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NCAA MEN'S 1ST & 2ND ROUNDS REGIONALS: BIRMINGHAM


March 20, 2008


Julian Betko

A.J. Graves

Mike Green

Brad Stevens


BIRMINGHAM, ALABAMA

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions for the South Alabama players.

Q. For all three. First trip for you Daon and Brandon to the NCAA's. Demetric, it is your second trip. What are your thoughts coming to the NCAA?
DAON MERRITT: Like I said, it is my first trip with the University of South Alabama, of course, and I think when you're invited to the NCAA's, it's a special privilege. It just speaks volumes of the things that you've done all year. From preseason to your non-conference to your conference schedule and now to be playing in the post season is a special honor.
BRANDON DAVIS: Being this is my first opportunity to play in the tournament, I think it's a blessing for me to be able to come home and play in front of my home crowd. It will be big and we have an opportunity to win, too.
DEMETRIC BENNETT: For me being my second time coming with the University of South Alabama, it is my senior year so it's going to be special. This year we didn't win the Sun Belt so it just goes to show that we had a special year this year. The committee invited us here and we're excited to be here and we just got to come in here and play hard.

Q. Do you guys want what Butler has, that mid major credibility, is that something you guys are working towards?
DEMETRIC BENNETT: I think that's something that every Mid Major would want would be top 10, top 15 in the country, they work hard, they earned their credibility, and that's something we're trying to do now with the University of South Alabama. South Alabama

Q. What have been your impressions of Butler's two guards, Mike Green and A.J. Graves?
DAON MERRITT: We're familiar with them and we know that their guards are two terrific guards, they're two seniors like we have two great guards and they're both seniors. They have accolades and we have accolades. We're not really concerned with the things on paper, we know we both have to go, our back court has to go out and compete against their back court and which everyone is victorious, I mean I think that speaks for itself.
DEMETRIC BENNETT: They got two good guards and we think we do too. So we just go out there and compete. All of us have to go out there and put our shoes on. So we just have to go out there and play.

Q. Kind of change the subject a little bit, doing something on Ron Arrow, on your coach, just did you know anything about him when he started and what do you think has been the key to his success this year?
DEMETRIC BENNETT: For me, personally, I really didn't know too much of Coach Arrow until he got here. He came in, he was a very demanding coach, and he knows what he wants. And he's not going to settle for anything less.

Q. Does it seem odd to you to have a coach come back to a school where he was fired ten years earlier, did you know about that? How quickly did you learn about that and does that seem odd to you or?
DEMETRIC BENNETT: To me, once I heard his name in the interview process that's when everything came out as far as him getting fired and coming back. And it didn't really seem odd to me because he went to Corpus Christi and he was successful there. Every program wants a successful coach. And he came here and we have been successful this year, too.

Q. How close to you feel like you are to attaining that every year Mid Major success?
DAON MERRITT: I think we're establishing our own identity. We're not trying to be like none of the other Mid Majors and we really don't consider ourselves a Mid Major. We have been in the post season for the last three years and I think with the group of guys we have coming back next year that's something that we will continue to have that same kind of success. We have a great coach, great student-athletes and we're playing for a great university. And to bring notoriety to your university is something that we want to continue doing. So that we can compete against the best schools.
DEMETRIC BENNETT: Basically the same thing, we want our school to continue success. And in order to do that you got to have a good coaching staff and good players. And our roster only has two seniors and we have a lot of talent on that team and some of it is not getting to play as much right now, but next year I think they're going to fulfill the role and comeback next year and continue this success.
BRANDON DAVIS: They summed it up.

Q. Can you touch on the fact that you guys -- it looks like you're probably going to have the crowd behind you, the fact you're playing here in Birmingham, you're only about four hours away. Can you talk about that, and just, I guess the kind of edge it may give y'all the confidence it may give y'all coming into the game tomorrow and just like how excited you are about that?
DEMETRIC BENNETT: I think it gives us a lot of confidence. Once we heard our name called out on the committee inviting us in to the tournament that gave us a lot of confidence right there that people believed in us. And coming into the state of Alabama and we're the only team in the state of Alabama that's basically in the NCAA tournament. So, I think that is going to be a lot of confidence for us in the fans to come out and support us.
DAON MERRITT: Just elaborate, we're 17-1 at home. Our crowd has been great for us. We considered them our sixth man. So we always felt we had their support and we're very confident when they come and support us. And that's what you want from a university. And we think we deserve it.

