They Said It: K-State, Loyola meet with media in Atlanta

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Thank you to the NCAA for providing these transcripts from Friday's press conferences inside the Philips Arena in Atlanta.

BRUCE WEBER: Well, obviously just excited to be part of this, to move on to the Elite 8. It was a very short night, long night, and the thing I emphasized to these guys, they really got to kind of block out everything that's going on around them and really focus on preparing for Loyola. You know, we've got to be in -- we can't worry about what happened yesterday, can't worry about next week. We've got to take care of business right now.They've been so good at focusing and really taking into the game plan, and that's got to be there tomorrow. We've got to get our mind set right, our heart right, and play at a high level tomorrow because they are very good, tough, 31 wins. I don't care what league you're in, that's big-time. Won 13 in a row, 20 out of 21, something like that, and then they seem to make a lot of big plays, three game winners since they've been in the tournament. So we have a tough challenge ahead of us.

Q. For any of the players, there was some controversy about the handshake last night with Kentucky. Were any of you offended by that, and what was your vantage point on that situation?

BARRY BROWN, JR.: Well, I mean, I think we were just cheering too much and didn't really get kind of organized to be able to get in that line and shake their hands. Maybe they just walked off just because they didn't think that we were going to get organized and be able to shake their hands.

Q. Barry, there's great video of you hugging Ernie Barrett in the locker room. What does he mean to you guys, and what did he say to you, and how important was it for you guys to get the vindication that he wanted so badly?BARRY BROWN, JR.: It means a lot to us and this program, to the K-State history. He's been to a lot of our practices just to be there and see the hard work that we put in. Knowing the history and knowing him not being able to play in any game versus Kentucky, we just wanted to go out there and just do it for him. And once we got it done, I knew he was so proud, was so happy. He just kept saying in the locker room and in the huddle, just hugging everyone. So ultimately I think we all did it for him.

Q. Xavier, Coach touched on this last night, but has playing the 4 opened up some things for you as opposed to playing the 3 in this tournament?

XAVIER SNEED: I believe so. You know, just spreading out the court more with more guards on the court helps us out a little bit, and just having different points of attack. We still have an inside presence with Mak and Barry and being able to dribble and drive to the hoop. And, of course, we have shooters on the court at all times, so I believe it helps us out a lot.

Q. Cartier, you being from South Carolina, how has it been having probably more family being able to see you play here in Atlanta than maybe they would be in Manhattan?

CARTIER DIARRA: It's been great. It's been fun. The fans' support, the love, all the people that went to school with and grew up with, getting to come see me play has been a joy. But just enjoying the moment, living in the moment, and ready to get this next one.

Q. Barry, you all were here in this position when you played the hot mid-major in UMBC and they were winning games, they were dangerous. Now here you are playing Loyola in a similar situation. Do you think the UMBC experience maybe helped this team refocus and realize the challenge ahead?

BARRY BROWN, JR.: Guess you could say that. I mean, we know that every team right now is trying to make history. I've been talking to my guys about just making history for K-State, worrying about us, and worrying about what we can do to stop each and every opponent, respecting them, and just going out and playing K-State basketball.

Q. Barry, what is K-State basketball?

BARRY BROWN, JR.: First off, it's defending. We take a lot of pride on defense. Got to get better at rebounding. Once we get that stop, pushing ball transition, making the right pass, playing for each other. Just making open plays, staying confident no matter what the situation is, what the score is, and what's going on in the game. Just staying together, never getting away from each other, and picking each other up when we're down.

Q. Xavier, what, if any, is there like a moment with Coach Weber that's kind of like defined your experience with him or just kind of getting to know him over this time?

XAVIER SNEED: Coach Weber, we've been knowing each other a long time. He recruited me. So just being around him all the time to pick his mind. He's a great coach, great guy, and just him being around and getting some of his wisdom is great.

Q. Kam, how plugged in are you guys to the history of K-State basketball, in that for 40 years up until the early '90s, this program was shoulder to shoulder with the Kansases and Kentuckys, and maybe what this game tomorrow means for the older fan base and the history of the program?

KAMAU STOKES: You know, I think that win yesterday meant a lot, especially to the older families, like you said, and the people that played before us. We knew that we could compete with anybody in the country, and I felt like we showed that today, and we've just got to keep moving forward. I mean yesterday. My bad.

Q. For Xavier, there's been a lot said about the grittiness and toughness of this team. When did you first see that evidenced in this team, and that showed yesterday with the success late after the foul trouble. Did you worry as the fouls grew last night?

XAVIER SNEED: I had confidence in all the players and being able to step up in the moment. But I found out about the greatness of this team back all the way in spring around this time last year. Just guys being in conditioning, getting up shots after conditioning, dead tired, doing all the extra things, and just helped us to get to this point right now. And that grittiness and fight really just came from each and every one of us, and just having that desire to win.

Q. Last night your coach said you guys only had 15 minutes to celebrate. Maybe Stokes and Brown, you can answer this: What's the balance like of knowing you're so happy, thrilled to have gotten this far, but you really have to calm it down because you still have so much more to accomplish?

KAMAU STOKES: You can't be satisfied. You've made it to the next round and you know you've got a tough road ahead of you, so you can't be satisfied. You've got to enjoy that win, like you said, it was for short period of time, and we've just got to focus on the next game.

Q. Barry, with how much basketball is trending towards fast-paced, chucking three-pointers, you guys really dig down for defense. Coach says you take pride in it. Why is that? What made you guys recognize that that was the type of game you had to play?

BARRY BROWN, JR.: Just knowing their style of offense, they like to get up-and-down, use their length and athleticism just to get easy run-outs and dunks and kind of make a lot of flashy plays. But we knew with our principles and the things we learned since I've been here my freshman year, defensive-wise, that we could guard anyone, no matter the height differential or the weight and size. We knew that just being in the gap, helping each other, helping a helper and rebounding would be a big task, and we were able to go out there and do it.

Q. Barry, what have you seen or what have you learned from Loyola so far in your preparation for tomorrow night's game?

BARRY BROWN, JR.: See that they move the ball a lot. They trust one another a lot. Got a lot of good pieces, inside-out presence. They have a good player in -- I think it's Custer, Clayton Custer, I think. Yeah, he's a good player, will score from all three levels. So it's going to be a great task to defend him and do my best.

