Men's Basketball Enjoys Fort Worth In Lead Up To NCAA Tourney Opener
3/17/2022 9:39:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Bluejays conducted multiple interviews before using their allotted 40 minutes of practice time on the Dickies Arena floor. We even mic'd up head coach Greg McDermott for the open practice, which you can watch below.
Photos from March 16
Ryan Nembhard's BIG EAST Diary
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Open practice?
Mac mic'd up. #GoJays pic.twitter.com/RgmxaafQ0c— Creighton Men's Basketball (@BluejayMBB) March 17, 2022
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It all starts tomorrow! @TrickyTrey23 | #GoJays pic.twitter.com/gMBAvDpo5D— Creighton Men's Basketball (@BluejayMBB) March 17, 2022
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NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - CREIGHTON VS SAN DIEGO ST.
March 16, 2022Arthur Kaluma
Ryan Hawkins
Alex O'Connell
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
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Dickies Arena
Creighton Bluejays
Media Conference
THE MODERATOR: All right. Welcome to the student-athletes from the Creighton Bluejays. Mr. Kaluma is sitting closest to me, Mr. O'Connell, and Mr. Hawkins.
We will take questions from the room of the student-athletes. And then if there are any from those joining us on ZOOM, we will entertain those after questions in the room have been exhausted.
Let's start in the room, questions for the student athletes.
Starting on the left.
Q. All right. We'll get the Adam questions out of the way here. You mentioned on Sunday that the last time you guys played, you guys were playing one-on-one and you ended up busting his nose. I was listening back and I was, like, what? So what led up to that? How did that happen?
ARTHUR KALUMA: We were in a really intense game. I think this was the last game going in, like we were at our last spot. And I come down after making a layup, and my elbow hit him directly on his nose and he was leaking. So that's what happened when I busted his nose, for real.
THE MODERATOR: To the right.
Q. Ryan, Alex, being seniors, has it kind of set in that the end of the road is right around the corner? And are you trying to just soak up every last minute of these experiences?
THE MODERATOR: Go ahead, Mr. O'Connell, first.
ALEX O'CONNELL: Yeah. I mean, it's definitely in the back of our minds as seniors. But I think we're trying to use it as motivation and use it as fuel to extend this last year as long as we can and, you know, win as many games as we can down this tournament stretch.
THE MODERATOR: All right.
Mr. Hawkins?
RYAN HAWKINS: It's just a lot different for me. So I'm kind of trying to make sure I'm enjoying it, enjoying the moment. It's the biggest stage in basketball. And so I know coming from the D2 level, I'm just trying to enjoy the experience.
Kind of like Alex said, we're not here just to experience it. We're here to win games and have a little bit of fun while we're here. so that's our attitude going towards it.
THE MODERATOR: Mr. Kaluma, being a freshman, do you feel like you're trying to play for your elder statesmen here knowing it could be their last time playing for Creighton?
ARTHUR KALUMA: I mean, definitely. I want my guys to -- all my teammates to be successful. And having a successful senior year is the epitome of great basketball. And I want them -- I want to share that with the team and share it with my seniors, as well.
THE MODERATOR: Back on left.
Q. The leading scorer for San Diego State, Matt Bradley, kind of a unique build, 6'4, 220, broad-shouldered dude, what's the challenge of guarding somebody like that?
ALEX O'CONNELL: Yeah, I mean, he's a good -- he's definitely a good playmaker. He creates his shots off the dribble and off the jab and uses pump fakes. I mean, it's going to be a team effort in trying to hold him and limit his points tomorrow. So, I mean, we kind of game plan around that. It's just going to come down to who's ready and who plays tougher tomorrow.
Q. Arthur, in a game like this where both you guys and San Diego State are -- do so well on the defensive-end. How important is each possession going to be in a game like this, that will probably be a grind it out, every point matters?
ARTHUR KALUMA: I mean, in every game in college basketball, each possession really does matter. In this one especially, I mean, we're both very good defensive teams. So we should see -- we'll just see who's the better man that day. But I know we should pull it off.
Q. Ryan, you guys have called the biggest defensive player of the year. They've got Nathan Mense of the Mountain West defensive player of the year. When you watch him on film, what makes him a force on protecting the rim and whatever else he does there?
RYAN HAWKINS: Yeah. Long and athletic a lot like Kalkbrenner; so he changes a lot of shots around the rim. So we've played quite a few guys like that in the Big East. We're going to have to do it again today. We're going to have to get into the lane and create for others. So while he's a great, great shot blocker, we've played against a lot of really great shot blockers this year.
