Villanova Press Conference Quotes
2005 NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Syracuse Regional
Villanova head coach Jay Wright Quotes Prior to Syracuse Regional Semifinal against North Carolina.
Opening Statement:
“We're very, very excited to be here. It's great to be in Syracuse. We probably didn't anticipate such a warm welcome. The Syracuse people have been great to us. I feel good about that. And our team is very confident, very excited about playing North Carolina, and also, going into this game with great respect for Carolina, and we think it will be a great ballgame.”
Can you talk about Jason Fraser and the role has stepped into this season?
“Jason has been very productive in the minutes we've been able to give him. He's very limited in his practice time, and we're always trying to conserve his body and give him as little amount of time in games as possible. But just whatever we need, he gives us. In the Florida game we needed him for minutes and he gave us it to us. And he's feeling good, and none of were surprised at his output. We know what he's capable of. As a team, we really have great respect for his unselfishness in giving us whatever we need every night.”
Earlier in the week you referred to Sean May as the best post player in college basketball. Could you talk about matchup problems he will pose for Jason Fraser and Will Sheridan?
“Well, we play against a lot of good post-players in the BIG EAST, but I think, in terms of the total package, it starts with his ability to run the floor, I think he might be a little underrated in that area. And there are many times where he's the first guy down the floor and they throw ahead to him. He has incredible hands. And then you deal with this in the half court. He is smart in the post, he reads double teams, they even have a little mid-range game where he can pop off ball screens and shoots a bank shot. I think he's got the whole package so you're going to have to guard him on the perimeter, run the floor with him, guard him in the post. Can't be many more problems than that.”
North Carolina obviously like to run. They have a deeper bench than you. How will you approach that?
“I think they are the closest team that I remember to the old UNLV days when the old Rebels used to go up and down. They are relentless and that takes a great amount of discipline. And we like to run too. So, we have to do what we do. So we're going to go with them because that's just what we do. And we realize there are going to be a lot of opportunities.”
Why don’t more college teams play that way?
“Well, I think to do that, you have to play defense and rebound because, if you don't defend and rebound, then now you're talking about the old Loyola Marymount style where you let them score. Carolina doesn't do that. They get in you defensively. They'll trap you and speed the game up. And they rebound extremely well. So I think the fans like to watch the part of the game where you go up and down and run. But they don't realize sometimes the work that goes into that and that's on the defensive end of rebounding. That's where you say that Carolina is disciplined in that to run that well, you have to defend and rebound every possession.”
How do you feel that your wings players Allan Ray and Randy Foye stack up against J.J. Redick and Daniel Ewing of Duke?
“I do think that Redick is probably one of the best perimeter shooters and Ewing is a great wing player. We don't really talk about that. But I would think that Randy and Allan have the confidence that they can play against anybody in the country, and that's what I love about them. I know if they played those guys, they wouldn't, fear them at all. I think they would really like that challenge. And that's what I like most about our guys. I don't know those two kids (Redick and Ewing) personally. But I liked that Allan Ray and Randy Foye are very talented, but mostly they are great competitors and they would love to go against any wing players in the country. I think we're playing against great ones Friday night also.”
Could you speak about what Randy Foye means to this team overall:
“Well, I'm glad I get the chance to do that because he came in a shy kid from Newark, east side, and in a very challenging academic environment. I’m most proud of how well he's done academically, and how well he has developed into a young man as a leader on this team. Curtis (Sumpter) and he were really our leaders and our rocks. Allan Ray is also one of our captains. Randy has become the guy that, no matter what happens on the court, no matter what happens off the court, he's really the guy that we all go to, and just is the consistent, mature, leader on this team. Now that Curtis is gone, you could see as soon as Curtis stepped off that court, Randy just took it on himself. He's a mentor to Kyle Lowry. I call Kyle Lowry mini me because he looks up to Randy Foye so much, and he just wants to be like Randy Foye. Against B.C., it was Kyle's first start. Mike Nardi was out and you could see two minutes into the game, Randy had his arm around him and talking to him and he has grown into an incredible young man. And I think his basketball speaks for itself.”