Q. Barry and Kam, this is your third year in the program; you guys have really grown in and through this. Was there a time where you felt like you could get to this particular point? If so, when would that have been? Would it have been this year or maybe prior to this year?

BARRY BROWN, JR.: I mean, I knew coming in, the program had some rebuilding, but I knew with the pieces we had, we just needed time to get a little bit of experience, gel together, and come together and really buy into the program. And I feel like this year is the first year we have just that experience that we need and everyone buying into it, and not really worrying about their own individual accolades and goals and stats and stuff like that. I feel like we're all really here to play K-State basketball. I knew this time was coming. It was just a long time coming, a lot of hard work and dedication and preparation.I knew it from the start.

KAMAU STOKES: Like Barry mentioned, I felt like experience was the biggest thing. Freshman year, we came up short; sophomore year, we made it to the tournament, didn't get as far as we wanted to get, and we learned from those situations. And I felt like this year, we were able to overcome a lot of things, just based off our experience.

Q. Cartier, what is the most difficult part about this type of turnaround that is so quick? As Coach mentioned, you're getting ready after the euphoria of last night's win in such a short time, you're turning around and playing a team that's 31-5.

CARTIER DIARRA: I think the biggest turnaround is just you don't have a lot of time to scout. But we have a lot of faith in our coaching staff, and everybody does a great job. I know they stayed up all night getting ready for it. But we just have to be locked in in the little bit of time we have and just be prepared and be ready to go out there for a dogfight.

Q. Cartier, obviously being from Florence, not terribly far from here, you had some people come in. Are you expecting even more, and is there anybody that surprised you that maybe came and showed up that you weren't expecting?

CARTIER DIARRA: Yeah, I'm expecting some more. My mom came out, so that was nice. She thought she couldn't make it, but then she made it, so I was happy about that.

Q. Barry, it was no surprise that there was a lot of blue in the stands last night, but now that you guys have sent Kentucky home, are you kind of hoping maybe neutral fans adopt you, or on the other side, do you kind of wonder if Loyola as the feel-good team, getting a lot of national pub in that respect, if maybe the neutral fans here from Atlanta will kind of adopt that team?

BARRY BROWN, JR.: I don't really think it matters, especially to me and our players. We've played in super tough arenas. We also play in Bramlage which is a top arena. So we know the home feeling and we know the away feeling like we're nowhere near home. I don't think it matters, but we're going to feed off the energy from our fans that we know our fans, and just try and get this win.

Q. What's the song that you play before you go out onto the court? Do you have a pregame song that's your favorite song?

BARRY BROWN, JR.: Sheesh. Can we start with Cartier?

CARTIER DIARRA: I've been really listening to "Don't Give Up" by Gunna. Y'all can go Google that.

XAVIER SNEED: For me it would probably be J. Cole, "January 28th."

MAKOL MAWIEN: I'd probably say Drake, Look Alive.

KAMAU STOKES: I don't even think I have a specific song. Yeah, I don't have a specific song. Migos, something like that. I don't know.

BARRY BROWN, JR.: I'd probably say "I Get the Bag" but Gucci Man, featuring Takeoff and Quavo.

Q. Bruce, how sensitive have you been over the course of your career to criticisms about recruiting when you're not sort of operating in that five-star level? And is there any sort of extra satisfaction for you, given all the controversy around the sport this year that you bring a team here that is not a team full of five-star type kids, it's been a more developmental type team?

BRUCE WEBER: You know, I don't -- it doesn't bother me. Obviously I'm human, and I really try to stay away from social media, from papers. I used to listen to talk radio and then I became a head coach, and I had to go to country music, so -- just to have something to listen to and not hear people talk about me.I just try to do it the right way. You know, at Purdue, years and years as an assistant, we got a lot of kids that weren't top 100 that ended up in the NBA. We did the same at Southern Illinois, took it to the Sweet 16 with guys that weren't even recruited by other Division I schools. Illinois, I think we've done okay there. We did some special things, had some guys play in the NBA.You know, I just tried to do it right, the way I feel it should be done. I don't like what is going on in our business, to be honest. You know, but it is -- I just kind of -- you can't do anything about it. If it is that bad and some of the stuff comes out, it needs to be changed, and I hope it does get changed.But all I can worry about is myself and making sure that I do things the right way and help them develop, and I know when the paper comes to your door or the news comes on, my kids don't have to worry that I did something I'm not supposed to.

Q. Did you have any problems with the Kentucky players or coaches in the handshake --

BRUCE WEBER: I'll be honest, I shook hands with everybody, and I don't know -- I turned around, and like the guys said, I didn't see what happened. Maybe our guys were celebrating and didn't get there. You know, it's done and over with. It's such an emotional game for both teams. Obviously it's tough to try to keep your emotions.I told our guys, hopefully we act with class and do things right, but all we can worry about now is what's coming up, and that's got to be our focus, getting ready for Loyola.

Q. I'm sure on some level you've been conscious of the early skepticism of a segment of the fan base, and this was a little different than the last question. I wonder how you process that in terms of their embracing you, and how different it feels now to have turned this this way. I don't know how you've contended with that through the years.

BRUCE WEBER: You know, no matter where you are, there's always somebody that doesn't like you. Jud Heathcote, years ago he would call me when I took a job. He would say 10 percent of the fans don't like you, and it's going to increase every year, and that's every job. It's so hard with social media now, faceless opinions that can go negative, and then that influences other people, even though they might have no knowledge.It's part of it all. Again, all I can do is do my job right, recruit my butt off. I think if you go and look, I go out more days maybe than anyone else as a head coach, and I've always done that. We recruit good kids, and they graduate. For the most part, we've won. I think you go back, and some of the greatest -- the greatest part of Purdue's history, greatest part of Southern Illinois's history, greatest nine-year run in Illinois's history. And now we won a Big 12 championship that hasn't been done in 36 years, and now we're doing something special here.All of it -- it is what it is. I just care about our players, to be honest. You've got a guy, hometown product or state product in Dean Wade who's one of the best players in the country, and I hope people appreciate that. And then our other guys, how hard they've worked and how much they've improved, and I hope they're cheering for them, to be honest.

