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Video: #Auburn coach Bruce Pearl, centers Johni Broome & Dylan Cardwell after winning #Maui title.
Nov 28, 2024
#Memphis
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[Music]
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presented by novx uh this is their the
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25th different program to win the Mau
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Invitational in their second appearance
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and uh coach congrats what are your
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thoughts uh after today's game well
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sitting beside me is 39
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points um 19 rebounds 12 assists and
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only two turnovers I'd say we got pretty
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dominant play from our pigs and um you
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know it's uh it's kind of an interesting
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story
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um Dylan has had
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the challenge of playing behind the last
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couple years Walker Castle in Janai
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broom and you you just wouldn't believe
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how eloquently he did that and when
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Janai decided to come back we we knew we
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could have a chance to have a really
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good
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team and one of the things that Dyan and
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I talked about about his coming back was
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not playing behind Janai but playing
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with it and uh we worked on it all
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summer all fall and it wasn't great this
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summer or fall right and they wanted to
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play together so badly and so I kept on
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you know in practice going look this is
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fine we got time but here's the plus
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minus we have to play faster we have to
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play quicker anyways I'm just happy for
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these guys cuz these guys are loving
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playing together and they always were
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they were never on the floor together
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very much in in the last couple years so
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it's just incredible they got great
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chemistry they they trust each other
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they listen to each other and as a
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result I believe we get the best front
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line in college
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basketball uh Janai uh tournament MVP
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congratulations uh what are your
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thoughts after three games here in Mali
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um you know first off all go to God um
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you know thank my teammates thank for my
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coaches you know without them I wouldn't
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have this trophy you know auor family
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traveling I don't think we would have
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won the tournament without them you know
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uh it felt like home and uh I'm part of
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my teammates and my my Auburn family all
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right any questions for Dylan or
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tonight Dylan uh what got into you on
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offense there what was working so well
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that you were able just to get at The
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Rim whenever you wanted to yeah uh first
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things first you know all glory to my
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God uh Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior
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um you know I want give a big shout to
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my boy Jan right here um before the game
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started when we were in film this
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morning he said you know they going a
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double team of big big Cross or whatever
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and um he just told me to go to the rim
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to go to the backside you're be open
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every time he said trust him with the
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lob and I trusted him and so it's great
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playing with Janai it's a blessing to
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have my team and it's blessing to having
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as my
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brother Janai congratulations first of
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all you averaged 21.6 points per game in
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this tournament you were four assists
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away from triple double on the top of
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everyone's Player of the Year wat so far
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um you've helped cement Auburn become a
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top five program this year what do you
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learn learned about yourself and how
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you've evolved as a player from your
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Beginnings at more head State as a three
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star
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recruit well first off you know uh I
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came to Auburn because I saw what you
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know coach Pearl was doing with the
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program um I saw you know Jabari Walker
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chuma um JT Isaac I saw what he done
