March 13, 2006

Hampton Head Coach Bobby Collins
"We're definitelty excited about playing in the game tomorrow night. It's a great opportunity for Hampton University to get some major exposure because we're the only show on TV tomorrow night. We're looking forward to playing Monmouth, they're a very disciplined basketball team. We understand that we have to dictate the pace to have a chance to win the game. The travel has worked out, the accommodations have been great. I like Dayton. I've been here before, it's a great Arena to play in, a great atmosphere. The energy here is just incredible."

On familiarity with Monmouth
(Hampton defeated Monmouth 64-52 at the Virgin Islands Paradise Jam in the 2003-04 season)
"They were a very talent basketball team then. They run a Princeton style offense. They're very disciplined. We have a feel for Monmouth since we played them. Jeff Granger is a returner from that game, Bruce Bowen is a returner. Junior Pehoua is a returner. They got 17-18 points in the first half (at the Paradise Jam), because our coaches did a great job getting our kids to communicate on the defensive end. In the second half, they got some baskets with their Princeton offense on backdoor cuts. So hopefully we can communicate well tomorrow night."

"It's been all year, not about the other team. We want to make other teams adjust to us, not us adjust to other teams. We try not to give our kids too much about other teams, because we don't want them to forget about what we're trying to do."

On pace of Tuesday's game:
"We play two different styles. I know they play a slower style. They want to slow the pace down. We want to play a more up-tempo game tomorrow. If we play like we've played the last four games, we can be a very dangerous team. We've been clicking inside-out, we want to attack inside-out. When we are clicking, we can beat anyone on any given night. The most important thing we've bought into has been defending.

On junior forward Jaz Cowan:
"He can get in a rhythm and get on a roll where the team can feed off him. He does an excellent job inside and on the board. He can bring it any time at any given moment."


Hampton Senior Center Bruce Bowen
On Hampton's offense:
"We're more of an opportunist team, if it presents its self then yes, we'll push it up the floor. But most of the time we will take our time and set up the offense, then try to score. We just let our defense take over."

On being in the Opening Round Game:
"To us, we feel like we're in the Tournament. Obviously we would like to get a victory here so we can do something that our team in the past has done before. We would like to go a little bit further."


Hampton Senior Guard Jeff Granger
On the quick turnaround of Championship Week and the NCAA Tournament:
"Coach says we're not allowed to be tired, we're too young to be tired. Our mindset is not to be tired but to go out and play basketball, like we've been doing all our lives.


Hampton Junior Forward Jaz Cowan
"Playing at George Washington, there was a rivalry here with Dayton, so I'm definitely used to playing [at UD Arena] before. It's an very energetic environment, lots of passion, lots of excitement, so I was able to relay that to my teammates."



Monmouth Head Coach Dave Calloway
"Were very excited to be here, it's our third trip in last six years in the tournament. This time we did it in dramatic fashion, by winning the championship with a last second play. Since then there's been buzz around campus, it's unique to be in the opening round game. We won the championship Wednesday night and it brought us a lot of attention. We had the selection show party last night, left this morning, and feel good about ourselves being in the tourney as one of 65 teams. We feel we represent the Northeast Conference very well."

On Monmouth's match-up zone:
"We've always played it, led our league since I've been here. In 18 yrs, we have led in defense 13 out of the 18, and six of the last seven. We don't use the word zone around Monmouth; it's all man to man principles. I've always ran with the man and its all man-to-man principles. We set a national record for holding a big time Ivy League team to only 20 points. We wouldn't be here talking about Kenny's athletic move, if we didn't hold them [Farleigh-Dickinson] to 15 pts in second half. Defense wins championships. We defend best way we can and make it hard for them to score on every possession."

Comments on John Bunch:
"He is a big factor. He allows the perimeter guys to get a little more extended, so we can go out and extend a little more. We've played teams that drive in and see him and then turn around and pass it out. John's the biggest person I've ever met in my life. He is a big presence and big factor."

"He plays about 18 to 20 minutes a game. Career high is 33 minutes in an OT game. Bunch has the capability to play extra minutes if we need him too. He gives us big play off of bench and adds for a different type of presence but one that works for us."

On playing minutes:
"My plan is to play at least nine players in the first half, going with our normal rotation and adjusting from there. We played Hampton two years ago and were down 16 at the half. We started the second half with three of the four guys up here, came out, ran without making sub and we won."

"The last game we played we were down and ran with that same line up in the second half. We had a guard who got in little foul trouble but most of part we ran with that line-up the whole second half, and came out with the win."

On being in the Opening Round Game:
"I've watched the [Opening Round] game every year. One game I think we might have been traveling but I've pretty much watched every year and the thing that is exciting is the Dayton crowd always seems to embrace it and I think it is a tremendous opportunity."

"We don't worry about what we don't have control over. We are one of 65 teams, and the beauty is tomorrow there are only two teams playing and we get to share the spotlight."

"We definitely are not most athletic team but we are a good fundamentally sound team."

"We played them [Hampton] two years ago and in the first half we didn't play our style of basketball and were down at the half. We regrouped and came out playing Monmouth style basketball and the second half was a different half and we cam out on top. We looked at other team's strengths and try to take them out of that."

