March 30, 2004
– HEAD COACH Paul Hewitt
On making the Final Four
“I’m very happy that we made the Final Four in the fourth year of the program. Quit honestly, my focus is trying to get our guys back to their normal lives back here on campus. I think we’ve missed four days of class the last two weeks and we’re going to miss two more days this week. Also trying to make sure that some of the former players and coaches, that are interested in coming to San Antonio, make sure that they have an opportunity to get into the game. We talk about the tradition of Georgia Tech basketball when we go out recruiting and in some sense, I feel like I owe those guys something, and like I said, making a ticket available for the Dennis Scott’s, the Brian Domalik’s, then that’s what I have to do. We talk about the tradition we’ve established: now we’ve built on that tradition and now here we are in the Final Four. Hopefully, it will make our jobs as head coaches and assistant coaches easier as we go on recruiting. The history of the program definitely made our jobs a little easier when it came to recruiting.
“Dennis [Scott] is coming, Brian Domalik is coming, John Sally will be there, I spoke to Matt Harpring last night, he’s trying to make plans to get out. I spoke to Kenny [Anderson], he’s got a game. He’s hoping we make it to Monday, then he’ll be there. Mark Price will be there. Willie Reese, my assistant coach, he called a bunch, we kind of split the names up, but I’m waiting to here from a couple of other guys. I know those names I’ve mentioned are definitely going to be there, along with Coach [Bobby] Cremins, he and his wife Carolyn.”
On being the only coach to have never coached in the Final Four
“Ignorance is bliss, sometimes. It’s funny, we started the year in the Preseason NIT, and it kind of was the same set up. You had Jim Calhoun [UConn], Rick Majeras [Utah], Bobby Knight [Texas Tech] and then everybody was wondering who that guy was over in the corner. As you know, we were lucky enough to win there, so when I look at this I see a very similar set up. Coach Calhoun has won a championship, Mike Krzyzewski has won three championships, and Eddie Sutton is going to his third Final Four. I just hope I don’t get in their way, until the game starts at least.”
“They have an advantage because they been here and they know what to expect. In terms of the game, we’ll be prepared. I have a lot of confidence in my coaching staff and will put together a good game plan, but more than anything else, I have confidence in my players.”
On Jarrett Jack
“The experience of being a starting freshman point guard in the ACC, had an awful lot to do with his success this year. There were times last year, particular on the road, where he had some growing pains. I don’t think he reacted well to high-pressure situations on the road, but we put him in the fire and he hung with it, in the offseason he learned a lot about watching tape by himself and also with coach [Cliff] Warren, one of my assistant coaches. He got a lot better. If he didn’t go through the experiences he went through last year, he still would not have been as prepared as he was this year.”
“He’s been doing it all year, but it was apropos in my mind that he was the guy that played the big game in that set. We hope to build this program on our guards with size, strength and athleticism that can guard and that can also can run the offense and are an asset in the locker room. He’s the guy that we hope to point to people and say hey, if you want to come to Georgia Tech and be part of this tradition, also play a style of basketball that allows you to show off what you can do.
“I think he deferred a little bit, I didn’t think he wanted to come in here and step on anyone’s toes. But Jarrett’s personality is such that he’s a guy that’s always on the phone, he’s got one of those that he instant messages people back and forth, he loves to talk to fellow basketball players and certainly talk to teammates. There were times last year where he deferred, and I didn’t asked him to do anything other than be a regular freshman, but he when he got more and more comfortable with everybody his vocal leadership skills, really came to the floor. The other thing he had to work on is not be as discouraged when something didn’t go well. His facial expression did not inspire confidence in his teammates and I think this year he has worked on that and keeping a positive facial expression, which I think inspires a little more confidence in his teammates.”
“He has quickness and size. You have that type of size and strength, along with his speed and quickness, it definitely makes him unique.”