Q. This whole upstart thing has obviously been a theme throughout the tournament, particularly this region. But we're going to have at least three low seeds in the Elite 8, which seems extraordinary. As a guy who's been involved in college basketball for a while, are you surprised by this at all, or should we expect more of this in the future?

BRUCE WEBER: I'm not surprised. There's such good balance. You know, you just look at our league: Ten teams, all of them probably could have been tournament play, seven in the NCAA, two in the NIT, and Iowa State, if they don't get a couple of guys hurt, they might have been in the NIT. You've got such good balance, SEC, the ACC. There's just so many good teams.And so much is match-ups, and there's so many good teams not playing this weekend, and that's what I kept emphasizing to our guys. I don't care how we got here, we're playing. UMBC beat the No. 1 team in the country in Virginia. So they must be pretty good, at least on that given night, they are and that given weekend.But I think you've seen it more and more, the balance, the guys leaving early. The teams that keep guys and get older, they have a chance of beating people. Our guys talked about experience is such a difference maker.You know, so I think it's part of college basketball. It's what makes March Madness special.

Q. What is your reaction to facing Loyola in the Elite 8, a 9 versus 11, given your history at Illinois, and do you feel vindicated as a coach somewhat based upon the way things ended with the Illini to be back on this stage?

BRUCE WEBER: Well, I'm happy for our guys to be here. This is a great group, and they've worked so hard to get here, and it's -- I'm glad they're being rewarded. But they've rewarded -- they've earned it. They've rewarded themselves by how hard they play, how they play together.To play Loyola, we can't -- I told the guys, you can't look at the name, you can't look at the league. You've got to look at the team. They're a good team, and they've -- I mentioned they beat Florida at Florida earlier in the year, they beat Tennessee who won the SEC; they beat Miami out of the ACC. So they've got to be pretty good, and whatever they've done here as of late, they're hot. They play together. They've got -- it's kind of interesting, experience, but then they've got some young guys that have really stepped up.You look at them, great togetherness, Porter has done a great job with them. They guard, they scheme, they play off each other. So it's -- you know, it's going to be a tough game. We're going to have to play special, and that's what I keep emphasizing to our guys.

Q. What kind of relationship have you had with Porter Moser over the years as your paths have crossed?

BRUCE WEBER: You know, I've known Porter just obviously being in the business, being around him. We played one time. He was at Illinois State and I was at Illinois. We had to play our butts off. In fact, Illinois fans, Deron Williams broke his jaw and had it wired, and we weren't going to play him, but we were struggling and Deron came and had to play with a wired jaw and pretty much won the game for us.He's got -- I know because of Tony Barone, because of Coach Majerus, guys that he had gone through. I think he's got a little bit of both those guys, the toughness, the defense, the scheming, the discipline, the shot fakes, all those stuff I watched those coaches do. And he does it, and that's why they're good.You know, he's a good guy for the business, and I'm happy he got a second chance, and he's been able to have success because, as I said, he's a good person, good coach.

Q. If I understood you correctly last night, I think you alluded to some things you might have derived from Coach Snyder, maybe particularly on points of focus. But I just wonder in general to what degree you've borrowed from him or learned from him and been influenced by him?

BRUCE WEBER: Well, one, when I got the job, Roy Williams -- I've told this story -- called me, and he said, two things: First, it's a long way to the Kansas City airport. And he said, the only -- he said it was long to Lawrence, but the only good thing is right when I got off, I saw the sign 94 miles to -- or whatever it is, to Manhattan at that point. And I said, Coach, I'm sorry to tell you, but we have direct flights now in and out. And he said, no way. And I said, yes, we do, so we can go to Dallas and Chicago. But he said the other thing, you'd better grab on to Coach Snyder and learn as much as you can.I think you guys know he's not somebody that's going to bring you in his office and -- but I've gone in, talked to him, obviously just watching him, listening to him, whether it's media, press conference, after-game, being around. I learned a lot from our radio people, Stan and Wyatt, because they're around him so much, and how he prepares, and how important is the game, one game at a time, all that stuff.And believing in -- when everybody else, like this year, thought they had no chance, and they go to Oklahoma State, and all of a sudden they're kicking their butt. And he was the one who focused on the game plan and getting them ready, and those guys were ready, and that's -- I've kind of learned from that. There's no doubt about it.But just amazing what he's done there, and he deserves his name to be on that stadium.

Q. I'm sure you've seen things and players who wound up playing at the next level in their college days that led you to believe they could. Do you see anything with Xavier, especially after a game last night, that kind of lends a glimpse at his potential maybe?

BRUCE WEBER: Yeah, I don't think there's any doubt. If he continues to make the progress that -- when NBA guys come, and we've had more come -- we had obviously Wes last year. And we had some guys with Rod and that group before that. When they come and watch, when they watch Wes, right away they brought up Xavier. And obviously they look at athleticism, they look at his size, and he's got to make that progression.He took a big step this year. He knows -- and I've told the story before. He came into the office, he said, Coach, don't even say anything when we had our year-end meeting. I know what I need to do. It's much harder than I thought, and I've got to work at it.And I hope he has the same mindset this year because he's taken one step, now you've got to take another step. If he keeps making that progress, he has a chance to do it. Like Wes, because of his versatility and athleticism. He has a chance to play at the next level.

Q. Bruce, if you could take us back to the 2014-2015 season when you kind of had the culture reset in the program, how difficult was that knowing that perhaps by letting some of these talented players go that you wouldn't even be around to finish it through and to still be coaching there?

BRUCE WEBER: Well, I believe in doing things the right way, and I said many times, K-State, Coach Snyder has created -- there's a culture there. There's a pride. There's a family. When people say family, everywhere they are, this nation, this family, it's truly there. It's special. Until you're part of it, you don't really realize it.You know, I've said, we want guys that make K-Staters proud. Our guys weren't acting the right way. A couple of them came, I thought were pretty good kids, and things happened in life and they changed. And then another couple we maybe didn't look into it enough or trusted people that were in their little circle that they were going to do things the right way. We had to make a decision, a hard decision, but at the same time, it was not fun to coach.People have asked me what's the best thing about this year. It's fun to coach. We have kids that I don't have to fight them every day. I haven't had to raise my voice, maybe a handful of times. I didn't have to every day wake up and worry are they doing the right thing. You know, are they taking care of business. That's no fun to watch.I wanted guys that wanted to be there, wanted to do things right, wanted to get better and improve. It was hard, it was difficult, but our staff should get some credit. They stayed the course. We did. And now we've got some guys that have made the strides to help us get here.