Could you talk about what the last few years have been like for Jason Fraser?
“I don't remember any college basketball player going through what he has. People in Philadelphia have documented the injuries. I've seen them listed in articles, but, to go through all of that, he's got incredible faith. Every situation that hits him, he just says, you know, this is God's plan and I'm going to overcome this, and I think that everyone on the team has learned from him. I don't know if you want me to list the injuries but it has been amazing, and he's never ALTERED. At least three times he's had decisions where he could have opted to have his recovery for his particular injury be rest over a long period of time, or have a quick surgery, and he's always opted for surgery. And we've never put any pressure on him. We said whatever you want to do. He always wants be there for his teammates. He's a great student, he's our student advisory council representative. He's an amazing kid. But, that's what is beautiful about Villanova. You get to coach kids like that and he's one of the most beautiful people I have been around.”
What does the loss of Curtis Sumpter do to your team when you are facing a team as big on the front line as North Carolina?
“Well, I think you mentioned their front line. I think the number one issue is that Curtis gives us size on the front line when we want to play him at the three spot. That would match up with Carolina's size. That's something that obviously we're going to miss with him. He also gives us the ability to guard big perimeter people like a Marvin Williams, who wants to shoot the ball on the perimeter. You can put a guard on those guys, maybe they can't go by them but they shoot over him. Curtis could always guard those kinds of guys and offensive truly, he's a mismatch. He can post smaller guys up, take bigger guys off the dribble. We've done that with him all year. With all that said, Kyle Lowry, Will Sheridan and Jason Fraser always lose minutes because we never want to take Curtis off the floor. Those three are pretty good players. They're going to get more minutes now, and I think those guys can make up for his numbers. What we miss with Curtis is what I talked about earlier – his leadership and his character qualities.”
Do you believe in different types of pressure on teams? Your team comes in with injuries and North Carolina is expected to move on. Can your team play more relaxed and loose than North Carolina?
“I could only hope. I realize, and we do as a team that all of those factors are out there. We try to look at those factors after a game and see what had an effect. But what we try to concentrate on is what we can control going into the game. I think you used the word loose. I thought we came into the New Mexico game and we were loose. I thought we played loose against Florida even when Curt went down. I think our guys played like that through the year were to and I'll do everything I can as a coach to make sure we do that Friday night.”
Your coaching career began about an hour from here at the University of Rochester. I was wondering if you could just talk about years ago starting your coaching career there and what if anything has carried over from those days to now?
“Well, a lot. Mike Neer, the head coach there, he gave me my first coaching job. And Mike Neer has been to about four or five Final Fours. He's won the national championship. He was the first coach that showed me that, you know, being an ex-player and thinking that you know everything, it took me one year working with him to know that I didn't know anything about coaching. And that was a great start for me. Rather than maybe working for a guy that, you know, that wouldn't have. Mike is such an intelligent basketball guy. Right away, I knew I wanted to do this, but I had a lot to learn. And I started my first year thinking, I have a lot to learn. And he taught me a lot. And I stay in touch with him to this day. My two years in Rochester were awesome. I coached the JV team, was the intramural director and recruited. We used to practice in the morning, do my intramurals during the day, coach the basketball team and go out at night and recruit. And it was the greatest years of my life. Jeff van Gundy was playing at Nazareth at the time. He was playing and recruiting for Nazareth, so I would be out recruiting against him and he was a player. He was amazing. They were great years.”
This is the 20th anniversary, obviously, of, I'm sure you've been asked about it before. Are there any parallels that you can draw in terms of the task that you have this year, against Carolina, you know, given the chances that people gave Villanova against Georgetown?
