University of Tennessee Athletics
Saturday Press Conference Quotes
March 22, 2008 | Men's Basketball
TENNESSEE QUOTES??
THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with the Tennessee student athletes. Take questions now for the student athletes.
Q. Tyler, what would you say, what aspect of your game would you say has improved the most just over the course of this year?
TYLER SMITH: I'm just trying to find my teammates. Coach just told me to make plays. I can't really say what's my strength. I guess get to the basket. I'm just trying to get my teammates open shots.
Q. This question is for Chris, both Tennessee and Butler, if you look at the situation are coming in with maybe a chip on your shoulder, I know you guys felt like you deserved a number one seed and I know Butler thought they should deserve higher than a 7 seed. That being said, can you touch on just how competitive it's going to be tomorrow, two teams really trying to prove something?
CHRIS LOFTON: Yeah, it's going to be a grind out game. A physical game. I can see that. Both teams are playing with a chip on our shoulder and we're out to prove something. So it should be a great game.
Q. Talk about this, Tyler, you weren't there last year but Chris and JaJuan were, talk about playing Butler last year and what you got to do this year to be more successful than what you were last year.
CHRIS LOFTON: I think last year we overlooked Butler. Being from the Horizon League and then we found out that it doesn't matter in college basketball, that all teams are great. Butler's a great team and they showed that last year and they showed it this year.
So, we just know that we got our hands full and we have to play a great basketball game and control the boards and play great defense.
JAJUAN SMITH: And, as a team, we just felt like we didn't come ready to play last year against Butler. We were well prepared from our coaches, we just didn't perform up to our ability, and now we know what we got to do with them and we're going to be ready.
Q. For Tyler, how does your role change when J.P.'s at the point versus Ramar?
TYLER SMITH: I'm still the four man. Regardless. J.P. makes plays just like I do, it's just another playmaker out there on the court looking for an open man. So I don't think it changes it much. J.P.'s just finds the man like I do.
Q. Coach Pearl talked about how Ramar Smith and Jordan Howell are they very different at the point guard position? What are some of the differences between J.P. at the point and Ramar at the point?
JAJUAN SMITH: Their games are all different from each other. But when they're at the point they know what they got to do and we can read either one. We know how to play with our three and we have just been working on that all season long getting prepared, and I think coach is going to put the better point guard on the floor for our opponent. They can't matchup with them so he's going to put the best one out there on the floor.
Q. Chris, you mentioned playing Butler last year, when you hear them referred to as a Mid Major, having played them and seen what they can do does that sort of go off in your head when you hear that?
CHRIS LOFTON: Yes. These mid majors are really taking over. Mid Majors are the future, I think. They're great basketball teams and they have players that get overlooked, but just having the ability, and they play to their best of their ability. I think that's what Butler is. They got great players, great solid role players, and just they can do a lot of things.
Q. Chris, do you remember how Butler defended you last year and what player was on you and if you expect them to be on you tomorrow, as well?
CHRIS LOFTON: Not really. I remember I got in foul trouble and didn't play most of the first half. We got beat, so that's the only thing I remember.
Q. Chris, how is your hamstring?
CHRIS LOFTON: It's fine. What happened to it?
(Laughter.)
Q. You said yesterday that it was a little sore before the game.
CHRIS LOFTON: Oh, yeah, that was nothing. No, that wasn't a big deal. That was just I pulled it during warm ups a little bit. It wasn't that big a deal.
(Laughter.)
Q. For any of the players, what has Coach Pearl told you about Butler? Obviously, you've seen them up close, you played them last season, but I guess what did he emphasize in his preparation speaking to you guys?
JAJUAN SMITH: He just told us we're going to have our hands full from the beginning to the end. And we got to come ready to play our best ball game and it's going to take a special performance from each and everyone of us.
CHRIS LOFTON: Just to be ready to play for 40 minutes, because they're going to make runs, we're going to make runs and the game's not going to be a blow out. We just know that we have to play for 40 minutes and our best basketball.