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with those guys and uh I wanted to come
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to a foundation that was already built
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that's why I came to Auburn and uh you
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know coach trusted me and I trusted him
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and uh
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I mean the player of the year don't
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really matter to me you know I care
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about winning um as long as we keep
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winning that's eyes are on you um so I
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just look forward to keep winning and
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have my team win in any way I
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can J Dylan says you know you're telling
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him to be ready on the backside for some
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of the Lots what was your head space
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going into today what you needed to do
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and I guess how early on you made a
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three on the first possession of the
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game but how early on Did you sort of
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feel that you had to come um you know
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the first game uh I was stay double um
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and we knew that going into the game
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second game North Carolina didn't double
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um and we won that game and then this
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last game they said they might play one1
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they might double um so just you know
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watching a little bit of film on them
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and just doing your research but you
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know just trusting my teammates you know
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team want to double team me I don't I
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don't mind passing that I trust him um
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like B said I just told him be ready for
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the rim and he was ready um but my
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guards was also ready they was they
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trusted me to get me on the side I was
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able to get the ball back out to them um
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but I mean I don't
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know Dylan defensively you guys were
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able to really shut them down take away
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the stuff that they did that they like
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to do especially the the three-point
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shot I know you had to go out on the
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perimeter switch a lot just what was the
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key for y'all to be able to limit
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Memphis from doing what they like to do
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on offense well in our SC report we knew
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they had three really good shooting
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guards um you know they're the best
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three-point shooting team in the country
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percentage wise and we just didn't want
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them to get too hot and we to make sure
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that we stay in our Shooters you know um
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11 Hunter is a great shooter uh pretty
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much makes 50% of his shots and so you
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know just why let him get open three
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just run off the line so we're very
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locked into our scouting report it was
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it was a short turnaround from yesterday
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you know coach Pearl said we have 18
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that's before the first game uh before
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yesterday's game you had 18 hours play
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two games and so for this team to buy in
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and lock in um in this in this 18 hour
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window is just something special to
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see d right here a few years ago you
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were on the roster have that team that
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was a two seed last season obviously a
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very very good team as well I know we're
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early not even a month in but as you
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take stock and kind of step back in this
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championship and think about the guys
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that are in that locker room with you uh
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what feels different about this team and
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gives you even more belief that uh maybe
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this could be the best group you've ever
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been a part of you know we're just a
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tough Scout I'll leave it at that you
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know coach Brar some guys that you know
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when you're scouting guts you don't know
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who to stop you know I mean I'm sure I
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was anybody Scouting Report offensively
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and then I just go off for 18 you don't
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know you know who's going to be you know
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coach pro always said says you know it's
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going to be a different guy every night
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and you know you saw in this tournament
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it could be Chad it could be Chene it
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could be Denver it could be tahad it
