Gonzaga coach Mark Few answered questions from the media after the Bulldogs' 92-58 win over the Lions.
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00:00 >> Mark, 40 good minutes against Pep,
00:04 is that right in that neighborhood as well as you played?
00:08 >> Yeah, this was as good as we played all year.
00:11 Defense intensity, our attention to detail with the scouting report that we put in.
00:21 Our connectivity, we were talking and connected, our physicality.
00:27 And then we were just right, we were doing a great job of just making the right
00:30 basketball play on the offense.
00:32 Come off, make our reads, if we didn't like it, we'd throw it out, and move it,
00:40 move it, and make another play where we maybe haven't done that very well this year.
00:43 So it was great, it was great.
00:45 It was great to see a great crowd, great energy, and the guys really responded.
00:50 Cuz that's a really tough physical team.
00:52 I mean, I watched both their St.
00:54 Mary's games, they came down right to the very, very end.
00:57 And they were just, I mean, that's a tough RNOC,
01:01 the stands teams are always really, really physical and tough to play against.
01:07 >> What does it say to not only have that kind of performance, but
01:09 to do it on your third game in six days?
01:11 >> I mean, I didn't realize that that was, I mean, we took a day off on,
01:17 I don't know, whenever that was, Sunday.
01:18 And then, but we practiced hard yesterday, and the guys responded.
01:23 So, we're just in that late January, early February,
01:29 and everybody's kinda grinding right now.
01:31 So we just gotta, this is why you work out all year, man, for
01:35 the nights like this, so you gotta have good performance if you can.
01:40 >> What's happening with Nolan?
01:42 I mean, he's having a little streak here on the threes.
01:45 I think he's had at least three in seven or eight games in a row.
01:49 >> I mean, I think his teammates are fine.
01:51 I think he's doing a good job of just taking the right ones.
01:55 I think as a group, we're taking the right ones now, and
01:58 not maybe trying too hard to make something out of nothing.
02:04 >> Kind of going off that,
02:06 it looked like Pacific was kind of playing off on going under screens.
02:10 LMU tonight's kind of trying to go over the top.
02:12 But is Nolan getting downhill?
02:14 Is that something you wanna see him do more of, or
02:16 just is it just overall making the right choice out of that?
02:18 >> It's just totally 100% making the right reads.
02:20 Just, I mean, we drill them and drill them and drill them every day on this is what
02:23 they're gonna do.
02:24 They do this, we do that.
02:28 And I think all our guards over the course of this run have been really,
02:34 really crafty with that.
02:36 I think these guys, I feel like tonight they really kind of stuck.
02:40 And then also, you make that right read, and
02:44 the right read might just be, all right, nothing happened here, throw out.
02:48 Instead of, I think we've been a little bit guilty trying to make something out of
02:52 nothing a little bit this year.
02:55 So I thought the guards, both him and Ryan, showed great growth tonight.
03:01 >> You guys took advantage of the extra positions, 229 points off turnovers.
03:05 How do you use that as a TV to end to that stuff?
03:08 >> I mean, look, we love to get out and run and try to get some.
03:11 And I think that was just our activity on defense that allowed us to do that.
03:17 We took phenomenal care of the ball.
03:20 I mean, our efficiency numbers in there are nuts, especially with that top group.
03:24 >> I know, but then just two turnovers for Nolan tonight with how much he had
03:29 the ball in his hands, I mean, it goes back to being the right play out here.
03:33 But just- >> Yeah, Nolan and Ryan,
03:35 I mean, thinking about how Ryan had him, I mean,
03:37 they've aged, I mean, one turnover there, and that was late.
03:40 So yeah, just exactly how we wanna play, I mean,
03:46 I'm happy to have Gonzaga basketball, I wish I could do that every night.
03:49 But also when you shoot the ball like that,
03:53 it makes life a lot easier on the offensive end.
03:58 But listen, when you play with that kind of activity and that kind of energy and
04:01 that kind of physicality on defense, it's good things to follow.
04:06 >> You met after he came and get out of the gate a little quicker, did something
04:13 happen there?
04:13 >> I don't know, did you talk to him or, I don't know,
04:17 he's a little hot ass and all these things you guys got going, I don't know.
04:22 Somebody did.
04:23 I've been talking to him all year about it, so it wasn't me.
04:26 >> Wasn't you?
04:26 >> What was the message at halftime?
04:29 I mean, you guys come out with that 19-2 run and really put him on the sword.
04:33 >> Just the same thing, I told him we did a great job, and look, Loyola's got
04:37 a lot of pride and they're an older team and they got some guys.
04:40 I mean, Hill can really get a lot of buckets in a hurry, and so can Wright.
04:47 And the guy just challenged them to go out and
04:51 make it a 40-minute great effort, not just a 20-minute great effort.
04:55 >> Good to have Luke back, and what can he do for you?
04:57 >> Yes, it is, it's good.
04:58 And I mean, he hasn't had a whole lot of reps, but we threw him out there and
05:02 he did good, he did good in practice the last two days.
05:06 And so I think it would be good to spell both Nolan and
05:11 Ryan with him a little bit, I think he's probably ready for that.
05:14 >> So two of your guys had four assists, Nolan Hickman had five.
05:19 We saw some great passes and spreading the floor.
05:21 Is that selflessness, something you've been emphasizing with your guards?
05:25 >> Yeah, again, I mean, I'm like a broken record here.
05:28 We're just making the right basketball play.
05:30 I mean, sometimes it is, but sometimes it's not.
05:33 Sometimes they gotta go down there and take the shot.
05:36 Sometimes they just gotta move it to the next guy and
05:40 he'll get us back into offense.
05:43 So it's just kind of just making that read,
05:46 making that read, we drill them every day on that.
05:50 >> Obviously a big one coming up here Saturday, Randy's team playing well.
05:55 >> Yeah, they're playing great.
05:56 >> Just first thoughts on that one.
05:58 >> I know, he's done a great job.
06:00 I mean, they were in a lull in the early part of December there.
06:05 But then all of us who know St.
06:08 Mary's and know those guys, know him, they'd be right back where they are right now.
06:13 I don't know what they were, like ten in a row or something.
06:15 So yeah, same, similar to what we faced tonight,
06:20 just an incredibly physical team that's great on the boards.
06:24 It doesn't make mistakes.
06:27 And they try to make you beat them.
06:31 And our team's over the years done a good job of that.
06:35 But this will be a huge challenge because they're playing great right now.
06:38 >> Mahaney's kind of, he's their leading scorer, but they got other guys averaging
06:42 ten, and you've said that they're real team oriented.
06:46 So how do you kind of just prepare for kind of thing offense?
06:50 >> All we gotta do is do what we did tonight.
06:51 We gotta be connected, we gotta play hard, we gotta be physical.
06:54 And if we can play a game like this with five turnovers,
06:59 that'll give us a great chance.
07:00 >> And just how nice was it seeing Dom come back tonight?
07:05 >> I'm happy, I'm really super happy for him, man.
07:07 He's got a great role down there.
07:08 He's getting a lot of shots.
07:10 He's taking great advantage of it.
07:12 Again, I mean, some of this is a growing process, right?
07:16 It takes a while, and I think he's really getting stride and
07:20 doing that before the game.
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