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#Maui Invitational press conference #UNC #MSU #UConn #Auburn #IowaState #Dayton #Memphis #Colorado
Nov 24, 2024
Hubert Davis answers questions at 17 minutes. The phone camera app shut down before he was done because of the heat.
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0:01
matchup we're going to start with Penny
0:04
Hardway um Penny's got a unique
0:07
perspective
0:08
here not just obviously as an incredible
0:10
Player four-time NBA Allstar third
0:13
overall pick in the 93 NBA draft but in
0:17
1992 he was a Maui Invitational co-mvp
0:20
sharing that with Bobby Hurley it's
0:23
compiled a 13362 record in his six
0:26
seasons at Memphis including two trips
0:30
to the incid of tournament welcome back
0:31
to Maui
0:32
Penny thank you sir um yeah let's start
0:36
there Penny what what's it like to come
0:38
back as a coach versus when you were
0:40
here way back as a player yeah I don't I
0:43
don't really remember much when I was a
0:45
player but I did I did remember telling
0:47
myself that I wanted to come back one
0:48
day because it was so beautiful but as
0:50
far as the the
0:52
tournament um losing that second round
0:55
to uh BYU will always stain me so you
0:57
know that's a competitive nature but
0:58
coming back as a coach is it's just an
1:00
honor and a privilege to be here with
1:02
all these uh Hall of Fame coaches and
1:04
having an opportunity to see where my
1:05
team is compared you know with these
1:08
guys around the country so let's follow
1:10
up there you actually not everyone does
1:13
this um Hubert Davis did this the other
1:16
night but some coaches like to play a
1:17
game on the way and you did that in San
1:20
Francisco got a w in San Francisco where
1:22
is your team at this
1:25
point as you get ready to face Yukon man
1:28
it's hard to hard to say early because
1:30
we have 13 new players we only have one
1:32
returning player and uh what I can say
1:35
about our guys is that they'll they'll
1:36
give me their all they're going to play
1:37
hard and uh that's what I can I can I
1:40
can I know that they're going to do
1:42
every single night so when you have that
1:44
then you have something to work with so
1:45
we're looking to battle it's an
1:47
unbelievable opportunity to play against
1:48
Danny and his team so proud of him I've
1:50
been talking to him for six years about
1:52
this entire situation that he's he's
1:54
going through now and I told him this
1:55
morning hopefully bro I'm following in
1:56
your footsteps because he did exactly
1:58
what he said he was going to do years
2:00
ago and it it came into parition so for
2:02
me uh my team will definitely play hard
2:04
and we know what we're up against for
2:06
sure all right Penny Hardway from
2:09
[Applause]
2:11
Memphis as Penny said he will face uh
2:14
Yukon and Dan
2:16
Hurley um hard to describe what's
2:19
happened in the last two years two-time
2:20
National Champion uh the last is a great
2:23
quiz question the last team to beat
2:25
Yukon in the NCA tournament Matt
2:28
norlander what's up New Mexico State he
2:32
paused uh and ever since then they've
2:34
been unbeatable that game was in Buffalo
2:37
uh unbeatable in the NC
2:40
tournament 14158 in four years at Yukon
2:44
71 in his last two seasons undefeated in
2:46
the NCAA tournament the last two years
2:48
an incredible incredible run um Dan
2:51
you've been about
2:53
championships you've got posters of each
2:55
kinds of Championship that you can win
2:57
each season you do that this one is at
2:59
your practice facility uh what is it
3:02
about the Quest for titles that drives
3:05
you well just uh you know being here in
3:07
Maui Maui classic I think um just as
3:11
somebody that played and then just
3:12
somebody that loves the game just
3:14
growing up you've been watching the Maui
3:16
classic you know as a young coach as a
3:18
as a player hoping one day to compete in
3:20
it one day to play in it one day to
3:22
coach in it sort of opportunity to to
3:24
play in it coach in it um getting some
3:27
of the best coaches in the country uh a
3:29
lot of the best teams in the country um
3:31
is a loaded field and um yeah obviously
3:35