Q. Alex, for the younger guys like Trey, like Roddy who really haven't played in this setting before, what's kind of the advice you give to them to try and block out all the noise, all the fanfare that comes with playing in this tournament?
ALEX O'CONNELL: I mean, my advice to them would just be continue to play the way that they've been playing. These freshmen have played like grown men all season, especially with the adversity that we've handled and with Nembhard going down and Trey and our -- these young guys stepping up. So, I mean, for them to just continue to play the basketball they've played has just been really good for us; so that would be my advice.
Q. Art, what did you learn from your brother about work ethic and -- I've heard that he was a very studious player growing up. What have you learned about him?
ARTHUR KALUMA: My brother was always, like, the hardest worker everywhere he went. And it's something I looked forward -- I mean, I looked up to growing up. I mean, I looked up -- he's the reason I play basketball today. Because I used to go and watch him play his games. And I'd see his approach to the game and his professionalism when it came to stuff like getting shots up on your own, really focusing on defense, watching film. You know, it was just inspirational to me. And it really got me into the sport.
THE MODERATOR: All right. Anyone else in the room?
Okay. Back on the left.
Q. Alex, they're a great shooting team percentage-wise. They're 36 percent as a team. How does that change your guys' responsibility on the perimeter knowing you have to kind of keep a hand close at all times?
ALEX O'CONNELL: Yeah. I mean, we've -- kind of like Hawk said about playing against the shot blockers, I mean, playing in the Big East, you get a good feel for that. Some of the teams we played against later down the stretch were really good three-point shooting teams. So it doesn't really change our approach, but we're mentally preparing for that, and we know that that's the key to the game.
Q. Ryan, being one of those older leaders in the locker room, what's kind of the sense that you get from this team heading into tomorrow? Is it loose, is it a little nerves, a little confidence, some of each?
RYAN HAWKINS: I'd say it's pretty consistent with what we've had all year. We have a really energetic group who -- they don't understand fear. They're just not afraid of anything. The moment's never too big for them, and that's really cool to see.
Last night at the hotel, we were all nice and loose, handing out. And even today at practice, we were joking around beforehand. So I think the feeling is the same as any other game that it's been this year. But now it's win or go home; so we need to make sure we're ready for tomorrow.
Q. Apologies if you've been asked this before. But for any of you, when you look at film at San Diego State, do you see a little bit of yourselves in the sense that they play a lot of defense and sometimes struggle on offense and just kind of will their way to wins?
THE MODERATOR: Let's start with close to me, Mr. Kaluma.
ARTHUR KALUMA: Yeah. Their defense is definitely something to brag home about. Offensive, though, I don't see a lot of similarities. I mean, we got a lot of shooters, and we facilitate offense just like any other team. So I feel like we should -- like, there's not a lot of similarities between us and them besides defense.
THE MODERATOR: Mr. O'Connell.
ALEX O'CONNELL: Yeah. I think we've played some games where it was defense. Like the last game we just played against Villanova, I mean, it was pretty good defense against defense. We're just going to take the shots that they give us and try to play our defense. And, you know, it'll be a good matchup.
THE MODERATOR: Okay.
Mr. Hawkins?
RYAN HAWKINS: I think Xs and Os, there's not a lot of similarities. Not a lot of similarities as far as the scheme that we're trying to do defensively. But I think the identity and the DNA of the teams are very similar, as far as we're going to slow down, grind it out defensively, and we're just going to play harder than you. So I'd say that's a very big similarity between us two.
Q. You guys played a lot. I think Matt called them "wrestling matches," those games where it's low scoring and slow paced for you guys. What does it take to win those kinds of games?
THE MODERATOR: Let's start with Mr. Hawkins.
RYAN HAWKINS: Those games, you've got to maximize every offensive possession you get. And when you get numbers in transition, we have to make sure we execute that and we've got to make sure we take care of the ball.
But the biggest thing is in those kind of games, you've got to make sure you get the D board. Don't give up second-chance points. That's where the momentum starts to kind of slip. And I feel like down the stretch of this season, we've done a great job of that as a team.
THE MODERATOR: Mr. O'Connell, you want to follow up on that?
ALEX O'CONNELL: Yeah. I mean, Coach calls them -- or we call them rock fights. But, yeah, we've won a few of those games this year. And like Hawk said, it's important to value every possessions because you never know which one can determine the outcome of the game.
THE MODERATOR: Okay. Mr. Kaluma, you want to complete the thought?
ARTHUR KALUMA: I mean, yeah. It just comes down to who breaks first, who makes the most mistakes and who has the stronger mental fortitude.
THE MODERATOR: Okay. Anything else?
