For for the for for you you’re e for for for for for for for for for for for welcome back don’t forget cell phones identification before your question no flash photography allowed this will be 12 minutes for Illinois 10 minutes for Ducane and I have some notes here from the game that just
Finished fighting and line ey have now won six straight games improved to 28 and8 and advancing to the NCAA sweet 16 for the first time since 2005 when it went on to play in the national championship game against North Carolina in St Louis this is the school’s ninth sweet 16
Appearance Illinois will face Iowa state in the semi-final round of the East Regional next Thursday in Boston Brad Underwood now has a six and S career record in this tournament Illinois is 3- one now all time against Duan this is the first meeting of the two schools since December 9th 1988 for Think expect for fny line I are with us as men they were going to play Iowa State Thursday in Boston we have the head coach Brad Underwood with us along with Marcus damasque and Coleman Hawkins we’re going to ask Brad to start off with a statement on this game then we go to
Questions for all three of the bline eye on the Das Brad please I’m still trying to get the water out of my ear um from from postgame but um what a uh what a great start to the Ball Game um I thought that uh I I have so much respect
For Keith damb BR uh what an unbelievable career uh what a way for him to end his in it um great win against BYU very very talented team I think they’d won nine in a row and maybe 16 or 17 out of 19 or 20 at the end of the
Season um but uh these two guys um boy they made a difference on the defensive side to start the game uh they’re two terrific guards I thought we did a good job on and then we got out in transition and when we get stops and rebound um we can be pretty special so
Um just kind of continued um little lack of Daisy gold to start the second half letting him have three or four threes but uh uh for the most part uh you know we got Marcus going in booty ball um you know Coleman got us off to an elite start with his
Threes and U you know Terrence those three guys uh you know pretty special pretty special players start right here in the front row Gina then there’s one also on the left here go Jeremy Warner want to inquire Brad you said yesterday to ask you what does
It mean to get this monkey off your back program and get to a sweet 16 get to that next step what’s never been on my back you guys you guys have made that these guys don’t know anything about any of that I and and I treat every team
Independently um I think for the program sake it’s it’s mindblowing to me um and I think there’s frustration that we had a one seed and and got upset In This Very game but um uh this program’s Elite and to to not be there in 18 or 19 years
Uh to me that’s more in mind-numbing we had tough draws and couple injuries and and and you get beat and and that’s the beauty of March Madness but uh uh it feels good to be advancing with this group I’ve said all along this one of my
Favorite teams to coach uh if not the favorite and and U so yeah on to Boston yeah Abby Abby shobal Pittsburgh Post cazette uh coach Underwood I noticed you had a moment with Keith damr at the end of the game where you stopped and chatted with
Him I was wondering if you’d be willing to let us in what you said to him um and just what that moment was I’ve known Keith for a long time and and uh um done clinics with him um so much respect for him as a coach so much respect for his accomplishments
What he’s done he’s always found winning winning is really really hard to do um um no matter who stops along the way whether at the high school level whether at akan um and then obviously here at du here at duain um just a you know coaching is a pretty small fraternity
And and and really really good guy and and and you you pull for the good guys and for him to to uh be able to go out and do it on his terms and and have this run is is pretty special right here in front gentlemen
This question is for Brad this is a brand an teque CSM Sports a brand the team got out to a really hot start what was just the message to the team entering this game tonight we talked about it these guys made it a point you know it wasn’t very much fun being down
Nine to nothing in a minute and a half um you know I I can I’m to the point where anymore I don’t have to say a lot These Guys these guys are grown men they’re they’re and they care and and and sometimes they care too much but um
Yeah they they made a point to it we talked about it you know we had to get off to a better start we couldn’t let this team get some confidence coming off their BYU game and we needed to um you know we need to make a statement left side gentlemen Steve
Greenberg Chicago Sun Times I’d like to hear from Brad and Coleman on this um when do seeds go out the window you’re a three you’re going to play a higher seed next for the right to play potentially the highest seed after that do these seeds matter anymore no Coleman you’re
First please um I feel like the seeds don’t matter as soon as the ball is tipped in that first round uh uh I feel like that’s evident every year I feel like um soon as the ball is tipped anybody can beat anybody um you know whatever team plays the hardest um you
Know and it’s a it’s an imperfect game and to to try to base it off of siegs is is is kind of bizarre um cuz you know there’s so many great players that play in the tournament so many great teams um and all of them are are chasing that one