Q. Tyler, is your role with the Tennessee team pretty much the same as it was last year or how different is it?
TYLER SMITH: Last year, I was kind of like a go to guy if our main man wasn't on. So, this year we got so many weapons that I really just let the game come to me and don't take as many shots as I did last year or have the ball in my hands as much.
Q. JaJuan, they shot 15 of 33, yesterday, what do you guys going to have to stop that?
JAJUAN SMITH: We're going to have to communicate with each other and ball pressure and try to make them put the ball on the ground. Because that's their specialty. They like to shoot the three ball like we do so we got to man up and rebound and limit them to one chance.
Q. Chris, did you see any of the Butler's game last yesterday? They had Streicher really shut down South Alabama's top guard, top scorer, did you see what he was doing well?
CHRIS LOFTON: Not really. I saw the highlights of the game. I really didn't watch it. We didn't have it on in our hotel, but we know that Butler's a great defensive team and we know that we have to do a lot of things to score.
Q. For Chris and JaJuan, Butler has two great guards and in Graves and Green, they play off of each other pretty well. Can you guys talk about that, what you guys have been able to do for Tennessee this year and your communication on the court that lead to victories?
CHRIS LOFTON: The guard play's real important during the tournament time. They have the ball in their hands, and the guards, they try to make plays and on the defensive end and offensive end, the guards are key to the game.
JAJUAN SMITH: We've seen them in the past, they're two great players and we know what they're capable of doing. But we also want to be in that category, too. So, it's another chance for me and Chris to step up and make a name for ourselves, also.
THE MODERATOR: Okay. Thank you, guys. We'll have an opening statement from Coach Pearl and then take questions.
COACH PEARL: I have the distinction or pleasure or I've had the opportunity to play against this system, I think on ten occasions. And it is as challenging a system of basketball to cover. I think what Butler does on both sides, offensive and defensive, Lee is as good as there is. The Phoenix Suns get a lot of credit for the things they do in the NBA as far as their offense is concerned and their ball screen stuff and it's well deserved.
I think at the college level, Butler's been doing this for a long time. And they do it as well, spreading and ball screening and terrific intelligent plays. And the thing they don't get enough credit for is their defense. They help one another tremendously, they build a wall, make it very, very difficult to penetrate and they don't beat themselves up by fouling.
So, it's a team with great history, tradition, the Hinkle Fieldhouse, one of the great places to coach and play, and so it's an honor to be playing them at this time. Not often, I don't know when in the last in the history of this tournament you have a two teams with 30 wins in the second round. So you got two terrific basketball teams.
THE MODERATOR: We'll now take questions for Coach Pearl.
Q. You mentioned the two 30 game winners, actually, it's never happened in the history of this tournament. Should this be labeled like the Snub Bowl because I think both teams ended up with seeds that were kind of startled them.
COACH PEARL: Yeah, but you got to see, you got to beat great teams on the road to the Final Four at some point. Butler was ranked 10 in the country. That would put them in the first three lines, I would think. And for them to fall all the way to seven was something that I'm sure that they were a little surprised at or disappointed in.
For us, I thought we were, based on what we had done and the body of work, I thought we were a one seed. I can tell you the committee does try and pick the best four teams to be at the one line and I don't know that we are. If I was in that room, and you said coach, who are the top four teams in the country, I would not put Tennessee there.
For a number of different reasons, if you want to talk about whether Butler or Tennessee deserve to be as far, as what I think the math is all about and the body of work and that, we both did everything we possibly could to put ourselves in better positions to see another 30 win team in the second round.
Q. 15 of 30 from 3 point range yesterday. Butler, how tough of a matchup is that for you defensively?
COACH PEARL: They're a nightmare to match up with. Now, Butler's 22 0 when they hit 8 or more threes. And they made nine in the first half yesterday. Campbell had 8.
