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NCAA MEN'S FINAL FOUR

March 31, 2006

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

THE MODERATOR: We're joined now by George Mason head Coach Jim Larranaga. We'll ask Coach to make an opening comment, then open it up for questions.
COACH JIM LARRANAGA: On Wednesday, just before we left for the first round to play Michigan State, I brought the team together at the halfcourt circle as we do to end every practice. I told them, I'm going to have more fun than any other head coach in the NCAA tournament, and I want you guys to have more fun than any other team.
Now, when I said that, I'm not sure exactly what I meant. Boy, it's sure been true. I'm having a blast. My players are enjoying it. By just looking out there, the sea of lights and cameras, reporters covering us, it's been an absolutely fantastic magic carpet ride.
We're very, very proud to be here. We want to thank the City of Indianapolis for the great job they've done in being our hosts, the way we've been so well-received.
Thank you.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach Larranaga.
Q. Could you talk about the start of your career at Davidson. From talking to some people that knew you back then, they described you as very bright, they said that maybe learning to relax and have fun is something that came later in your career, that you were very intense to start out.
COACH JIM LARRANAGA: I think I'm very intense now, too, but I've learned through my experiences that intensity has its place, but maybe not always appropriate. I got married on July 17th, 1971, 7/17/71. My high school coach, Jack Curran, attended the wedding and drove with three of his Molloy players to Davidson, North Carolina, to work the Terry Holland Basketball Camp. At that time Neal McGahee left to become the assistant coach of Duke, and Terry Holland asked Coach Curran, would you recommend somebody. Mr. Curran recommended me. Coach Holland then called Dave Gavitt at Providence College to see how he felt. Coach Gavitt put his stamp of approval on it, as well. They tried to call me at Blue Beards' Castle at St. Thomas, the Virgin Islands, and ruined my honeymoon.
Thank goodness they didn't reach me, otherwise I might have been back on an airplane. My wife may never have forgiven me.
When I got back, I had messages from my mom to call Coach Holland. I called him. The next day my wife and I flew to Davidson, North Carolina, got a chance to meet Terry Holland and his wife Ann. Went through the interview process which included Terry and Ann staying at their lake house on Lake Norman while my wife and I stayed in his home in Davidson by ourselves.
To tell you, I'm from New York City originally, to think that someone might let me in their house with no supervision was almost too much to imagine. Coach Holland and I have been very, very close, lifelong friends since then. He's helped mentor me. I was at Davidson for five years. I was with Coach Holland for seven years at the University of Virginia. I learned an awful lot during my years of working with him there, how to run a program.
But one of the most important relationships I would ever develop would be with a gentleman whose name is Bob Rotella, one of the world's greatest sports psychologist, works with 17 of the top 20 money winners on the PGA TOUR. Through the last 20 years as a head coach, Bob has helped me relax and enjoy the process, more than put the intensity into the hard work that goes into the practice sessions, but kind of relax and enjoy every other aspect of it.
I'm grateful to my high school Coach Jack Curran, to Dave Gavitt and Terry Holland and Bob Rotella for helping me prepare for this moment.
Q. A lot of people tomorrow night will see your team for the first time. What would you tell them is the identity of your club? Who are the George Mason Patriots?
COACH JIM LARRANAGA: Who are those guys? Did you see the movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid? You're probably too young for that. During that movie, Butch and Sundance were being chased by these detectives or what have you that had been put together. They keep trying to lose them. They can't. They just keep asking themselves, Who are those guys?
I think basically that does represent George Mason University men's basketball team. Nobody knows us. We've been flying under the radar screen. We were not supposed to make the tournament. When we did, we were not supposed to beat Michigan State. When we did, we were not supposed to beat North Carolina. When we did, there might have been some believers then that we might beat Wichita State. We were the lower seed and underdog. For sure, we were not supposed to beat Connecticut and be here in Indianapolis and participate in the Final Four.
All can I tell you is I am privileged and honored to be working at such a great university, working for the people that I do. Our president, Dr. Allen /PHER ton [oops], is an unbelievable leader, most positive person I've ever been around. Our athletic director, [] Tom O'Connor is so supportive of our men's basketball program.
I think my appreciation for where I've been, where I've come from, where I am now, I've been able to share that with our players. They're so excited, they don't really care that maybe we weren't supposed to get in. They were excited to show what they were capable of doing on the court and let people decide for themselves who they are and how good they are.
We already felt we had accomplished a lot. We set great goals already before this NCAA tournament began. It's been really great for these players, for our guys, to see not only the university community embrace them, but the whole country, the emails, support letters, the tremendous receptions that we have gotten.
I think we all feel like it would be great to be the underdog and to be the overachiever, so to speak. I think we all can identify with that attitude and personality. This team has embraced that.