On replacing a legendary coach in Bobby Cremins
“It actually has been very, very easy, because he has been outstanding. The first day, calling me, letting me know that if there was anything I need, any advice, he would be there to offer. He was never quick to tell you what to do, just quick to offer you encouragement, but I’ve picked his brain on Georgia Tech, the ACC and now the Final Four. He’s been tremendous. At least once a month on a Monday, I’ll get a call from him. Whether it’s to congratulating me on a win, you guys are doing the right thing, sorry we didn’t get the result we wanted, just hang in there. He’s been great, very, very supportive and he has encouraged a lot of coaches and friends to be very supportive and they have been there since day one.”
What did you see in this team that other people didn’t
“I knew that we had depth and experience. Isma’ll Muhammad, B.J. Elder, those guys in that class, who had two very rugged seasons in the ACC. People forgot we were 0-7 two years ago when we had all that freshman group and we were down in scholarships, because of the 8-5 rule, but they learned how to fight back that year and then last year we had a good team but we were young at probably the most important position, point guard. So when you loose a Chris Bosh, you realize that there’s drop off in your talent up front, but when I looked at our roster, and I said this at media day this October, we have as much depth or more depth than anybody in the league in the front court and our perimeter is going to be strong. It was just a matter of our guys going out and proving to everybody that they were good. I don’t think any of you were at our media day, but I said our big guys are good, they just need a chance to prove it. Luke Schenscher, Theodis Tarver, Anthony McHenry, those guys have gone out and proved that they can play at this level.”
On Clarence Moore and his return to the team this year
“Last year, last year when the championship game was about to air Clarence Moore came to my office and we were sitting there talking, and I told him, if he was on our team, we would’ve had chance to play in that game. He has a lot of enthusiasm, an element of toughness that was sorely needed on this team. He and Will Bynum have added an element of toughness that have really helped this team win a lot of close ballgames.”
“He didn’t try and come in here and fake it. He told me his heart wasn’t in it and that’s why he didn’t play. He is a genuine person and when he asked if he could come back to the team, I put him in front of the players and they were more than happy to have him back.”
On the basketball talent in Texas and recruiting there
“We’re recruiting it very hard because we feel that they have outstanding high school programs there. The late period, the seventh or eighth period, when they have the athletic activity period, I think that has done an awful lot to Texas high school basketball. Coaches working on skills, not just playing, which is equivalent to what we do each day. A lot of individual instruction. What we have found is that they are very sound athletes that have been well coaches by their high school and summer coaches, and then academically are very sound, which is important here at Georgia Tech.”
On the parity of the NCAA Tournament
“I think it’s been wide open. You look at our games, we haven’t blown anyone away. I think we benefited from playing in a great league this year. I think it was wide open, we had some lucky bounces and we also had guys that have benefited from playing in the ACC. You go to Wake Forest and snap that win streak, you go to Duke and snap that win streak, you go to Maryland when both our teams were on the ropes, where we were trying to play our ways into the NCAA Tournament, win there. You loose games at home against an outstanding North Carolina State team. If they don’t have an injury, they easily could have advanced further in the tournament. We lost to Wake Forest at home. We learned lessons on how to bounce back when you play against that type of competition. The word I’ve used all year, is the ACC keeps you humble. Even though we had a 12-game winning streak to start, we played good basketball throughout the league, but it kept you humble because if you didn’t have an exceptional game, you were going to loose.”
On keeping the team focused
“We talked about it on the way back. Get back into school and again one of big concerns is the amount of class time that we’ve missed. You know that the academics here are very challenging. We’ve missed four days already, we’re going to miss two more this week, so getting them to class on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. They’re going to sit with the media at four and then we’re not going to do anything with the media until Friday at the NCAA press meeting.”
On the impact of the Final Four on your program
“Certainly there’s been a lot more phone calls over the last 24 hours. What you hope it does is establish your program as one of the top programs in the country, which will allow you to track the best student-athletes. If we continue to work at the pace we’ve been working at, my assistant coaches and I, we should be able to bring in people that are going to come in and do the work as well as play basketball in the ACC.”
