March 18, 2014

An interview with:

THE MODERATOR: We'll open up the floor for questions for our student-athletes. Q. This question is for Dev. When you look at what McRae's done on video, what do you see and how does he compare to yourself and are you oin to !e the one that looks like you're oin to have to defend him quite a !it" RO DE! " MAR#$E: %ordan M&Rae is a 'ood 'uard. ( thin) our 'a*es rese*+le ea&h other a little +it. He's as)ed to &arr, a lot of the s&orin' load for that tea*- and- ,es- ( will +e 'uardin' hi*. Q. Devyn, is it interestin to you that you're playin a Tennessee team that you very nearly could have faced in the #attle for $tlantis, and does it help or hurt" What are the !enefits of playin a team that you uys pro!a!ly scouted and ot a chance to see, play in person earlier this season" RO DE! " MAR#$E: ( don't )now if it's an, +enefits or advanta'es or an,thin' li)e that+ut it is a tea* that we were prepared to have to fa&e- li)e ,ou said- in Atlantis. And the &oa&hes have done a 'ood .o+ in )eepin' us fo&used and &on&entratin'- *a)in' sure we have the ri'ht 'a*e plan 'oin' into it. Q. #oth %ach and Melsahn, it's !een four years for you uys to et to this point.

Does tomorrow's ame and the preparation for tomorrow's ame feel any different than any other ame in your career" /A0H M00A#E: ou )now- o+viousl, it's a +i' opportunit, +ein' in the "0AA Tourna*ent and an opportunit, to pla,- and ( thin) we .ust have to fo&us li)e an, other 'a*e- .ust ta)e it li)e we've +een doin' in our routine- ever, 'a*e ea&h ,ear and stuff li)e that. 1o we .ust have to +e prepared and fo&used and +e read, for a 'reat tea* in Tennessee. ME$1AH" #A1A#E: To pi'',+a&) what /a&h said- ( 'ive &redit to 0oa&h M&0affer, and the &oa&hin' staff. We're prepared at an elite level for ea&h 'a*e whether it's a preseason s&ri**a'e or non-&onferen&e- or an, 'a*e we treat as a ver, i*portant 'a*e. 1o o+viousl, the sta'e is a +i' sta'e- and this is eli*ination settin'- +ut as far as our preparation- ,ou )now- the &oa&hes have +uilt the &ulture of us alwa,s +ein' dili'ent and fo&usin' no *atter who ,ou pla,. Q. $ll three, and &'ll start with Melsahn on this one, defense has o!viously !een an issue down the stretch in some of these losses, !ut also seemed to !e kind of lack of communication on defense, not really the hi h tides or whatever that were there earlier in the season. &s that 'ust a perception, or is there some truth to that, that may!e there's not either as much intensity on defense and the chemistry isn't as stron as may!e it was !efore (e!ruary, !efore you played Wisconsin" ME$1AH" #A1A#E: (t's not per&eption+e&ause o+viousl, the nu*+ers show that we haven't +een defendin' to our &apa+ilit,. $i)e ,ou said- we were a reall, 'ood defensive tea*. The last two ,ears we've +een one of the 'ood defensive tea*s in the &ountr,. ('* 'oin' to sa, as a senior ('* 'oin' to start off +, lettin' *, voi&e +e heard. ( )now Dev,n and /a&h will do the sa*e thin' and let it &arr, out throu'hout the tea*.

