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Sorry this is long and not optimally organized. These are the game notes from the press conference. Iowa lost on day 1 but I stayed to cover the entire tournament for a student radio station in Iowa City. Iverson and Sampson were the two players that took questions along with Coach Smith.
visit our archives at asapsports.com
minnesota_quotes_game9 1
Minnesota – 69
Purdue – 42
An interview with:
COACH TUBBY SMITH
COLTON IVERSON
RALPH SAMPSON III
THE MODERATOR: We'll ask Coach
Smith to make an opening statement. Coach?
COACH SMITH: Well, you know, I thought
we really -- it was a very impressive and
dominating performance. I thought our guys were
focused and ready. We got off to a very good start
once again. I think that's been a big key, making
shots and defending.
I think certainly Purdue is a very good
team. Again, but we were -- it's as good a half as I
think I've been a part of as a coach.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for the
student-athletes.
Q. Can you guys just talk about what it
means to you guys as players after all that's
happened this season to become the first
Minnesota team to make it to the Big Ten
championship game?
RALPH SAMPSON III: Well, for me
personally, I feel that it's a great honor to be here,
make the championship. I didn't know that we
were the first team to make it here, but upon
hearing that, I feel that you look back at all the
hard work we've done over the course of
preseason and practice and battling people like
Trevor in practice and how it's all paid off to this
moment right now, and I feel the team, we're very
motivated for this game, and we feel that we've
come a long way and we have a lot more to go.
COLTON IVERSON: Yeah, I just think
that us hanging in here through the season, I know
we've had our ups and downs and we've just been
hanging in there. We've been working hard and it's
paying off. We wanted to reach our goals, make it
to the tournament and win the Big Ten
championship. I just think we need to come
prepared tomorrow. We have a tough Ohio State
team and we need to come ready for it.
Q. When do you guys realize that this
team was as talented as it showed in this game
against Purdue?
COLTON IVERSON: Are you talking
about them or us? Well, we've always had the
talent, just we needed to be able to build chemistry
and start working together, play as a team. Losing
some players, we've had some distractions, and
we just needed to learn. Devoe has done a great
job replacing Al Nolen this season, second
semester, and we've all clicked together in the
second part of the season.
RALPH SAMPSON III: I agree with
Colton. I believe we always knew that we were
talented and we always knew what we had, but we
needed to come together as one unit, work like a
unit to reach our goals. And I feel as the season
went on we were able to do that because we
always knew we had the right pieces but just had
to, instead of playing as individuals, play as a
team. And as soon as we were able to accomplish
that, we were able to get anything done, and I think
that's what's showing right now.
March 13, 2010
visit our archives at asapsports.com
minnesota_quotes_game9 2
Q. Can you talk about how physical
you two were today in the paint and how much
that contributed to your success as a team?
RALPH SAMPSON III: Personally I feel
that the aggressive -- being physical today came
off of the game last night. I think it carried over
because Michigan State was a very aggressive
and physical game. It was a close one all night,
went into overtime, and I feel that coming into
today, I don't think that the level went down for me
and Colton in the post. I feel that we kept it up
through the night and came into this game with it.
And I feel that -- we knew that Purdue was
a good team, we knew we had to keep them off the
boards, and we just carried it on from there.
COLTON IVERSON: Yeah, I agree with
Ralph. I feel like the game yesterday against
Michigan State got us really prepared for a tough
Purdue team and then just carried over from last
night, a very physical game, and we just came
tonight ready to play with the same intensity as we
would any other game.
Q. After building such a tremendous
lead in the first half, what did you guys talk
about in the locker room to stay focused and
stay ready because Purdue is a fantastic
basketball team?
COLTON IVERSON: We just knew that
we had to come out in the second half like the
game was starting over. You can't let any halftime
lead -- you can't be comfortable with any halftime
lead. You've just got to come prepared in the
second half again and act like it's 0-0 and just keep
the intensity and just keep going hard.
Q. Ralph, how different is this Purdue
team from the one that you guys saw during
the regular season, and specifically how
different is it in terms of guarding them?
RALPH SAMPSON III: Well, it definitely
was an adjustment guarding them because they
had lost Robbie Hummel. He's a great player and
a value for the team. They adjusted for that and it
made them look a lot different than we saw them
during the season. I didn't play the first time
against them, and in the second half of the season,
second game, I did, and it was -- from that game to
here was a big difference.
They definitely were a lot more tougher
this game. They really came out and were trying to
knock down shots, but I think that we pressured
them out of the comfort zone that I felt that Robbie
Hummel was really putting them in there, and I feel
that -- just the game looked different from the first
time -- second time we played them.