when when you choose to you know coach a
3:37
play at a place like Yukon there's a lot
3:38
of Championship pressure on you uh you
3:41
know to come to go go into tournaments
3:43
and uh you know and really go for the
3:46
hardware so as I asked Penny um you've
3:49
had a few weeks of real games couple
3:52
exhibitions as you approach this
3:55
tournament this game against Memphis
3:57
where is this team I mean we're not
3:59
where we were when we uh we're not
4:01
picking up where we left off last year
4:03
you know we've got um just a lot of new
4:06
faces a lot of new players a lot of
4:08
younger players that um I'm going to
4:11
have to have some some Grace and some
4:13
patience with during the course of the
4:14
year I think um I think we've got
4:17
potential to to be a contender uh when
4:20
everything is said and done it's just
4:21
maybe uh you know just a different path
4:24
for this team I think last year we
4:25
started the year very dominant and uh
4:28
we're able to sustain it um um but the
4:30
group has got uh you know group's got
4:32
great potential um you know we're
4:34
relying on a bunch of young players and
4:36
a bunch of new players Dan Hurley
4:39
two-time National Championship
4:43
coach let's go down the line to Colorado
4:45
head coach Tad Bole this is that part of
4:47
the bracket Colorado Michigan State
4:50
starting his 15th season as head coach
4:52
of Colorado included six trips to the N
4:55
tournament a great run last year
4:57
multiple NBA players um loha welcome
5:01
back to Maui Tad
5:05
um this group having a restock like
5:08
everyone
5:09
else in men's college basketball what's
5:13
that process like after losing so many
5:15
guys to the NBA to get back into a
5:17
position to the nway tournament well
5:20
Andy it's a it's a combination of uh
5:22
your returning players and how good are
5:24
they you know how can they continue the
5:27
culture of what you were trying to build
5:29
at Colorado of what we have built and uh
5:31
so it starts with them but then you know
5:33
when you lose so much you've got to go
5:35
restock cupboard so to speak and so
5:38
three graduate transfers three freshman
5:40
we've kind of done it uh a peace meal uh
5:44
I don't know if there's one way to do it
5:45
now in college basketball but I think
5:47
we're all going through the same thing
5:49
up here probably with with our teams I
5:51
look at this and I told our team the
5:53
other day I look at this as like a
5:54
midterm exam it's awful early for a
5:56
midterm but uh we'll find out uh what we
6:00
have to work on as the season progresses
6:01
and that's to me that's what these
6:03
tournaments are all about and to be here
6:05
in Maui and and to uh to be the first uh
6:09
field tournament field be a part of it
6:12
uh after the the tragedy of the
6:13
wildfires here we're all happy to be
6:16
here and uh anxious to see what our team
6:19
needs to get better at I know a few
6:20
things we need to get better at but I I
6:22
think we'll be exposed in a few other
6:23
areas as well well Tad like Penny you've
6:26
been here before as a player 87 am I
6:29
right no that was that was my assistant
6:31
coach Manning was here oh okay I'm sorry
6:33
I missed it by uh by a couple years but
6:36
being back here um or being here with
6:39
this group I mean I saw your Players
6:41
yesterday you know so often we get
6:42
caught up in everything um what what
6:46
does it mean for your players to have
6:47
these kinds of
6:49
experiences that's what it's all about
6:51
Andy it's about your players experiences
6:53
it's it's the memories that they're
6:54
creating the bonding uh opportunities
6:56
that they have I think this is an
6:58
opportunity you know
7:00
the foreign trips uh we haven't been on
7:02
one about four or five years now so this
7:04
is uh this is an opportunity to get away
7:07
I have our players you know see them on
7:09
the beach yesterday on their own just
7:11
organically kind of connecting that's
7:14
what it's about and that's what we're
7:15
going to have to have as this season
7:16
goes on is is that connection and uh
7:19
we're all looking for it and it's uh
7:21
it's early in the season to be playing
7:22
this this kind of competition but uh our
