Courtesy of ASAP Sports
Q. You have been through these big tournaments before with your previous teams. Can you describe a little bit about what it has been like for the last I guess 24 hours since you got here. If you can describe what it has been like for you guys.
TRE DONALDSON: We are in March Madness but we want to treat it as a road game. Like we usually do. We've won a lot of them. That's what we want to do treat it as normal as possible. Just be Miami.
ERNEST UDEH: Tre said it. Everything outside is heightened, whether it be in media, sports in general, college basketball in general, the main thing for us is again going into these next few games. Obviously one game at a time stick to our stuff. The things we work on in practice, things we talked about working on.
We want to win. We are not here for an experience or here to lollygag. We here to win. It's a business trip. Being prepared. Being excited, making sure we have the same energy going into the game.
MALIK RENEAU: The last time I have been to a tournament is my freshman year. It's surreal. Like they said, keeping it normal. Stick to what we usually do on the road. Stick to what we do best. We are pretty good at away games and how we play here.
Q. How important is it to have tournament experience? You have all played in the Tournament before. How important is it to have tournament experience, and for the players who haven't been in a tournament before?
MALIK RENEAU: It has been a while. But I played in a couple games when I was there. Just being in the moment, playing with your team and not going away from the -- what the game plan is and staying together. Sticking as a team constantly through ups and downs on the court through their runs and through our runs staying together and staying poised to be the best.
ERNEST UDEH: Definitely helps. Us being the senior leaders of the team. There's a certain amount of credibility that comes with that. The rest of the guys trust that we know what we are talking about.
Again, we are an extension of the coaches. Obviously having that experience on top with just our capability of letting the guys know what is expected of us as a group night in and night out, no matter if it is the NCAA Tournament or the first game of the season. Making sure we stay true to what we work on in practice, stay true to our brand of basketball night in and night out no matter what the stage is.
TRE DONALDSON: For us as a team I think it is huge, to have the experience for us three guys because we have a couple young guys we lean on to play big roles. Having that experience being able to relate to them being able to talk to them through it and trying to get them used to it and what to expect exactly is huge because we lean on them so much.
So that experience that plays a big role. When it comes to March and March Madness, you don't know what the games are going to throw at you, you don't know what it is going to take to win. Going into the game you have to be able to adjust. Whatever it takes to win, you have to be able to do that. It has to be all five guys to bought in, so that experience plays a big role.
Q. What has it been about Coach Lucas' approach that has pulled this team together? We talk about the young guys a lot of you guys in the first year together. What is it about Coach and his staff that built that chemistry between all of you so quickly?
TRE DONALDSON: I feel like our togetherness, and then when it comes to Coach, just his want to prove he belongs here. We have seen all of the other stuff that has been said. We can all relate to it, our whole team. We have been counted out on certain stuff.
That chip on his shoulder would be the biggest thing. Him keeping that chip on his shoulder and pushing us to whatever that chip may be to us each individually to keep that chip on our shoulder as well, and have that push us and drive us to play hard, do the things that other teams don't want to do, so we can come out here and win.
ERNEST UDEH: He is very poised. Whenever we are going over a scout or game plan he is poised and precise. He is always letting us know basketball is a game of runs. So again during games and situations where we feel like things may be getting out of hand or whatever, he is always reminding us to just stick to what we know, stick to what we do. It is the game of basketball. There are ups and downs. You are not expecting things to go perfect all of the time. That's something he has shown us throughout the season. How poised he is in moments how poised and precise he is in situations. It is incredible. Being a part of this team and this program is something I am blessed to be a part of.
MALIK RENEAU: I will say Jai is a player's coach. He understands everybody and what they are going through. We lean towards him and feel more comfortable around him and trust him a lot more. It also brings us together.
An aspect of the coaching staff and all of them, I think they take the job super serious. They are always ready to go with a game plan. They can adjust on the fly when they see something wrong in the game or an adjustment they like, they do a good job of adjusting on the fly and getting us ready to go for second half adjustments and stuff like that.
They take their job super serious and get us in the right positions to help us succeed on the court.
Q. You all are going to be the last game to tip tomorrow. 9 local back in Miami. What's the prep knowing you have to wait all day to play and how have you prepared to play, logistics of playing that late in the day?
ERNEST UDEH: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, 9 a.m., midnight, three p.m., rush hour 9 to 5. Coach obviously something he talked about this morning, doesn't matter what time it is. We understand the task at hand. The timing, location, situation is really the last thing we are going to look at and kind of think as a determining factor on our success how well we do. No matter the environment of what we are playing, and we understand why we are here. We understand what we are here too do.
