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Memphis coach Penny Hardaway and players Tyrese Hunter and Colby Rogers after Tigers upset UConn
Nov 25, 2024
#Memphis #UConn #Maui
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uh then turn to players uh questions
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please make sure you have a mic uh in
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your hand with player questions and then
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the players will take off and we'll STI
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uh coach Hardway will stay around for
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questions um this uh transcript of the
0:14
press conference will be available after
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uh so coach please start with your
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thoughts on today's game yeah what an
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unbelievable opportunity to be able to
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play the back toback national champions
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and then also win the game uh so big for
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our city for our school and for these
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young men who work so hard we're riding
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them really tough because we have to get
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it right right now we don't have the
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time to wait until conference starts
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because we have to do all our heavy
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lifted early and I put a ton of pressure
0:39
on them to be better than really where
0:41
they should be right now because they're
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still getting acclimated and trying to
0:44
know each other and uh just an
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unbelievable feeling right now to be
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sitting up here doing the hard work that
0:49
we put in is paying off and these guys
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are getting the reward so I'm thankful
0:53
for that thank God for that opportunity
0:55
all right please raise your hand
0:56
questions for uh teres and
0:58
Kobe um
1:01
Tyrese uh just
1:04
describe your feeling when you
1:08
were kind of on fire out there in that
1:11
stretch where you just felt like you
1:12
couldn't miss um I mean it felt good um
1:16
I played these guys last year um in New
1:18
York and I know the type of intensity
1:19
that they were going to bring for the
1:21
game so I know what to expect um but
1:23
just being in that stretch um and being
1:25
in the Flor feel good KOB you hit a
1:28
three in overtime that tied the game and
1:33
then I think you finished with eight or
1:34
nine points in that in overtime I
1:37
mean
1:39
just you describe
1:42
uh how clutch how clutch that was for
1:45
you yeah they I think it was a three
1:50
possession um so personally I think that
1:52
they give me a chance to shoot a three
1:54
I'll take it um I just you know attacked
1:57
was aggressive shot the three and then
1:59
just being I mean obviously PJ fou out
2:01
so this Nick man up that's why you know
2:03
our team is so dangerous because we're
2:05
so talented and so deep um you know once
2:08
PJ went out I got to step up be more
2:10
aggressive Reese is already on fire um
2:13
you know and then may shots in late and
2:17
we got the
2:20
win yeah for either player on what's
2:23
your thoughts when solo ball hits that
2:25
three-pointer I mean you guys have been
2:26
up what 12 I think with four minutes
2:29
seemed like you guys
2:30
for in control of the game and he hits
2:32
that what's sort of your what goes
2:34
through your mind and what do you say in
2:35
that huddle how do you regroup after
2:37
that um I could say cuz it was on me um
2:40
I turned my head um that's something
2:41
that we always say me playing Sho you
2:43
can't turn your head from him but um I
2:45
just told them like we got to go win a
2:47
game now you can't you know hold on to
2:48
the plays next play mentality so you got
2:50
to keep it moving and try to
2:54
win get him man
3:02
this is for Tyrese Tyrese what did it
3:04
feel like to play a game like this you
3:06
know high school gym you you teams
3:08
waiting to play Colorado Michigan State
3:10
there in the wings there and obviously a
3:11
very intense environment there was the
3:13
scuffle in the in the in the overtime uh
3:16
as a player in the middle of all of that
3:18
with such big emotional swings can you
3:19
describe what it felt like to uh to be
3:21
involved in that for 45 minutes oh I
3:23
mean it's it's intense but um when it
