN: I think we can sell come to Butler because basketball is unique and special and significant. I think it certainly is of note the number of schools that is represented by Indiana. I think most people who know Indiana know it's a great basketball state. So I don't know how much of selling of that we have to do. I think your point's well taken that those that have certainly come before me and our players have helped Butler be able to recruit on a national stage and help communicate that this is a special basketball opportunity for student-athletes. So it's great to see our state have the success it's had. Hopefully it will continue here into the tournament.
MODERATOR: Other questions for Coach Holtmann? All right, Coach. Thank you.
COACH HOLTMANN: Thanks, guys.
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