“Well, I think in this game, we're probably perceived as much as an underdog as Villanova was against Georgetown in that final game. And, you know, we have Eddie Pinckney on the staff. Harold Jensen, Dwight Wilbur, Dwayne McClain, those guys are around Villanova all the time. That's the beauty of coaching at Villanova. Those guys are always there, all of the guys know them. And so they are always a part of this team, and any team that we have, that team will always be a part of. But, I think we're probably perceived as much of an underdog, Villanova also had to go through Carolina that year to get to the final. You know, all the pros that were on that team, I think you're looking at the same thing here on this Carolina team. You're looking at a six-man potentially being a lottery pick. So there's probably a lot of similarities there.”
Villanova Player Quotes Prior to Syracuse Regional Semifinal against North Carolina State
RANDY FOYE
What made you stay at Eastside High School after the state broke it up and what made you decide to go to Villanova?
“The reason was the people around me when I was at East Side, the great people. They pushed me in the right direction when I was going in the wrong direction. And that's going to lead up to going to Villanova because I knew the coach was a great guy. During the recruiting process I figured that Villanova would be good for me because I played against Jason (Fraser), and I knew of Allan (Ray) and Curtis (Sumpter) and I wanted to play with them.”
Coming in with your injuries, your team is the underdog and North Carolina is expected to move on. Could that pressure on them and the fact that you can play loose be an equalizer?
“I like being the underdog because you're going out there and playing with no pressure. You're doing what you do best and that's play basketball. For them being, like, everyone thinks that they'll be, or know that they'll beat us that's probably a lot of pressure for them coming out into the game knowing they have to get this victory. But there is no pressure for us. We'll go out and do what we do best and that's play basketball.
JASON FRASER
What do you know about Sean May and what makes him a difficult matchup?
“Sean is a very talented athlete. He plays hard and he's a wide body, but agile, and he knows how to use the size. Like I said before, quick for a big man, and that's what usually makes it a tough matchup.”
Can you talk about Ed Pinckney and how he has helped you and do you draw from the Villanova history?
“From day one, we set foot open campus, all big men on the team, especially me, turn into sponges and we try to absorb all of the information possible from him. He was a great player and a good coach with a lot of experience and he speaks to us around the clock about basketball and life and, you know, letting us know the little tricks of the trade on defense and offense, on how to angle off your man on defense and what to do offensively and how to become a greater player and a person.”
North Carolina has talented big guys. How important are you on Friday night and how have you dealt with everything you’ve had to deal with the past couple of years?
“Well, the individuals on the team, playing on a team where we have a common concept where everybody plays hard and we play together. And if someone goes down, another person comes in and fills our spot with that same tough mental attitude, and as far as my injuries, I thank God and the Lord for carrying me through step by step every bit of the way. And we're family here. And it makes it that much easier to not play and go in the locker room and go to the games, and know that, these are like my brothers where they are playing well, and just knowing that we all think about the team as a whole, rather individually. So any time something happens to you, your mind is not on yourself from the start. So, it is always on the team, and with that said, it's that much easier to go through things.”
How frustrating has it been for you to come in as an All-American and have to put up with everything that you’ve had to injury wise?
“Honestly, it hasn't been frustrating because of my faith. I always said over again, the book of James chapter one talks about trials and tribulations and that they come in all of our lives to make us stronger and better as people. In the basketball sense, it just allowed me to be more patient, and to appreciate every little thing that I've received through basketball, and respect the game more. In the end, it is going to make me a better player than I ever could be without going through the injuries.”
You made a recruiting visit at North Carolina. Why did you ultimately choose Villanova and how do you feel things are going for you right now?
“Carolina, I went there on the midnight madness, and the dome was full to capacity. Stewart Scott was there. They had a blue-white game. Everyone is chanting everyone's name. Raymond Felton was there too. And the experience was unbelievable. You know, it is a lot of excitement. It was great. However, when it came to Villanova, it was just so many perfect fits, where I played against Allan (Ray) in high school. I played against Randy (Foye), and he was something else on the other team. I didn't know that I could play with another guard like that. Me and Curtis were a great fit on Long Island Panthers and compliment each other. I met Coach Wright my freshman year of high school. When I identified a Division I coach on the college level, you know, he was the first face that I saw and spoke to. Everything was there, and ultimately, you know, the Lord sent me to Villanova, told me that that was the place to be and I'm so happy that I followed and listened to His advice.”