"None of us have egos; we just go out and enjoy doing what we do. We just enjoy winning and players play to win. We care more about the name on the front of jersey then the back."

"We run 2-3 type set, I think they call it the Princeton style offense, adjusting year to year based on personality. On the defensive end we match-up, and it's been nice formula of success."

On the NCAA having an Opening Round game and if he was in charge what would changes would he make:
"I can come up with the greatest solution right now and NCAA would not care what I think. They make their decisions and that's the way it's going to be. It's better than not being in the tournament, at the end of the day you can look at it anyway you want, this glass of soda is half full and in the limelight, I still have half my soda left. I don't think its worth getting into, lets go out tomorrow night and have some fun and get the win."


Monmouth Senior Guard Chris Kenny
Does the emotion from the conference championship game carry over to Tuesday?
"That win was extremely emotional. Especially the way we won it on a game-winning layup. We fought back all game to get to that point. I do think it will carry over. Momentum is a big part of college basketball. Win streaks and losing streaks have a lot to do with how a team is feeling. We have a three game winning streak coming in to this. I think we are feeling pretty good and pretty confident that we will get this win."

On his the game winning shot in the NEC Championship game:
"Ever since I was a little kid I was dreamed of hitting a game winning shot. When I was little I put myself on a national scale for the national championship game. To hit a shot to get my team to the Tournament was really a thrill for me and I was just really happy to be a part of it."

"The way the play unfolded it was almost like time froze. They had a one-point lead and a solid point guard on the foul line. He back rimmed it. Marques (Alston) came up with a huge rebound. He outleted it to Tyler (Azzarelli) and then got it to me. I am not the most athletic guy on the team. When I get to the basket it usually gets pinned against the glass. Their big seven footer he has pinned me about 10 times throughout my career. I guess I got him on his heels and just then made a quick little move around him and got to the hole. I was just all alone and just laid it in. It was such a thrill."

Do you feel as if you are in the NCAA Tournament or do you need to win a game to get in?
"To tell you the truth, if I was a freshman I would definitely feel as if I was in the tournament. Being that this is my second go around. As a sophomore, we made it to Orlando as a 15 against Mississippi State and played in front of 18,000 people. I taking this as game to get into the tournament. I thought we got a little bit cheated. I thought a better strength of schedule and had more quality wins that Southern. We should be in Greensboro as a 16 against Duke. But I'm not on the committee. I'm no AD. I'm just a student. This is a game to get into the tournament in my eyes but we are not going to take it lightly. We are still excited and thrilled to be here."


Monmouth Senior Guard Tyler Azzarelli
On wanting to play Connecticut in the First Round:
"I follow that by saying that I kinda don't want to play them because we probably would get pounded on the boards. I have been good friends with Rashad (Anderson) for a long time. That being said I am happy with where we are at. I am excited for the chance to play this game and move on to play Villanova."

On playing in the Opening Round game. Does it create any problem with fatigue or psychology?
"It's a little bit strange. We were being kinda optimistic. Anytime you are on a stage at this level fatigue doesn't really play a factor. We have had plenty of days off. At this point you look at it as an opportunity to play a game on a night where no other games are on. The whole nation is watching. You are playing in an NCAA Tournament game. As a 16 seed it is really difficult to play your style because the number one seed is obviously superior. You come into a game at that stage where you can really show the nation how you play."


Monmouth Junior Forward Marques Alston
What did you know about the Opening Round game before this year? Were you expecting to come to Dayton?
"I was aware of it, but not too much. I didn't think that we were going to play in a play-in (Opening Round) game. We won our freshman year. This year there was kinda more of a possibility that we were going to play in a play-in (Opening Round) game. I was aware of it. We have to take what we got. Now we got to get this win and move on."

"I am expecting it to be a good crowd. Most of the NCAA games, no matter where they are, have good crowds. First Round our freshman year we had a good crowd down in Orlando. I am hoping it will be a good crowd. I have also heard that it will be a good crowd."

On the depth of Monmouth:
"We got a lot of guys and we got a lot of depth on our bench. We have freshman in there that can step up to relieve some of those veteran's legs. They will learn going through the next few years that it is going to take a toll. We have a lot of depth and it should show on the court."

Would it be more fair that two at-large teams play in the Opening Round game instead of two conference champions? "I think so, but we need to play that cards we have been dealt. I think that we had a pretty good schedule and that we probably shouldn't be in here. But we have to play in this game so we have to make the most of it."


Monmouth Junior Center John Bunch
What are the benefits of playing in the Opening Round game?
"It another chance to get another NCAA win even though it's really not counted. It's a chance to extend our season and prove that we belong in the tournament. There are a lot of people out there that are saying that we barely got in on luck. I think that we belong here and I know that we belong here and I that's why I came here. We are going to prove ourselves tomorrow."

On how he got his start in college basketball:
"In high school, I didn't really play. I was just a big kid on the team. After the season was over I got a job in a movie theatre. It was my second day on the job. A big movie came out called Ice Age. Coach Byers took his son and his wife to see the movie. His wife came up to me after the movie and asked me if I played college ball. I told her that I want to and I graduate in a couple of months. She went back and told her husband. We went and got my information and called me the next day."