On Luke Schenscher’s progress this season
“I would say so. You guys are fearing that assessment, because Luke had not gone out and proven in night in and night out, but as a coach you work with theses guys everyday in practice and you know what they are capable of. That was one of the reasons that we were confident going into the year. He is a very hard working young man. We told him he had to put weight on after his first year, he put on a lot of weight, we told him he had to work on his athleticism and quickness this summer and he did that. Part of his workouts this summer was to get together with Malcolm Mackey at 7 a.m. and play one-on-one. Playing against Malcolm, playing against a guy with his quickness and strength, definitely helped Luke guarding people and getting his shot off. I definitely would say that he is the most improved player in the league this year.”
On big men leaving school early and how that affects the college game
“So many of the big guys that are leaving school early are never getting shown up on campus. You understand the game is going to change a little bit, you’re not going to have that big guy who can dominate a game, both defensively and offensively. It puts a greater emphasis and developing depth. That’s what I did when I was at Siena and I think that style today, in my opinion, is what needed. You never know who’s going to go on a hot streak and have a run in the NCAA Tournament or have a run during the season, somebody looking for an opportunity to strike gold and go pro, but I’ve been a big believer in recruiting guys that want chance to get better and keep working and play eight or nine guys. You don’t assure yourself success with that, but you do avoid potential disaster if you loose a guy like B.J Elder, who didn’t score a point this weekend but we had the bench step up in his absence.”
On molding a team like the 2001 National Title Maryland Team
“Yes that is the team that I look to build mine after. A lot of credit has to go to Gary Williams for building a team like that. That Maryland team could have won a national championship in any season I believe. They were so big and strong and had tremendous talent on the perimeter. Yes, that is a team that more and more people have to look at and say hey, they played eight or nine guys, had a sold inside game and obviously they could shoot the basketball.”
On the importance of experience
“His [Marvin Lewis] emotions never run too low and never run too high. He, Luke Schenscher and Anthony McHenry understand what we are trying to do more than anybody else on the team. It’s definitely a calming influence on the coaching staff and everybody, because you know what you are going to get.
“He didn’t shoot the ball well, but he played well. That’s what we’re trying to distinguish in our guys. There’s a difference between shooting well and playing well. Earlier in the tournament, I think he had four points, but he led us in rebounding. So defended well and created space out there which in turn allowed Jarrett to drive and Luke to get some room down low.”
On Oklahoma State
“Tony Allen certainly stands out, he has been playing tremendously in the tournament. He’s been taking big shots. Anytime you look at an Eddie Sutton team, you’re knowing that you’re going to get a team that is really well drilled defensively. I read some place that they’ve allowed the least amount of points in the tournament. They’re scoring and not allowing very many points, which is not good for us.”
On the biggest influence on his career
“I would have to go back to my high school coach, Martin Reid. I played for and worked for at Westbury High School on Long Island. My philosophy of playing up-tempo, playing defense and pressing.
“Having worked for Nick Macarchuk at Fordham and a Steve Lappas at Villanova, really taught me different things about the game of basketball and how to prepare for the media. George Ravling at USC, so I feel that all these experiences have helped me prepare for when I took over my own team, I would be ready. I have been fortunate to draw on those experiences from coaches that were extremely good at what they do.”
On Tech having a roster of role players
“I wouldn’t call it role players, I think they all are outstanding players. I think they have to be given credit for accepting lesser minutes on a given night that they might be getting somewhere else. I think they all are very, very good. I think Isma’ll [Muhammad] and Will Bynum could play guard for anyone in our conference. We worked very hard during the course of the game, we try to communicate as much as possible so they know what is going on. This is a good basketball team, I wouldn’t call a bunch of role players, this is a very talented basketball team and that’s what it takes to get to where we are at.”