3:26
come down to it you got to make sure
3:28
your head is on straight um
3:30
don't lose track of you know what's
3:31
going on like with the emotions the
3:33
scramble that the guys have but you got
3:35
to you know make sure your guys together
3:37
so you continue to try to win the
3:40
game any other questions for the
3:46
players this is for both of you guys um
3:50
this is kind of a
3:52
statement when uh what is that
3:58
statement um just trying to identify who
4:01
we are um I think we work so hard that
4:05
you know we getting an opportunity to
4:07
showcase that um whether we don't care
4:10
anybody on the outside saying we trust
4:12
with the group of guys we got the
4:13
coaching staff the support staff our
4:14
players um just you know establishing
4:17
who we are um you know we just got to
4:19
keep
4:20
working feed was he said I think
4:22
internally kind like uh we're capable to
4:25
play with anybody um and we didn't we
4:28
just try to block out theide noise coach
4:30
har going have practice all the time we
4:32
going to have to take it nobody's going
4:34
to give anything to us so we came in
4:35
with that mentality um and we executed
4:38
it today so um I mean the statement just
4:41
you know kind of felt like that already
4:43
it's just a matter of just you know
4:44
showing to the
4:45
world two more questions for the players
4:48
I care hi guys for both of you guys uh
4:51
did you guys discuss the the situation
4:54
coming in here with what happened on
4:56
August 8th 2023 the fire here and then
4:59
the turn not being here last year did
5:01
you guys discuss that and before coming
5:04
here as a team and if so how cool was it
5:07
to kind of give the area a game like
5:10
that
5:11
today yeah um I mean it was unfortunate
5:14
what happened with the fire and
5:15
everything last year um so we wasn't
5:17
able to have the tournament last year
5:19
but um I think for us we just extremely
5:21
grateful to be here this year um to be
5:23
invited here and play Eon the first game
5:25
uh we looked at it like this is you know
5:27
opportunity in a lifetime this is by
5:29
guys play basketball while we be in the
5:31
gym while we wake up early late hours to
5:34
have games like this and to showcase our
5:36
talents so um just extremely we're
5:38
extremely grateful for this opportunity
5:40
um so
5:42
yeah for both you guys as well J in
5:45
makes all six of his free throws in the
5:47
last 40 seconds of the game what does
5:48
that sort of say about his composure and
5:50
tyres speaking to your point about guys
5:51
keeping the head L yeah I mean we trust
5:54
PJ I know as soon as they got the uh
5:55
Tech we sent PJ right to the line um we
5:58
know he's capable of um we confident him
6:00
to shoot him
6:02
so all right first last question for for
6:04
the guys yeah question for Tyrese kind
6:06
of a two-part question but obviously
6:08
with your knee issue going on you
6:10
haven't practiced much at all according
6:11
to Penny in the past two weeks what does
6:13
it take to be out of that Rhythm not
6:15
practice and then to do what you did
6:17
tonight or today on this stage um and
6:19
how's that KNE doing that's the second
6:20
part of the question um just you know
6:22
working with um training staff um I get
6:25
um the drill and stuff you know get out
6:26
there break a sweat um get shots up and
6:29
stuff so not like I'm you know totally
6:31
just sitting on the side leg kicked up
6:32
or something like that but you know I'm
6:33
still getting work in Mak sure I'm
6:35
standy
6:36
so all right kobby Tyrese thanks for
6:38
being here guys are excused any
6:41
questions for uh
6:47
coach biggest one of your
6:51
career yeah with the magnets with what's
6:54
going on here at the Invitational I can
6:55
say yes I mean
6:57
that's back to back national champ iions
6:59
undefeated first round of the Maui
7:01
tournament when we first got picked to
7:03
play him I was like okay okay starting
7:07
off with a bang and um you know I just
7:09
got our team prepared I used it as
7:11
motivation did you had some big on to
7:13
beat Houston when they were number one
7:16
Tennessee uh at Tennessee yeah a few
7:21
years ago uh so how does it feel I mean
7:25
like I'm I'm actually I'm not I'm not
7:27
taking any of this for granted because I
7:28
know how hard it is to win and
7:29
especially be a team like that but I'm
7:32
so excited for our University in the
7:33
city more so than anything because we
7:36
need more positivity we need more of
7:39
this to the city entire City's happy
7:41
right now and that makes me happy so
7:43
that's the magnitude that it has had on
7:45
this
7:46
win coach I mean in the um yesterday you
7:49
talked about you knew your team was
7:50
going to come in and play hard um you
7:52
were very disruptive with Yukon and they
7:54
couldn't get into what were you doing to
7:56
really make it very difficult for them
7:58
offensively to get into their stuff yeah