It's a wonderful offense. When you get whatever offense you run, when you put four guys out there that can shoot it, it just makes the defense so challenged. And it does spread you out.
So we're going to obviously have to do everything we can to try to take that three ball away. We have defended Butler well in the past. They're better this year than any Butler team I've played. And again, they do a great job defensively. They're fifth in the nation in scoring defense. And they have held 14 opponents down below 55 points. And last year they held us to 42 or 46 or something like that. 44. Okay.
Q. Kind of a two part question, one, Butler often is referred to as a Mid Major, you wonder what goes through your mind when you hear a team that's had the success they had described that way; and then secondly, given the way seniors are sort of a dying breed in the game, when a team like that can put five of them out on the floor at the same time what kind of advantage does that give them?
COACH PEARL: They got five seniors, they got guys in grad school, they have doctors on there. It's just an amazing collection of experience.
I love the Mid Major tag. I was proud of the Mid Major tag when I was a Mid Major. Because it separated you a little bit from the if you want to call them high majors or the BCS conferences and that didn't mean we couldn't play with them, and certainly I think the way Butler's built their system, it's built to beat the most talented teams based on what they do, in fact, I would say that what they do works against more traditional size, than it does even in their own league sometimes, where they see smaller players that are able to matchup with what they do better.
So for me, I think it's great that Butler's carrying the banner for the Mid Majors or that Western Kentucky or Siena or all those teams that Davidson, you know, I mean I wouldn't be at Tennessee if I didn't take Milwaukee to the Sweet 16 as a Mid Major the last, I guess that was the last time a 12 seed has advanced to the Sweet 16. There's a chance that one could go this year. So I think we all root for the Mid Majors. And all root for the underdogs at this time of the year. I always do. Not tomorrow, not tomorrow, but I tend to always root for the underdog.
Q. A lot of young coaches early 30's, two here at this site, you were a young coach at one time probably, do they have an advantage in the extra energy, do they have a disadvantage because of the lack of experience?
COACH PEARL: The only advantage they have over me is they might be smarter than I am or they might be better coaches, they maybe were better players. Those young guys don't have any more energy than I do. I promise you.
Q. Talk about how their style might give a high major with a bit more size more problems, but what exactly do you mean?
COACH PEARL: Because of their ball screens and their flare screens and they're exit action, they take advantage of bigs that aren't as mobile. And it's just a very, very difficult, it puts a lot of pressure on your big people to have to get out there and guard that ball screen action. Like American did to us yesterday, when they ball screened us and we hedged, we weren't in a very good position to rebound. And then of course American did a great job going to the boards themselves.
Q. Would the with the game that Chris had yesterday it was definitely off his normal game and with the guard that you're going up against tomorrow, what do you say to him, how do you shake him out of that?
COACH PEARL: The best way for me to shake him out of it is to say nothing to him. Because he, Chris pays very close attention to what you say and if you make too much of it, it can distract him or bother him.
I sent Chris a message today in our walk through by some things that we want to try to do to get him open. And I don't have to say it, really don't need to say anything else other than we'll call on him again, because he's delivered for us all season long.
The only I'll take credit for some of that in the sense that I put Chris on Carr a great deal. Chris has become an improved defender. And there are times when I believe that Chris Lofton and JaJuan Smith are our two best on the ball defenders. And as a result of doing that, I probably wore him out and he was not able to offensively be able to do what he normally does because of all the effort he had to exert. And so that's a great question, because you're right, now I'm challenged tomorrow by Green and Graves who are certainly going to be as challenging as Carr, you know, what to do about that. So let's just say it's a good challenge.
Q. Tyler Smith was talking about how he play as different role for you guys than he did with Iowa. You have so much, he has so much talent around him here he just let's the game come to him. But sometimes would you prefer that he takes charge more and tries to trust maybe force isn't the right word, but take charge and do more?