Q. For both players, how much do you
think it'll help tomorrow, the fact that no one on
your team had to play more than 26 minutes
tonight?
COLTON IVERSON: That's good. I
mean, we spread out some minutes so people
don't get too tired. I didn't even realize that. But I
guess that's good, keeps some legs fresh. We've
been playing -- we had three games in a row,
tomorrow is going to be the fourth, and we can't let
it -- we can't get fatigued or anything, so we've just
got to come like it's any other game, and you've
just got to have the same intensity.
RALPH SAMPSON III: I feel that, like
Colton said, it keeps our legs fresh, it keeps
players still energized. And like Colton said, this
will be our fourth game coming up against a really
good Ohio State team, so we're going to need
everything we have in order to compete and in
order to keep our focus on this game and to
eliminate distractions that still might be lurking
around.
Q. Yesterday Devoe said he felt that
you guys were as good as any team in the Big
Ten, and he also said as good as any team in
the country. Do you guys feel that you are
playing with that sort of confidence as a team,
and do you also look at that confidence going
into the Ohio State game? Do you guys feel
like you can play with anyone in the country at
this moment?
RALPH SAMPSON III: Yeah, I have to
agree with Devoe on that one. I feel that our team
has really come together. We're really playing -- I
wouldn't say our best basketball right now because
we still had some slips on this game right now, but
I feel that we're getting there, and I feel that we can
compete with any team in the country, and I feel
that we can compete with any team in the Big Ten.
I feel that we've kind of proven that in this
tournament right now.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach
Smith?
Q. In a situation like this as you're
advancing through a tournament, how much
does your experience, being in these
situations, advancing in tournaments like this,
visit our archives at asapsports.com
minnesota_quotes_game9 3
how much does that help in terms of getting
these guys prepared to play a game like this?
COACH SMITH: It can be useful, but it's
more important to have good players, and we have
some pretty talented players. Colton and Ralph
are very talented, big men that are proven now and
starting to play their best basketball.
It helps because you've been through the
wars and because of age, I guess, and longevity
and experience in a number of different
opportunities. But it's all about preparation,
whether it's with your staff. That helps, also,
because all the guys on the staff have coached in
tournament play, and so we draw from all those
resources, and it's been helpful for I think the focus
of the team and their mental concentration,
probably all starting with -- they talk about being a
unit, one unit, team work, playing together, playing
unselfishly, and those are the things as a coach
you work for. You want your team to get to this
point.
So experience, it's a combination of the
whole year of -- for them, understanding what it
takes to get better every day, and we proved that
today. The thing about coaching, when you have
good players, you look like a pretty good coach.
Q. Late in the first half I believe you
were up 37-9 at the time. Lawrence turned it
over like 26 seconds to go, and it seemed like
you were kind of irate at him at that time.
Two-part question: No lead is safe in any
ballgame, and in the start of the second half,
Damian, the defense he showed out there on
the court, is it just the tone you guys wanted to
set for the second half?
COACH SMITH: Well, Damian is as good
a defensive player as I've ever coached. I've been
in the business a long time, and I've had some
pretty talented -- coached some pretty talented
players over the years. Damian Johnson is the
most versatile, defensive player I've ever coached
at any level.
I said before, I was disappointed he wasn't
part of the All-Defensive Team, and I think our kids
were disappointed and he was disappointed, and
he's proven that he can do it all defensively, that
he can go at anybody on the court.
Having said that, Wes turned it over two or
three times by halftime, and he was leading us in
turnovers all year, so we need him to just be a little
more patient, let the shot come to him, keep it off
the floor. That's what that's about.
Q. Do you think your team play its way
into the NCAA Tournament today?
COACH SMITH: You know, you never
know. It's one of those, there's a lot of -- the
committee has a tall task ahead of them. There's a
lot of good teams, a lot of talented players. You
know, the best way for us to get in is to win
tomorrow.
Q. You didn't let up on the gas, and I
think we were talking about last night, my
perception of your team from one minute to the
next is so good at times, but you out-scored
them, ran them off the court and still managed
to out score them in the second half. That
must make you feel good as a coach.
COACH SMITH: Well, we've had two bad
games this year, and that's it. I said that last night.
We've been as consistent as anybody. We may
not have showed it in the win column, but we've
been a pretty consistent team, even through a lot
of challenges and distractions.
I've said all along, this group has been
as -- I'm proud of their camaraderie, their solidarity,
their unity, and they're pulling for one another. You
can see they care about each other. Devoe
Joseph has evolved into a pretty good lead guard.