7:25
players are ready for that challenge and
7:27
we're going to we're like like Penny
7:28
said our guys are going to they're going
7:29
to give it their all they're going to
7:31
they're going to lay it out of the line
7:32
callado head coach Tad
7:36
Bole all right car's opponent Michigan
7:39
state thz will beginning his 30th season
7:42
as head coach at Michigan State eight
7:43
trips to the final four National
7:44
Championship in 2000 of course inducted
7:47
to the N Smith Basketball Hall of Fame
7:48
in 2016 they won the Maui Invitational
7:50
in
7:52
1991 um been here before many times uh
7:56
Tom what is it about this event that
7:59
keeps bringing you and Michigan State
8:01
back well believe it or not it's not the
8:03
weather it's it's these guys in their
8:05
programs you know I think when you get
8:07
to face you know none of us are ready
8:09
for this especially this day and age I
8:12
too I don't have as many transfer
8:14
players but I have players that were in
8:16
the program that now have to assume new
8:18
roles and those roles sometimes
8:21
everybody wants to be the star until
8:22
you're the star and uh and then you've
8:25
got problems so you know we're working
8:27
through it just like everybody else
8:29
and yet uh I'm uh I'm excited to be a
8:33
part of this and especially what's
8:34
happened here I think this is my fifth
8:38
trip as a head coach and a couple as an
8:40
assistant and um I'm glad to be part of
8:43
hopefully getting things back to normal
8:46
you know that I know coaches are great
8:48
about being grounded in results but uh
8:51
how do you take what happens this week
8:54
and not make either too much of
8:57
it uh if you win but don't get too down
9:01
if you
9:02
lose well looking down this group here
9:04
there's nobody that's going to take too
9:06
much if they win because we're all kind
9:08
of masochistic in our own way that were
9:11
where I was looking for more but you
9:14
know I remember my first game as a head
9:17
coach um was here and uh we blew out
9:22
shamad by two and uh and I remember
9:26
being two-point game with a minute left
9:29
and behind me was Jud heathco and Magic
9:31
Johnson so pressure I learned how to
9:34
deal with pressure early it hasn't
9:36
changed but uh you know we're excited
9:39
about it and I don't think uh I think
9:41
everybody knows that we have a lot of
9:44
work to do every one of these programs I
9:47
think Danny said it best you know you
9:48
you don't just come in the next year
9:50
anymore and and keep going like you were
9:53
because there's too many changes so uh
9:56
there's some fun to that I haven't found
9:58
it yet but there is some fun
10:00
today Michigan State head coach
10:05
Tomo all right so that's one half of the
10:07
bracket second half of the bracket start
10:10
off with Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl
10:12
been the head coach since 2014 made
10:14
appearances the in tournament the last
10:16
three seasons uh Bruce um again you've
10:20
had to sort of reshuffle but you had a
10:23
key All-American return which is not
10:25
easy to do so how much getting broom
10:28
back has that helped helped you get a
10:30
little bit of a head start on this
10:32
season well I think getting ji broom
10:34
back was you know was key for us but you
10:36
know he wanted to graduate uh he wanted
10:38
to finish what he started uh a lot of
10:41
our guys on a roster were mid- major
10:43
guys junior college guys division 2 guys
10:46
that just their whole lives have watched
10:48
people at the high major level and now
10:50
they're at that level and and our guys
10:53
are excited about playing against this
10:54
field and excited about playing against
10:56
the players that we're going to be
10:57
playing against and the quality of the
10:58
basketball
10:59
I I do still think there's loyalty that
11:02
exists on your rosters and guys that are
11:04
able to return and help you build that
11:06
culture have have an understanding I
11:08
think that still exists um you know the
11:12
combination of N and the transfer portal
11:14
at the same time sometimes makes it
11:16
challenging um and and freshman or first
11:19
year players don't always come in with