217447135.doc
visit our archives at asapsports.com

We're .ust 'oin' to pla, defense the wa, we're &apa+le of pla,in'. /A0H M00A#E: (t's la&) of fo&us- ( thin). "ot doin' what we need to do. And- ( *ean- it's )ind of .ust )illed us the last &ouple of 'a*es. We .ust 'otta 'et +a&) to the +as)et+all we were pla,in'- pla,in' to'ether as one unit- and 'otta 'et that +a&). RO DE! " MAR#$E: ( thin) we've +een a+le to *a)e so*e ad.ust*ents. We're &o**uni&atin' +etter as far as pra&ti&e- leadin' up to this point. ( thin) ,ou'll see a hi'her ener', level. (f this doesn't e2&ite ,ou and ener'i3e ,ou as a pla,er- then ( don't )now what will. Q. $ll three of you, this is the first *+$$ Tournament &owa has played in since ',-. .ave any former &owa players reached out to any you, sort of ivin you advice or offerin their hand at all oin into this ame" RO DE! " MAR#$E: ('ve tal)ed to Matt re&entl,. He rea&hed out to *e. ('ve also sta,ed in &onstant &o**uni&ation with 'u,s li)e Ar&hie and E. Ma, and %arr,d 0ole. 1o the,'re all supportin' us- and we appre&iate it and the,'ve 'iven *e different words of en&oura'e*ent that ('ve definitel, ta)en into &onsideration. /A0H M00A#E: eah- sa*e prett, *u&h. ('ve +een rea&hed out +, Matt 4atens and %arr,d 0ole and Eri&. And 5indis&erni+le6 a&tuall, te2ted *e and .ust told *e to pla,- .ust 'et our tea* read, to 'o- pla, with ener',- stuff li)e thatand leave no re'rets out on the floor. ME$1AH" #A1A#E: ( have spo)en to Devon Ar&hie as well as %arr,d 0ole- +ut ( alwa,s spea) to the*. The,'re li)e *, +i' +rothers. And then a&tuall, Dev's dad- even thou'h he was pla,in' in the '78s- he's +een a *entor person ( tal) to a lot- so that's a for*er pla,er that ( was spea)in' to .ust a+out the sta'e and how it wor)s. Q. Dev, your coach is in a tou h spot with his personal situation. Do you see that as !ein any kind of rallyin cry for this team, or are you 'ust oin to !e there and support him !ehind closed doors, let it o at that" RO DE! " MAR#$E: ou said so*ethin' a+out rattlin'9 Q. .e's in a tou h spot personally with /atrick. &s it a rallyin point, not rattle, rally !ehind him"

RO DE! " MAR#$E: eah- of &ourse. 0oa&h M&0affer, is our 'u,. We love hi*. We're all li)e fa*il,. :at is a 'u, that +asi&all, at pra&ti&e with us ever, da,. He's li)e our little +rother. 1o ( thin) as a unit we will rall, +ehind itand hopefull, we ever,thin' 'oes well for the*. The,'re all in our pra,ers. 1o ( )now- li)e ,ou said- he's in a tou'h spot- so we're .ust tr,in' to *a)e this as si*ple and eas, for hi* as possi+le. Q. This one's for %ach and Mel. Tennessee has a pretty ood inside player in 0arnell 1tokes. What have you seen of him on video and what's your challen e oin up a ainst him" THE MODERATOR: /a&h first and then Mel. /A0H M00A#E: O+viousl, a +i' +od,. 4u,s we haven't seen in our lea'ue. The,'re ver, 'ood offensive re+ounders- and .ust on the 'lass &onstantl,. 1o it's so*ethin' we haven't seen. #ut ( thin) we're prepared. We )now what we need to do. The,'re 'reat pla,ers- and the, +rin' a lot of ener', to the 'a*e. 1o we .ust 'otta *at&h that and +rin' even *ore than we have in the past. 1o it's .ust a *indset 'a*e and we .ust 'otta +e a''ressive with that. ME$1AH" #A1A#E: O+viousl, %arnell is a ver, talented pla,er. #ut li)e ( said- the #i' Ten has +een prett, 'ood *, four ,ears here- so ('ve seen ever,thin' fro* 1ullin'er to Dra,*ond 4reen and Adreian :a,ne and #randon Dawson and all those 'u,s. 1o ('* used to &o*petin' a'ainst hi'h-level +i' *en. And he presents his own &hallen'es- +ut ( thin) as lon' as ,ou pla, the* &orre&tl, and +rin' the proper intensit, and ,ou've 'ot to reali3e when that shot 'oes up- it's 'oin' to +e a war for the re+ound- ( thin) we're a+le to 'et it done. We .ust 'otta have &onfiden&e in our own e2perien&e- our own a+ilit, while respe&tin' our opponent as well. Q. %ach, not to harp on the #attle for $tlantis, !ut you uys played well in that tournament. .ow would you compare how you played at that point to these last few ames you've !een in" Do you think you can et !ack to that point in another tournament settin " /A0H M00A#E: eah- ( *ean- definitel, it's a different t,pe of environ*ent there and tourna*ent settin'- and ( usuall, pla, *, +est in tourna*ent settin's.