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could be anybody you know um all of our
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all of our games is somewhat different
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and it's just it's just amazing to see
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so that's the difference I've seen in
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this year's team uh according in I don't
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the word what's that word in comparison
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to years past uh it's just we're just
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bunch of
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dogs hey guys just um real quick
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wondering if you guys watch this
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tournament growing up and if so and or
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and how does it feel to win it now and
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walk away with that trophy um I know for
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me I'm definitely watch this tournament
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multiple times growing up um probably
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the biggest tournament in basketball uh
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besides Marsh manness um but like when
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Auburn was in it they play Yukon and
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those guys I was at more head still but
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I was watching that tournament as well
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so um I've always watched it and to win
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it to win it it just it feels amazing
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you know always talk about my teammates
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and my coaches but you know the Au
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family is really a family you know so
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winning it if it was more if it was
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better than winning it with the guys in
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the locker room since we've been
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grinding this whole year and seeing
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everybody with a smile on their face
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holding trophies up you know being able
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to celebrate um it's great feels good to
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me right here do I do I answer that yes
7:21
please oh yeah for me you know um just
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look at the look at the uh the field we
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had to go against and to come out on top
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you know you have a lot of respected
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programs you know you UNC Michigan State
7:30
Memphis with are all great teams dating
7:32
in Colorado um if I'm missing somebody I
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apologize I oh Lord yeah I was State
7:37
good grief and it's a tough feel and we
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knew that coming in and you know just go
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out on top it means a lot to me and give
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this team a lot of confidence in each
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other and the the scouts that we have
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yeah right here sorry uh coach Brar was
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talking about obviously the relationship
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that you and J I have had to have
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obviously this pairing is working really
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well but the last couple of years what
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about your relationship made you
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comfortable being that role and how did
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you you know as he said handle that as
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eloquently as you did yeah you know a
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year ago pretty much this week ji and I
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became friends um you know the first
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year he was here I at him I looked at
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him as an opponent rather than my
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teammate and you know that kind of
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showed him on the court I wasn't
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cheering for him I wasn't really you
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know happy for him as I should have been
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you know last year you know the Lord
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really challenged me uh in that Virginia
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Tech game I pray for Janai and in
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warm-ups and he dropped 30 but with him
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dropping 30 I only played 9 minutes and
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I would the lord gave me he was like you
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can either be happy that my prayer was
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answered or I can be stingy that my you
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know that my teammate went off for 30
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and after that Virginia T game we went
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on to um you know play in uh New York
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and Janai got subbed out and then I went
8:42
6 sixity from fre line and the loudest
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person TR that Arena was Janai broom and
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you know after that he earned my respect
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and I looked at him not really earned my
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respect but he became a brother to me
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because I realized that he was not my
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position but he was a brother my
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teammate and that's something the coach
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pro has been telling us since we got
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here um you know I'm going to bring in
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guys that you know you're going to love
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on be there for the rest of your life so
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like we're not the opponent the guy lock
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we're not the opponent and that's what