So the preparation, understanding it is a late game. Might push things back maybe an hour or so. Nothing we do schematically is going to change in any regard. Above all else stick to what we know, stick to the principles we have worked on our practice, the entire season has gotten us to this point, we will be okay.
Q. Also on the late-game angle is there any benefit to being -- I think your game is actually the last game, 10:10 Eastern time, last game I think of the first round. Any benefit in the fact that you have gotten to watch, you just saw what happened with Duke, you are seeing Wisconsin, you are seeing all of these games. By the time you guys play do you feel there is a benefit of having settled into March Madness watching all of the games and not being one of the first games? Is it good to be one of the last games? For any of you.
TRE DONALDSON: As a group playing the late game and having the young guys that don't have the experience we have, I feel like that's big for us. We can show them what it looks like to win, what a team looks like, how bad they want to win, what winning plays looks like in March Madness. You can learn a lot from other teams. That's something we as a program really embody, trying to learn as much as possible and take everything we can from everybody. They are not in this tournament for no reason.
Attacking it that way and being open-minded about it I feel like is the biggest thing. There's a lot of good teams in this tournament. The hardest playing teams are going to win.
Q. Making the move to Miami and what has maximized the opportunity with this program this year?
MALIK RENEAU: Coach put me in a lot of positions to succeed, whether it is been in the pocket, posting up, isolation. Being able to be versatile for him and be a facilitator on the team whether it is getting to the rim myself or kick out threes to teammates, being able to be the guy that he goes to other than Tre as a facilitator, as a team as you say and help the team out that way.
I think Coach has put me in excellent positions to put me in the best possible spots on the court to get myself going throughout the game.
Q. Do you guys have any, like the Queens College team they have a dog that goes around with them they take around, like a good luck charm kind of thing, do you guys have anything you brought to the tournament or any kind of trinket, shirt, anything you guys have as a group? I know you have the mask thing. Is there anything specific for the Tournament that you have done different?
MALIK RENEAU: No. I mean pack the same stuff.
We didn't switch nothing up. We brought the mask. That's probably the only thing we brought. Everything else has been the same.
TRE DONALDSON: Oh, the wristband.
MALIK RENEAU: I forgot about these.
ERNEST UDEH: No way both ya'll got it. Oh my God. My fault, Grace.
TRE DONALDSON: She made us these and they have our nicknames on them.
Grace did.
ERNEST UDEH: I was thinking about hooping, I wasn't thinking about messing up. I forgot.
Q. You have been through these big tournaments before with your previous teams. Can you describe a little bit about what it has been like for the last I guess 24 hours since you got here. If you can describe what it has been like for you guys.
TRE DONALDSON: We are in March Madness but we want to treat it as a road game. Like we usually do. We've won a lot of them. That's what we want to do treat it as normal as possible. Just be Miami.
ERNEST UDEH: Tre said it. Everything outside is heightened, whether it be in media, sports in general, college basketball in general, the main thing for us is again going into these next few games. Obviously one game at a time stick to our stuff. The things we work on in practice, things we talked about working on.
We want to win. We are not here for an experience or here to lollygag. We here to win. It's a business trip. Being prepared. Being excited, making sure we have the same energy going into the game.
MALIK RENEAU: The last time I have been to a tournament is my freshman year. It's surreal. Like they said, keeping it normal. Stick to what we usually do on the road. Stick to what we do best. We are pretty good at away games and how we play here.
Q. How important is it to have tournament experience? You have all played in the Tournament before. How important is it to have tournament experience, and for the players who haven't been in a tournament before?
MALIK RENEAU: It has been a while. But I played in a couple games when I was there. Just being in the moment, playing with your team and not going away from the -- what the game plan is and staying together. Sticking as a team constantly through ups and downs on the court through their runs and through our runs staying together and staying poised to be the best.
ERNEST UDEH: Definitely helps. Us being the senior leaders of the team. There's a certain amount of credibility that comes with that. The rest of the guys trust that we know what we are talking about.
Again, we are an extension of the coaches. Obviously having that experience on top with just our capability of letting the guys know what is expected of us as a group night in and night out, no matter if it is the NCAA Tournament or the first game of the season. Making sure we stay true to what we work on in practice, stay true to our brand of basketball night in and night out no matter what the stage is.
TRE DONALDSON: For us as a team I think it is huge, to have the experience for us three guys because we have a couple young guys we lean on to play big roles. Having that experience being able to relate to them being able to talk to them through it and trying to get them used to it and what to expect exactly is huge because we lean on them so much.
So that experience that plays a big role. When it comes to March and March Madness, you don't know what the games are going to throw at you, you don't know what it is going to take to win. Going into the game you have to be able to adjust. Whatever it takes to win, you have to be able to do that. It has to be all five guys to bought in, so that experience plays a big role.
