The NCAA tournament is about basketball but also so much more: the fans, bands, cheerleaders, etc. The Sweet 16/Elite 8 are taking place in 4 cities around the country and we could not be more excited to be there in person! HoopsHD is covering all of the angles so you can look forward to a cascade of coverage in the days ahead. Jon Teitel continues our coverage from Las Vegas with a few player interviews from the Gonzaga locker room.
SO G Hunter Sallis
In 2021 you were named a McDonald’s All-American: are any guys from that game still alive in the NCAA tourney? Just this 1 next to me (his Gonzaga teammate Nolan Hickman)!
Coach Mark Few has won 23+ games for his 24th year in a row: how important has his leadership been to your team? He has so much experience that it gives us all a lot of confidence.
You had a brutal non-conference schedule this year including Michigan State/Texas/Kentucky/Purdue/Xavier/Baylor/Kent State/Alabama: which of those teams impressed you the most? I would say Texas: their defensive aggressiveness was unlike anything else we had seen early in this season, but it has really helped prepare us for March.
In the 2021 Final 4 the Zags beat UCLA on a Jalen Suggs 40-foot bank shot to beat the buzzer in OT: what are your memories of that sensational shot? I remember watching it on TV: it was a really amazing shot.
You beat GCU/TCU last week: what is the mentality of the team as you prepare to face UCLA? We will take the same approach as always by bringing the same intensity/aggressiveness.
SO C Efton Reid III
You went to IMG Academy: are you friends with any of your fellow alumni who are still alive in the NCAA tourney (Charles Bediako at Alabama/Alex Karaban at UConn/Jarace Walker at Houston/other)? I was part of the post-graduate team so I do not know everyone but we still have a connection. I was there during COVID so I grew close to some of the younger guys on the team.
You began your career at LSU: why did you decide to transfer to Gonzaga? A little of everything: the culture, the family atmosphere, etc. It has been great for my basketball development.
In the 2021 Final 4 the Zags beat UCLA on a Jalen Suggs 40-foot bank shot to beat the buzzer in OT: what are your memories of that sensational shot? I remember watching it on TV at home with my family during COVID and just screaming out loud after he made it!
Coach Mark Few has won 23+ games for his 24th year in a row: how important has his leadership been to your team? You cannot beat winning: that is all that matters. It really speaks to his career as a coach.
You beat GCU/TCU last week: what is the mentality of the team as you prepare to face UCLA? We will play like underdogs because when we get momentum we cannot be stopped.
SR F Drew Timme
You are the 2-time defending conference POY: how crucial is it for you to leader this team? Obviously, it has been that way during my entire time here, but pressure is a privilege.
You were named conference tourney MVP earlier this month: do you feel like you are playing the best basketball of the season and/or your life? I am just being me.
You scored 12 PTS in the 2021 title game loss to Baylor: what will it take to get over the hump if you make it back to the title game this year? We just need to be us.
You scored 25 PTS in a Sweet 16 6-PT loss to Arkansas last March: how sweet would it be to beat them in a revenge game in the Elite 8 if you both make it that far? They are a different team than last year, and so are we.
If you could be selected 1st overall in the NBA draft by any team or last overall in the NFL draft by your beloved Dallas Cowboys, which would you choose? (Long pause) Cowboys!