COACH PEARL: Yeah, like for example the last possession of the first half Tyler came off a down screen and he had an open look, but it wasn't a great look. And even though the clock was running down and it was probably going to be a last shot, maybe a rebound situation, could have been an offensive rebound, he turned it down and handed one off to JaJuan who got a bad shot. And so there was an example of Tyler being unselfish, but at the same time maybe not aggressive enough for his own stuff.
When you lead your team in field goal percentage and you lead your team in assists, it becomes a challenge for you because we rely on him to get guys the ball. And at the same time we have tried to put the ball in his hands in certain situations to go win us basketball games. And he has.
I just think he's a great teammate. He is a great teammate. And he doesn't put himself in position to fail very often. If he doesn't have a good look, he's going to get somebody else the ball. Part of the evolution of Tyler Smith this year was him doing just setting his teammates up completely in the early portion of the season and then finding ways himself to score. I will tell you this: That as the tournament goes on and here we are, you know, in a situation where we're playing against a terrific team, your best players have got to step up and make plays. Because everybody is challenged. Everybody's challenged. So Tyler is going to have to probably do even more against Butler than he did against American.
Q. You tried J.P. Prince at point guard yesterday, how do you feel that worked out? Do you think he'll play a lot more there tomorrow?
COACH PEARL: I'm planning on playing J.P. at point. 40 minutes for Ramar and Jordan, that's just too many minutes. They have not played well enough at the position to warrant the minutes. And I tried Jordan in the first half with J.P. and I tried Ramar in the second half with J.P., and it's an interesting time of the year to be doing it, I did it in the Kentucky game as well, it didn't get as much notice, but I did play J.P. at point guard in the Kentucky game. I went back to Jordan at the Florida game and Jordan delivered and made some big shots. But Jordan's 4 40 in his last 40 threes and they're good look, Jordan is getting great looks. But you got to make them. Not just take them. So we're going to my job is also to get the best players on the floor. And while J.P. he only had one assist and three turnovers, he made some plays defensively, he took some charges, he actually had a couple of other balls that could have counted as assists, but somebody may have put the ball down on the floor. So getting my best players on the floor is really why J.P.'s playing some at the point. And I'm hoping that it was the right decision.
Q. From having studied Butler, what do you anticipate they do, will do defensively against Chris and who do you think would guard him?
COACH PEARL: Butler has got a great team defensive philosophy and Graves will probably take Chris, but he'll have a lot of help. Because they have got great help principles.
We have seen them before, Green tends to matchup with point guards and Graves tends to matchup with shooting guards. And that's how I think they will go.
They will jump out on Chris and make him put the ball on the floor and then have a lot of help in there behind the ball pressure. Any kind of ball screen they will probably switch it or hedge it and recover. But Chris won't come off a hand off or a ball screen without a hand in his face.
The difference is Butler just won't extend much beyond the 3 point line. They're going to build a wall one step beyond the 3 point line and make it difficult for you to penetrate.
THE MODERATOR: Okay thank you, coach.
COACH PEARL: Thank you.
BUTLER QUOTES??
THE MODERATOR: We'll get a started with questions for the student athletes at this time.
Q. For any of the players. The consequences of the way the seeding went ends up putting two 30 game winners together in the first round for the first time in tournament history. Do you have any feeling of having the two teams being so good to meet this early in the tournament or are you indifferent to that or are all the players way past that by now?
A.J. GRAVES: I think there's a bunch of other good teams playing as well in the first and second rounds, so I don't think this is just a coincidence that two teams have 30 wins. I think that there's a bunch of other teams that have success that don't have 30 wins. So it's going to be a challenge tomorrow for both teams to come out and try and get a win.
MIKE GREEN: I'm over it. I'm over it.
JULIAN BETKO: I think we left the feelings about the seedings in Indiana. And all we care about now is which team is going to get to 31 wins.
Q. A.J., I wonder when people call you guys a Mid Major, how do you feel about that, and then secondly, the difference of having so many seniors on this team has made for you guys.
