NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT: XAVIER VS TEXAS A&M

March 31, 2022

Jonas Hayes

Colby Jones

Jack Nunge

Madison Square Garden

Xavier Musketeers

Finals Postgame Press Conference

Xavier 73, Texas A&M 72

JONAS HAYES: Unbelievable, unbelievable game. I thought Coach Williams had his team as prepared as any team we've played all year long. This team is built on toughness. Built on toughness, getting down here, unbelievable game.

I thought our guys met the challenge. I'm fortunate enough to have had the opportunity to lead these guys for a couple weeks, and these guys deserve the amount of success they have.

Q. The final offensive play of the game, you were taking it out, baseline out-of-bounds, right? What was the plan there, was Jack the primary option on that play or how did you see it from your perspective?

COLBY JONES: No, the play was originally for AK to get a shot in the corner but I looked at Jack before. I know the players tend to slip out, so I looked at Zach to slip, out-hit him and then I did.

Q. Jack, what's your perspective on that play and what you saw, what you felt and how you were able to make that shot happen?

JACK NUNGE: Yeah, ever since Jonas has taken over as head coach, we haven't really hand any out-of-bounds plays. I tried to call -- look at the bench and call a simple one everybody knows and Colby looked at me and said he was going to throw me the ball and I was fortunate enough to knock down the shot.

Q. On the same court where three weeks ago, almost to the day, you guys lost to Butler, being able to have this final buzzer go in your favor for the Championship, how does it feel to close the Book on Madison Square Garden in that way?

JACK NUNGE: Yeah, Madison Square Garden is a special court. Everybody knows the feel when you're playing out there and you just want to give it your all, all the history that's there. I'm just grateful to be part of this team and have our names in the record Books.

COLBY JONES: Yeah, going off what Jack said, we could have laid DOWN a couple weeks ago when that happened. But our guys all love each other, WE went to war for each other and ended up making it happen.

Q. Real quick, so just piggyback off his question, there was a lot of blue and green in the building, did it feel like a road game, even though you're particular with playing in this arena?

COLBY JONES: It definitely did. Their fans showed out. It was as had tile environment for sure, even though it wasn't too big of a crowd, but they definitely brought the heat. But we love playing in those kind of games. We lovemaking shots and making the crowd get quiet.

Q. Colby talked about the fact that you guys could have laid down and sort of rolled over and you didn't. Why do you think the team was able to stick with it?

JACK NUNGE: Every day Coach talks about dealing with adversity. The only thing that's guaranteed is the next day and you just to give it your all no matter the circumstances. We all just banded together. We love everybody in the locker room, we love everybody from top to bottom and we wanted to win it for each other.

Q. Xavier has a rich tradition of basketball; this is only the second postseason championship that this prestigious basketball school has won. What does it mean to you guys to bring that to Xavier University?

COLBY JONES: It means a lot, just knowing what all our team went through, all the ups and downs, we just all stick together. Really showed that we have a true bond and we play for one another. It just means the world for this group to win a postseason championship.

Q. Just looking at your shirt it, does not look like it was a very dry celebration. Can you describe your relationship with this group of guys and how it's grown in these last couple weeks here?

JONAS HAYES: Well, it's unique that when you have so much love for a group of people but it's also reciprocated.

I tried to run away from the shower they tried to give me but they got me a little bit. But it's a unique connection we have with each other and I'm thankful for it.

Q. What does this group mean to you, the way that they have really played down the stretch here after everything that happens, happens? I have a feeling you're going to remember this group for a long time?

JONAS HAYES: It's amazing what you can accomplish when you have a true belief great things are possible and you have people pulling in the same direction. But believing in something, believing in themselves, believing in the group, believing in the cause and when you've got everybody on the same page, this just proved that great things can happen if you have a group of people that believe.

Q. Down eight at the half what was said in the locker room that turned the momentum around for you?

JONAS HAYES: We've got a whole other half ahead of us. When have you ever known of a game of basketball being won in one half? We had a whole 'nother half. I thought we did some great things. We hit some great shots. I wanted our guys to play aggressive. We only had two turnovers. I don't think we were playing aggressive enough.

But this team the last two weeks has been the epitome of fighting through adversity; keep fighting forward. Keep putting one foot in front of the other. Unflappable. Unflappable. Didn't blink. Kept our poise. Kept our composure. Kept our commitment to one another. Kept our commitment to the cause.

And in the second half, that was good enough for us to get a win. We won the Championship. We won the Championship. You will never, ever diminish the fact that we won a championship.

Q. With what Quenton Jackson has been able to do for that A&M team leading up to this game, do you find there isn't much of a coincidence that y'all were able to go on a run when he was on the bench, and how much of the game plan was keeping an eye on what he was doing on the court?

JONAS HAYES: He's a great ballplayer but we tried to have the focus on what we were doing. Obviously we wanted to slow him down and limit his productivity. But we had to be more committed to playing the right way. We had to be more committed to playing with poise.

So I don't like to ever put wins and losses for Xavier on what another player does or doesn't do. It's what we do. This is what we do; and so if we just stay committed to our process and stay committed to what we believe, that's what I thought was the difference.

Q. Coach Williams was just in here, and I think he said you're only the second interim head coach that he's aware of to win a postseason championship. I noticed you got to do it with your twin brother and mom here tonight?

JONAS HAYES: Yeah, that's special. I didn't know that fact and people don't remember interim coaches, you know. But it's an unbelievable opportunity to do it in front of my family. It's a surprise they came for the game.

But I think what what's more extraordinary, what I got was to have the adversity that they had but also have the competitive drive, competitive greatness to pull it all together and winning a championship. I think that's more astonishing.

Q. I know that the future is still uncertain, but where are you at in the process of deciding what's next for Jonas Hayes?

JONAS HAYES: My heart and my decision-making is where my feet are, and I'm still in Madison Square Garden. So I'm just going to take in the rest of this evening. God has already ordered my steps. Just keep putting one foot in front of the other and things will work out.