217447135.doc
visit our archives at asapsports.com

1o .ust 'otta sta, &onfident- +elieve in *, shots- stuff li)e that- .ust 'ettin' in a rh,th* and .ust pla, the +est ( &an. "ow- that tourna*ent was a 'reat tourna*ent for *e- and ( hope ( &an &ontinue to pla, li)e that in the "0AA Tourna*ent. Q. %ach, you said you play your !est in tournament settin . &s there somethin different a!out sort of that format, for all three of you, that makes it easier to elevate your play" /A0H M00A#E: %ust )nowin' it &ould +e ,our last 'a*e. Ever, 'a*e after that- there's nothin' to prepare for after that if ,ou lose. 1o .ust +rin's ,ou full &ir&le what we need to do to win. And it's a +i' opportunit, for us in the "0AA Tourna*ent. And we loo) to 'oin' on a run and sta, a''ressive and +rin' ener', li)e we have at the end of the season. Q. This one is for any of you three, doesn't matter which one who wants to address it, !ut after halftime the last four ames you uys have iven up si3a!le runs. &s there anythin , any common element in the locker room at halftime that & uess 44 kind of a lack of intensity ri ht off the !at" 5r what is the common element as far as ivin up those runs ri ht out of halftime" ME$1AH" #A1A#E: (t relates to us 'ettin' awa, fro* who we are in the first half of those 'a*es. ( &an't re*e*+er the e2a&t nu*+ers- +ut we was doin' what the &oa&hes had told what we had to do and we were pla,in' 'reat tea* defense- pla,in' up to our &apa+ilities. ( thin) when we start 'ivin' up runs and stuff- we start 'oin' awa, fro* what has *ade us su&&essful and what we're &apa+le of. 1o that sa*ple of what ,ou .ust tal)ed a+out- those spurts .ust relate to the whole +od, of the stret&h- whi&h is not that we're not &apa+lewhere we're 'ettin' awa, fro* the thin's that *a)e us su&&essful. 1o ( thin) we need to whenever when we 'o into halfti*e .ust -- the &oa&hes send their *essa'e- repeat what 'ot ,ou here- in the situation when we are up- and if we're down- re*e*+ero)a,- what 'ets us out of the hole and what's 'oin' to help us win this 'a*e. ( thin) that's it. THE MODERATOR: An, other questions for our student-athletes9 All ri'ht- MelsahnDev,n- and /a&h- 'ood lu&) to*orrow ni'ht.