A.J. GRAVES: That's what we are is a Mid Major. That's just the label that we're stuck with. And it's something that we don't I don't think we're we're indifferent to it, it's just something that we are. And it's something that we have got to deal with. I think sometimes we embrace it. It's a part of the culture that we have decided to play basketball in. And as far as having five seniors on this team, I think that's what's led to some of our success to playing tough games on the road. And to be able to have won our conference scheduling and our tournament, there's a bunch of other guys on this team that have led to our success as well. We got a good underclassmen group roster and hopefully we can put it all together like we have and hopefully show up on Sunday.
Q. Talk about the fact that with the success Butler's had, you still feel like bigger teams look at you as a Mid Major, do you think even when ya'll put regular season games and people sort of maybe now respect Butler now maybe than when y'all first got there?
A.J. GRAVES: I think that no matter what teams are going to look at Mid Majors as Mid Majors or look at teams as high majors or just from the conference that they're in. But that doesn't mean that they're not going to respect you. I mean, any team that wins 30 games or any team that makes the tournament for that matter, I think you're going to get the respect that you need and we have great respect for Tennessee, they're a very good team, and they're going to come out ready to play on Sunday.
Q. Guys, continuing on this same theme, you go to tournaments and play the so called BCS conference schools and this year you beat every one of them you played. And you get in the Horizon League you lose a game or two here or there. What's the league play like for you guys like after you've been out playing in the great Alaska Shoot out or preseason NIT and then you go into league play, what's that like?
JULIAN BETKO: I think that Horizon League is one of the most under rated conferences. There's a lot of teams with a lot of good athletes, great players, and good coaches. So especially going on the road after the success we had is very challenging and a lot of teams that we play get their biggest crowds and players are into it. So in order to win on the road in the Horizon League we have to be tough and play together as a team for 40 minutes. And I think that we have been pretty successful with that this year carrying a target from last year's success and now, yeah, we did slip up twice, but we learned from it and it made us a better team.
A.J. GRAVES: I think a lot of people try to draw comparisons like that and we don't get, we're not fortunate enough to play those teams twice or three times. We only get one shot. Whereas, when we're in our own conference we get to play those teams two or three times and so there's a lot more familiarity with that going along. So that's about the only thing I can draw from that.
Q. Mike, Tennessee likes to apply a lot of pressure on its opponents, double teaming and try to force turnovers, what do you remember about the way the Vols attacked you guys last season?
MIKE GREEN: The same way they played against all their other opponents. I don't remember much from our game specifically, but I have seen them since then and they like to pressure you and get after you. And they pride their self on forcing turnovers. And we got to do a good job of handling the basketball.
Q. You played for an older coach and now a younger coach, I wonder if there are any differences, if maybe you respond to him a little differently or a little better because he's closer to your age, those sorts of things?
MIKE GREEN: Not at all. I guess when you're looking at a game 9:30 to 10 p.m. around that time you can send him a text message and he'll be up watching that same game. So that's probably like the biggest difference, he stays up a little later and wakes up a little earlier.
Q. Chris and JaJuan were asked this in their part of their press conference, you guys, you A.J. and Mike and Chris and JaJuan are the two highest scoring career wise back courts in the NCAA tournament this year. Talk about going against them with that in mind.
MIKE GREEN: It's pretty similar to the last game. They had two good guards too. And we try not to get caught up in back court versus back court. As you can see, we got other guys that can play this game and have been playing this game all year long. But you can take nothing away from them two guy, they're great players.
Q. Other than being able to text message your coach late at night, what did Coach Stevens do different or did he do anything different to sort of put his mark on this team this year?
MIKE GREEN: I guess you get your mark when you're named head coach. It is your team from there on. And I mean we pretty much just, most of the same things we still do, but the thing about this coaching staff is not only Coach Stevens, you can call up any of these guys around that time and talk to them. And they let you know when they see something going, not going so well or when it is going well, the feedback is a lot more than it was last year. Maybe because we got five seniors and we got our input too, but we get a lot of feedback from these guys.