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you know that's what you see today you
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know we have so many guys that are happy
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for one another rather than looking at
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them as competition I feel like once I
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let my pride go and I let that go um J
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and I's relationship really really took
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off J I felt like the last two games
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especially you guys were winning the
9:21
50-50 balls the hustle winning Wi on the
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glass just how how crucial is that level
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of effort and keeping that up for all 40
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minutes to what yall
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let's make one thing clear every every
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film session the first clip BB says we
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can't get beat to 50 balls so that's how
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he starts the film session every time
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you know uh that's probably the one
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thing that you will get subbed out for
9:46
that he don't play with is being out
9:48
hustled being out being not the most
9:51
excited team to play so getting the
9:53
50-50 balls and rebounding and things
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like that that's effort that thing you
9:58
can control so uh I feel like everybody
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in our locker room takes that
10:02
accountability on doing that in order to
10:04
win the ball games and help
10:06
us all right let's let Janai and Dylan
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go back to their team I just want to say
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one thing press conference should
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probably be over um anybody that says
10:15
student athletes have changed anybody
10:17
said this is not all about the student
10:19
athletes anybody want to complain about
10:21
you know this or that this this is old
10:24
school pride old school love their
10:27
teammates love their coaches love the
10:29
the University's all just grateful
10:31
giving God the glory so and so forth
10:33
kids haven't changed kids want to be
10:35
coached they want to be held accountable
10:37
they want to be believed in and they
10:39
want to be held to a high standard
10:41
that's just not changed a lot of things
10:43
around our game has changed but this
10:46
should give you guys and everybody
10:47
watching Hope because it's all about
10:50
these kids and teaching them and I'm
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just very proud of this young
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man
10:57
than where you going go bless that looks
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great on you
11:09
jack all right question for Coach
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F Bruce you talked about it all before
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the game how good Memphis is it
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shootting GRE they were stuck on two
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attempts for most of the game just what
11:26
was the key for of running them off the
11:28
line and keep from getting get high that
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well Memphis is better from three and
11:34
three uh than they are from Two and so
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you know the whole Scouting Report was
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that's the only way it could beat us is
11:40
to beat us from three so we pressed up
11:42
we switched out we didn't mind bad
11:45
matchups um but we just had to make sure
11:47
we didn't leave Premier and we just
11:49
didn't allow any advantage disadvantage
11:52
or not a whole lot and U you know as a
11:55
result you know Hagerty you know played
11:57
well was was able to make some tough
11:59
twos um but that was what the defensive
12:02
game plan again um um Cory Williams and
12:06
Chad cre it that team had Iowa State
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Iowa State's guys is really really good
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okay they're really good um and then
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Mike bergam Master Ira Bowman and his
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scout team had North Carolina you know
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what an honor to go up against thear
12:19
Hills and then Steven Pearl my son had
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this one tonight and um stepen sort of
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my defensive coordinator and he jumps
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you know kind of helps guide us there
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Mike bergam Master is my offensive
12:32
coordinator and um he and I put the
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offensive game plans together so I
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thought our coaches just a tremendous
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job and like the talk about short prep
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like we had 18 hours to get ready for
12:43
Memphis but that Scouting Report was was
12:45
on my desk when I got back to that hotel
12:49
and U we we were able to get the guys
12:51
ready real
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quick hey BR right you you spoke about
12:58
Mich past couple of days and obviously
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over the past couple of years he's grown
13:02
to become a more important part of your
13:04
staff just what was it in today's game
13:06
that he saw that you guys can take
13:07
advantage of him and how has he been
13:08
able to make the most of all those
13:10
different parts that dlan was talking
13:11
about that you have who we talking about
13:13
Mike B Master yeah um Mike Berger Master
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is a great story um like a lot of guys
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on our team uh come from pretty humble
13:21
beginnings he was a manager at Miami and
13:24
wanted a ga job usually GA Jobs go to
13:27
former players um but I met Mike on a
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recommendation from one of my former
13:31
sisters Harris Adler and the guys down
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in Miami and U I was impressed with his
13:37
mind um and uh brought him up as a ga
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and then I'm not letting him go I'm not
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letting him go he is um he was able to
13:48
take my system our system Dr Tom Davis's
13:51
system and together we've been able to
13:54
blend it with some of the harder actions
13:56
to guard in basketball whether it's
13:58
Europe in basketball or what whoever is
14:01
doing what um and in some way I'd like
14:04
to I'd like to think that we've been
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doing some things for a few years and we