Q. At Illinois you met a guy like Jim Fannin who became somewhat of an advisor, I believe. I wonder how he's helped you throughout your career, especially in some of those more difficult times.

BRUCE WEBER: Actually talked to him this morning, and got some little ideas about some themes. I always try to have themes, quotes, things for -- actually it started at Southern Illinois. We brought him in kind of before he even got on to the scene, and he talked to our guys and latched on to us and did a great job.You're always looking for motivational guys, speakers, that can help the players, help the coaches, take them to a new level. And he does a great job with that.He texts me off and on during the year, sees things, watches our games, gives me little tips, ideas. And I love that stuff, and I think our players buy into it also, some ways to focus on the game, but also the week, the season, whatever it may be.

Q. Kansas State basketball, much of its history has been forgotten by the nation. Four Final Fours, but the truth is the last one was 54 years ago. What would this mean for the program and kind of etching your name in this team's history into that legacy?

BRUCE WEBER: Well, it would be special, there's no doubt. When you talk about some of the greatest coaches in the history of college basketball, obviously Tex Winter, Coach Hartman, Jack Gardner, Cotton Fitzsimmons, it's amazing. And when people come to our practice facility and walk in and see those guys, I don't think people realize it.And as you said, it was a while ago, and people -- we'll say names of -- we'll say Michael Jordan to our players or to young kids, they don't even know who he is. That's how things change.But it would be great. I mean, you saw the emotion of Ernie Barrett yesterday, and he's a special man, Mr. K-State, done so much for the University. Obviously it would be -- he's one that's alive and experienced and been part of it. For him it would be special, there's no doubt, and for our program.

Q. Is there one player that you can point to who's set the example for the defensive toughness that this team has, and if not one player, is there one factor that you attribute that to?

BRUCE WEBER: Barry Brown, there's no doubt about it. When he was a freshman, I said, who's going to be our defensive stopper, and he's very stubborn. He's a little bit confident, overconfident, but he said, I am going to be, Coach. And he got cooked a little bit as a freshman, got better last year. He was one of the tops in the nation in steals a year ago. And then this year, he kind of has taken it on, just to be the stopper. He hasn't probably gotten as many steals because he's been locked in on so many guys.You just look at the tournament, Big East Player of the Year, Marcus Foster, Lyles, American East player, last night Alexander, SEC, I think MVP of the tournament, if I'm right. And then even last night, we had to switch him on Knox.He's been the leader. Xavier has really taken some pride as the season has gone on in being a stopper. We've convinced him of that. And then the other guys just have kind of bought into it.

Q. Did you come up with your pregame quote yet for this game. And a side question, I wonder if you could describe what was going on with Kam last night. You were on the court, you had both arms around him and you were laughing. It was kind of a tense time. You got him laughing.

BRUCE WEBER: Well, with Kam, I was just trying to get him to calm down. He had kind of messed up on the defensive side and didn't run a play, got going fast. I just said, hey, you've got to calm down, just relax. You've got to smile. You've got to enjoy it. We're not mad at you. We just want you to do well and do what you're supposed to, stay calm and poised. I guess I got him to smile a little bit, and he made some big plays.Obviously he's not where he should be or could be and where he was, but we keep telling him he can help us, and he's done great things to help us to be here.And then with the theme, actually I was talking to Jim this morning on the phone a little bit, and the coaches, we always think of some ideas. But for tonight, we'll probably talk about mostly, really don't worry about yesterday, don't worry about tomorrow, worry about today, and preparing. We've talked all this last stretch about your body, taking care of it, your mind, your preparation, and then your heart, playing for your teammates. And that's kind of what we've kind of stuck with as a general thing over this last month.

Q. You're a 9 now in the Elite 8, and in 2002 you were -- Southern Illinois in the Sweet 16, but you also had the No. 1 team in the country in 2005 that was very close to being undefeated. When you're on a run like this, is it more fun if you're the one that is not supposed to be here than the one that is?

BRUCE WEBER: Well, I think both of them are obviously enjoyable, just to advance each time with each group. But you know, there's no doubt when you -- like Southern Illinois for what we did, you know, just to win one and then to win two and then to go -- I mentioned the other day, we walk in there and it's UConn, it's Maryland, it's Kentucky and Southern Illinois. You know, our guys were all giggling when we were running out for practice. I said, what's the matter. They said, Coach, look at those banners. We don't belong here.But two of those guys were at our Charlotte games, a couple were here last night, and they just said, make sure they don't get tight, that they enjoy it, that they're ready to play. I thought our guys were very, very focused.You know, the run with Illinois, just amazing how our guys stayed the course with all the attention. I mean, every day we had this many people doing stories about us because we had a chance to be undefeated. I know the week that I said I am not going to allow any media on, I got hugs, kisses -- into the practice facility. They were so happy, because they just wanted to relax and be young men.But all the runs are special. There's no doubt.

Q. I was just wondering with Barry, how did you come across him on the recruiting trail, and how has he sort of developed for you?

BRUCE WEBER: Well, our staff does a great job of finding guys, and we don't have a great big population base in Kansas, and we got one pretty good player from there. If you look at the rosters of Kansas, Wichita, and us, there aren't a lot of Kansas kids. They've had some great history in Kansas basketball, Kansas City, Wichita basketball. But it runs in cycles. It runs in cycles, and it's been a little bit of a down cycle. Hopefully it'll pick up. So we've got to go all over the place.Barry was actually the eighth man on his AAU teams but he was on a team with kids that went to Duke, Louisville, North Carolina, I mean, all the top kids. And we just appreciated how he was patient. He stuck with that team because a lot of guys, if you're eighth man and you're good, you're going to another team, and he stuck with them, and when he got his chance, he always did good things. And that summer, he got away from his team one weekend, and he was the leading scorer at the Oladipo camp, and there was no doubt in our mind that we wanted him. And Coach Frazier did a good job with him and his dad.And then when other people came in, some of the bigger schools, the local schools, he already committed to us, but he -- the dad said, hey, where were you guys before, these guys have been here the whole time, so we appreciate their loyalty, so glad to have him, and glad it's worked out for him.