Tony Skinn is very good. Lamar Butler, best three-point shooter in the school's history. Folarin Campbell, multi-dimensional, terrific player. Will Thomas, as consistent a player as I've ever been around. Jai Lewis is our go-to guy. They each bring a lot to the table. Guys like Gabe Norwood, Sammy Hernandez, Chris Fleming, Jordan Carter, Tim Burns coming off the bench. We're a bunch of no-name guys playing in the biggest sporting event in the world and loving it.
Q. How have you been able to avoid, with a relatively small double-post setup, foul trouble? Does that concern you going into tomorrow?
COACH JIM LARRANAGA: If you look at us statistically and you know I'm a big believer in the numbers, we have emphasized all year long not to put people on the foul line. In our first game against Michigan State, we knew they were the No. 4 free-throw shooting team in the country percentage-wise. We made a point of emphasis not to put them on the foul line.
If that was something new, I don't think we could have gotten it done. But if you look at us, I know at one point we were 19th in the nation in the fewest fouls committed. I think we're higher than that now with the great defense we've been able to play in the tournament without fouling.
Does it concern me? Before every game I'm always concerned about stuff like that. So far we've got a very good group of smart players. Jai Lewis and Will Thomas, especially, are very intelligent. Hopefully we can continue to play smart basketball. That includes not fouling.
Q. You were mentioning Coach Curran. You've said before that he was very influential on you. Can you tell us in any way, describe in any way, the way that George Mason's play maybe is an extension of things you learned from Jack Coach Curran?
COACH JIM LARRANAGA: Our scramble defense is basically a concept that began when I was playing for Mr. Curran in high school. When I was in high school, we pressed for 32 minutes every single game, trapping all over the floor. I can't tell you the names of our defenses back then. I mean, it's not in my memory. But I just remember how much fun it was to press and trap and run and play up-tempo.
We brought that philosophy to George Mason when I came from Bowling Green. We used it the first several years throughout the game. I'm talking 75, 80% of the time we'd be scrambling, trapping, pressing, just like a Molloy team back in the '60s.
But this team, probably because a little bit of our depth, we lost two great players to injuries before this season ever began. They're both redshirting. If you were out in the arena, you saw John Vaughan and Jesus Urbina shooting on their own. John is a terrific player, all-rookie team, not able to play because of a torn ACL. Jesus was our backup post, would be playing a lot now. They're hurt, redshirting.
Without having the great numbers, we've kind of reduced the number of possessions we use to scramble because it requires a great deal of energy.
We turn it on and off. Mr. Curran was the one that got me excited about pressing and running and creating a style that players would enjoy playing in, and that we hoped would mean in the recruiting process he could attract a better player because he'd like our style of play.
Q. When you made the decision to suspend Tony, how difficult was that, knowing it could very well be for an NCAA tournament game? What do you think he's learned from that experience?
COACH JIM LARRANAGA: Well, the first thing is, you have to understand that we live by certain principles. I have a certain philosophy that we've implemented at George Mason. We're very consistent with it. That philosophy is based on three very simple principles.
Number one, we want all of our players to have a positive attitude. Number two, we want everybody to have a great commitment to the program, a total and unconditional commitment. Third, we want all our players to behave in a first class manner.
The circumstances do not dictate whether or not we follow that philosophy. That's just what we believe in. That's who we're going to be. When the incident happened with Tony, with just a minute left in the Hofstra game, I didn't see it myself, but in just talking to him, I know Tony and I knew he had done something that he was ashamed of. I could see it in his face. So I took him out of the game, did not put him back in, even though we were down four with a minute to go. Afterwards, when I had the opportunity to view the tape, I viewed it with our athletic director, Tom O'Connor, we just both agreed that this was something that doesn't represent George Mason University or our basketball program, that we needed to take immediate steps to send that message not only to Tony but to the rest of our team and to the rest of the athletes who represent George Mason.
When you asked me how difficult it was, the answer is, quite frankly, I didn't think it was difficult at all. I'm not going to judge based on the circumstances. I'm not going to be influenced by what the cause and effect might be or what the consequences are. If I did that, I'd be changing my philosophy every single day. We can't live that way. We have to have a certain amount of core values that we live by.
Tony didn't behave the way we wanted him to. He knew what was coming. I explained to the team, I'm not punishing Tony, we're disciplining him, trying to teach him something he probably already knows. But this is a reminder. You're not going to play in the first game, whether we're in the NCAA tournament or NIT. Whether we get into a post-season tournament or not, that's not what we stand for, you know that. That's not who he is. That was the point.
Tony Skinn is a great kid. I've loved working with him. He's made a tremendous number of sacrifices to be at George Mason. He's always conducted himself in a first class manner. That was a rare exception.