On working for George Ravling at USC
“The guy is so organized, it’s so unbelievable. Even now I talk to him. I tell you what, before we went on to the court against Kansas, I called him up and said coach what do you think, if there was one thing you could concentrate on what would it be? He said, don’t forget Luke, you have to make Wayne Simeon play defense. Literally, 25 minutes before the game I changed the first play and we got the ball inside to Luke. And if you know him, you know what I’m talking about. Outside of my dad, I don’t think there’s been a man in my life that’s had that big of an impact.”
On having the former players talk to the team about the Final Four
“Not necessarily avoiding the pressure, but enjoying being here. I definitely want them to talk to the guys and say hey, enjoy this. Once you’ve gotten into the tournament, you’ve had a good year, getting to the Final Four, you’ve had an outstanding year. Enjoy this moment, but then the last thing they’re going to tell them because they’ve been harping on it, is that were not just here to play in this thing, we’re one of four teams left that have a chance at winning the national championship.”
PLAYERS Marvin Lewis AND Clarence Moore
Clarence, what do you think Coach Hewitt did that allows him to melt people together and get you back onto the team and into the flow?
“I think he just makes everybody believe in what he’s saying. He told me in April that if I came back to the team then we could have a shot of making it to the Final Four and I kind of shook my head, like ‘okay, we might have a chance,’ but to finally get here…everybody has just been believing in him and what he’s capable of doing and it’s been working for us.”
Clarence, what has it been like around campus for you, Marvin, and all you guys since you’ve been back?
“It’s been great. It’s a different feeling to be able to walk in class and get a standing ovation. It’s something that I never thought would happen to me, playing college basketball. But it’s been great, everybody has been up and everybody has been smiling, so it’s fun. It’s fun right now.”
Marvin, Coach Hewitt was very confident before the season, but others were skeptical. Were you confident, and did Coach Hewitt share that confidence or convince you guys, or did he have a hard time convincing you guys that you were going to make this step in that situation?
“He didn’t have a hard time convincing us because I think that, after the season last year, we all made the conscious effort to get better individually. From there, we knew the type of talent that we had in our locker room. Coach Hewitt plays a big part in that, but I think that, individually, all of the players knew what we were capable of.”
Clarence, you dedicated the state championship in high school to your mother who passed away. What about here, playing in the Final Four, are you playing with the emotion that this is for her?
“Yeah, definitely. Everything that I have done in my life has been for my family and for my mom. I know that she can’t be here, but she’s still with me and she’s proud of me, as well as my dad. Everybody is just so happy right now, and it feels good to be able to see him with a smile on his face.”
Clarence, have you heard anything from the fans back home?
“I just know that everybody is happy. I just talk to my high school coach a couple of days ago and he just said that everybody was thrilled and that the kids at the school couldn’t wait for us to get back so that I could come back and sign autographs and things like that.”
Marvin, you talked about walking to a class with a standing ovation. What class was that?
“It was my PST 3127 class on Monday. It was crazy just to go in there and, before I could get to my seat, everybody was just standing and applauding. Everybody was just proud of us for what we accomplished.”
Marvin, I know that you have ties to Dennis Scott, have you talked to him about what it’s like to be playing in the Final Four?
“Actually, I talked to the coach and Dennis Scott and those guys are just, more so than anything, just proud to be a part of this tradition and to see us be so successful. At the end of the day, they aren’t trying to put any pressure on myself or on the team. They are just really excited and want us to go out there and play the best that we can.”
Marvin, how much of a difference has it been having Clarence back on the team this year?
“I think, more than anything, the energy and the leadership that he brings to the table is something that definitely made a difference for us this year. He’s one of those guys that can get on each player and, individually, you don’t take it personally because you know that Mo wants everybody to get better and he’s going to work 110% everyday and he wants the same out of you.”
Marvin, talk about losing Chris Bosh to the NBA and can you also comment on Luke’s progress.