8:00
they're a well oil machine just watching
8:02
them man they're just like clockwork
8:04
because the times that we did allow them
8:06
to get into their stuff they made those
8:08
shots they're really efficient and
8:09
they're really sharp and what we had to
8:11
do was take the ball out of the point
8:12
guard's hands not let them get that
8:14
Rhythm as much as we could and then
8:16
they're so smart we knew they were going
8:18
to adjust again and they did and then
8:19
they got a rhythm where they got in
8:21
there got comfortable and then we
8:23
switched up defenses like three or four
8:24
more times and try to get them
8:25
uncomfortable again and it worked so you
8:27
can't give him a steady diet because
8:29
they're too
8:30
smart Penny what was your Vantage Point
8:34
what did you see on that scuffle with
8:35
about 40 seconds left and again we have
8:37
some players but what does that sort of
8:38
say about their composure and how they
8:40
handled the end of overtime there uh
8:42
yeah it was
8:44
um you know what happens all the time
8:46
and uh you know Dane reacted to Musa
8:49
being pushed down if that's what you're
8:50
talking about I was a little upset with
8:52
DNE because we had a technical right
8:54
there because Musha got Musa got pushed
8:55
down by Johnson because he filed out but
8:57
I'm never going to be a guy that doesn't
9:00
allow a teammate to take up for his
9:01
teammates so double foul their ball
9:04
let's go get a stop and let's get back
9:05
in it but I just saw that the team
9:07
unified more at that moment versus you
9:09
know being a part because he couldn't
9:11
stay where he was not cared but he cared
9:13
enough to come to Mo's defense and I
9:15
like that as
9:17
well Co coach uh oh right here uh
9:22
knowing that all that L has been through
9:24
to be able to come out on the first game
9:27
back here after the fire and and deliver
9:29
a game like that first of all did you
9:31
have a message for your team before
9:33
coming here along any of the lines of
9:36
you know what's gone on here and then to
9:38
be able to to deliver that game today
9:41
for the uh fans just all around uh how
9:44
cool was that yeah we were actually L
9:46
strong today to be very honest I mean
9:49
that just bleeds right into you know
9:51
what we talked about before we came over
9:53
here um went through the horrible
9:56
wildfires and it was devast but they
10:00
they grew together they they they they
10:01
bonded and I said we need to use that
10:04
type of strength for ourselves going
10:05
into this fabulous tournament and to be
10:07
able to give them this game today the
10:09
very first game at
10:11
9:30 it's amazing to jump start this
10:13
thing off and so thankful so blessed to
10:16
be here to get the invitation to come
10:18
and um I love everything about Mau man
10:21
I'm glad that it's recovering
10:23
now you know coach um one of the things
10:26
that you kind was able to do is you know
10:28
kind of extend the pressure on you start
10:29
to trap a little bit you know as you
10:31
start to turn to uh you know page to get
10:33
ready what kind of adjustments do you
10:35
want to make as team start to extend
10:38
pressure on you TR of travel a little
10:39
bit what do you want to see your team do
10:41
yeah I just want our guards to be able
10:42
to handle you know the fundamentals of
10:45
the game when it comes to that you can't
10:46
get into a trap space you got to get out
10:48
of trap spaces got to use your ball
10:50
fakes to shift the defense and then get
10:52
through in advance the ball up the floor
10:54
we do that but in heat of battle against
10:57
number two team in the country nervous
10:59
energy hit so we learn from that so the
11:01
best experience is going through it you
11:03
know that's the best teacher is the
11:05
experience so for us the next time
11:06
somebody does that we'll be more
11:08
prepared and ready in real time cuz it's
11:11
easy to do five and
11:13
up last question Penny I know you always
11:17
point to the city and the university and
11:19
and the players but for yourself is
11:21
there a sense a little bit of
11:22
vindication after some of the criticism
11:24
you faced last season and this offseason
11:26
to now get this type of statement
11:29
victory for the program not really man I
11:31
I just know that everybody has their
11:33
opinion about what's going on and some
11:35
of it was warranted you know I can't run
11:37
away from what's going on I know that
11:39
it's a it's a job that needs to we want
11:41
to win in the city we want to win and
11:43
I'm no different from anyone else uh so
11:46
when I get that
11:47
criticism um sometimes when it gets
11:49
personal it hurts because I'm trying to
11:51
fight for the city in the team but I
11:52
understand everyone has a job to do and
11:54
they have their
11:55
opinion thanks coach thank you
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