Okay. I'm not seeing any questions on ZOOM right now, so guys we'll let you go. Good luck tomorrow.
NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: First Round - Creighton vs San Diego St.
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
Fort Worth, Texas, USA
Dickies Arena
Creighton Bluejays
Greg McDermott
Media Conference
THE MODERATOR: Head Coach Greg McDermott with the Creighton Bluejays joining us now.
And, again, we'll take questions in the room and follow that up with questions from ZOOM, if there are, in fact, any.
Coach, if you would like to begin with an opening statement.
GREG MCDERMOTT: Well, we're thrilled to be here. This probably wasn't in the cards in the middle of November or middle of December, maybe even in the middle of January. But this team has just continued to improve. They've continued to develop an unbelievable connection that I think is the -- the biggest reason that I'm sitting here today.
We've been through a lot of adversity over the course of the season. And it's brought this group closer together. And they've -- you know, they've figured out ways to win.
We had to kind of reinvent ourselves at the start of the season. We had to do it again when we lost Ryan Nembhard for the year. And this group continues to impress me with their attention to detail and the way that they play for each other. So we're excited to be here.
Obviously, we've got a heck of a challenge with San Diego State. There's a lot of really good defensive teams in the Big East that we face on a nightly basis. And they look like the West Coast version of those teams.
We're going to have our hands full, but we're certainly excited about the opportunity.
THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll start with questions here in the room.
Again on the left.
Q. Mac, how do you help guys manage their emotions going into a stage like this?
A. You know, it's an incredible stage. But so is semifinal night or final night at Madison Square Garden. So, you know, we just experienced that a week ago. And, you know, they handled it with flying colors.
So I don't -- I really haven't had to worry about it. You know, I think they're -- I think this is a grounded group. I think they understand who we are and what we have to do to be successful.
But, you know, I think what we went through, you know, last week and to play, you know, Providence on Friday night, which was essentially a road game for us at Madison Square Garden and win and then go to the wire in another road game against Philadelphia at Madison Square Garden and lose in the last couple of minutes, I think that prepared us for anything we're going to see this week.
THE MODERATOR: On the right.
Q. Mac, in this day and age of transfers, I'm sure it's tough to, you know, find guys that fit the culture of your program to go along with the talent. How have guys like Hawk and AOC embodied the culture you guys have here at Creighton?
GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah. You know, we decided last spring with the new transfer rules, you either -- you know, to use an NBA term, you either build through the draft or build through foundation -- or through free agency.
And, you know, we chose, for the most part, to go through the draft. And we signed a five-person freshmen class. That was one of the best recruiting classes in our history. And, obviously, those guys that have played have certainly lived up to that billing.
But the addition of Alex last year, knowing that -- you know, the plan was he was going to sit out last year until they changed the rule. And we knew we were going to lose Mitch and DJ and Denzel. And we were going to need some experience to fill that void. That's why Alex is here.
And the experience that he was able to gain last year, even though it was 10, 12 minutes off the bench, really prepared him for the role that he needed to play this year.
But, you know, he had been someone in his career that had played a limited roll off the bench, was more of a spacer on offense. And then you got a guy like KeyShawn Feazell who was at Mississippi State, didn't play a significant role there, went to McNeese, didn't play a significant role there, and now he's back with us and playing a backup role to Ryan Kalkbrenner. And their perspective, because of the experiences they've had in their career, has been awesome for our young guys as they go through the peaks and valleys of trying to figure out how to be a successful college student-athlete.
And then you bring Ryan Hawkins into the picture who's had one of the more decorated careers at any level in college basketball. And him being able to share what worked for him at the Division II level and bring it to our program, bring the daily work ethic, the daily energy, the consistent leadership, those three have been remarkable. I couldn't have asked for better pieces of the puzzle than Alex and KeyShawn and Hawk.
Because they've all brought different things, they've all brought a different perspective from where they came from. And I think they are hugely responsible for the development of the young players in our program. Because they've been there to listen, they've been there to mentor, and it's the reason that you've seen R2 and Trey and Arthur grow at such a rapid pace.
Q. Kind of like Bradley who can and will pull up from anywhere on the court, what's the challenge of defending a guy like that.
GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah, it's hard. We see guys in our league that are running off screens and they're out in transition attacking. But Bradley is one of the better isolation players that we have faced this year.
He's got a -- you know, a lot of tricks in his bag, being able to shot fake and jab, and shot fake and job. You have to stay disciplined to try to make his shots as difficult as possible.
And also understand, he's going to make some difficult shots. He's a hard shot maker, and he's blessed with that ability. You know, we've just got to keep him off the free-throw line. You know, he shot a fair amount of free-throws. I think that's really important, find him in transition. But, you know, he's one of the better guards we have faced this year.