People have accepted their roles. They appreciate
what we've been trying to get them to do all year
long. As I said, this is a culmination of all those
hours of preparation. We're looking for that type of
consistency. You shouldn't get too high and you
shouldn't get too low, just -- we always talk about
moderation. John [Wooden] used to talk about
balance, and we try to get that as a coach and we
try to get that from our players and in life and in the
game, too.
Q. With the stretch of games you guys
have played here at the tournament with Ohio
State going into double overtime, most of their
top players played almost the entire game, do
you think fatigue will play a factor for both
teams tomorrow?
COACH SMITH: It's a good question. It's
all about mental preparation. They've got it all.
Those guys, I've been impressed with them, Matta,
and just the conditioning of Lauderdale and Evan
Turner and Lighty. You're right, Buford, those
guys. It's a championship game. The adrenaline
will be high, the intensity level will be high. You
know, we've tried to prepare for this point in time
visit our archives at asapsports.com
minnesota_quotes_game9 4
with the use of our bench and developing --
because you never know what's going to happen,
injuries, other things, and so we've been able to
plug guys in, and they appreciate their role like a
Devron Bostick. He hasn't played much, but he
steps in and gives us quality minutes, Paul Carter,
Justin Cobbs, all the guys have done -- you can
see what Colton Iverson has done for us and right
on down the line.
So we have a lot of faith in each individual
player, and that being the case, I would hope that
we'd have an advantage when it comes to that.
Q. What would it mean just to win a Big
Ten Championship for Minnesota, to you as a
coach?
COACH SMITH: Well, it would mean that
we have -- and I said before, I think we've been
doing it the right way, preparing the right way,
recruiting the right way.
There are things that happened in the
course of the season that may not -- that people
question, but that's part of being a coach. You
know that's coming.
So for these guys, as they mentioned
before, sticking to it, just sticking to the game plan,
fellows, just don't be diverted by all the negative
things you hear, see. Keep your eye on the prize.
That's what it would mean, for not necessarily
trophies; they come and go. I'm worried about how
these guys take something with them into their life
after dealing with so many things and then fighting
through it, whether it's from the media, from
anywhere else. That's going to take them a long
way in the future in their life. Wins and losses,
that's really nothing.
But we're going to play and we're going to
give our best effort, and we do that and we'll be
fine. As long as we do that, we can hold our heads
up high, and we can look in the mirror and say we
did our best, and that's all we can do.
THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
visit our archives at asapsports.com
minnesota_quotes_game9 1
Minnesota – 69
Purdue – 42
An interview with:
COACH TUBBY SMITH
COLTON IVERSON
RALPH SAMPSON III
THE MODERATOR: We'll ask Coach
Smith to make an opening statement. Coach?
COACH SMITH: Well, you know, I thought
we really -- it was a very impressive and
dominating performance. I thought our guys were
focused and ready. We got off to a very good start
once again. I think that's been a big key, making
shots and defending.
I think certainly Purdue is a very good
team. Again, but we were -- it's as good a half as I
think I've been a part of as a coach.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for the
student-athletes.
Q. Can you guys just talk about what it
means to you guys as players after all that's
happened this season to become the first
Minnesota team to make it to the Big Ten
championship game?
RALPH SAMPSON III: Well, for me
personally, I feel that it's a great honor to be here,
make the championship. I didn't know that we
were the first team to make it here, but upon
hearing that, I feel that you look back at all the
hard work we've done over the course of
preseason and practice and battling people like
Trevor in practice and how it's all paid off to this
moment right now, and I feel the team, we're very
motivated for this game, and we feel that we've
come a long way and we have a lot more to go.
COLTON IVERSON: Yeah, I just think
that us hanging in here through the season, I know
we've had our ups and downs and we've just been
hanging in there. We've been working hard and it's
paying off. We wanted to reach our goals, make it
to the tournament and win the Big Ten
championship. I just think we need to come
prepared tomorrow. We have a tough Ohio State
team and we need to come ready for it.
Q. When do you guys realize that this
team was as talented as it showed in this game
against Purdue?
COLTON IVERSON: Are you talking
about them or us? Well, we've always had the
talent, just we needed to be able to build chemistry
and start working together, play as a team. Losing
some players, we've had some distractions, and
we just needed to learn. Devoe has done a great
job replacing Al Nolen this season, second
semester, and we've all clicked together in the
second part of the season.
RALPH SAMPSON III: I agree with
Colton. I believe we always knew that we were
talented and we always knew what we had, but we
needed to come together as one unit, work like a
unit to reach our goals. And I feel as the season
went on we were able to do that because we
always knew we had the right pieces but just had
to, instead of playing as individuals, play as a
team. And as soon as we were able to accomplish
that, we were able to get anything done, and I think
that's what's showing right now.