11:21
the idea that okay this is where I'm
11:23
going to be forever and this is what I'm
11:24
going to build this what I'm going to do
11:25
it's sort of a one- year at a time thing
11:27
which uh which makes it challenging for
11:28
us coach is cuz we're sort of
11:31
ministerial in how we treat our programs
11:33
and the game has become a little bit
11:35
more transactional so your teams always
11:38
play up and down in this heat in this
11:41
environment jyms at tight band box how
11:44
do you
11:45
manage the heat the potential
11:48
dehydration that you know players can go
11:50
through in this kind of environment well
11:53
you know you you put them through
11:54
adversity during the course of your
11:55
preseason and and uh you know you got to
11:57
get the right amount of rest and have in
11:58
shape obviously for that first game but
12:00
we're not going to change you know what
12:02
we do and who we are but it's going to
12:04
get put to a great test and a great
12:06
challenge every every single night I I
12:08
kind of look at this as you know three
12:10
opportunities you know to play Three G
12:12
teams and find out where we're good and
12:14
where we need to work and you know where
12:15
do we where do we obviously go from here
12:18
and uh you know just for me uh I know
12:20
people look at me as being a little
12:22
older now you know but but I I I I
12:24
remember being a young assistant coach
12:26
at at Iowa you know time you were at
12:28
Michigan State we all known each other
12:29
back in you know back in the day
12:31
different time and uh we played in 87
12:34
against Danny Manning and uh Tom Davis
12:36
is uh Iowa team won the I believe it was
12:39
like the third Maui Invitational and I
12:41
always remember that and Danny Manning
12:43
and that group went on a win national
12:44
championship and then a couple years ago
12:46
I brought uh my Auburn team here and it
12:48
was again it was an honor to get Auburn
12:50
to a place with these other great
12:53
programs is what we worked our our
12:55
career to do and so just honored to be
12:56
here and hope we play some good
12:57
basketball alurn coach Bruce
13:03
Pearl Au will take on Iowa State this a
13:05
top five matchup here TJ otzelberger
13:08
head coach fourth season at Iowa State
13:10
70 and 35 since starting as head coach
13:12
at Iowa State three chips the NC
13:15
tournament including two trips to the
13:17
Sweet 16 uh we talk about
13:20
retention
13:22
loyalty uh those are two sort of
13:24
somewhat foreign words sometimes in in
13:26
sports certainly in in college sports at
13:28
times in this new era how have you been
13:30
able to do that at Iowa State because
13:32
you've had great retention and loyalty
13:35
yeah we we've been fortunate um quality
13:38
of the character of the young men in our
13:40
program um that they they've worked
13:42
really hard developed that Pride within
13:44
our program and um they want to see us
13:47
be successful so it's it's really a
13:49
credit to them their families and the
13:51
work that they've done um you know we're
13:53
fortunate to have those guys and and uh
13:55
just you know grateful for the
13:57
opportunity here to compete this early
13:59
in the season to have this kind of
14:01
matchup in the first round against
14:03
Auburn I mean these are all really good
14:04
teams um how ready are your guys for
14:07
this kind of a matchup well we have uh
14:09
tremendous respect for Coach Pearl and
14:11
the Auburn program and what they
14:13
continue to accomplish um they're off to
14:15
a terrific start so we know uh what a
14:18
challenge we have in front of us so it's
14:20
with a lot of humility and gratitude
14:22
that we we try to do our work every day
14:24
uh and prepare oursel for for the the
14:27
games that are coming here in this field
14:29
it's uh it's the best tournament um out
14:31
there and and the best coaches and the
14:33
best program so we're going to honor
14:35
that with with how we try to do things
14:37
Iowa State head coach TJ TJ
14:41
oxberger and our last game we've got
14:44
Dayton versus North Carolina head coach
14:47
Anthony Grant of Dayton he enters his
14:49
eighth season 149 and 72 during that