14:07
we are now seeing other people doing
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it's it's it's uh it's about working as
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a team um and um so Mike's U and and
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what happens is we develop these we
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develop these these um offensive systems
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and then Mike like it offens a
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coordinator is my Play caller like just
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like a football coach the headset on and
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Mike is okay what's next what's next and
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I'll you know nine times out of 10 I'll
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go with what he's
14:38
got Bruce congratulations and winning
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the championship you know you guys only
14:42
have uh one week to rest we prepare uh
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for another tough match and B Duke at
14:46
Cameron so what did you learn most about
14:48
your team this week and what will you
14:50
how will you use that to carry forward
14:52
well obviously Maui is a you know is is
14:57
a prize um we're so happy for the people
15:00
here in L that the Maui Invitational and
15:03
this field with this incredible group
15:05
coaches and programs able to come back
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to the island and
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um you know I saw my picture up there on
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the wall and like Bill s and Mike sheski
15:17
and Tom ISO and I'm like what am I doing
15:21
up here
15:23
you you think my Pearl must have paid
15:25
somebody to put his put his picture up
15:27
there you know but but now my team and
15:30
our coaching staff is you know put us up
15:34
there the other the other one that's up
15:35
there that managed to be 1987 Dr Tom
15:38
Davis run his Iowa team here I was an
15:40
assistant and we won the fourth bito we
15:43
came here a couple years ago with auburn
15:45
and we won two games and lost the Duke
15:47
by four and that team got to the final
15:49
four so if this has been a great
15:51
springboard but the confidence that
15:53
we're going to get from this is we can
15:55
we know we can play with anybody Where
15:57
Do We Go From Here I promise you this
15:58
we'll stay humble and hungry there's we
16:00
will not begin to think much of
16:03
ourselves um and um just see we stay
16:07
healthy we continue to get BL God's
16:09
blessing we'll be in
16:11
position a little different question J I
16:14
saw you when JP came out in the first
16:16
half I saw you you know getting the
16:18
crowd to to vot he had an extended run
16:21
today in both halves and well yeah JP
16:24
had his best game for us um his his
16:27
confidence has been has been
16:29
struggle a little bit um he was much
16:32
better defensively today locked in um
16:35
more aggressive and we need him you know
16:37
like like these guys talked about it's
16:39
the sum of our parts and um and so he's
16:42
going to fight fight fight to um you
16:45
know to be able to keep his to keep his
16:47
own confidence his aggressiveness and
16:50
and um you know so H having him play so
16:54
well Chad Baker Rosara will not get a
16:57
lot of talk about but he was one of our
16:59
most consistent performers I mean makes
17:02
tough shots shoots a great percentage um
17:07
if if I did more to get him more touches
17:10
and put the ball in his hands more
17:13
people would be talking about Chad Baker
17:15
mazara nationally for how good a player
17:17
he is I hope NBA Scouts saw how good a
17:19
player he is and and again how in
17:21
selfish and how productive he is he's he
17:24
almost always win the plus minus we're
17:26
just always better with him on the floor
17:28
could we got do at both ends um we
17:31
talked about Denver Jones being one of
17:32
the best defense guards in the country
17:34
and now playing both one and two and
17:36
tonight Miles Kelly did not play very
17:39
much because he he had a little bit of a
17:43
issue with his wrist and and and and
17:45
quite
17:46
frankly couldn't even shoot the ball but
17:49
he wanted to be out there for the first
17:50
run first possession both halves because
17:52
he wanted to see us get up to a good
17:54
start defensively and even if he
17:56
couldn't shoot the ball which he
17:57
probably could not
17:59
we put him out
18:01
there what
18:05
achievement coach this tournament um is
18:07
part of what is probably some of the
18:10
most ambitious non-conference scheduling
18:12
we've seen from you or for any from any
18:14
of the program in recent history uh what
18:16
can you say about um your mindset over
18:19
the offseason scheduling um this putting
18:21
the schedule together and how it's
18:23
paying divid ends well we knew we knew
18:24
we had a good team coming back and I
18:26
just want to keep in mind that tahad
18:29
pedor is probably the only five star on
18:33
that team all those kids have had to
18:35
work so hard to improve and grow Dylan
18:39
Carwell has been a program five years
18:41
Janai broom three years Chris Moore five
18:44
years um we haven't had a lot of
18:47
transfers we've had a leg I stay we've
18:49
graduated 32 Afric American students in
18:51
the last 10 years I don't anybody in a
18:53
country can say that we've graduated 40
18:56
kids in the last 10 years we're proud of
18:59
that and there's a correlation I believe
19:02
between the discipline the
19:03
accountability and the responsibility to
19:05
be Auburn man you heard the kids talking
19:06
about over and over and over and over
19:08
again what that means it means
19:10
responsibility there now they don't we
19:12
don't always you know um we don't always
19:16
represent the way we'd like to but um I
19:19
think that there's some there's
19:20
definitely some reasons why we scheduled
19:23
up as hard as we possibly could because
19:25
I wanted to give these kid the
19:27
opportunity and um
19:29
now we got to see if we can take
19:30
advantage of it Bruce Penny said he
19:32
still remember playing you guys from two
19:34
years ago specifically playing against
19:35
Janai and and the biggest takeaway that
19:37
he had was the difference in how focused
19:39
and how locked in Janai was today versus
19:41
when you played two years ago how have
19:42
you seen him make that Evolution and and
19:44
how much of a statement was it today of
19:46
the growth he's made in that capacity
19:47
yeah janai's grown a great deal um I
19:51
know that he's a big guy okay let's just
19:54
say Janai is 22 years old so let's say I
19:56
got him when he was 19 he was a young
19:58
young 19 even though he looks like he's
20:00
a large man he was young he's the
20:02
youngest of a few kids in that
20:04
family and U he's grown up he's mature
20:09
um and um one of the things he talked
20:12
about is coach trust me you know we we
20:14
we've I I'm pretty I try to hold them
20:16
accountable I try to have high
20:18
expectation for them so we knocked we
20:20
knock heads you know cuz I'm like I'm
20:23
not satisfied I know you can't more but
20:26
he's responded really really really well
20:28
today he's been he's he's become a
20:30
really good leader on this team and so
20:33
he won't let us uh celebrate this too
20:36
much we'll celebrate it for a day or two
20:37
right now and have a happier
20:39
Thanksgiving and then we'll when we
20:41
travel back you know we'll get back to
20:45
work all right thanks coach
20:47
congratulations again