NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - MEMPHIS VS BOISE ST.

March 17, 2022

Leon Rice

Tyson Degenhart

Abu Kigab

Moda Center

Boise St. Broncos

Media Conference

Memphis 64, Boise State 53

THE MODERATOR: Obviously not the first win that you wanted for Boise State, but opening statement for and you congratulations on a great season.

LEON RICE: Great second half by our guys. They battled back and they were in that game again. Just the hole we dug in the first half was a little too deep.

Those guys hit some pretty tough shots. Like the step-back three that ended up being a four-point play, that was a big play. That would have been maybe a 14-point lead, and then you come back, puts it about even.

But these guys never disappoint me as far as the heart of a lion and they just always battle right up to that very, very end and that was no different today. Always proud of these guys and it was a great year to have with this whole team. They maximized everything they could and accomplished a heck of a lot.

Like I said, I'm really proud of them.

Q. Just talk about, I know it's not the result you wanted but talk about the resiliency of your guys.

LEON RICE: Yeah it was a special atmosphere. When we started coming back, it was helping us.

Yeah, these guys never cease to amaze me how tough they are. We haven't gone in the locker room like that when we were down, and we went the whole year, every single game was close, we never got blown out and we were in jeopardy of getting blown out by a really, really talented team.

Our hats are off to Memphis. That's a team that's putting it together. I know they had a rough stretch and I know they started out, I think Top-10 in the nation, and you see why. But they work through some stuff throughout the year, and you know, they have turned it on right now and they have got it going.

You know, they kind of came out and got us on our heels a little bit with their defense, their presses and second half we did a much better job of, you know, being the aggressor. But like you said, these guys, they weren't about to go away getting blown out. They fought and fought and fought and got a way a little bit at the end when a couple things happened.

But really proud of them.

Q. Abu put your team back in the second half. Talk about his play not only this game but throughout this year.

LEON RICE: Oh, yeah, it's amazing. You know, one of the things, he was MVP of our tournament, could have made a case for him being MVP of our league.

No disrespect to the other guys in the league because we have great players. But he's such a team guy that all he cares about is winning, and that showed tonight. And it showed all throughout the year. You know, we have a whole group of guys like that. That's all they cared about, but he was -- he was tremendous down the stretch of the season, and just a warrior as I've said a hundred times, if not a thousand.

You know, I don't even want to start thinking about it because that's the last game he gets to play in a Bronco uni. He's left a legacy here that will never, ever be forgotten.

Q. You were tied 12-12, and they obviously went on that run to dig the hole, what was going wrong there? And in the second half to flip it, what did you guys do to cut it all the way to five in the second half?

AGU KIGAB: It's a game of runs, they are a really good team and they went on a run, and we could have weathered their storm like we usually do but it's part of the game, it's stuff that happens and it's just how you respond. I thought the guys did a great job of responding in the second half.

Q. Abu, last game as a Bronco and you're still trying to process that but do you feel like you left it all out there on the floor in the second half, and how hard is it to see it come to an end?

AGU KIGAB: It's definitely tough seeing it come to an end but our guys battled. That's all you can ask for. I thought everyone did a tremendous job of competing, and sometimes it's like that. It's basketball, and sometimes things don't go your way, and you just have to take that negative and turn it into a positive however you can, and that's our mentality.

Q. Three Spokane guys on the roster, obviously your son, Tyson and Naje there. Can you talk to me about those three, what the two have meant?

LEON RICE: Yeah, the common theme about all these guys is what great competitors they are, and they all are that. They all fought -- I thought those -- some of those guys you mentioned were huge in that second half. Naje was great and Max was great as far as heating them up, and our defensive intensity increased.

Same with Tyson. You know, he's been Freshman of the Year. It wasn't even close. You know, could have been an all-league player when you break it down; he had that kind of year.

Those guys have been terrific and just like all our other guys, that's the neat thing about this team is everybody has contributed along the way, in huge ways, not just in little ways but huge ways, and those three are no different.

Like I told our guys, the hard thing about this, I've been fortunate to be in I think 14 of these now, tournaments, they never, ever end the way you want. They end the way you want for one team. There's great teams everywhere, but they never -- so it's hard, and especially when you have a close group like this, that wants to keep playing and wants to keep being around each other.

When that final horn goes off, it's a heartbreak.

Q. This team has had a lot of historic accomplishments this season. But maybe a couple of decades from now, what do you think people will remember most?

LEON RICE: No doubt. Absolutely. Like I said, this team will go down in history for all the accomplishments they had. The way they turned the season around, we were 3-4, and they flipped this season, and then they went on a remarkable winning streak. Shows you how hard it is. It was one of the longest in the country, it was like us and Auburn were the final two with the long winning streak, and then they were No. 1 at the time.

And then, you know, to win the league outright in the best year of the league, that the Mountain West has been from top to bottom, no doubt, to win it outright is remarkable. And to be able to flip it around and just compete all the way through the conference tournament and win the conference tournament, and then come here.

Don't underestimate that team. I don't think anybody that watched that game could. Those guys are great players and are so well-coached. Coach Hardaway does an amazing job and has got a great staff. They are doing good stuff and they are going to be a hard, hard out for either Gonzaga or Georgia State. They are really, really good.

And we knew that. We knew that. But the great -- like I said, the great thing about these guys is they went out the way they played all year. They just went, you know, went down swinging. They didn't roll over for anybody. They will be remembered for a long, long time, and the things they did helped this program to keep building.

Q. Tyson, I know you didn't get the results you wanted, but describe your battle down low with the Memphis bigs. And Coach, it's the second year in a row you've played them. Why don't you try to get them in the regular season because y'all played two exciting games.

TYSON DEGENHART: Their bigs are definitely physical down there, and Duren is definitely going to be a lottery pick. It's and fun to compete. Just wish we would have gotten the job done.

LEON RICE: I love that. Let's get Coach Hardaway up to Boise. I bet he'd really like that. Why don't you start that campaign; I'll book it right now.

Q. This season has been -- you guys started 3-4 and just went on one of the best runs in school history. As you look back on it, what are you guys most proud of the team?

AGU KIGAB: I'm proud of the guys, their will and determination, and their attitude to just keep going in front of all the adversity that we went through. A lot of teams could fold early. You know, you have a really talented team and you go 3-4, that can mentally stop some teams.

But I'm so proud of our guys for just continue to fight every single day, and our mentality was to win the day, and those guys did, every single day, every single day. So I've got to give a big shout out to my teammates.

TYSON DEGENHART: Proud of our guys for staying together after going 3-4. Could have folded but we really came together and made it a great season. Proud of our guys.