Q. Can you elaborate a little bit, have you had a chance to think about the strange trip that you've had from Jacksonville to Birmingham Southern and to this great season you had at South Alabama?
BRANDON DAVIS: I feel like it's been a journey really for me it's been a learning experience also. Being able to play at different schools on different styles, it really helps me. So I feel like this is a good fit for me and here I am. This is where I am, here, in Birmingham. Playing for the NCAA.

Q. When you left St. Rays years ago, this isn't where you expected to end up. Can you talk about that journey and what it's like to end up here playing for this school and in the NCAA tournament?
DAON MERRITT: I think it's great. I think the things I've done at the South Alabama have been special. I'm happy to be here, I developed some great relationships, of course, I got engaged a few weeks ago so my journey and in Mobile has been great. It's been great. I have great teammates, I play for a great coach, I have a great athletic director and just the things that I have done doing have been really special. I wouldn't trade it for the world. I'm on pace to graduate on May 1. So my journey to South Alabama has been special. It's been special, and I'm really enjoying it.

Q. What about going through some of the lower points in your college career? Transferring and stuff like that, what did that add or what did that do for you getting to this point?
DAON MERRITT: Like Brandon said, it's just a learning experience. I experience some bumps in the road, but through Christ and just being in the church, the church going person that I am, I know He can get me through all that and He has. That's why I'm here today.

Q. When you're back in Queens do you have to explain where you were going, what you were doing, did they know of this school?
DAON MERRITT: People that were close to me, I think it was more of the fact that I came to a university and I'm getting a degree. I think that was the main thing. The basketball was great, but the overall thing was that I'm getting a degree. And the people in my inner circle, as I call it, that are really special and know about Demetric Bennett as a person, they understand that and they're happy for me and the added success I have through basketball has, they're extra happy for me.

Q. For anybody who wants it, what are your expectations for the game? Butler has a reputation being a top team I think this might be one of the best games in the first round. Would you agree with that?
DEMETRIC BENNETT: I would agree. Butler, they're a top 10 team. But we figure that we can compete with anybody. We go out there and like I said earlier, we string up our shoes just like they string up theirs and I don't think that we get intimidated by anybody. We played top teams this year, Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, and no team intimidated us. And so we're going to go out there, we're going to give it our all and the best team wins.
DAON MERRITT: I agree, as we, as everybody says, I'm sure we all recall George Mason going to the Final Four so this time of year anything can happen. We have great chemistry, we have a great group of kids and we he have a great coaching staff who instill in us the values so we understand the magnitude of this game, we think it's a great matchup, but we are here to win. We didn't come here just to say that we made it to the NCAA tournament. We were very appreciative of the opportunity the committee gave us but we came here to win and that's what we have been preparing for all year long.

Q. Talk about the next 24 hours. What's going to go through your minds how are you going to plan everything out up until tomorrow's game time tomorrow?
DAON MERRITT: We have an agenda of things we go by. I'm sure our coaching staff will continue to keep us prepared and keep us focused. We have a team meeting scheduled for tonight just to make sure we're all on the same page. And we're very excited about the opportunity, we're looking forward to the challenge tomorrow and we just really are eager to get out there and play ourselves.

Q. You've been, you and Daon have both played in a NCAA tournament game what has been the message to the rest of the team about how to get ready for tomorrow's game?
DEMETRIC BENNETT: My message is you got to come out ready to play. It's win or go home. It's playoffs. You can't start the game off slacking, you got to come out from the start and stay focused. Is everybody every team it's their last game if they don't win. So you just got to come out and be focused and if you play hard, good things happen.
DAON MERRITT: We have been, guys know how important this game is. But I basically told my teammates since this is my second time here, enjoy the moment. Because it's not easy, it's not easy to get here. But I just told them, don't be a deer in the headlights. Grasp the moment and enjoy it, but you stick around for awhile. It gets better. Try to stick around for awhile. And I think that's something we want to do. We know Coach Arrow has had success in the first round previously and we want to do that again. I know I especially want to do it again because I want to see him jump up and down like he did the first time around. So I really want to get a win for him.

Q. Can you talk about the fact that you guys have become like a media darling nationally, a lot of TV shows and radio shows have made a special point of saying that they like the fact that you guys not only got in but you got in with a high seed. Can y'all talk about the national attention you received?
DEMETRIC BENNETT: It's great. It is always good to see your school name on television. You can turn on the TV, your friends call you, "Oh, I just seen you on TV." But right now that doesn't mean nothing if we don't come out and play tomorrow. All we can focus on is what we got to do in the NCAA tournament and we did not want to just get here and say we made it to the tournament. We wanted to get here and support Sun Belt and just let them know that there's great basketball in the Sun Belt.

