Dominique Kirk on A&M being back in the tournament, his NCAA experience

Key quotes from Dominique Kirk interview

“Having Texas A&M back in the tournament is great. I know the last few years we haven’t had the opportunity to play, so it’s been great to see those guys have the year they’re having. They went out there and performed and to be back in the tournament is great news for the city of College Station and the great university.”

“First off, Billy Kennedy is a great man. He fought through his predicament, went through his battle, and overcame it. It is just amazing what he’s done over the years with this team, where they just keep getting better, and now they are in a position to make a great run. I love this team. They’re tough-minded and while they don’t have a lot of big guys, they’ve got length. The good thing is that they have a good mix of upperclassmen and underclassmen, so I really think this team can make a great push to the Final Four.”

“The tournament is a one game process. That’s all your guaranteed, so you have to take it one possession at a time. I know that sounds cliche, but one possession really does matter, especially at this time of the year. I think we have enough mental toughness to get through some of those games where you just have to ‘get by’. When you look at the teams that have made a run to the national championship game, you cannot think of one team that blew out everybody. You have to be mentally tough enough to win those tight, close games. I’ve seen this team a couple of times and you can see that they have that ability.”

“Seeing the fan support come back means everything. We have our usual supporters, but to see the crowd and the city get behind the team means a lot. When we played with Joseph Jones, Acie, Marlon and all those guys, we put so much work in to get this program where it is today. We had to put so much work in before people realized that even though it isn't a basketball school, Texas A&M can play some basketball around here.”

“Under Billy Gillispie, we really had to love what we did and we had so much love for the school. They supported us so much through the four years I was there and it just got better every year. Just to see the program turn around was amazing.”

“I’m very confident that Billy Kennedy has something sustainable here. I really like this group and of course, the big fella, Tyler Davis, is going to be special. He reminds me so much of Joe Jones and I tell people all the time that they have the same motor, the same moves around the basket. Then, of course, you have D.J. Hogg and my boy Admon Gilder. He is so solid and he doesn't force things and is very efficient. The kid can play and we have some good guys coming in next year. They’re going to be young, but they’ll have this experience to build on.”

“Admon is definitely more efficient than I was in scoring, he can really score the ball. Even going back to his high school days, he could score. Defensively, he is going to have an opportunity to be great. He is very solid and rarely makes mistakes, which is why I like him so much. He knows his role and doesn't force anything.”

“There’s a couple tournament moments that stand out to me. That second round game against Louisville in Kentucky is one. Knowing how tough that game was going to be to get to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1980. I was really focused on doing whatever it took to win that game. I get questions about what was different with me scoring 21 points in that game, but it wasn't like we changed the playbook or anything, It was just one of those, ‘I’m going to do whatever it takes.’ Of course, I was guarding the best player, but I had to be more aggressive on the offensive side. I was pretty confident about my shot after practicing and it’s March Madness, what else can you say? It’s win or go home.”

“The first round that year was a huge win against Penn. Coach G did a good job of preparing us and told us, ‘I know we’re a 3-seed, I get that. At the same time, this Penn team is a really good team with two really good players. They can beat anybody.’ We didn't take it for granted. We jumped on them early, but they came back. Coach Davis always told us, ‘it’s a game of runs’ so you have to accept the runs and build from it. Penn was a tough opponent and we got by them to face Louisville, who was young but very talented. It was two tough games but we got past it.”

“Another game that we jumped out early in was against BYU. We respected the battle and even though he wasn't Jimmer Fredette then, he was still Jimmer Fredette. They had a good team and then UCLA had all these lottery picks on their team. We felt like we were just as talented as UCLA and ended up losing by two, but it was a great battle and a good run. We should definitely still be shooting free throws.”

“I took on my fair share of good players while I was at A&M. UCLA had all types of guys with Westbrook and Kevin Love, but we really did feel like we were just as talented. We had guys like Donald Sloan, Joe, DeAndre and Bryan Davis. There are a couple of those guys who are still playing pro ball.”

“The older I get, the more I think about the losses. But, as Kobe Bryant says, you have to love the process and sometimes you learn from the struggle. So even though we lost those games, just being so close was something. We lost by four points in three years. LSU by one, Memphis by one and UCLA by two. That speaks to how tough our team was and the grind we put into the NCAA Tournament.”

“If I was talking to this team, I would tell them to just enjoy it. I speak to Alex Caruso quite a bit and he is one of those guys that has seen it, he’s seen the success. His first three years was pretty tough, but I am so proud of him. I’m so proud that he stuck it out and didn't transfer. He fought through it and now he has the opportunity to do something in the tournament that we never did. I couldn't be prouder of any player in A&M history than I am of Alex Caruso.”