You just referred to your faith helping you through your trials and tribulations and being able to appreciate things more. How did it feel after the Florida game?
“It felt good. It felt good. Just like I said, you know there was a time where I couldn't even play basketball if I wanted to. Having surgeries, and sitting there on the sidelines and gelling with your teammates and just to know that it could be taken away from you at the blink of an eye, really allows you to appreciate it and live in the now, so to speak, where you just appreciate every moment of it, and you don't look ahead towards tomorrow because tomorrow is not guaranteed, and it will take care of itself so you do all that you can today. Live life with no regrets going, and never putting off anything until tomorrow and just doing everything 100 percent and doing it hard.”
What do you see as the key in the beginning of the game to beating North Carolina?
Doing what we always do. Nothing changes. You can't change anything in the season, especially this late in the season. We are a perimeter offensive team. That's what got us here. You don't look at anything individual. It is a team. It is a team game. And we got here through guard play. We got here through playing tough on defense, and rebounding and that's the only thing that our minds are focused on as a team, and that's all that matters.”
Obviously North Carolina likes to run. How will you be able to keep up with them being short-handed?
We haven't really focused on that. Like I said, the focus has been on what we do as a team, how we are great at converting and we're well conditioned so it is not even so much about Carolina. They are a great team. A good team. They are very athletic and talented. They can get up and down the court. However, we're just going to focus on how we play defense where we cover the whole entire court all game. As for as their pressing and running, we always get back. We're great at it like I said, we're great at converting and that's what we're going to focus on.
ALLAN RAY
Being a teammate of Julius Hodge in high school, what do you think of his progress and are you as big of a Knicks fan as he is?
“I’m not a Knicks fan anymore. I was back in the day when they were playing the Chicago Bulls and Eastern Conference Championship every year, but I think Julius is doing great. You know, he was (ACC) player of the year last year, you know, led his team to the sweet sixteen this year, and I think he's doing a real good job. He was a real good leader and he was a great leader back in high school when I played with him. I know it is fun to be around him and his teammates are really enjoying being in his presence.”
How many times have you seen the tape of the ’85 championship game between Villanova and Georgetown and how does it make you feel? Does it pump you up?
“Definitely. We watched that game a couple of times this year. And it just brings like a joy to us as a team, you know. They see that it can happen and did it happen at Villanova, and we also have Coach Pinckney who is with us now, he's experienced that. And, you know, he tells us about it all the time and it just brings a great feeling to us, you know, knowing that these guys won a championship back in '85, and we can do it also.”
Coach had talked about what you have learned from what Jason has gone through. What have you learned?
“We have learned, you know, just to always just have faith in yourself, and, you know, always be able to persevere. You know, Jason has gone through a lot, you know, as an individual, and just to see him stay so strong and not let anything bother him is amazing. He has been through so many injuries. You know, he came out with a lot of hype, like you say, he was an All-American and people probably put him down, but, you know, he didn't let any of that bother him and didn't let it affect him not one bit. And just kept going out there, playing every game, playing hard, and, you know, he got a big game against Florida. You know, and he stepped out real big and we know we'll need more of that from him but as a person we learned a lot from that. Just able to persevere and stay strong no matter what the situation or the circumstances.”
You didn’t shoot particularly well last weekend. Any reason for that?
No, last week, I didn't really shoot the ball that well. But, you know, I really didn't let that bother me and I have a lot of open shots and I wasn't able to knock them down. But, some games you make some, some you miss. It is most important that we're winning. There are other things that I was doing on the court besides just shooting the ball, so I'm pretty confident going into this next game that I'll make shots. You know, if I don't again, you know, just got to go out there and do other things to help the team win.”
