Mark Few, Ryan Nembhard, Nolan Hickman and Ben Gregg met with the media after Gonzaga's 89-77 victory over San Francisco on Monday, March 11, 2024.
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00:00 Job of handling that and then we had 23 assists and three turnovers,
00:05 which I mean, I've been doing this 25 years and we've never had a line like that.
00:10 Agon zag, so I mean, that's primarily these two guards up here.
00:14 So great job, it's great to be moving on and playing in the championship.
00:18 Another great team, but man, San Francisco just seems like an NCAA tournament team
00:23 to me, I wish their analytics were better or whatever,
00:26 because they've been a tough, tough out for us, a lot of respect.
00:30 >> We do have a mic holder, so please raise your hand if you have a question.
00:33 Questions for Ryan, Ben or Nolan.
00:35 >> Yeah, for Benny, kind of a tough shooting half for you in the first half.
00:40 How'd you turn it around?
00:42 What was going through your head early in the second?
00:44 >> Me and Travis Knight watched a show called Ted Lasso, and
00:47 the big thing is called We Gotta Be a Goldfish, never short memory.
00:51 That's what he told me and I was like, yeah, you're right.
00:53 You gotta forget about having the first half and come out and
00:56 keep shooting my shot.
00:57 I know it's gonna go on, I worked so hard on it.
00:59 And these guys gave me all the confidence in the world to tell me to keep on
01:01 shooting.
01:02 So, kept ready to fly and finally made a couple, it's a good feeling.
01:05 >> Question in the back over there.
01:09 >> For the two guards when Ben or anyone is on such a flurry like that,
01:16 how much is it enjoying getting it to them and letting them go for a heat check?
01:21 >> Man, it's always, man, Benny gets his going no matter what he do.
01:28 I feel like even on the defensive end, rebounding, whatever it is,
01:32 he do all the dirty work, I ain't gonna lie.
01:33 So just to get him going with three ball, I love it.
01:38 I love it.
01:39 That's all that is, I love it.
01:40 >> Another question in the back.
01:48 >> Nolan, where do you think you've seen Ben grow the most this year?
01:50 >> Man, in all aspects of his game, I've seen Ben grow.
01:57 Ever since I got here, I've been seeing Benny grow, putting in the work,
02:01 off hours, everything.
02:03 I've been seeing Benny grow ever since I've been here, I ain't gonna lie.
02:06 So.
02:07 >> Ryan, it was kind of a tough shooting first half.
02:11 How were you able to kind of steady the team and provide some offense in that
02:14 half when it was a little choppy?
02:16 >> Just keep trying to be aggressive, keep trying to get our flow going.
02:19 And yeah, I feel like we just missed a couple bunnies in the first half,
02:22 easy ones around the rim.
02:23 And we knew they were gonna fall eventually, so we just kept chopping wood,
02:26 kept doing what we do in the convention.
02:28 >> Nolan, you got Usain Marys again on Tuesday night.
02:36 You've played him twice this year.
02:38 You seem like you play him three times every year.
02:40 >> Yeah.
02:41 >> Just talk about the matchup and
02:42 how excited you are to be back in the championship game.
02:45 >> Man, I'm super excited, blessed first four months.
02:47 It's always fun playing against these guys.
02:51 It's always a war.
02:52 And we know that going into it, it's never gonna be like a days ago.
02:56 And then it's always gonna be a bar fight, the coach likes to say.
02:59 But we know that going into it, and I think me and my guys, we're ready for it.
03:05 >> For Ryan, they were dedicating a lot of defensive attention to Graham,
03:14 obviously, how did you guys navigate that and get the offense going?
03:18 >> I just feel like we got a bunch of great good players that know how to hoop,
03:23 man, and if one guy has an off night, you know other guys will pick him up.
03:26 And we know how great G is and how great he's been playing recently, so
03:30 he just missed a couple of plays running into that.
03:32 >> Any other questions for the student athletes?
03:36 Thanks, guys.
03:39 >> Appreciate it.
03:42 >> Questions for Coach Pugh?
03:43 >> Up here in the middle.
03:47 >> What did you learn about your team early this season that
03:52 we're paying off right now and why the points are low?
03:56 >> What did I learn?
04:01 >> Yeah, you got kind of a slow start and now you got a hot again.
04:07 >> Yeah, I mean, hey, I mean, we played in Maui.
04:09 It's probably the toughest Maui field we've ever, has been assembled and
04:14 probably one of the greatest MTEs that's ever been assembled.
04:17 So we went out and played some guys and you play Purdue, you play UConn,
04:23 you play teams like that, man, you get exposed a little bit.
04:26 And so I think we had to, we were still trying things like with anything,
04:31 you think what might work and then when it doesn't work,
04:35 you have to get back and make adjustments.
04:37 And obviously we did that and I think it was a little bit underrated,
04:42 was just how much we had a lot of change.