We're now +ein' .oined +, ;ran M&0affer,- the head &oa&h of the (owa Haw)e,es. 0oa&h- an openin' state*ent and then we'll open up the floor for questions for ,ou. 0OA0H M00A;;ER : This has +een an in&redi+le .ourne, for our tea* and we're .ust thrilled to +e here. ('ve +een here +efore pla,in' in the "0AA Tourna*ent. (n&redi+le venue here at Da,ton. And ('* .ust so e2&ited for our 'u,s to have this opportunit, to pla, in the tourna*ent. We've prepared well. ( li)e our professionalis* in ter*s of how we approa&h 'ettin' read, for this 'a*e. And that's a+out it. THE MODERATOR: <uestions for 0oa&h9 Q. (ran, in your e6perience as a coach and especially tournament time, what's your take on the importance people place on point uard play" 0OA0H M00A;;ER : ( don't )now that ( would loo) at it an, differentl, in ter*s of this ti*e of the ,ear or an, other ti*e of the ,ear. ( view point 'uard pla, as in&redi+l, i*portant. ou loo) at this 'a*e- in parti&ular- and ,ou sa,- well- it *i'ht +e re+oundin'- +e&ause the,'re so 'ood in that area. (t &ould +e transition. The, run- we run. (t &ould +e an, nu*+er of thin's. #ut ( thin) when it's all said and done- the 'u, that's 'ot the +all *ost of the ti*e and his a+ilit, to *a)e de&isions is 'oin' to +e &riti&al in ter*s of who wins and loses the 'a*e. Q. +oach, watchin the !racket, pops up you play Tennessee, is there a !enefit, anythin ood a!out playin a team that you ot a chance to pro!a!ly scout and see over at the #attle for $tlantis tournament earlier 44 0OA0H M00A;;ER : ( don't thin) there's an, +enefit +e&ause +oth of us thou'ht there was a real 'ood &han&e we were 'oin' to pla, ea&h other. (f we +oth won or we +oth lostwe were 'oin' to pla, ea&h other in the se&ond round. 1o ('* sure the, have a s&outin' report on us. We have a s&outin' report on the*. #ut that was so lon' a'o. ( re*e*+er wat&hin' the* and wat&hin' the* re&entl, and sa,in'- ,ou )now- how i*pressed ( was with how the,'ve &ontinued to i*prove- how their tea* &a*e to'ether. At that ti*e of the ,ear ,ou're sort of not sure- where are we 'oin' to end up. #oth tea*s o+viousl, &a*e into the season with 'reat e2pe&tation. We +oth have e2perien&e. And

217447135.doc
visit our archives at asapsports.com

t,pi&all, with e2perien&e ,ou have e2pe&tation. And fortunatel, we're +oth here. Q. (ran, your three seniors 'ust said the uys you mentioned 1unday, +ole, May, 8atens, those uys, had reached out to them, wishin the !est of luck. &s that a si n leadership doesn't end when your career's over may!e and how much those uys want it for these uys" 0OA0H M00A;;ER : ( do- +ut ( also thin) it spea)s to the &hara&ter of those 'u,s and how &lose the, are that the,'ve re*ained in tou&h with ea&h other. ( thin) %arr,d 0ole in parti&ular reall, too) Melsahn and /a&h under his win' and tried to show the* how to do it. And so did Matt and Eri& with re'ard to Dev- and ,ou &ould see it's +een refle&ted in their pla, and their develop*ent. And ( thin) when ,ou have -- when ,ou have 'reat leadership- ,ou don't have other issues. (f ,ou have issues- ,ou don't 'et here. And so ('* than)ful to the leadership that &a*e +efore and hope that those 'u,s feel ver, *u&h a part of the fa&t that we're here. Q. (ran, this ame features two e6plosive 2 uards in Mar!le and McRae. What kind of challen es does McRae present and is Dev oin to 44 when you're in man, is he oin to lar ely draw that responsi!ility on defense" 0OA0H M00A;;ER : There will +e a lot of ti*es he does= there will +e so*e ti*es when he won't. M&Rae has reall, +een i*pressive to *e. Wat&hed hi* live- of &ourse- +ut when he's *a)in' >s- his first step is so qui&). He see*s to alwa,s have his defender on the side of hi*. (f that's the &ase- then he &an &reate. The thin' a+out hi*- he's a s&orer. #ut he also 'ives it up eas,. And ( thin) that's what *a)es hi* spe&ial. He also will run ,ou down and +lo&) shots. He has the a+ilit, to 'uard and ta)e advanta'e of his in&redi+le len'th. He's e2plosive- +ut ( thin) his len'th presents issues at +oth ends of the floor that *a)e hi* a 'u, that ( thin) will ulti*atel, end up in the "#A. Q. +oach, were you a!le to work on a situation where you're a!le to fly !ack to &owa +ity, spend some time with your family and make it !ack to the ame tomorrow"