PORTER MOSER: Just excited for our guys. I mean, they're ready. We just had a great workout, and same kind of prep. You've got one day to get ready for Kansas State. We've got a ton of respect for Kansas State. They've guarded as well as anybody in this tournament. I think they're giving up 33 percent in three games. Really a lot of respect for how hard they play, especially how they're guarding.

Q. Ben and Clayton, Clayton, I know you mentioned you had some friends who were Jayhawk fans back home. Any K-State connections for either of you, friends, family, et cetera?

CLAYTON CUSTER: Yeah, I mean, me and Ben both know a lot of people from our high school that go to K-State. We have a lot of friends that go there, people who we were really close with in high school. Yeah, we've definitely gotten some texts and calls from people who go to K-State for sure.

Q. What are the nature of those?

CLAYTON CUSTER: Oh, I mean, they're pulling -- I think they're kind of pulling for us, just because of our relationship. At least I hope they are. They might be saying that to my face. I don't know if they actually believe it or not. But yeah, it's all good natured.

BEN RICHARDSON: Yeah, I mean, I've received lots of texts, as well. You know, I got a couple that were like, cheering for you to win this game, but if K-State wins, then I don't know if I can pull for you, like joking around. But it's all in good nature. We get a lot of good support from back home, and it's been really good to see all the people reaching out to us.

Q. Donte, I was curious with the '63 title team, how much ownership do you take in that title for the school? Like is that something if you got into some trash-talking, would you bring up the fact that this happened in history, or is it so far removed that you guys never even really think about it?

DONTE INGRAM: I mean, when you talk about having pride for your school, and tradition comes up in conversation, obviously, that's something that -- Loyola has the only championship in Illinois. A lot of people forget that. I mean, we take a lot of pride in that. That's something that doesn't go away ever, obviously. Yeah, we take a lot of pride in tradition, and our history is very important.MARQUES TOWNES: I mean, yeah, just like Donte said, it's great tradition. I know we always talk about -- the '63 team always comes in and always tries to talk to us and give us their support. They always joke around and say we're better than them, that they have support for us. And we're happy to talk to them, and we're happy to have them along on this run. Like he said, it's tradition, and we're looking forward to the next challenge.

Q. Has there been anything they've told you in this tournament that has been useful or has been a motivating kind of thing for you guys?

CAMERON KRUTWIG: I don't know if they've told us anything in this tournament, but obviously they're always around. They come to practices and stuff like that. It's just cool to see those guys kind of around and that they're still connected with us. It's not even really sometimes about basketball, it's just kind of about stories that they have and things that they've experienced in their life. Not necessarily just about basketball, just about their life and how they grew up and stuff like that. So when I came here, it's definitely pretty cool to see those guys around and just kind of learn history from them and just kind of take what I wanted from them.

Q. Donte, as a kid growing up in Chicago, did you have an awareness of Illinois basketball and what Bruce Weber did with that program and the success they had even going as far back as 2005?

DONTE INGRAM: Yeah, I mean, obviously growing up in Danville, Illinois, which is very close to Champaign Urbana and the U of I campus, I was very aware, a big fan of Dee Brown and all those guys, and that was a big thing when they were going up against North Carolina on their great run. That was basically the school for me growing upright next to U of I. Yeah, obviously I'm aware of the tradition, the 217. Another guy from the 217, so yeah.

Q. Clay and Ben, talk about three Blue Valley Northwest students in this, the exposure for Blue Valley Northwest, Overland Park, the Kansas City area in general, from two teams that a lot of people didn't expect. Talk about the exposure for the area back home.

CLAYTON CUSTER: Yeah, I mean, it's obviously really cool for us. I think we're making Coach Fritz a popular guy right now. He's been joking with us that we're making him famous. I don't know, it's been really fun. It speaks to a lot of what Coach Fritz has done with that program, Blue Valley Northwest. It has to be one of the best high school basketball coaches in the country.I'm glad that me and Ben are getting to experience this as well as Mason over there at K-State. We have a real good relationship with him and just happy for him that he's getting to experience this, too.

BEN RICHARDSON: Yeah, just to go off that, we're super blessed that Fritz put together that team back in, whatever, third grade, fourth grade, and we came together and ended up at Blue Valley Northwest and got a chance to be taught such an advanced level of basketball at a young age. He instilled so many values and intensity and just the right way to play for me and Clay growing up. And it was just great.It's good to see that he's kind of getting in the spotlight a little bit. He came down to all the games, and he's so happy for us. It's really special, and it speaks a lot to how great of a coach he was, that me, Mason and Clay, all down here playing in the Elite 8.

Q. This is for Donte and Ben. You guys have reached a crossroads that most college athletes don't get to, which is that if you win, it's like basketball immortality, but if you lose, your Loyola careers are over. What must that feel like?

DONTE INGRAM: You know, obviously we're very happy and fortunate to be in this position, but we don't take any of these moments for granted. You know, obviously being seniors, me and Ben -- I've been here since day one with Ben, from freshman year to now. We've came a very long way together.Obviously to be here in year four, and we're in the Elite 8, and a week from now, college basketball will be over, we don't take these moments for granted. We want to leave it all out there and do whatever we can do to help the team win.BEN RICHARDSON: Yeah, I mean, it's definitely a lot of big-time moments. And just being in this position, like Donte said, we're just super grateful to be here, and we're grateful for all the hours that our teammates have put in, our coaches have put in. You know, we're not necessarily thinking about basketball immortality or what it means to get to a certain point. We just want to win the next game, and we're focused on what we've got to do daily and in our preparation and all the little things that we've got to do leading up to winning the next game.You know, I mean, that's just the main focus is taking care of the next one.

Q. Marques obviously hit the big shot last night, your first year of eligibility. Can you just talk about your journey to Loyola and getting to this point like from high school and everything?