Q. What has it been about Coach Lucas' approach that has pulled this team together? We talk about the young guys a lot of you guys in the first year together. What is it about Coach and his staff that built that chemistry between all of you so quickly?
TRE DONALDSON: I feel like our togetherness, and then when it comes to Coach, just his want to prove he belongs here. We have seen all of the other stuff that has been said. We can all relate to it, our whole team. We have been counted out on certain stuff.
That chip on his shoulder would be the biggest thing. Him keeping that chip on his shoulder and pushing us to whatever that chip may be to us each individually to keep that chip on our shoulder as well, and have that push us and drive us to play hard, do the things that other teams don't want to do, so we can come out here and win.
ERNEST UDEH: He is very poised. Whenever we are going over a scout or game plan he is poised and precise. He is always letting us know basketball is a game of runs. So again during games and situations where we feel like things may be getting out of hand or whatever, he is always reminding us to just stick to what we know, stick to what we do. It is the game of basketball. There are ups and downs. You are not expecting things to go perfect all of the time. That's something he has shown us throughout the season. How poised he is in moments how poised and precise he is in situations. It is incredible. Being a part of this team and this program is something I am blessed to be a part of.
MALIK RENEAU: I will say Jai is a player's coach. He understands everybody and what they are going through. We lean towards him and feel more comfortable around him and trust him a lot more. It also brings us together.
An aspect of the coaching staff and all of them, I think they take the job super serious. They are always ready to go with a game plan. They can adjust on the fly when they see something wrong in the game or an adjustment they like, they do a good job of adjusting on the fly and getting us ready to go for second half adjustments and stuff like that.
They take their job super serious and get us in the right positions to help us succeed on the court.
Q. You all are going to be the last game to tip tomorrow. 9 local back in Miami. What's the prep knowing you have to wait all day to play and how have you prepared to play, logistics of playing that late in the day?
ERNEST UDEH: Breakfast, lunch, dinner, 9 a.m., midnight, three p.m., rush hour 9 to 5. Coach obviously something he talked about this morning, doesn't matter what time it is. We understand the task at hand. The timing, location, situation is really the last thing we are going to look at and kind of think as a determining factor on our success how well we do. No matter the environment of what we are playing, and we understand why we are here. We understand what we are here too do.
So the preparation, understanding it is a late game. Might push things back maybe an hour or so. Nothing we do schematically is going to change in any regard. Above all else stick to what we know, stick to the principles we have worked on our practice, the entire season has gotten us to this point, we will be okay.
Q. Also on the late-game angle is there any benefit to being -- I think your game is actually the last game, 10:10 Eastern time, last game I think of the first round. Any benefit in the fact that you have gotten to watch, you just saw what happened with Duke, you are seeing Wisconsin, you are seeing all of these games. By the time you guys play do you feel there is a benefit of having settled into March Madness watching all of the games and not being one of the first games? Is it good to be one of the last games? For any of you.
TRE DONALDSON: As a group playing the late game and having the young guys that don't have the experience we have, I feel like that's big for us. We can show them what it looks like to win, what a team looks like, how bad they want to win, what winning plays looks like in March Madness. You can learn a lot from other teams. That's something we as a program really embody, trying to learn as much as possible and take everything we can from everybody. They are not in this tournament for no reason.
Attacking it that way and being open-minded about it I feel like is the biggest thing. There's a lot of good teams in this tournament. The hardest playing teams are going to win.
Q. Making the move to Miami and what has maximized the opportunity with this program this year?
MALIK RENEAU: Coach put me in a lot of positions to succeed, whether it is been in the pocket, posting up, isolation. Being able to be versatile for him and be a facilitator on the team whether it is getting to the rim myself or kick out threes to teammates, being able to be the guy that he goes to other than Tre as a facilitator, as a team as you say and help the team out that way.
I think Coach has put me in excellent positions to put me in the best possible spots on the court to get myself going throughout the game.
Q. Do you guys have any, like the Queens College team they have a dog that goes around with them they take around, like a good luck charm kind of thing, do you guys have anything you brought to the tournament or any kind of trinket, shirt, anything you guys have as a group? I know you have the mask thing. Is there anything specific for the Tournament that you have done different?
MALIK RENEAU: No. I mean pack the same stuff.
We didn't switch nothing up. We brought the mask. That's probably the only thing we brought. Everything else has been the same.
TRE DONALDSON: Oh, the wristband.
MALIK RENEAU: I forgot about these.
ERNEST UDEH: No way both ya'll got it. Oh my God. My fault, Grace.
TRE DONALDSON: She made us these and they have our nicknames on them.
Grace did.
ERNEST UDEH: I was thinking about hooping, I wasn't thinking about messing up. I forgot.