Common goal and um everyone’s going to compete extra hard so um I feel like the seed’s out the window in that first round really it’s it’s game on yeah I I agree with that I’ve been a 14 and one um I’ve been a 12- one I’ve been a one and
Lost um I you know I think it’s it’s it’s more about how you’re playing I think it’s about the matchup um I think it’s it’s it’s uh um so many little factors that go involved I think it’s what makes this March Madness so unique is you know
We’ve we’ve we’ve now seen 16s beat ones um in in this thing so uh you know our task is we’ve got we’ve got in front of us a team that was seated higher than us um okay we’ve played in the Big 10 we’ve played some of the very best teams
That that the basketball has has to offer we’ve played a great schedule uh we’ve been on the road um so you know that’s what you do all those things for is to prepare yourselves for these moments hold on a sec Steve do you have a another comment for that let’s let’s
Go to back to him and then we’ll go to the front so do you guys feel like underdogs now you know going against the two I mean according to the bracket you know that’s how people look at it do you feel like with go Marcus and Brad this
Time um I mean every time we step on the court I don’t ever feel like an underdog you know no matter who we’re playing I think with this group of guys we can always go out and beat anyone in the country so I mean I’m really not looking
At the seeds I’m looking at Iowa State who they have and and how we’re going to win same I you it’s it’s every game’s in it’s when you’ve got a group that’s veteran when you got a group that’s old they know how they know each other they
Know how to play I I don’t ever go in I go in with a with a feeling that of of respect for the opponent and how good they are and what they do but I never go in with the mindset that that that oh we got no chance maybe if we were playing
The Celtics or somebody in Boston I might I might feel a little different but uh you know we we’ve we’ve shown we can play with the best we’re under four minutes to go we have four questions up here’s one two three in the back and Abby four
Go um so just for you combing up so you’ve been a foundational piece for the program just kind of walk us through just how you’re feeling in this moment um part of me wants to get like really excited uh part of me just like wants to keep the jobs not finished mindset so
It’s just kind of in between right now um I’m really happy for everything we’ve accomplished this year um but to sit here and say I’m I’m happy with making the sweet 16 is you know is not what I want to say I want to be happy with winning a national Championship so um
You know I I’m aware of the history because it kind of gets thrown in our face a little bit but uh um you know I think the the goal now is to really go out and do it and you know uh become national championships cuz that’s why we’re here
So uh here thank you just for Marcus and Coleman you guys have won six straight games now in the postseason how do you feel going into Boston about your team and what gives you confidence that you can compete for a national championship Marcus here first please uh I feel good
About our team you know I think we’re hitting our stride and turning in the right direction you know you always want to start playing your best basketball come March and I I think we’re doing that so you know I feel confident you know Iowa State’s a really good team so
We got to play our best to beat them me um yeah I mean I I feel really confident in this team because I feel like there’s still something missing that we haven’t reached yet uh I think there’s a whole another level of intensity that we can play with um
Both offensively and defensively I feel like um there’s there’s moments where you know guys got to step up and knock down shots and uh that’s that’s on me um and there’s moments where we got to step up and lock in on defense and and limit defensive mistakes so I’m really
Confident in this team cuz like I said I feel like we got a whole another level we can tap into for sure in the back gentlemen i’ I’d love to hear from both coach and Marcus if possible here for Coach a lot of people say this is a
Guards tournament so just how important is it to have Marcus you know being the engine of this offense and was that a point of emphasis to go out and get a guy like him in the off season and then for Marcus just how much pride do you take in making this offense
Go yeah I I I think that we had a lot of ideas when we recruited Marcus we knew how good a player he was and uh between Marcus and Tai uh Nico Moretti we I’ve said all along I felt like our point guard uh position was in
In great hands and and Coleman gives us an unbelievable luxury as a fiveman who can really handle and and and um El pressure so it’s not a it wasn’t about having that position it was about taking being able to put guys in position to take advantage of mismatches and put
Them in positions to be successful and uh uh Marcus’s basketball IQ Tai’s basketball IQ Coleman’s basketball IQ those allow us to be able to get away with quote unquote if you guys want to label it the non-traditional point guard he’s as much a point guard as anybody
That’s that’s in this field um you know and the triple double last game proved that can you remind me what my question was just how much pride you take in making this offense one of the best offense and best offenses in the country go the way it does yeah um you know I