MARQUES TOWNES: Well, first off, I want to thank Coach Moser for recruiting me after I decided to transfer. That was a really good moment for me coming to my official visit at Loyola and just being there. When I first got there, it just felt like family, and that was the main thing for me. It felt like a home. So that's when I decided to come here.The journey has been long. Unfortunately, we didn't have any postseason tournaments last year, but we had a real good team. We had real good heart. Just trying to push the guys in practice all last year. It was a long journey. For any redshirt, for any player that has to sit out, it's kind of rough mentally, but you just stick with it.And now this year, I'm just fortunate and blessed to be with these guys. This is a special group of guys right here, and we've been doing this all year, just one game at a time. Coach has instilled a good culture in us, and he's just a really good coach, and I'm really happy to be playing for him.I'm just happy to be in this position in the Elite 8 now. This is amazing. Just my first year back, I can't believe it, back-to-back NCAA appearances. It's amazing.

Q. Clayton, I guess you and Dean were back-to-back Gatorade Players of the Year, right, in Kansas? How well do you know each other as that? And along with that, why are there so many Kansas people in this tournament at this stage?

CLAYTON CUSTER: Yeah, I mean, I think it speaks to Kansas high school basketball. I think there's a lot of good players in the area. I mean, Dean was a really good player in high school. We don't know each other barely at all. I had somebody tweet a picture at me. There was like an All-State banquet thing when I was like a sophomore or junior, and I didn't even remember that we were both on it at the same time. But there was like -- we were standing right next to each other in the picture, me and Dean. That was kind of funny. But we don't really know each other very well at all.But I mean, I think it just goes to show Kansas high school basketball might be a little underrated, and I think that it might deserve a little bit more respect.

Q. Clayton, a little detail kind of, but I noticed after the last game, you did a TV interview on the court, and you turned, and a number of K-State players just came up to you and congratulated you. Were those guys you knew, or was that just they were swept up in the ending and happy for you?

PORTER MOSER: So one of them was Mason Schoen, and me and Ben played high school basketball with him. He went to Blue Valley Northwest with us, but he was a year older than us. We won a state championship together. We obviously have a really close relationship with him, and we're happy for him that we're in this situation.And then the other one was Amaad Wainright. We grew up playing against him around the area in Kansas City, and his older brother, Ishmail, played at Baylor, and we all know each other. We all work out in the same gyms all the time in Kansas City. We have mutual respect for each other, and I think that we're all happy that we're in this -- like experiencing this at the same time.

Q. What will it be like, particularly playing against guys who you played against in high school, now seeing them on this level, the biggest stage you guys have ever been on?

CLAYTON CUSTER: I mean, it'll be cool. I think once the ball goes up, it's a basketball game. We're going to be competing, trying to win the game. But I mean, obviously we know a couple of the guys over there, and we know what they can do. So I mean, I think we'll be talking to our guys about the guys we know on their team, and I'm sure they'll be talking about us over there.But like I said, I think once the ball goes up, it's a competition, and we're going to try to win the game.BEN RICHARDSON: Yeah, I mean, I think it's definitely a lot of mutual respect. We kind of understand where each other has been and a lot of the hard work that each other has put in. Like Clay said, we've spent a lot of time working out in the same gyms for a long time. The first time we played, we played in an open gym against Ish and Amaad probably in like fourth grade. And that was the first time I met them, and we like guest-played in tournaments together and stuff like that.So it's cool to see how far we've all came, and it's a good, mutual respect for the way that each of us has worked on our game to get to this stage and the Elite 8.

Q. Coach, this whole upstart thing obviously has been a theme throughout the tournament, particularly in the South Region, but there's going to be at least three low seeds in the Elite 8, maybe even four potentially. As a guy who's coached for a while, are you surprised by this? Should anybody be surprised by this? If not, what has sort of fed into this do you think moving forward?

PORTER MOSER: You know, I'm not surprised. You know, watching, being a fan and a coach for so long, it's madness. There's things that happen. I think there's a lot of parity in the game, and I love it for our league. There was a lot of talk that we weren't going to get in if we didn't win the tournament, and we know in the Missouri Valley how good a league it is from top to bottom. And for us to get in here, I think it's going to spark conversation about this, and I know the committees have such a hard job. Trust me, I know. I know people on the committee. It is a really, really hard job.But it was -- I'm not surprised there's low seeds in here. I mean, things happen. There's a lot of parity, and especially when you -- you get a group, and we're kind of hitting. We've got a group that really believes. They're finding ways to win, and things happen this time of year, especially when you get a group that just believes and has made some really clutch shots down the stretch.

Q. You said it should spark conversation maybe or could. What should the conversation be?

PORTER MOSER: Well, about, you know, the system, I think it's tough. There was so much talk that we weren't even in the conversation to get in, and we felt that we won our league by four games. It's an amazing stat with Clayton Custer; we're 29-2 with Clayton Custer. Because he was injured five games. I just think it's -- we have a lot of respect. I think there's a lot of leagues that are really good.Now, I understand it. I understand that it's a hot topic with this, and trust me, I'm the first one to say, the committee has a really hard job.But I think it's -- I'm very proud of our team, what we've done, now we've gotten in, and we've shown that we belong here. This team did.It's hard to imagine if we didn't win the tournament, and not get this opportunity and get this stage. I know it's a reality of the way the tournament is, but I think that -- the first part of the question was am I surprised that there's low seeds advancing? And my answer is no, I'm not surprised that low teams are advancing.

Q. I'm sure there were lots of milestones along the way that you would know about, but it's seven years for it to hit in a quantifiably huge way. How much has it meant for you to have that time to build it your way?