Q. You said earlier in the week that when you found out that this was in Birmingham, you were a little nervous because of the pressure, has that subsided or are you still looking at this as a pressure game because you got the home crowd here?
BRANDON DAVIS: It's not really a pressure game, it's just a lot of nerves building up towards the game. A lot of people calling you, telling you what you should do, what you shouldn't do, asking for tickets. People you probably never heard from in awhile. But like I said we just want to come out and win and make sure that we advance so we can keep having fun.

Q. Just wondering if any of you have seen the '89 win over Alabama or any thoughts of what you could take from that?
DEMETRIC BENNETT: When we come out before they call the starting lineup they show the last clip where he hit the three and Arrow ran across the boards. So we see it every home time. So that's 18 times this year. And you could tell by the excitement he had on the clip that it was something special. And we just wanted to experience it ourselves.
DAON MERRITT: I think it was great. I'm not -- I met Jeff and them guys and just the things they did here, at this university, we hope that -- we cannot fill their shoes but just be a pimple as Coach Arrow would say as compared to them guys. But I think we're special, just the experience with what them guys experienced and like to see Coach Arrow jump around I think it was great. And hopefully we don't have, it doesn't come down to a last second shot with us, but hopefully we can receive that same victory and same emotion as it is.
BRANDON DAVIS: I feel the same way as my teammates but also coach told thaws that team came from 19 down at half time to come back and win. And then eventually losing to Michigan, that gives us hope and let us know that we should fight every time we step on the floor.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you guys. We'll have Coach Arrow make an opening statement and then we'll take questions.
HEAD COACH ARROW: Besides not playing at the Mitchell Center at University of South Alabama, I can't think of a better place to be playing in the state three and a half hours away from Mobile. And we're looking forward to not -- I think this will be the first time that we'll have Alabama and Auburn people yelling for the Jaguars.
THE MODERATOR: Questions from the floor?

Q. I asked the players just a second ago, have you been surprised by the national attention that this team seems to have gotten from all the different TV shows and talk shows and radio shows and what do you attribute to that?
HEAD COACH ARROW: Well there's only 64 teams, 65 teams left, and you're going to get more exposure as it goes. When those teams, some of them are eliminated it's going to be more and more. We thought there was a whole lot of exposure in '89 when we beat, before we beat Alabama and then afterwards there's even more. So every win adds more and more to the table.
We're looking forward to this first game. We're playing against a very good Butler team, very experienced.

Q. If having the kind of success Butler has, is that a goal for you and if this game is a good way to sort of steal that recognition from them?
HEAD COACH ARROW: Every time you go out on the court it doesn't matter who you're playing, you have an opportunity to make a name for yourself.
No matter who you're playing, but when you get to this level, for years wherever I've been I've told the people around the program that we want to get to the Gonzaga situation where they have won and won and won. And now there's a whole lot of schools out there that we want to be a part of. We want South Alabama's name to be out there, we want the Sun Belt's recognition. We tried to instill in our players when we got here exactly who we are representing. Our program, our university, our community, the Sun Belt, their families, that's not to put pressure on them, it's just to let them know that we need to go out there and do our very best.

Q. You had talked about just moments ago about but remember's experience, can you touch a little bit more about that? Obviously they have five seniors who have been to the Sweet 16 last year, what concerns you about them?
HEAD COACH ARROW: Last year when I was at Texas A and M Corpus Christi we had six seniors and we got to the NCAA tournament and I thought we gave Wisconsin everything that they wanted. Having six seniors with experience you cannot coach experience. It's there.
They have five seniors that I think that this might be the best passing team that I've seen in a number of years. I think that they just know where each other are. They were a Sweet 16 last year, all of that experience, I mean, you just can't coach that.
When you go to practice early in the year you don't have to do as many drills, you don't have to do them as long. It's great.
We have two seniors, two seniors against five seniors and supporting casts. And I think that it's going to be a heck of a game in today's game, it's a guard's game. You have to have good inside people, but it's a guard's game. You don't have good guards, you're going to be the most frustrated coach in the country.
Today you're going to get to see or tomorrow you're going to get to see two teams with two very good back courts. And I think that when Daon and Demetric first, when I first got the job they said, "Y'all had peanut butter and jelly, we want to be bread and butter." So I said I don't care what you call yourselves as long as the outcome is the same. At the end of the year we had beaten Alabama, they were ranked as a top, in the top five best back courts in the country, and I think that they have a legitimate shot right now as being classified as one of the best back courts in the country. How far it goes from there, we'll see.

