March 22, 2003

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The following are press conference comments from Maryland players Calvin McCall and Tahj Holden, as well as head coach Gary Williams, from Saturday's press conferences at the Gaylord Entertainment Center here.

Calvin McCall
(On last second game winner, get any sleep?)
I didn't go to sleep until about 3:30, and my heart was definitely in my throat. Drew came up with a big shot, it brought us to the next round and everybody on this team was excited.

(On comparing last year's title run team to this team)
This is a totally different team. We had great players last year, and we have good players this year, but we have a lot of young players who we are trying to get to step up. But it's been fun for us older guys as well.

(On being part of a senior-led team, and its role in last night's win)
Being a senior-led team, we've been through experiences like last night's game before. We have seen a lot of pressure situations and we know how to fight through them. I think that's what you saw last night.

Tahj Holden
(On playing against David West) ...
Obviously, he's a very good player: he's a three-time player of the year in the Atlantic Ten. He's just a tough guy to guard. You have to get between him and the basket and keep him on the perimeter as much as possible. We just need to try and contain him and limit his touches.

(On comparing last year's title run team to this team)
We've been blessed the last couple of years to have a lot of experience. In this tournament, you just have to survive and advance. We did that pretty well last year, and we're going to try to do that again this year.

(On gaining momentum from last night's game winner)
I definitely think so. We don't give up. That's something we've done all year long. To get through that game, to fight and scratch and claw, it's a credit to ourselves and our coaching staff. We're going to be a pretty rough out in this tournament, and if you're going to beat us, you need to come with your best game for 40 minutes.

This is my fourth year now. It just gives you all the experience in the world. I've seen just about everything that there is to be seen in college basketball, and we have five guys who have done that.

Coach Gary Williams

(Opening statement)
We're very glad to be here today. It was a tough game last night, obviously. Wilmington is such a good basketball team, in the way they play. So you feel fortunate that you won that game, but I'm also very happy for our players. Our seniors worked hard this year to get to the NCAA tournament.

That win is something that we needed. We had only played four games in four weeks, which is unusual for this time of year. Now that we played Friday and get to play Sunday, hopefully, there will be some carryover from that game.

Xavier reminds me a little bit of Wake Forest. They have a good power game inside obviously, and they can also shoot the three. That makes teams really food, when you have the inside-outside spread.

(On having senior-laden team with NCAA experience)
Our guys have been in just about every situation. Hopefully, if they are seniors who are really good program players, they will help the younger guys. At this point in the season, the players have heard it from me so much, it's almost better for them to hear it from other players and not coaches. I think we have some great seniors who have been patient, waited their turn to play.

(On how Maryland can react to last night's win)
I think in this format of the NCAA tournament, you don't care how you win. You just want to move on. There was a lot of emotion in the locker-room. But with the seniors, hopefully they will explain how important our practice is going to be. We have to get out there and go over some things for Xavier. We need to make the adjustments for a very good Xavier team. You have a one-day turnaround, but we have a lot of guys who have been through this before, and hopefully they can handle it.

(On playing against David West)
David West has proven over time how good he is. What you see is a guy who's a four-year player and his experience over most of the guys he's played against helps him. He's a smart player, and he doesn't force much. He's a good passer and that's where the intelligence factor comes in. Out of the post, David West is a great passer. You have to be careful about double-teaming him, because Xavier has outside shooters who can make three-pointers. Of course, we know something about that, since last night we helped a player set a tournament record from the 3-point line.

He (West) reminds me a little bit of Joe Smith. He's got that quickness to the ball, he's a great shooter, and he's a great free throw shooter. Joe Smith was about an 80% free throw shooter.

(On playing zone or man-to-man against Xavier)
We're pretty much a man-man team. Last night, Steve Blake got in foul trouble early and we went zone. It kind of turned the game around in the first half, because it allowed us to get Wilminton off the free throw line and we were able to take the lead at the end of the half. But we don't practice zone much, and all we care about is winning this one game. That's the great thing about this tournament.

(On last night's shot)
That's probably as good as it gets, because it didn't give the other team a chance. The timing of that was great. The idea that it's in the NCAA tournament makes it bigger.

(On Ryan Randle's double-double last night)
He was great. As you know, he's been catching a little heat up our way, because he had been criticized for not playing the way he should be. It was great to see him come back. Without Ryan, we would not be in the NCAA tournament. We lost Chris Wilcox and Lonny Baxter, and Ryan had to step up.

(On being the defending national champions, but after losing all the seniors)
My goal this year was to make the NCAA tournament. Now that we're in, you want to go as far as you can. To get that win, that was a big plus for us. We want to ride that momentum. The adrenaline rush can certainly carry you through on Sunday.