PORTER MOSER: You know, like you know from being there in Chicago, it was a grass-roots rebuild. But the dynamics changed when you jump to the Missouri Valley, when we jumped. The first year we took a step back, and then that second year in the Valley, we won 24 games, and we won the CBI Tournament.And we've just kind of been building and getting our arrow going up. And I think -- I hope we're an example of, you know, it takes time. I get it. I've been there. Fans, administrations, they want it so fast, and it's tough.Culture is when your young guys come in, and the older guys have the habits of what you want, of what you want to build. Culture is about the accumulation of a bunch of habits, and when you take over a program, if it's down, then you have a whole locker room of guys you didn't recruit, and it's going to take some time. Your first recruiting class comes in, it's going to take some time.We really started turning the corner when Donte and Ben were freshmen, and those seniors were a guy like Christian Thomas, a kid like Joe Crisman, a kid named London Dokubo, really, really tough kids. And those young guys came in like this is how it's going to be. This is how you're going to act off the floor, this is how hard we work, this is how hard we invest. And now, look, now they come in, now Cameron Krutwig, Lucas Williamson, Christian Negron, they come in and these guys are seniors. This is all they know now is our culture. It takes time.So the feeling of building it and really getting it to this point the right way with culture, I'm blessed and -- you know, the administration and the fan base were steadfast on this is how we want. We're not going to bend on the academics at Loyola, that's first and foremost, and the type of character and the person that is at Loyola. We're not going to bend on that. So we were on the same page.That is such a great example of trust in your fan base, in the community of doing it the right way.

Q. What do you remember about the time you played against Illinois and Bruce Weber, and how would you describe your relationship with Bruce over the years?

PORTER MOSER: Bruce is a great coach, great guy. I've known him over the years. Illinois guy. What I remember is the one game we played there, and I know -- trust me, it sticks in my craw, that game. I was at Illinois State. We were just taking over that team, and we were in last place when we got there, and we played the team with Dee Brown, Deron Williams, Luther Head, Roger Powell, Augustine, they were loaded. Not that I look at lines, but it was probably a 25-point underdog. But we went in there, and we had a shot to win it at the buzzer. We missed it. It goes into overtime.Deron Williams wasn't supposed to play. It was one of those things, yeah, he's not going to play. He plays, and he has like 29 against us, and we lost in overtime.So that was -- and I think at that time, I don't think Illinois State had won at Illinois ever, or it had been umpteen years, but I remember that game vividly. They were a great team, and Deron Williams went off and had a great game. That was my experience of that game.But Bruce has got a ton of respect all around the coaching profession, just always been -- from his days at Southern to Illinois to here, just phenomenal team defense. They're physical. They don't make it easy. They make it hard. So a ton of respect for what he's done at every stop of his journey.

Q. My question, I guess, is about Clayton. You mentioned being 29-2 with him in the lineup. Obviously he has wonderful skill but probably some intangibles, too. I'm curious what it's like coaching him, and could you tell us a little bit about as a player what stands out to you about him?

PORTER MOSER: It's a kind of -- all these guys are coaches' dreams kind of kids. It's by design. That's some of the character we recruit. But Clayton is one of those guys that -- it's like how they talk about a great quarterback in the huddle; if you're in that huddle, you hear offensive linemen and other positions say, you just know we're going to march down that field because of the confidence he instills and everything.That's kind of the way they feel with Clayton. Clayton has that ball and he's leading us, you have that comfort level that he's just got a high IQ. You talk about off the floor, I mean, he's an Academic All-American. He's a first-class citizen. After practice always getting his shots up. You don't have to coach -- I can say this about all these guys. I don't have to coach energy. I don't have to coach effort. We can coach the fundamentals and the detail of the game.That's a big reason why I think we're making a step forward. Our time and energy is focused in on the -- the culture of energy and effort is already instilled. Clayton is one of those guys, he's got a winning mentality, as a lot of them do. He's about winning. This is a great statement about Clayton Custer: The first game Donte hit the big shot, and he was up here humbly saying, you know, any one of these guys could have shaken that shot.The next night against Tennessee, Clayton hit that shot. He was humbly up here saying the same thing. And then we had a week where Clayton got a ton of hype. I mean, we're on campus, we had a welcome back party, Clayton was -- hit the shot to go to the Sweet 16. And he's in the position to do it again. And a lot of people would be like I'm going to do that again, and he drew the help, drew the corner, and kicked it, and it was just a winning play. And then Marques was the one that stepped up and hit the shot with three minutes left.Clay did the same thing. We drew a little play for him, drew the baseline, turned, found 'Dre for a shot. Didn't try to force it. If he has it, he takes it. If he doesn't, he knows how to spray it. He's about winning instead of like, I've got to get mine.

Q. If I can just ask you, I didn't get a chance to get into your press conference the other day, but right before the three-pointer that ended up being the game winner, Nevada's two fouls down with fouls to give. Were you surprised they didn't foul you to get you to the line before that three-pointer?

PORTER MOSER: No, because he was in the same boat I was. You have to make a split decision. There was a point there where we were like, should we -- you start to think, should I call a time-out? This is a big possession. There was a six- or seven-second difference. If they foul, then you're pretty much saying, you were going to try to make them miss free throws because they're going to foul and foul and foul again until you get it because the shot clock resets, right? They rolled with their defense. And they can score so fast.For me, I decided not to take a time-out because then you have to inbound the ball, knowing they have some fouls, and they could be denying everything and making -- they could hold, grab, do whatever, because they have fouls to give, and we'd have to get it inbounds two or three times, which you're vulnerable to turnovers.So you have a small window to make that decision, and at that time -- I probably would have done the same thing. You're gambling on your defense. They get a stop, they've got seven or eight seconds, and they're a fast transition team.You know, he's a really good coach, and I'm telling you, Nevada was one of the hardest teams I've had to scout against in a long time. It's just one of those things they can go either way. Marques made the shot, and then I knew I wanted to call a quick time-out because they just blow and go. And you at least -- because they can score in two seconds.So that was just kind of my thought process at the end of not calling a time-out because with fouls to give, their length, switching everything, you've got to inbound it two or three times in a row, which was prone for a turnover if something went wrong.

Q. Talking about the preparation for Nevada, I was struck going in the locker room all the posters with the plays all over the wall. What goes into that work? What's the benefit? And how do you turn around that much information in what's a really short period of time heading into tomorrow?