04:46 I mean, we lost an icon of a player, Drew Timmy, and more ways than one.
04:51 Just his swag that he had kind of carried us through a lot of moments.
04:56 And so we had to figure out ways not only offensively,
05:02 defensively, but Ryan hadn't played with Ben and
05:06 hadn't played with Nolan and certainly hadn't played with Graham Ekay.
05:09 And I think Ryan and Graham now are really very much in sync.
05:15 And those are the two guys who primarily have a lot of ball screens.
05:18 So figured out some defensive things that we'd be more successful at.
05:22 I mean, that's kind of what happens during the season, it's why you practice.
05:27 >> Question from Theo, Brett.
05:30 >> I think Ben misses first four shots, but
05:34 I think in the first half he still had eight rebounds.
05:37 What does it say that he's kind of finding ways to contribute when the offense
05:39 isn't always coming?
05:40 >> Well, you know that, man.
05:42 I mean, he's just our Mr. Zag.
05:45 I mean, he just flies around and the guys feed off him and
05:47 he just does all those little things.
05:49 And his positive energy is palpable and
05:55 we really truly feed off that.
05:58 So it doesn't really matter if he's making shots or not.
06:04 That's kind of, as I was telling, that's just his job to bring that.
06:07 So we encourage him.
06:10 I mean, Ben's a great shooter.
06:11 For them to play off him is, I don't know, reckless.
06:16 So that's what I told him.
06:19 I'm just saying with Anton, Anton's shooting over 40 from three.
06:23 So sometimes it's hard when a guy's insulting you,
06:27 it kind of messes with your rhythm and messes with your, should I shoot,
06:31 should I drive?
06:31 But Anton did a great mix of driving some and shooting some.
06:35 And he's seen that a bunch.
06:38 We've seen that all the way back to a few years ago when we played Purdue in the PK
06:43 85.
06:43 So he's well prepared for it.
06:46 >> Question in the back right.
06:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]
06:53 >> Mark, going along those lines, when Ben had his big run,
06:56 did you get any flashbacks, especially here in Vegas, to Killian when he was here?
07:00 And the games he was able to tap here in Vegas?
07:03 >> I did not.
07:04 I don't really have flashbacks to any games, which is probably a good thing.
07:09 But those were great memories.
07:14 I mean, Killian was on just a crazy roll down here.
07:17 I don't know what, I think he made 13 in a row or something.
07:19 I mean, it's just uncanny.
07:21 So, but I did not, no, didn't flashback to that.
07:25 I was mad at Ben for turning down a couple of his wide open looks.
07:31 I just, I always teach him just let it rip and the next one's all that's going in.
07:35 >> We'll go to the back left with a question.
07:37 >> Coach, you mentioned San Francisco bringing out the best in you.
07:40 It seemed like St. Mary's when you played them last really was kind of one of your
07:43 best performances of the year.
07:44 Is that another team that kind of brings forth a good performance?
07:48 >> Well, hey, these are good teams, man.
07:50 I mean, I told Chris after the game, I just feel like they're an NCAA tournament team.
07:54 I mean, they have a lot of weapons and they're well coached.
07:58 You do one thing, they adjust and they got shooters, they got Marlboro.
08:03 This is the first time I think we beat them on the glass.
08:07 And obviously, I mean, St. Mary's and Randy,
08:12 I mean, this is gonna be a totally different game.
08:15 It'll be a much more low possession game, even though last time we played them,
08:20 we were able to get some turnover to get out and run.
08:24 Got the tempo going a little bit to our liking, but
08:26 one of Spokane was a little bit slower, but I mean, I think we led that one for
08:32 quite a while and just didn't finish it off.
08:34 So they're a great team.
08:36 He's an awesome coach.
08:38 And I'm sure it'll be, I know this, it'll be extremely, extremely physical.
08:43 It's always a very, very, very physical game.
08:45 >> Next question here in the middle.
08:50 >> Graham UK, you just talked about what he's meant to the team and
08:53 just how he's been able to kind of build and
08:55 grow as a guy that came in with so much experience.
08:57 >> Yeah, no, it wasn't, but obviously, as Jim alluded to,
09:01 I mean, they were helping on doubling down on him and
09:06 doing all kinds of things, and I thought he handled it well.
09:09 He trusted his teammates.
09:11 He's been huge.
09:12 I mean, for us to work and function,
09:16 we always have to have that inside guy that can score.
09:19 And then what really helps us is when the inside guy is so good,
09:22 if he requires double teams, then that creates action for everybody else.
09:27 We had the greatest guy in college basketball doing that for a while, and so
09:33 we need somebody to step in here and do that.
09:34 And I think he's done it in his own way, very different way than Drew, but
09:39 he's slowly kind of just figured it out, and the guys have figured it out.
09:43 And he's became very, very good in there.
09:46 >> Any final question for Coach Hugh?
09:49 Thanks, Coach.
09:51 >> Yep.