Don’t really consider myself like the engine or the offense I think that’s what you said um when you play along guys like you know Coleman Terrence and the list goes on and on you know we just get the ball to where we want to get it
To uh you know some days that’s me some days that’s Cole some days that’s TJ you know it’s just you know we’re just out there playing basketball really and I think uh coach has done a really good job of just getting the ball to where it
Needs to and allowing us to use our strengths and I think that’s why offense is so successful cuz we just everyone uses their strengths really well final question right here Abby Marcus and Coleman um I’m curious to know what you guys think you did so well against
DayDay Grant you held him to Seven Points not a lot of players this season have been able to do that Coleman uh yeah Coleman first please uh I think it was our our physicality as well as forcing tough twos uh we try to keep everything two on two uh we try to war
Over ball screens and uh to see gu uh our guards uh Marcus Ty everybody you know take a crack at him um terance Everybody um uh it was exciting to see cuz uh obviously we made it tough um and just limiting limiting threes uh crawling up in in uh in his space uh
Rather than letting him uh create with the ball and create his own shots um so I think we did a good job of just forcing tough twos and sticking in what we do yeah I think uh just our our size and physicality is something that you know they don’t they probably haven’t seen
Before you know between TJ and Tai you know that duo on the ball just the whole game guarding you that it wears on you thank you gentlemen and best of luck next weekend thank you that wa it for for for Duane Dukes are with us head coach Keith
Damr Jimmy Clark the third DayDay Grant we’re going to ask Keith to make a statement on this game and then we’ll go to questions for all three gentlemen on this Das Keith please well hats off the Illinois I thought they played well um we couldn’t quite get our feet
Underneath us to guard them well enough to to be in the game it was actually a typical offensive game for us but a little atypical defensively and you know some of the things they do a little bit different than what we’ve seen most of the year we had trouble just guarding
The ball which uh ultimately was our undoing questions start with Abby thank you Keith can you walk us through those final moments of you know your last game of your coaching career and just what’s going through your head uh wasn’t quite the way I wish it
Would end but uh one thing I know in life you know after being here almost 66 years is that you have to take the good with the bad and you have to you know you have to Rally yourself back when things don’t go well um but what’s
Remarkable to me is just the the the fan support from duke Kane you know we were laughing in the locker room um you know when we first got there we couldn’t get 10 people to come to the game and look at all those people that came out last
You know for this so I know my dad will be pleased about that wherever is right now so uh that to me like we we’ve set the the foundation for great things to come in the future for for Duane basketball for Pittsburgh basketball and you know uh really didn’t matter what
The score was I mean uh it’s irrelevant because we we’ve laid a good foundation for Duane to be a good program in the future right here in front Gina thank you Keith Zack Weiss Pittsburgh sports now just emotionally I know you’re still processing just what’s the emotional
Will for you now and to both of you just how do you feel just being able to send Keith out in a winning way like this with reshaping this program let’s go with Jimmy Day Day and then back to the head coach um just I feel blessed you know
Just to have have him as a coach coach you know him as my as a player on my team so just going out like that with the way that we did I can’t do nothing but feel accomplished especially the way we started with the season coming in 0
And5 so I don’t feel nothing but blessing you know just proud of my guys and just being a part of this I just feel happy to be a part of it I would agree um just it’s unbelievable accomplishment for the three of us to have gone out on the note
Of winning the 18 champ championship and being able to get uh that history uh blocker off which was winning that BYU game and winning that tournament game as well so um it’s just a blessing and high appreciation and trying to just um Let The Sting uh Stinger go away right now
After these couple last couple hours I mean this is it for me so like I told these guys I said don’t forget about me I need somebody to go watch next year so I’m going to go watch all my guys that are still playing and you
Know spend time with them and figure out what I’m going to do next you know get my wife healthy first and then go from there but I you know I was just thankful to be around a bunch of guys that never quit and I I just just to see the
Brotherhood like really grow and see these guys do anything for anybody like people don’t like Day Day in the middle you know at the very end he said hey make sure you get those guys in the game get him he didn’t say put me back in he
Said make sure you know this guy gets in and he gets in like that tells you a lot about what kind of person he is and all of them are like that they’re just great guys left-and side gentlemen Tim Ben from Duan radio and from Pittsburgh tribine review trib live