“Luke has come a long way. Over the summer, he definitely worked harder than anybody on our team to get better because he wanted to prove to everybody that he can play. With his strength, with his footspeed, all of that stuff, he worked so hard over the summer that as the season progressed, he finally got comfortable and he knew where to pick his spots and where he could be successful. Now it’s paying off.”
Marvin, how much did Jarrett, as a freshman, shy away from taking a leadership role and then take that thing by the horns as this year started to roll on.
“When you come in as a freshman and especially as a point guard, you don’t want to step on anyone’s toes. You try to just learn the system and get acclimated to what Coach Hewitt wants and what the rest of the players are looking for. I think that having that one year under his belt, working so hard this summer, getting his confidence sky-high, stepping in to be a leader, and Coach Hewitt asking him to be a floor general on the team, with all of that, I think that he’s done a great job.”
Is this his team, no question about it now?
“I can definitely say that he’s our floor general and he runs the show, especially when we’re on the court, but I don’t want to put the whole thing on him. We also have four seniors that have had a lot to contribute too.”
Marvin, going back to in between seasons. Part of the prospective on the growth of the team, when you lost Chris Bosh and Ed Nelson, was there ever a feeling of a step-back of the team this year or what was to come?
“No, it wasn’t a set-back because after those guys told us that they were making those decisions, we had a team meeting right away and said, ‘look, next season starts now.’ ‘We have to get prepared, we have to work harder, and just because we don’t have those guys, everyone has to get better.’ Now, it’s all paid off.”
Clarence, you and Chris Duhon went head-to-head in high school and again in college. Y played in the state semifinals and have a chance to play here in the championship of the Final Four. Talk about that and the connection you two have.
“Chris and I have known each other for a few years now. We also played AAU ball together. It’s been great. It’s been a little bit of a rivalry; I got some in high school from him and in college he’d been getting a few until I got the last one at Cameron. I kind of told him at the game that I’d gotten one from him, but he came back and got the one at the ACC Tournament, so it would be great if we matched across from each other for the championship, but if it doesn’t happen, then so be it.”
Marvin, when you guys were having the meeting after you knew Ed and Chris were leaving, was Luke there? How much did you talk to him about his importance going into this season?
“He was definitely there for the team meeting. He was one of those guys that everybody looked to and said, ‘not only you, but Theo and Robert and you guys, we are going to need you to work extra hard over the summer’ because we knew that the focus was going to be that the inside play was going to be small. So Luke came in and, confidence-wise, he just said ‘okay look, I’m going to work this summer and do the best that I can and just go from there.'”
Marvin, what kind of person is Jarrett that he can come in and be the floor general?
“I think that he’s one of those natural-born leaders. He’s one of those guys that wants the best out of himself and he’s going to expect the best out of you. I think that, more than anything, he makes a big difference and that’s why he’s been able to step in and do such a great job.”
Marvin, do you think that because so many guys are going pro now, that this Final Four doesn’t have the kind of star power? Is there as much talent as there has been in the past in the Final Four this year?
“To be honest, because this is my first Final Four, I take it as everybody that is in here is great competition, everybody has skilled players. I don’t see the talent level being down at all. From watching it on television to playing in it is totally different, so from my prospective, I just know that it’s going to be a battle, regardless.”
Clarence, what do you think this Final Four appearance is going to mean to the program, as far as recruiting?
“I think it’s going to put us on that level nationally. I think, in the past, we’ve lost recruits because I guess we didn’t have the type of programs that other teams have had. I think that now, kids are drawn to teams that make it to the Final Four, so hopefully it’s going to help with recruiting in the future years.”
Have either of you guys talked to the team about the fact that it’s not enough to make it to the Final Four, but that you still have some business to take care of?
“The guys are starting to see that now. The guys are just really seeing how hard we worked the whole year and really seeing that it’s paying off. I think that the guys really want to take it as far as we can. I don’t think the guys want to make this our last game and we want to play on Monday, so come Saturday we are going to be ready to go out there and give it our all.”