PORTER MOSER: You know, I think we underestimate the youth on how much they can absorb. Some people have that philosophy of, I don't want to give them too much, overload. Our guys embrace it. But in terms of that, the way that locker room looks, you know, you could rewind the clock to every locker room at St. Louis with Rick Majerus. You could rewind that clock to Utah with Rick Majerus. I took that from Coach.We travel with it. We have a war room. We put everything up. We travel with it in the locker room. The guys embrace it if they're sitting -- I don't know if it's through osmosis or anything. It's if you can pick up a competitive advantage on stopping a play here or there. But this group embraces preparation. You can hear some of the things they say. They embrace it.Some people's philosophy think it's overkill. I understand that. There's a million ways to skin a cat. That's something these guys embrace, and in terms of how that locker room looked, what you're referring to, it had Rick Majerus all over it.

Q. Given all the controversy around college basketball this year, how much of a relief is it that you recruit at this level and typically you guys aren't involved in the top 100 kids and some of the stuff that goes along with that?And secondly, do you think maybe that is part of why the country has kind of embraced this run that you guys are on, because it kind of seems a little different maybe than what some of the other top programs do to build their teams?

PORTER MOSER: You know, I can't speak about how the country feels or not. I love how our team has been embraced because I think we play the right way. I think we share the ball. I think we're tough. And I think they've embraced that mentality.You know, in terms of recruiting, I'll be honest, I want to recruit top 100 players. I do. You name one coach that says they don't want to recruit -- I want to get those players. We're going to continue with that.You know, I think we're getting very good players. I do think -- we've never been a team of recruiting a number because it's rated this for your fan base. We've gotten guys that fit what we do. But trust me, I mean, we're going to continue to recruit at a high level.But you know, we believe there's a certain way to do it. We're going to -- obviously follow the rules and do it the right way. You'd be -- that's something that we all want to recruit at a high level and those players. It's not because we don't want to go down that path. That's not the case. These kids, there's so many good kids out there. There's so many good coaches out there doing it the right way, and we all want the same thing.

Q. It's very unusual to have four players sitting on the front row from a championship team of 55 years ago or whatever. Heard the players talk about what it means to them. For you, what kind of resource is that, not only for your players but for you, and what do you think it would mean to them to have you guys continue this run?

PORTER MOSER: Well, in 2013, I was fortunate enough to ride their coattails to the White House. President Obama had us in the White House for the 50th anniversary for the Game of Change. And I got to spend a couple days with them as we traveled to Washington, D.C., and I was just blown away by their character, about the stories they told, just sitting there listening to the whole story behind the Game of Change.I love that this run is sparking the renewed conversation of what that team meant to our country and integration, and to hear the stories firsthand from them and to hear the brotherhood that they had, the black guys, the white guys, everyone together. It was a brotherhood, it was a high character. They embraced the Loyola education.It just solidified about what we were trying to do. And I said from there, the past is a part of our future. And that '63 team had zero ego. They were never like, hey, you'll never be us. We're the -- bowing our chest on this. They've had open arms, trying to be role models, mentors, whatever it is, to our guys from the moment I stepped on campus. And you appreciate that. They're about the right thing, the right way.They paved a path for so many of the student-athletes to come after them that I hope the story to the youth is being told and told again, that they know what the Game of Change and the Loyola '63 team meant to our country and the world of college basketball.

Q. Porter, how would you describe the level of surprise maybe your players have now because they seem a little bit more matter of fact today. I don't know if the novelty has worn off, if they just have gotten used to being the team that maybe has opened some eyes.

PORTER MOSER: You know, Andy Katz said that to me. We were talking in the locker room, and he said, I've never seen the team so chill after they went to the Elite 8. Trust me, these guys are bouncing off walls. They're so excited. They're embracing it. But it's just kind of been who we are, about the next game. They've wanted more.I told this story to some press yesterday. When we won a share of the conference title, the Missouri Valley, at Evansville, so we knew we were co-champs with three games left, and we were at least co-champs. And I did a courtside interview, I come in the locker room, and it was just -- I'm like, you guys, we're -- they were like, no, they didn't even want to celebrate. They're like, we want the word "co" out of that equation, and it's been like that every step of the way.When we got into the tournament, it was like, we didn't want to just be here. It's just kind of the way they are. Trust me, we've had -- they're bouncing around like little kids. They're so excited. But they just have this edge to them that they believe and they want more, they want more. They enjoy the moment.Some of these team meals back at the hotel after these wins are priceless, when everybody is not around, and it's just us, a couple hours after these three wins, and after our win in the conference tournament, and just those moments are unbelievable. Like little kids. And the next day, it's like -- like today, it was all about Kansas State, where it is. It's just kind of how they're wired with that.

Q. I would like to ask, Coach, about Rick Majerus. Obviously a great coach, but I'm curious as to maybe the two or three things that you took from him more than anything else in developing as a coach for yourself.

PORTER MOSER: You know, the way he taught it, he was a teacher. He embraced being a teacher from his days. My college coach, Tony Barone, was a teacher. That era of coaches started out, you'll hear stories, I started out in grade school, then I started in high school and I was a teacher. I remember Coach Barone getting mad at me because I went from playing for him at Creighton to coaching at Texas A&M. And he's like, you guys skip a step in the youth nowadays. It's true. I had to teach, I had to do this, I had to drive the high school van. That era was embraced being a teacher of the game.And working for him and then working for Coach Majerus, the attention to detail was off the rails. He was meticulous about teaching. He loved practice. And I've embraced that. Now, honest to God, head coaches, boosters, fans, players, assistant coaches love game day. Head coaches don't love game day as much as them. We love practice. So I took that from him.Sitting in a boardroom with Coach Majerus for a couple days preparing for a game was like nothing else. The way he looked at the film and talked about this, that, stopping this, what could we do, how do you do that. And then watching him game plan, his mind work was terrific.You know, I think that was some of the things. And then building it the right way. It kind of solidified what I've always tried to do is get kids who want to win. Coach Majerus, anybody who played for him and knows him, he had an affinity for post players. You look at his teams at Utah, he was stacked with big players. So I'd bring him a post player, I'd talk to him in the recruiting process. And his first question wasn't, was he athletic, how high did he jump, what could he do; it was does he love the game. That was the first question he'd ask, because if the big loves to play, I can help him get better. He always wanted to know that.That's why he'd love Cameron Krutwig. Coach Majerus would love Cameron Krutwig. The kid loves to play. But I took a lot of those things from Coach.