Q. How much differently now that you've seen film does Tennessee look with Dane Bradshaw there at the four last year and now with Tyler Smith at the four?
JULIAN BETKO: As long as I remember Bradshaw was a very tough player. He was the heart and soul of that team and he was the one of the guys that was the leader on that team. And Tyler Smith provides a lot of attack in the paint and provides athleticism. So it's a different type of player, but I think that they're both very important for their team and they both were very good players and are good leaders.
THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you, guys. We'll now take start with an opening statement for Coach Stevens and then take questions.
COACH STEVENS: I think any time that you're in the NCAA tournament and you're back either practicing or playing on Saturday, that's a good thing. So we're excited to have another opportunity. We're looking forward to competing tomorrow and recognize it's a heck of a challenge in front of us.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Stevens?
Q. Talk about the experience the seniors that your team brings into the game tomorrow against Tennessee and how might that play to your advantage?
COACH STEVENS: When you talk about experience, I think that term and the word that comes to mind that's very important tomorrow is poise. You have to play with a high sense of urgency, you have to play with great toughness and you have to combine that with poise. And I don't think that's a thing that is easy to do and I think that's where we'll have to lean on our experience to be successful. They really, really try to force you to be poised, if that's a word, and our guys, you know, have done a great job so far this year, so it will be an interesting challenge for us tomorrow.
Q. Everybody survived the first round and we're well into the tournament by now, but we have never had two 30 game winners have to match up this early in the tournament. Do you have any feeling now of the way the committee set this up, that you would have two teams arranged in the top 10 playing in the second round, it seems like kind of a disconnect.
COACH STEVENS: It is what it is. And again, we're not getting in to seeding or the number next to our name and at the end of the tournament there's going to be one team left standing. And the other 64 will have, they will have regrets and they won't, they will no longer have a chance. if you want to achieve the ultimate goal, then you have to play teams no matter when you play them and we're excited to get a chance to play in the tournament.
We have said that all along and certainly no matter when you play Tennessee, whether it's in the first round or the last round, you got an unbelievable challenge in front of you.
Q. Tyler Smith, Tennessee's power forward leads his team in assists and is a capable scorer as well, can you talk a little about the unusual challenge he presents for the defense?
COACH STEVENS: You know what, it's funny, he has an unbelievable challenge for our defense, first, and foremost. But it's not an unusual thing to us from the standpoint of we play a lot of fours that are somewhat either undersized or very, very skilled at our level.
So, we get a chance to play against I don't think we played against anybody as good as Tyler Smith at that spot, and I think he's a heck of a player and I think they have really benefited from him this year?
But as far as guys running through their offense at the four and guys that make plays at the four, that is a unique aspect of basketball at the non BCS level that we're fairly familiar with.
Q. I wondered if you could talk about the continuity of coaches that have come through Butler and how important do you think that is to maintain what you have been able to do?
COACH STEVENS: Well, I think it's been very important to maintaining. I think that one of the things that I have tried to do is tweak as necessary, be my own person, but by no means change what's going on.
One of the reasons we have had success is because we have guys that have really bought into the system as a whole, that believe in what we do on both ends of the floor and that play for the name on the front of their jerseys and by no means would I have been smart to change that. So that's what I tried to do as much, bring as much continuity as possible and I think that's what Coach Matta tried to do and he did a great job. Coach Lickliter tried to do, he did a great job. And I'm just trying to do the best job I can today.
Q. Follow up on that, was it a relief for you then knowing Butler's reputation to get to the tournament and do what you've been able to do here? Did you feel pressure to continue on when you take a job like this?
COACH STEVENS: I know this is going to for David and people that have been around me every day, there is some external pressure, but I focused on today and the task at hand and our players have focused on that and we have talked about that since October 12, if we were concerned about external things, about things we can't control, I don't think we would be in the position we are. Our guys have done a great job of doing their job and making sure that that was their only intent and their only focus. And I have tried to maintain that same even keeled approach on a day to day basis and in that way I've been able to enjoy the journey and not worry about what the future and what the big picture may hold, because as I've been told before, the big picture doesn't reveal itself until it's all said and done. So we'll let whatever happens, happen.