Q. You guys were in the Sweet 16, you've won games in the tournament as a program four times since 2012. Is there, like, a key ingredient or something that you can pinpoint that gets you over the top as a program, not just getting to tournaments, or winning tournaments -- or tournament games?
GREG MCDERMOTT: Well, it starts with good players. That helps. And, you know, it takes a little good fortune. Because the reality of it is -- as we sat there on Selection Sunday and we thought, you know, we're probably in that eight, nine seed, seven, eight, nine seed range and you looked at the possible opponents, it's like, well, they're good and they're good and they're good and they're good. Everybody's good. You have to have your A game.
And part of the reason I really like this team is I think this is the best defensive team we've had. And I think defense travels.
You know, last year's team we won a really close game against UC Santa Barbara in the first game. We made a couple of free-throws late in that game. And they missed a shot in the paint on the buzzer, and then that allowed us to get to the round of 32 and win that game against Ohio.
But, you know, our program has gotten better. We've invested in the program. The administration has been terrific of providing us the resources necessary to kind of -- you know, to get to a point where we can be successful is one thing. And then to maintain it, it takes a heck of a commitment, as well. And we've been fortunate that the University administration, the athletic administration and our community have bought into that and helped us stay relevant at a very good college basketball landscape.
Q. And when you are winning games in the NCAA tournament, do you notice how that manifests itself in terms of maybe in the living room of recruits or how does the conversation change when you're winning games?
A. You know, it certainly helps. You know, we're blessed to have incredible attendance of the top five of the country several years in a row now. So, you know, that's -- young people want to play in front of big crowds. And we're able to provide that on a yearly basis; so that's really helped us.
But there's no question success breeds success. And, you know, we've finished in the top four in the Big East, which is, I think, one of the best basketball leagues in the country now six years in a row.
So, you know, we've been able to stay relevant. And when you're relevant in a league like the Big East, you can walk in any living room nationally and have an opportunity to recruit those young men.
THE MODERATOR: We'll go to a question on ZOOM from Matt Demoranus.
Matt, go ahead.
Q. Mac, you know, you guys have talked a lot this year about process and patience and not getting caught up in the results. But by all accounts, the locker room, you know, after Villanova especially, was pretty emotional. It just doesn't seem like your guys are satisfied with just making the tournament. Do you get that same vibe?
GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah. And, you know, actually, Matt, I was -- I don't know if pleasantly surprised is the right way to say it. The emotion in that locker room after that loss to Villanova was incredible.
As a coach, I probably wasn't quite ready for what I encountered when I got in that locker room. And, you know, the guys had -- they were well aware that we had been in that championship game three times and weren't able to kick the door down.
So I think they really wanted it for our program and for our fans, you know, to be the first team to win a Big East tournament title.
So it was extremely emotional. And -- but as I've said many times this season, this group really cares. So in hindsight, I should not have been surprised by what I saw. Because I really experienced it all season long. You see it when Art got hurt, you saw it when Kalkbrenner got hurt at UConn, when R2 went down. The genuine concern and care for their teammates, like, this group is pretty special in that regard.
So I'm really confident that they're not just satisfied to be here. I want them to enjoy the experience, I want them to look around, I want them to smell the roses. Because, you know, there's 250, 60-some teams across the country that would love to be here, and they're not here. And we're one of the fortunate ones.
So you have to enjoy the experience, and it's my job as the coach to make sure they do that. But they're not satisfied just to be here and play this game Thursday. We're here to try to advance.
THE MODERATOR: Back-left.
Q. Two things: Are these two programs kind of similar in the sense that -- I mean, you guys, obviously started in a major conference and have sustained success for a long time and kind of win with culture as much as anything else?
A. You know, we're similar. And the sense is -- their coach has been there 16 years and I'm on 12. So we've had two coaches in 28 years. And I don't know how long Fitch was there before Dutch took over, but there hasn't been a lot of changes. And I think when that's the case, you have an opportunity to sustain success.
But, you know, I've known Coach Fisher and been on trips with him and Angie and tried to teach him to play poker in the back room somewhere on these strips; so I've known him a long time.
And as a result, I've gotten to know Dutch. And they just do a terrific job with their program. And you know what you're going to get, you know it's going to be very disciplined, hard-nosed, playing basketball the right way. And we'd like to think that we're that type of program as well.
Q. And you mentioned something earlier about building through the draft and through freshmen. And Dutch talks about that a lot, that it's tough to maintain culture with a bunch of transfers who aren't familiar with it. Maybe could you elaborate a little bit on what you mean and what you think about that?
