Show Interview with Coach Parrish Over the past 18 r years Y ar Head Rea Basketball Coach Norm Parrish has enjoyed many suc suc- He has had career wins averaged over 20 wins a season 10 Americans All-Americans and 75 players have moved on to a Division Division Division Divi Divi- sion 1 program However However However How How- ever none of the past 18 years could top the 2008 National Champion Champion- ship Globe writer Jeff Dixon recently sat down with Coach Parrish to discuss the National Championship game and what's to come next Globe What does winning a national national national na na- championship champion- champion ship mean to you as asa asa asa a professional coach Parrish For every team its it's from day one every year you just to want make it there It is isa isa isa a great accomplishment I can tell you from last year and going in to this year its it's a crappy feeling to lose there Globe Did you tell your guys anything before before before be- be fore they began their 15 point comeback in the championship game I Parrish Mostly j i we just talked about how there no magical point 15 play Theres There's no one great shot It was about better shot selection selection selection tion and defending them thema a lot better The last 12 minutes we made a few tweaks defensively ReI Really Really Re Re- I I ally the game was won on the defensive end I We stared beating them themI I down the floor we weI I I started shifted getting easy shots I I t. t 1 II r I. I I 7 i r t I ri 1 t I I Ij j- j I D I t tt Lf e. e J t J It y 5 1 and easy I was worried about our legs but they lost their legs Globe What key el element element element el- el ement of your teams team's game changed that allowed your comeback comeback comeback come come- back sustained the lead and ultimate victory victory victory vic vic- tory in the game Parrish We kept our composure A lot of times tunes when a team gets down they panic At no point did we panic In the middle 20 minutes we looked tired We had a tough game the night be be- fore They played great but some of their players lost their composure lost l their legs Even when we hadn't caught them even when we were down by Y 1 1 I r. eight or nine you could I really feel the swing and andI I thought You know what Were We're going to be okay The way they kinda kinda kinda kin- kin da went at it you could feel it the mood changed 1 It was definitely defense defense defense de de- we turned it up defensively It was partially us and partially partially partially par par- them They got away from what they were doing but we forced them in to changing changing changing chang chang- ing some stuff too Globe Midlands Midland's over miles closer to the tournament site than Salt Lake City is Did this reflect in the Interview Continued on t t r G j 4 J M P Parrish a r r i s h Interview Continued from B 1 crowds crowd's bias If so did you do anything different different different dif dif- ferent to prepare your players for a potentially potentially potentially poten poten- hostile crowd as they walked in to what was probably the biggest biggest biggest big big- gest game of their lives Parrish For the last two years the crowds crowd's been behind us A lot of the seats seats- are pre Midland mayve may've had a afew afew afew few more but the crowd really backed us One of our players Drew Robinson Robinson Rob Rob- inson was waving the crowd on and I thought What are you doing But there were people people peo peo- people there and the majority majority majority major major- ity was for us There are guys who go there every year they just want to see good basketball When we were making our run it was really loud Globe How do go about finding guys replace replace replace re re- place key sophomores Parrish We have a cout couI cou cou- I t pIe kids back last year we lost 10 Hopefully we can get some players in inhere inhere inhere here that give us a chance to go back Hopefully enough of it sticks around players who know how we do things It keeps going from year to year Globe Youve You've been successful for several years now Is there an element to your recruiting recruiting recruiting recruit recruit- ing that looks for those intangibles like character character character char char- acter and work ethic Parrish They have to tobe tobe tobe be good players who we try to mold We need good kids and gO good d play play- ers When it comes down downto to it you gotta have some character kids We got gota a large number of them this year and last year Globe What was different about this years year's team that al allowed allowed allowed al- al lowed you guys to take that final step and claim the championship Parrish I think this year we had a little more of an inside presence Its It's simple simple simple sim sim- math Last year we were more guard orien orien- I To get quality shots I we had to rely on a lot lotof lotof lotof of executing to set them I up This year with Bendall Bendall Bendall Ben- Ben dall and Wright just our size wed we'd just try to get down low We were closer clos clos- er to the basket Last year that possession was bad and this year we could throw to a couple different different different differ differ- ent kids and get a quality quality qua qua- ity shot when sometimes things didn't go right Globe What does the hold for you and your team now Parrish In Ju-Co Ju Junior Junior Junior Ju Ju- College the re recruiting recruiting recruiting re- re hardly ever stops we gotta reload We spend a lot of time answering calls from I Division I teams asking asking asking ask ask- ing about our players Globe Is there anything anything anything any any- thing else you'd like to say to Globe readers Parrish That I just appreciate appreciate appreciate ap ap- the support and that our kids really play hard We want to continue continue continue con con- in the future and hopefully people will vill come out and watch f r |