March 13, 2010
visit our archives at asapsports.com
minnesota_quotes_game9 2
Q. Can you talk about how physical
you two were today in the paint and how much
that contributed to your success as a team?
RALPH SAMPSON III: Personally I feel
that the aggressive -- being physical today came
off of the game last night. I think it carried over
because Michigan State was a very aggressive
and physical game. It was a close one all night,
went into overtime, and I feel that coming into
today, I don't think that the level went down for me
and Colton in the post. I feel that we kept it up
through the night and came into this game with it.
And I feel that -- we knew that Purdue was
a good team, we knew we had to keep them off the
boards, and we just carried it on from there.
COLTON IVERSON: Yeah, I agree with
Ralph. I feel like the game yesterday against
Michigan State got us really prepared for a tough
Purdue team and then just carried over from last
night, a very physical game, and we just came
tonight ready to play with the same intensity as we
would any other game.
Q. After building such a tremendous
lead in the first half, what did you guys talk
about in the locker room to stay focused and
stay ready because Purdue is a fantastic
basketball team?
COLTON IVERSON: We just knew that
we had to come out in the second half like the
game was starting over. You can't let any halftime
lead -- you can't be comfortable with any halftime
lead. You've just got to come prepared in the
second half again and act like it's 0-0 and just keep
the intensity and just keep going hard.
Q. Ralph, how different is this Purdue
team from the one that you guys saw during
the regular season, and specifically how
different is it in terms of guarding them?
RALPH SAMPSON III: Well, it definitely
was an adjustment guarding them because they
had lost Robbie Hummel. He's a great player and
a value for the team. They adjusted for that and it
made them look a lot different than we saw them
during the season. I didn't play the first time
against them, and in the second half of the season,
second game, I did, and it was -- from that game to
here was a big difference.
They definitely were a lot more tougher
this game. They really came out and were trying to
knock down shots, but I think that we pressured
them out of the comfort zone that I felt that Robbie
Hummel was really putting them in there, and I feel
that -- just the game looked different from the first
time -- second time we played them.
Q. For both players, how much do you
think it'll help tomorrow, the fact that no one on
your team had to play more than 26 minutes
tonight?
COLTON IVERSON: That's good. I
mean, we spread out some minutes so people
don't get too tired. I didn't even realize that. But I
guess that's good, keeps some legs fresh. We've
been playing -- we had three games in a row,
tomorrow is going to be the fourth, and we can't let
it -- we can't get fatigued or anything, so we've just
got to come like it's any other game, and you've
just got to have the same intensity.
RALPH SAMPSON III: I feel that, like
Colton said, it keeps our legs fresh, it keeps
players still energized. And like Colton said, this
will be our fourth game coming up against a really
good Ohio State team, so we're going to need
everything we have in order to compete and in
order to keep our focus on this game and to
eliminate distractions that still might be lurking
around.
Q. Yesterday Devoe said he felt that
you guys were as good as any team in the Big
Ten, and he also said as good as any team in
the country. Do you guys feel that you are
playing with that sort of confidence as a team,
and do you also look at that confidence going
into the Ohio State game? Do you guys feel
like you can play with anyone in the country at
this moment?
RALPH SAMPSON III: Yeah, I have to
agree with Devoe on that one. I feel that our team
has really come together. We're really playing -- I
wouldn't say our best basketball right now because
we still had some slips on this game right now, but
I feel that we're getting there, and I feel that we can
compete with any team in the country, and I feel
that we can compete with any team in the Big Ten.
I feel that we've kind of proven that in this
tournament right now.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach
Smith?
Q. In a situation like this as you're
advancing through a tournament, how much
does your experience, being in these
situations, advancing in tournaments like this,
visit our archives at asapsports.com
minnesota_quotes_game9 3
how much does that help in terms of getting
these guys prepared to play a game like this?
COACH SMITH: It can be useful, but it's
more important to have good players, and we have
some pretty talented players. Colton and Ralph
are very talented, big men that are proven now and
starting to play their best basketball.
It helps because you've been through the
wars and because of age, I guess, and longevity
and experience in a number of different
opportunities. But it's all about preparation,
whether it's with your staff. That helps, also,
because all the guys on the staff have coached in
tournament play, and so we draw from all those
resources, and it's been helpful for I think the focus
of the team and their mental concentration,
probably all starting with -- they talk about being a
unit, one unit, team work, playing together, playing
unselfishly, and those are the things as a coach
you work for. You want your team to get to this
point.
