Quotes From Head Basketball Coach Gary Williams' Final Four Press Conference
3/26/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 26, 2002
Opening comments:
Obviously we're very happy about making it to the Final Four for the second straight year. This year is different. We were picked very high in the pre-season and we had to deal with that through the practices leading up to our first game. After losing that first game to Arizona, right away people thought something was wrong. However, a lot of things have happened with this team. We've progressively gotten better this year, and I think we're a much better team now than we were in December.
On the tournament leading up to the Final Four:
We felt we had to earn our way to get here, having to play two national championship teams in the East region. The Connecticut game was as good of a NCAA game as I've ever been involved in, especially with the pressure of going to the Final Four falling on that game. As a team, we certainly have a great deal of respect for Connecticut. I was proud of our players and the way they stood tall to win that game.
On the seniors:
We're very fortunate this year to have senior leadership, our seniors have done a terrific job.
I think Lonny [Baxter] and Juan [Dixon] have done a great job during their collegiate careers and they certainly have future careers in basketball.
The good thing this year is that it's very easy to talk to our three seniors. They'll be honest and all three of those guys work hard.
On what's unique about the senior class:
The fact that Byron [Mouton] transferred form Tulane and sat out a year [is unusual]. Sometimes you have to re-invent yourself and Byron has done a good job of that the past two years. Both Lonny and Juan were considered blue chip recruits. I think there are a lot of guys who left school early who are jealous of the experience that Juan and Lonny have had.
On the match-up with Kansas:
We're just looking forward to getting situated and focusing on the game with Kansas. Kansas is a team that has been No. 1 quite a bit of the year and they certainly have a great front line and a great back court, which gives them tremendous balance in the way they play. They're a terrific transition team and they play very good defense. They know how to put the ball back in the basket, which is probably the best thing they do. We have our work cut out for us and we look forward to the challenge.
On returning to the Final Four for the second consecutive year:
The advantage of having played in the Final Four last year is knowing how this week works. We're not overwhelmed by returning to the Final Four. Getting to the Final Four had been a goal for a long time, and we finally made it last year, which makes it easier to comprehend everything this year. Hopefully that will help us.
On last year's finish:
I was really proud of our team last year.
On the improvement of the program during his tenure:
It's a gradual process. It wasn't just getting the team to a point of being competitive again it was to get people to believe that we could be a positive for the school. It took a couple of years to be able to do that and it took another year to get a good recruiting class in here.
On Ryan Randle:
Ryan Randle has done a terrific job, not just in games, but in practice he's as tough as anybody. Having Chris Wilcox and Lonny Baxter play against him makes us continue to improve as a team.
On Byron Mouton following the death of his brother:
Byron's family did a great job of rallying around Byron and when he came back, and our players were the best. They made sure Byron was comfortable and kind of shielded him from some things the first week or so. I think Byron felt that he was very fortunate to be able to play college basketball [during that time].
On senior walk-on Earl Badu:
Each player on the team has a role. Earl is always positive and he's a pretty good basketball player. He can make shots, so when you're playing against a shooter at least you have to cover Earl. That really helps us. When he got in games this year, he became a passer and showed that he was a complete player, not just a shooter. The players have to respect the walk-on that's on the team. It's very important that they do that.