Q. Thad Matta and Todd Lickliter are obviously good friends besides being coaching colleagues of yours, have you been in touch with them at all during the NCAA tournament and has that had offered you any saying advice for how to take on the Vols since he played them this year?
COACH STEVENS: We ever been in touch with those guys, those guys have always been great to us and encouraging and they're both Butler grads so, you know, certainly they're rooting for Butler and they ever been great.
Certainly you're always looking for any advice you can get, especially when you're playing a team that's as talented and as well coached as Tennessee. So sure, we certainly have had we have certainly talked.
Q. Bruce Pearl's kind of shaking up his point guard position a little bit, I'm just wondering about the different challenges that presents when they have different types of point guards and also what you've seen from J.P. Prince who is kind of the newest addition to that position.
COACH STEVENS: I think that that's a really good question, because they all bring different strengths to the table. They all play different ways.
And Tennessee's a great team with all of them on the floor, despite the fact they're different players. And as far as Prince goes, obviously Prince is a tremendous athlete a guy that brings a lot of energy, a guy that makes place in transition, can make plays on a second chances, can make plays off the drive. And he certainly is a guy that we have a great deal of respect for.
Q. Certainly it's two different teams from last year, but what do you draw from playing this team last year to take into preparation?
COACH STEVENS: You're right, it's two different teams. It's a very different basketball game. We're both six months or five months into our season right now. Last year we were one month into our season. So that was a pretty unique situation.
You look at it and you try to draw what you can, but recognize that this is a totally different game tomorrow than last November.
Q. We were asking players before and they said the biggest difference with you as a head coach is they can text message you at 10:30 at night and they knew you would text back. But they also said they got more feedback this year from you than maybe before, maybe because they're seniors. Talk about that relationship with five seniors that kind of know what they're doing and that have come through this.
COACH STEVENS: I've always had a really good relationship with those guys, even throughout the recruiting process. And they have been a great group to be around and it's interesting going from assistant coach to head coach and I've had a bunch of people ask, well have you changed the way you interact with them, and I didn't think that was really the right approach with those guys. I have known them, they know me, they know that I'm going to do the best I can to put them in position to have success.
I know that they care, I know that they're respectful, I know that they're good people who want to do well for Butler. And so our relationship's stayed the same. We have had a lot of fun together and that's part of the reason we focused day to day, because I've really enjoyed just being around this group and they have laid it on the line every night for 33 games and even the three games we weren't successful they put it all out there and they have been a special group of guys.
Q. Matt Howard was such an impact guy for you, I wonder, was he a five star, a bluer chip recruit than y'all are used to or not?
COACH STEVENS: Matt had offers from many BCS had many BCS opportunities. Whether that makes him I don't know. All our guys are five stars in our eyes. They may not be five stars to other people, but the way that we look at them and what we're trying to build as far as team and put skill sets together and those type of things, rankings don't really come into play, but just like every other one of our guys, Matt was an important person to us in the recruiting process and he chose Butler for the right reasons. He wanted to get a great education, he wanted to play basketball at a high level and he wanted to be around great teammates.
Q. Couple things, I hope nobody got injured doing cart wheels, or is that cart wheels only after some victories?
COACH STEVENS: No cart wheels. No cart wheels of the those are for unique times.
Q. The other question is, any special plans for anything for Easter services for any of the guys or it's just kind of a unusual situation to be playing on Easter?
COACH STEVENS: It is unusual and we have actually got that worked out. So we'll give them their options and I know my wife's working on an Easter he go hunt for the little kids, so we'll make sure that those, the little ones who are with us are taken care of and know that the Easter bunch knee comes to Birmingham.
THE MODERATOR: Okay. Thank you.
COACH STEVENS: Thanks.