GREG MCDERMOTT: Yeah. I think you have to bring in the right transfers. And, you know, generally speaking, transfers are usually looking for something that they don't have when they're moving to the next spot; so they have some high expectations. So you've really got to kind of dig deep and find out what's at their core and how important is winning versus team success.
And we've been fortunate with this group, with Alex O'Connell and KeyShawn Feazell and Ryan Hawkins that they're about all the right things. And not only have we been able to maintain the culture that we've had, I think they've helped us build our culture, you know, because of the examples they've set for all the young people in the program. And we have a bunch of them.
So you have to take the right people. And we've been lucky that we've been able to do that. And I think San Diego State certainly falls into that same category.
THE MODERATOR: Back right.
Q. Coach, when in the season did you realize that this team is special and that you guys could go on a run?
GREG MCDERMOTT: I would probably say that the game at UConn. We came off a really difficult loss at home to Xavier. We were up 17 at halftime, got outscored something -- 32 to 2 or some crazy run to start the second half. That's a tough one to bounce back from, when you have your building so energized and you totally take the air out of the building because of your performance.
And then you go into a place where, you know, we're the only team that beat UConn at UConn this year with their full lineup. And we did it without Kalkbrenner the last 15 minutes.
So when that happened and I saw the team kind of galvanized right in front of my eyes, that second half, that last 15 minutes, and rather than using it as an excuse, they took it as an opportunity. And we had some -- we had a lineup out there that hadn't really played together and found a way to win a gutsy, grind it out game against a really good UConn team. And I think from that point forward, that told me what we were capable of. And that was our job as a coaching staff to try to keep them healthy and keep them fresh.
Because as we lost, guys, certainly your bench becomes really thin. And way Jeremy Anderson, our strength coach, and Ben McNair, our trainer, have communicated with me on managing practice time to get us to the finish line is a big reason that we're here.
THE MODERATOR: One more on the left.
Q. These low-scoring, slow-paced, a game like Villanova brought fights, wrestling match you called it in Omaha. What does it take to win those games?
GREG MCDERMOTT: Well, first of all, you better match their intensity and discipline defensively. Because you -- it's going to be hard to find an open shot. And if that's the case, you better make sure it's hard to find an open shot on the other end, as well. And you really have to do your best to try to avoid in a game that's probably going to be low scoring.
You can't have a 12 to 2 run against you. You know, that can be very difficult to come back from. So, you know, we have to keep pace. And, you know, we play at a little faster tempo than they do. We'd like to try and impose that will on them a little bit. You know, with the longer TV time-outs, we should have enough in our tank to do that.
But, you know, it's going to be a physical game. And some people, it might not be pleasing to the eye. To me, it's beautiful. Because it's two teams that really understand who they are defensively. And I think both teams do a pretty good job of trying to take away what the other team wants to do.
So who's going to be able to get to that second and third option and be successful with that I think is probably in the long run going to determine who wins the game.
THE MODERATOR: We can do one more.
Q. Mac, given the challenges you face with this team this year, having such a younger dealing with these injuries and the way you talk about them, has this been one of your more enjoyable seasons as a coach?
GREG MCDERMOTT: No question. And I think you hear Coach speak about this is the best and this was the best and this is my most fun. But this is a first time in my career I've been really part of a team that had O'Connell and Feazell and Hawkins who are 23/24 years old, and then you have 18 and 19 years old. And you don't have really have much in between. And just to watch the dynamic and develop in terms of their relationships has been so much fun to sit back and watch.
And, you know, you've got to mentor and you've got to stick your nose in there and make sure they're thinking about the right things. But this time has been so responsive to my coaching staff. They've been responsive to each other. And, you know, as the season has gone on, as you listen to -- as you listen to the questions that the freshmen are asking now compared to November and December, you can see how much more they understand what we're trying to do and how we're trying to do it. And that's been awesome to see from a coaching perspective.
So this has been a very, very rewarding season. Because a lot of times, when you have as much adversity as we've had, Shereef and R2, and those were our two-point guards to start the year, and we don't have either of them right now. When teams are able to overcome that and not stay where they were, but to improve, from a coaching perspective, it doesn't get any better. It probably signifies that you -- our staff is doing something right.
And the way they're going about it, they've learned, they've listened. You talk about adversity and how to bounce back from it. But when it happens, can you really do it? And to see it happen in front of your eyes and watch them respond from it, it's been really incredible and an awful lot of fun. So that's why I hope we can extend this season. I'm not quite ready to be done with this group yet.
THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you very much.
GREG MCDERMOTT: Thank you.
