Here's a portion of what McCollum, Tavion Banks, Alvaro Folgueiras, and Bennett Stirtz.
Q. Bennett, I wonder, what were your impressions of the Big Ten this season playing in the league? And also, are you surprised at all this many teams from the conference are still competing?
BENNETT STIRTZ: Yeah, not surprised at all. I think it's great for the Big Ten, great for the conference, just to see this many teams in the Sweet 16 and the Elite Eight. But, yeah, it's a physical league and I knew that coming into it. It's like any other league, every game's going to be tough, especially on the road. You're never going to have a game off, so you had to bring it every night. Obviously it was a step up from the Missouri Valley. Yeah, but not really any surprises there.
Q. What stands out from that game against Illinois back in January and maybe where have you seen them improve when you scouted them today or last night?
TAVION BANKS: I barely remember (smiling).
ALVARO FOLGUEIRAS: We get so many scouts and so much information that you have a clue of what they do and their profiles as a player. But when you play three games per week and you get so many information on every single game, we play almost 40 games, so it's hard to remember. But we know they are a really good rebounding team, really good bigs that can think, and they are a really good team.
BENNETT STIRTZ: They're a lot better team than the first time we played 'em, so obviously we'll watch some film from our game and see what we can do better. We're going to both make adjustments. But Keaton's playing a lot better as a freshman and all their players have made great strides this season. We played 'em early in the Big Ten conference, so they have definitely got a lot better.
Q. Al, we've been told that when you first came to the U.S., you didn't know a ton of English. So how have you picked up the language or is there any funny stories with how you learned to speak English?
ALVARO FOLGUEIRAS: Yeah, at some point in my very first practice at my high school I went to, you know, I wasn't playing really good on practice, and one of the coaches came to me saying, Wake up, whatever, you know, you're not doing good. He was kind of hard on me. And I put a face like he thought I was challenging him, but the truth is that I didn't know anything. I never talked with that guy in my life. So he didn't know that my face was because I wasn't understanding him.
And with that, a lot of things, a lot of things. But at the end of the day, you learn -- you come here to learn the universal language called basketball, you know. So I guess on that part, I learned even more than just a couple words in English.
Q. Can you share some thoughts on just your path and your journey and getting here and just what it's all meant to you.
BEN McCOLLUM: Yeah, I think I got into coaching to try to change kids' lives. So obviously went to Northwest Missouri State. We won enough just by kind of that process focus of trying to make kids better. Then I think it was just the call to move forward to Drake, and then obviously to Iowa after that.
But it has been a lot. It's been two years of -- from the outside looking in, it probably seems like the dream, and it is a little bit. But it's probably a lot harder than you think just because you miss so much from a family perspective.
But I've got great players, great kids, that I get to hang out with every single day. I go to work and hang out with my best friends. It's a good life. But it's nice to be somewhere where I was at for 15 years and now two years of moving has been tricky.
Q. Your name has been connected to a couple of big jobs. Is it your intention to be the Hawkeyes head coach next year?
BEN McCOLLUM: Yes, whatever -- whatever -- whatever those are, somebody -- I think James warned me. Yeah, those are all lies. The only person that would ever know would be -- well, three people would be my athletic director, my wife, and that's about it. I guess two people (laughing).
Q. And you said today you wanted to be compared to Kirk Ferentz. He's a guy that's been at Iowa for 28 years, had a lot of success. What makes you want to live up to that comp?
BEN McCOLLUM: Well, I mean, why would I like the coach at Indiana? You know, like, we're cheering for the Hawkeyes here. That's why. No, Kirk's obviously the -- he's as classy as it gets. He's done a great job with his entire program of recruiting great kids and great people and created a great culture.
So, yeah, anytime can you compare yourself to that, it's a big deal. But I'm certainly not going to compare myself to somebody from Indiana. No disrespect. He obviously accomplished a lot of good things and certainly it's humbling, but I'm a Kirk guy.