0OA0H M00A;;ER : ( was. ('* 'oin' to leave toni'ht a+out 7:>8. 1o we'll o+viousl, -we 'ot here ,esterda,. We had a *eetin'- we pra&ti&ed +efore we left- so a&tuall, had two *eetin's- a *eetin' this *ornin'- and o+viousl, we'll have pra&ti&e toda,. We'll have another *eetin' and then ('ll ta)e off. And so we'll put ever,thin' to +ed for toda,. To*orrow- the other &oa&hes will handle the *ornin' *eetin' and the shootaround. Hopefull, ('ll +e +a&) +efore the last *eetin' we have whi&h is t,pi&all, ri'ht +efore pre'a*e *eal or ri'ht after pre'a*e *eal and +e read, to &oa&h the 'a*e- assu*in' all 'oes well. Q. Walkin off to the plate, & heard you uys lau hin !ehind the scene here. & uess, you know, with the way these last few ames have one for you all, have you noticed kind of a 44 has there !een almost a relief of pressure" $re they more carefree than they were when the re ular season was ended the way it did, or is this kind of like a refresh !utton for you uys" 0OA0H M00A;;ER : ( hope so. ( reall, do. ( thin) there was so *u&h e*phasis put on this tea*'s a+ilit, to 'et here- to 'et into the "0AA Tourna*ent in ter*s of pro'ression. We all loo) at pro'ression. ?7 wins two ,ears a'o- "(T +id. 1e&ond round departure- then @A wins- "(T &ha*pionship 'a*e. The ne2t step is ,ou've 'otta 'o to the tourna*ent. ( thin) without question that was on their *inds ever, ti*e we too) the floor. And ( thin) it was helpful at ti*es. Ma,+e it wasn't as helpful at ti*es. #ut li)e ,ou said- on&e ,ou're here- ,ou )now then- o)a,- we all have an equal opportunit, to win a "ational 0ha*pionship. And it starts with the first 'a*e. And an,+od, that ,ou pla, a'ainst is 'oin' to +e reall, 'ood. And we re&o'ni3e that and we'll prepare and +e read,. Q. (ran, have you !een concerned at all a!out the communication issues on the defensive end, or sometimes does it seem like uys are talkin to each other, a little out of sorts" .ave they !een ironed out over the last few days" 0OA0H M00A;;ER : ( don't thin) that's +een the &ase. ( thin) we've tal)ed quite a +it. 1o*eti*es the re&o'nition isn't e2a&tl, what ,ou want. #ut that's true for ever, 'a*e. We've had so*e unique sets of &ir&u*stan&es that happen in 'a*es re&entl, that-

217447135.doc
visit our archives at asapsports.com

quite honestl,- def, the law of avera'es. We t,pi&all, will 'o after the other tea*'s top 'u,s and tr, to lo&) into the*- and in a lot of &ases it's +een other people- whi&h is a &redit to the opposition that have *ade shots a'ainst us. That said- we have to rea&t differentl,. ( don't disa'ree with that point. ( thin) ,ou're ri'htand we have addressed a lot of those areas. And ( thin) our pra&ti&es have +een in&redi+l, spirited and intense and fo&used- and we have alread, shown that we're &apa+le of pla,in' reall, 'ood defense. (t .ust hasn't happened in re&ent wee)s. Q. &s it hard for you not to remem!er the 1iena45hio 1tate ame when you walk into this !uildin " 0OA0H M00A;;ER : (t was not hard at all. We're in the lo&)er roo* ne2t to the lo&)er roo* that we &ele+rated in. ( re*e*+er wal)in' off the floor li)e it was ,esterda,. And 0oa&h ;ran&is and ( were .ust tal)in' a+out it five *inutes a'o. 4reat feelin'- in&redi+le sense of a&&o*plish*ent- and hope to en.o, si*ilar e2perien&e. THE MODERATOR: An, further questions for 0oa&h9 ;ran- than) ,ou for ,our ti*e. (ast1cripts !y $1$/ 1ports

217447135.doc
visit our archives at asapsports.com