So experience, it's a combination of the
whole year of -- for them, understanding what it
takes to get better every day, and we proved that
today. The thing about coaching, when you have
good players, you look like a pretty good coach.
Q. Late in the first half I believe you
were up 37-9 at the time. Lawrence turned it
over like 26 seconds to go, and it seemed like
you were kind of irate at him at that time.
Two-part question: No lead is safe in any
ballgame, and in the start of the second half,
Damian, the defense he showed out there on
the court, is it just the tone you guys wanted to
set for the second half?
COACH SMITH: Well, Damian is as good
a defensive player as I've ever coached. I've been
in the business a long time, and I've had some
pretty talented -- coached some pretty talented
players over the years. Damian Johnson is the
most versatile, defensive player I've ever coached
at any level.
I said before, I was disappointed he wasn't
part of the All-Defensive Team, and I think our kids
were disappointed and he was disappointed, and
he's proven that he can do it all defensively, that
he can go at anybody on the court.
Having said that, Wes turned it over two or
three times by halftime, and he was leading us in
turnovers all year, so we need him to just be a little
more patient, let the shot come to him, keep it off
the floor. That's what that's about.
Q. Do you think your team play its way
into the NCAA Tournament today?
COACH SMITH: You know, you never
know. It's one of those, there's a lot of -- the
committee has a tall task ahead of them. There's a
lot of good teams, a lot of talented players. You
know, the best way for us to get in is to win
tomorrow.
Q. You didn't let up on the gas, and I
think we were talking about last night, my
perception of your team from one minute to the
next is so good at times, but you out-scored
them, ran them off the court and still managed
to out score them in the second half. That
must make you feel good as a coach.
COACH SMITH: Well, we've had two bad
games this year, and that's it. I said that last night.
We've been as consistent as anybody. We may
not have showed it in the win column, but we've
been a pretty consistent team, even through a lot
of challenges and distractions.
I've said all along, this group has been
as -- I'm proud of their camaraderie, their solidarity,
their unity, and they're pulling for one another. You
can see they care about each other. Devoe
Joseph has evolved into a pretty good lead guard.
People have accepted their roles. They appreciate
what we've been trying to get them to do all year
long. As I said, this is a culmination of all those
hours of preparation. We're looking for that type of
consistency. You shouldn't get too high and you
shouldn't get too low, just -- we always talk about
moderation. John [Wooden] used to talk about
balance, and we try to get that as a coach and we
try to get that from our players and in life and in the
game, too.
Q. With the stretch of games you guys
have played here at the tournament with Ohio
State going into double overtime, most of their
top players played almost the entire game, do
you think fatigue will play a factor for both
teams tomorrow?
COACH SMITH: It's a good question. It's
all about mental preparation. They've got it all.
Those guys, I've been impressed with them, Matta,
and just the conditioning of Lauderdale and Evan
Turner and Lighty. You're right, Buford, those
guys. It's a championship game. The adrenaline
will be high, the intensity level will be high. You
know, we've tried to prepare for this point in time
visit our archives at asapsports.com
minnesota_quotes_game9 4
with the use of our bench and developing --
because you never know what's going to happen,
injuries, other things, and so we've been able to
plug guys in, and they appreciate their role like a
Devron Bostick. He hasn't played much, but he
steps in and gives us quality minutes, Paul Carter,
Justin Cobbs, all the guys have done -- you can
see what Colton Iverson has done for us and right
on down the line.
So we have a lot of faith in each individual
player, and that being the case, I would hope that
we'd have an advantage when it comes to that.
Q. What would it mean just to win a Big
Ten Championship for Minnesota, to you as a
coach?
COACH SMITH: Well, it would mean that
we have -- and I said before, I think we've been
doing it the right way, preparing the right way,
recruiting the right way.
There are things that happened in the
course of the season that may not -- that people
question, but that's part of being a coach. You
know that's coming.
So for these guys, as they mentioned
before, sticking to it, just sticking to the game plan,
fellows, just don't be diverted by all the negative
things you hear, see. Keep your eye on the prize.
That's what it would mean, for not necessarily
trophies; they come and go. I'm worried about how
these guys take something with them into their life
after dealing with so many things and then fighting
through it, whether it's from the media, from
anywhere else. That's going to take them a long
way in the future in their life. Wins and losses,
that's really nothing.
But we're going to play and we're going to
give our best effort, and we do that and we'll be
fine. As long as we do that, we can hold our heads
up high, and we can look in the mirror and say we
did our best, and that's all we can do.
THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you.
FastScripts by ASAP Sports