Q. When you saw your name come up, playing against Butler and you saw the location, can you talk about that and just the fact that here's a great tune opportunity for your name program not only to be in the tournament, but also to be able to play here in your home state.
HEAD COACH ARROW: When you don't invite yourself by winning your tournament, and sitting there and watching that your name has to pop up there, there's always anxiety.
It's always better to invite yourself. When our name popped up there, truthfully, I didn't remember anything else, any other teams, didn't really care about any other teams. South Alabama was up there, we knew who we were going to play and the next thing that was going through my mind was getting film on them.
With the computer today we had film before the night was over with and it was great. So I think that that's the next thing. As a coach, and then finding out that you're going to be in your own home state, you can't ask for anything better than that. Not only I hope that we'll have our good fans that we called the sixth man, but we'll have the State of Alabama fans.

Q. You said you didn't invite yourself, but if you take away the A 10 and the Mountain West, only three Mid Majors made this as an at large in the whole tournament. Would you say that it's probably more difficult for a Mid Major to make it as an at large since you have to be good for four months instead of for four days?
HEAD COACH ARROW: I think what you just said is true. You know, a Mid Major, I don't know what that, all the BCS schools that aren't BCS or you know whatever it's classified as a Mid Major school, but the bottom line is, is that the criteria for what the committee looks for, don't knock any schools that get into the NCAA tournament. If you're going to knock anything, knock the criteria. The committee goes by the criteria that is assigned to them.
There is no doubt in my mind what we did this year over the extended period of time we deserved to be in the NCAA tournament. I think we're 4-1 against teams that are in the tournament. We're 3-2 against Top-50 teams. I think we're 5-3 against top 100 teams. We did everything that at the beginning of the year that our commissioner, and our athletic director, asked us to do as far as scheduling.
Now when you schedule, now you got to go win games. And I think that earlier in the year San Diego, we beat them by 22 points. We beat Western Kentucky, who was in it, twice this year. So there's no doubt. We beat Mississippi State, so there's no doubt in my mind that the University of South Alabama deserves to be in the big dance.

Q. When you prior to the season you told me when you took this job you told Joe Gottfried that you wanted to get him another leap, that signature leap that you had after that '89 win, if you pull up the upset tomorrow can we expect a leap?
HEAD COACH ARROW: Well, I just want to be given the opportunity. It may not be quite as high. That was a couple years ago, but I just want to be given the opportunity to. That jump has gone a long way.
(Laughter.).

Q. How much preparation for a game like this is getting your team ready and how much of it is matchups with the other team? What's the balance there?
HEAD COACH ARROW: You don't change anything. This is going to be a tempo game. They want to keep it in the 60, we would like to keep it in the 70's. They're a very experienced team. It's going to be, you go to war against a team the next game, the most important game every year is the next game.
Butler just happens to be the next game and it just happens to be in the NCAA tournament.
So we will prepare for them just like we did everything else. We'll refine what we have done all year, and we'll go to work and in guarding their stuff that we have to stop. Which they execute very well.

Q. Two part question. One is just the fact that you're at a school your second stint at a school does that make the success the first year a little bit sweeter. The second part is, the way that your tenure, the first tenure ended did you have any reservations about coming back to South Alabama?
HEAD COACH ARROW: It doesn't matter where you are and I think I'm speaking for myself here, wherever I am, I want to win.
It doesn't matter what the situation has been, going to be, whatever, the bottom line, this is a very easy occupation, all you have to do is win and win and win and win. And wherever you are, that's your job. Is to win. When I left the University of South Alabama I will say this, I resigned. It might have been under duress, but I resigned. And I, we kept in touch with all the friends, Joe Gottfried who was athletic director then, I think that I might have been, I think I can go on record and say there's been a lot of coaches leave universities and go on to maybe bigger and better jobs and then come back. I might be the first one that was ever asked to leave and the athletic director was there and then asked to come back by the same athletic director.
After he called me it happened very quickly. I thought he was kidding. After I got off, over that, you know, he said are you interested? I said well, yeah. He flew to Corpus Christi, and we talked, I accepted, my wife and I got on a plane. Got back to Mobile at 12 o'clock at night and the next day at 1 o'clock there was a press conference and I had the job. So there was never a doubt. Whatever happened, happened. I think things that happened in life make you a better person. In this case if coaches could take a sabbatical, for a year or two, which I had two years, I think that they, they find out if they really want to coach, number one, which I wanted to do, and they find out number two the rest was good, and you get back, get back on the saddle and go to work.
I think that there was no doubt I was given the opportunity to start a program at Texas A & M Corpus Christi, it was sort of like giving birth. I'll always remember and always appreciate the opportunity of starting that program. And we went there, and we did good. And was able to go back to what I consider home away from home. We're from Texas, and Mobile's just home away from home for us.
THE MODERATOR: All right thank you, coach.

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