What has he learned? I think something we all learn is that when you make a mistake, you have to pay the price. I think it's something that now, looking back, was the best thing in the world for him and for us.
Q. Some people have said the trickle down effect of your success is going to be more pressure on other mid-major coaches. What are your feelings about that?
COACH JIM LARRANAGA: I understand that train of thought. My response to that is, one of the reasons we've been able to be so successful is because of the tremendous support that I get, using Tony Skinn as an example, it would have been far more difficult for me to make that decision if I had an administration that was putting pressure on me to get to the NCAA tournament and win basketball games. They do not.
What we stand for is far greater than whether we win or lose on a basketball floor. We are all educators. Our responsibility is to teach these youngsters, whether they're basketball players or any other student-athlete who we're responsible for working with, to set the right example.
Is winning important? Yes, we all strive to win. But more importantly is we strive for excellence in all areas. We want to exceed in the classroom. We want to exceed in behavior off the court. We want to see our students graduate.
One question I'm always asked after the recruiting period is over is, What kind of recruiting year do you think you've had? And my answer is always the same, Ask me in 10 years when I see what they're doing with their lives.
I hope that the message that George Mason made it to the Final Four is not about winning, it's about doing things the right way, it's about supporting each other. I get the support from my administration. Our players get the support from me. The players support the university's mission. We stand for something far greater than ourselves.
And this trip to the Final Four, how George Mason has been able to get to it, is not something everybody should strive for and saying, That's what we want to accomplish. No, it's about the principles. It's not about the winning and losing. Had we lost to Michigan State, would I have considered that a bad tournament? No, not if we played as good as we can play and Michigan State was just better than us that day.
We emphasize to our players all the all the time, it's not who we play or where we play, it's how we play. I think our players understand that. It's why they're able to do what they've done so far.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you very much, coach. Good luck.
COACH JIM LARRANAGA: Thank you.
THE MODERATOR: We'll bring up three student-athletes now.
Q. A lot of stories have used the word "Cinderella" to describe your team. How do you feel when you see or hear that? What has the general reaction been at home and reception for the team?
LAMAR BUTLER: Tony has it.
TONY SKINN: Yeah, I guess through the course of the tournament, we've been called a Cinderella team. We've kind of used that to our advantage a little bit because we're capable of playing with anybody in the country. The stage we're on now is our chance to show everybody we can play. Even though we're supposed to lose, just because they're calling us the Cinderella, I guess the other teams are kind of falling asleep on our abilities a little bit.
We'll stick to it and just run with it.
Q. Tony, can you talk about how difficult it was to sit out the first game and what you've learned from that?
TONY SKINN: I mean, I've tried to put it behind me. I just know it's a blessing to be here. Sitting through the game against Michigan State, it was tough to be on the sideline. I knew if I couldn't be on the court with my team physically, the next best thing I could do was be with them spiritually. I did that. My team went out there and played a great game, and we're here now, so I'm definitely blessed to be here.
Q. Jai, coach was telling us the other day before he came up with unity ball, he was thinking about making a football game every week amongst the team. How much would you have enjoyed that?
JAI LEWIS: I definitely would have enjoyed it. It would have helped me out a little bit before going into these little camps I might be going into the NFL.
It's just something to keep us loose or whatever. It didn't really matter if it was baseball or football, the outcome still would have been the same.
Q. Jai, wondering if Coach Larranaga or any of your coaches ever told you you were too heavy to play and how you used your size to your advantage.
JAI LEWIS: Coaches never told me I was too heavy. It's just something I've been able to do, something I've been doing ever since I was in high school. I've always been on the little heavy side.
You know, playing different sports, I've been able to adjust my weight doing different things. I might not be the best jumper or runner, but I think I'm intelligent enough and I can anticipate things happening before they really happen. I guess I use that to my advantage.
Q. How much film have you seen on Joakim Noah and Al Horford?
JAI LEWIS: We haven't watched tape on them yet. We'll probably do that tonight. Joakim, he's a good athlete, 6'10", 6'11". He definitely uses his height to his advantage, whatever.
Q. Each of the players, the Florida players have the famous dads. If each of you would tell me about your father, any advice he might have given you, what he does for a living, or a father figure.
LAMAR BUTLER: Oh, man, my dad was the first one that introduced me to basketball. Ever since I was little, he tried to feed me basketball. I actually loved football first. I wasn't blessed with a body like Jai. I had to stick to basketball. I didn't really start till about middle school. He's been very instrumental in my game. Even initially he's been at the gym with me working late night on my game.
JAI LEWIS: My dad, he used to take me to the gym when I was about five or six, just basically teach me the fundamentals of basketball. He said that was the most important thing you need to know, is the fundamentals. Once you learn that, everything else is going to snowball into whatever it may be.