Uh Day Day and Jimmy for you guys what’s it going to be like for you to know that there is a banner hanging at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse cuz Drew Joyce talked to us about that on the radio that this being what it is you lost Illinois but
There’s going to be a banner because of you guys what does that mean to you too and Keith this might be a tactical question but um in terms of the game tonight against Illinois I know you take great pride in never having anybody speed you up did they speed you up to a
Degree that you didn’t like tonight let’s have the student athletes speak first day day you’re first Jimmy second well um just like coach Drew said um I think it’s just a it’s a blessing not many people can do that and a high appreciation to all the guys my brothers
The coaching staff and um just all of us everybody who was with us from the jump since we were 0 and5 starting a conference of uh that accomplishment and that success um that’s that’s just a blessing to be able to have that Banner hung up and not many people can do that
And have have been in a position that we’ve been in these these last few weeks and even a couple months yeah I have to say the same it’s just just being able to to say you were gonna do something and then see it happen I it was just good to see that
Especially with these guys so you know me I’m always going to tell the truth so he’s a bob Huggins disciple and they just bullied us a little bit tonight and that we got a little frazzled and unraveled and we had trouble with their physicality and their
Quickness um but I think if we played again we’d be we’d play better I just don’t think that we were you you know quite ready for the quickness level and the strength you know Shannon’s one of the strongest guys in the country going to the basket if you watch tape on him
He he did the same thing in the Big 10 in the last five six games he’s just putting his head down and getting there and you know he’s getting there quickly you know and uh you know so I think they sped us up but I think they they were
They were physical which most Big 10 teams are we’re under three minutes to go we have two questions up go stadi and Jimmy can you just try and put into words the impact coach Dam BR has had on you guys as individuals Jimmy your first please um it’s hard you know especially
Coming in from from Jo already playing in the A10 it was it was good for me you know especially having a coach like this to just stay on me a guy that’s going to tell you the truth whenever so just having that in my life especially
Playing with this team I feel like it helped me grow as a person and and a basketball player so just being able to describe in words I can’t really describe in words right now but I’m definitely grateful for it for sure just piggybacking and agreeing what Jimmy says because coach uh coached us
Similarly um me and coach’s uh relationship grew and um it grew as well on the court um because we had a meeting earlier in the season and I was basically asked to be coached harder and um coached took the initiative as well as the other staff and they they did
That and I accepted that challenge but um before then um that wasn’t the case and um our relationship wasn’t as balanced and I think after that time that um coach was started to coach Me Harder that uh our relationship just grew and I just became a lot much more
Appreciative just to have him as a coach just to be under his wing learn more um rather it’s off the court or on the court things just to make me a better man uh Hunter Hensel A10 talk uh this is for Trey and de so both you guys started
Your college careers off at different schools but closed it out at Duane on this run uh so just when you’re looking back on this in the future what will you think about Duane and what does Duane mean to you Day Day lead us off please to be honest uh speaking from a Duo
Standpoint um me me and Jimmy’s D Duo it’s going to go a long way it’s going to be my brother forever um we have so many similarities and uh so many things that we’re alike and we can hold each other accountable in any hostile or adverse situation so um just just speaking on
That man we can we can look back and we can look back at the success and just be like dang like we really did it we turned things around we can say whatever we like as far as a positive manner but we we’re the type of young young humble
Young men to where we just continue to try to find things we can work on rather than looking back at just the success all the time yeah I’ll have to say the same you know uh we we talk about the sport a lot we talk about life a lot so just being
Able to accomplish what we did here and probably a few years from now just looking back on it we probably going to say we could have did certain things better or what we could have did but more than all we just going to remember all the memories that we had especially
With our teammates so just being able being able to come here and complete what we did even though we wanted to go further it was just a blessing thank you very much gentlemen best of luck and Keith godspeed appreciate you thank you yeah for hey thank you R young man thank you very
Much I appreciate great job you as well we made a good team and we made it work thank you you’re welcome thanks for the opportunity yeah it was great take yours oh I I usually do yes no one else needs it I did not mean to do that but I did
That no he didn’t e e e e e e
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