14:52
tenure 2019 National Coach of the Year
14:54
29 and2 record and still believe if that
14:57
2020 tournament happened the Dayton
14:59
would have had a great shot to win the
15:01
national championship um Anthony um your
15:05
group coming in here uh again you've
15:08
dealt with injuries over the last couple
15:10
of years and it's all about retention
15:12
but where is this team as you enter this
15:15
field yeah Andy I would say we're
15:17
similar to what everybody up here said
15:19
you know we've got a new group uh some
15:21
of them have some familiarity with us in
15:23
terms of being in our program for at
15:25
least one or two years and then we've
15:27
got a group of guys that are new to us
15:29
but not new to college basketball in
15:30
terms of transfers and then we've got
15:32
you know a couple of young guys that are
15:34
that are new to this whole experience so
15:35
we're trying to blend them together and
15:37
we got a few games under our belt as we
15:39
start the season here but this field is
15:41
you know an outstanding field and uh
15:43
we're looking forward to an opportunity
15:44
to find out more about ourselves
15:45
throughout this tournament so Dayton has
15:48
won it before Dayton had great runs here
15:51
uh you know how hard it is to get these
15:54
kinds of schools on your home floor in
15:56
the A10 um when you have these
15:59
opportunities on a neutral site what's
16:01
the key to taking advantage of
16:03
them well for us you know we we
16:06
understand the importance of these
16:07
opportunities for dating you know but
16:10
but the main thing for us is being true
16:13
to our identity and just trying to play
16:15
the way we play and and as everybody up
16:18
here said this early in the season
16:20
you're going to find out you know where
16:23
you need to get better you know what you
16:25
do well and what you need to be better
16:27
at and so I I look at at it as you know
16:30
the games will come really quickly you
16:32
obviously youve got North Carolina first
16:34
and then you know you go back to back
16:35
days or three day three days in a row so
16:38
you got to kind of rely on your habits
16:40
you you got to rely on the things that
16:41
you've done up to this point and then
16:43
once this tournament's over you figure
16:45
out where you are and where you need to
16:46
get better so I look at it as as an
16:48
opportunity to to find out more about
16:50
our team D head coach Anthony
16:57
Grant last but not least North Carolina
16:59
head coach Hubert Davis is at an
17:01
incredible run in this Four Seasons
17:03
sweet 16 final four title games I mean
17:05
so much great things have happened
17:06
already for North Carolina um like a few
17:11
of these peers up here Hubert um
17:15
coach how much more importance does that
17:18
put on what you're doing in this
17:20
profession well you know I always said
17:23
you
17:24
know coaching at North Carolina is a
17:26
mission field you know it gives me an
17:28
opportunity a chance to give back
17:30
everything that coach Smith and Coach
17:32
gri gave to me in the four years and
17:35
everything that coach Williams for the
17:36
18 years that he at Carolina that he
17:38
gave to his players and so it's an act
17:40
of service and it's a blessing and an
17:42
honor every day to be around these kids
17:44
to coach them to love them to push them
17:46
to encourage them to be the best that
17:48
they can be on the court off the court
17:49
and in the classroom so it's been a lot
17:52
of fun so like Penny uh I was there the
17:55
other night you guys played a game on
17:57
the way here but actually on the way
17:59
literally to Maui in Honolulu um beat
18:02
Hawaii the other night um what did you
18:04
get out of that game to get you ready
18:07
some momentum for this tournament well
18:10
Hawaii was a terrific team you know it
18:11
gave us an opportunity to get out here
18:13
and you know get acclimated to the time
18:16
change and it it put us in a position to
18:19
be able to play on the road you know all
18:21
of us have talked about finding about
18:23
our team and the things that we need to
18:25
improve on and you know including the uh
18:28
exibition games we