TONY SKINN: My mother left me in the gym and left me in there by myself (smiling). That's pretty much where it started for me.
Q. Lamar and Tony and Jai, can you talk about, do you feel you're the favorite of the country, except for the people who have certain partisan favorites? What lessons do you think people can learn by what you guys have done already just making it to the Final Four?
LAMAR BUTLER: We're the favorites (smiling)?
Q. Do you think the whole country is behind you, the fans around the country?
LAMAR BUTLER: I would hope so. I hope they come out tomorrow and cheer us on. I hope they get the message to come tomorrow and watch the game, cheer for George Mason.
We kind of feel that. Cinderella team, underdogs. Nobody even expected us to get in the tournament. For us to get into the Final Four, people have something to cheer for. We're the Dallas Cowboys of the 2006 era. We definitely feel that.
TONY SKINN: It's definitely been a great thing to see everybody pulling for George Mason. Even though we're far away from home, I think we have just about everybody cheering for us. It's definitely to our advantage. Whenever we score or do something, we're going to hear the crowd roar.
I definitely am happy to have that.
Q. Tony, when you sat out that Michigan State game, were you afraid that the punishment would be greater than that or do you think the punishment was too harsh or just right?
TONY SKINN: I mean, it was one of those things where, I mean, I knew coach, he had to do what he had to do. If I did something wrong at home, my mother had to punish me, I'm not going to argue with her. One of those disciplinary things. Coach been around the game for a long time, probably longer than I've been alive. That was the decision. That's what it was. It's over with now.
Q. Lamar, you were peeking through the curtain, smiling. What was going through your mind?
LAMAR BUTLER: I was looking at how big the room was, how many media people were here. Never seen this many people here just to ask questions and write a story.
I saw Coach Larranaga, he was serious, serious, answering questions, bobbing his head. I was laughing at him, that's all (smiling).
Q. Jai, you have faced bigger teams so far in this tournament, but great success inside, down low. What is the reason for that?
JAI LEWIS: We made sure we put a body on somebody. If you don't put no body on nobody, that person don't get the rebound. Throughout this whole post-season, that's what coach has been working on. We do a lot of defensive and rebounding drills.
We just do a great job finding somebody to put a body on, keeping them from getting on the glass.
Q. Lamar, you are obviously happy to be here. Is there a danger in just being too happy? Teams often worry about that idea. Does that make you more dangerous, how loose you are?
LAMAR BUTLER: We're happy to be here, no doubt. At the same time, this is a business trip. We didn't come here just to come to the Final Four, visit, take pictures. We came here to play Florida Gators and win the game. That's our goal right now. That's the obstacle in front of us on Saturday. We're ready for it.
Q. You have the most senior starters of any of the Final Four teams here. How much of an advantage do you think that gives you?
JAI LEWIS: I think it's just our little bit more maturity. This team has been together for two years. We had the same team last year. We didn't lose nobody. We gained two freshmen in Sammy and Chris. We just got that little bond that other teams may not have.
TONY SKINN: Yeah, definitely, I think the maturity of the team is a big key to why we're here. A lot of teams we played, they've been younger than us. There's been certain things they haven't faced that maybe we have. I think we've benefitted from having three seniors and two sophomores that are playing like upperclassmen.
Q. Lamar, I don't imagine you've played basketball in a football arena before. Could you talk briefly about what it felt like to walk onto that court. Does that affect your shot, particularly three-point orientation?
LAMAR BUTLER: Well, at first it did. I think I shot an airball my first shot, you know. But I've never -- I've never even been inside of a dome. I played football in a basketball gym, but never basketball inside of a football arena. Just to walk in, I kept thinking about Peyton Manning throwing all those touchdowns.
Q. Tony, what was Selection Sunday like for you guys until they announced the field? Was there a point in all of this where you went from it's great to be in the tournament to we can win some games and we got a shot?
TONY SKINN: Well, when they selected us, I was of course happy that we got into the tournament. Then when I saw the match-up against Michigan State, I knew we had a fair chance to beat them. We played them great last year in the BB&T Classic. We also have five guys averaging double figures this year. I mean, we definitely had a shot. It benefited us that we were playing them on a neutral floor. It wasn't like in the back of my head I thought we were going to lose. I thought we had a great chance to win the game. We just had to go out there and play great, and that's what we did.
Q. Any superstitions, pregame meals, prayer, rituals?
LAMAR BUTLER: I have a Bible verse that I search out every time before a game. That's my ritual.
JAI LEWIS: No, I don't have no rituals. I just go out and play.
TONY SKINN: Yeah, I usually talk to my mother before the game. She says a little prayer me before every game.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen.
LAMAR BUTLER: Can I have my name tag (smiling)?
THE MODERATOR: After the tournament is over.

End of FastScripts...

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