fun one....
Opening Statement: "What a great college basketball game and the atmosphere as always, I think, is the difference in these wins, just the energy in the building to get stops when you're playing against an Arizona State team, and Coach Hurley, man, is that guy good at getting his team to scrap and fight and believe when they've had a hard season and just so impressed with their guards ability to score going into the game, and, you know, they didn't have Quaintance going into the game. And I thought it kind of gave them more spacing and more scoring on the perimeter. It didn't it took away a little bit of physicality in the the interior defense, but it gave them a scoring punch that was really hard to deal with. We made some defensive miscues in the first half that allowed them to get going, and we were careless with some turnovers that I think allowed them to play in transition. But man, give them credit, because I thought their their shot making was tremendous, and I just loved our team's fight to find a way and to see Kerwin Walton out there getting stops to finish the game was like one of the most beautiful things I've seen. It was awesome. And so a lot of people obviously contributed to this, but to see Kerwin Walton out there playing great defense to win the game, I think really says a lot about him and a lot about our program and how we're going to find ways to win."
How were you able to be the more physical team tonight?: "Well, I mean, you know they were smaller, so just, how do you take advantage of it? We encouraged our team going into the game, it's just not shooting shots going away from the rim and that's where JT got going. I just thought he was putting his feet in the paint and scoring at the basket, and so was Darrion Williams. JT going right to the basket was, I think, 1A and what we wanted to do. And he was tremendous to start this game. And he's been working. I mean, he's finally healthy, and he's finally able to practice, and he's finally able to put in the individual work. He's not shy about work. He'll work, and that dude will be in the gym, and he'll spend time doing it. I've been so impressed with his resilience, with his fight to keep getting better, even though he's kind of tweaked his ankles like you could tell you're he's just scratching what he's capable of. And I say that with a lot of confidence."
How about Kerwin's 13 of the first 15 to open the 2H?: "Give coach Linder and coach Nottingham a lot of credit. Because they just put him in the right spots and felt like we had the matchup we wanted. And Kerwin stays ready. I mean, there's a guy that puts in work too, and he's always consistent. He never misses a day. He's always in there shooting. And man, he was. He really gave us a lift to start that half."
What's the heart of this team after challenging games over the last stretch?: "Well, we didn't sign up for easy. We love it this way. This is where we want it to be. I mean, let's, let's play against the team that makes all kind of crazy shots, and let's see what kind of grit we have to win. That's what I want this to be about. Like, I don't want anybody to be injured when we play them. I want everybody to be healthy, and we want everybody's best shot. And that's what makes this sport fun, honestly. And if you don't enjoy that, then you're playing in the wrong league. And that's what I love about the Big 12. That's why I love playing in it. That's why I love coaching in it, because of guys like Coach Hurley or some of the best coaches that make your team better. Because the point of this is to compete against the best, see if you can be the best."
How were your guards able to turn it on defensively late?: "Yeah, well, initially, we wanted to push all their offense out because they run sets, but then they get in the scoring actions, then you got to squeeze them, and we got to spread out. And that was on me a couple times. We got confused in some ball screen coverages, and they scored on them early. So then it's like lightning fire. And once that fire gets going with those guards, that thing's gonna burn, and you better try to do everything you can. And we just, we let them get some of those baskets. Then at the end, we tightened up the pickup point, you know? And one thing is we didn't have any fouls, and so we just tried to be way more aggressive on the ball and in gaps to finish it. And I thought D5 was fantastic at that a couple of possessions, and Chance was good at it. And, you know, it helped just that we finally got a little more physical on the ball, I thought helped too. You know, we were playing a little backed up, even though we were pressuring them. And I thought he started it when he came back in and that overtime and started pressuring the ball, and then, I mean, at the end of regulation, and then we were able to kind of continue it and tighten those gaps up and got way more aggressive in gaps."
Was getting Phillips in early foul trouble a curse in disguise because of that five guard lineup?: "Seemed like it...Yeah, I thought the same thing. I mean, like we felt like to be able to keep our defense compact and not get too spread out, that if you had size matched up with this, we'd get stops. But also it's to our advantage for him not to be out there offensively. If you could play inside out, the JT was able to get closer to the basket. But in a game like this, and you know the formula for upsets, I mean, not to say that this is a big one, but you know, if they're going to win on the road, you making threes is a big part of it. So they were just basically trading threes for twos during that segment. JT, and those guys, we were getting twos, and they were making threes. So the hard part about that dilemma was just, you know, they did. They were able to go to a smaller lineup and spread us out, and that was as hard to defend as anything we've gone against this year."
What can you say about your team's late game execution tonight?: "We practice all these in the game scenarios. There was nothing that was confusing about it. It's a read situation. And we had options for a three. We had options for a couple of different things at two, and the miss was just classic heart from Chance McMillian find a way to tip it in and put us in overtime."
How do you feel D5 has started to get back after a tough stretch w/ 27 tonight?: "Oh, there's no question. I mean, it's a long year. We play for half the year. So, I mean, just from a team standpoint, what you find is he carried the load that people don't see when we like scrimmage St Mary's, I mean, basically played like 40 minutes, and played the point the whole game. And that's a scrimmage that no one watches, and it's one of the best teams in the country. He was tremendous. So just the build up to this, there's some ebbs and flows to it that you're not going to be at your best. And man, I what I love about him is his engaging ability to see what the team needs. Those two free throws he made were huge. He just he does get it now he gets it at the highest level, and I trust him explicitly, and he'll be a guy that leads us as we finish this run that we're on."
JT is the first one at 40 points, 15 boards of multiple steel since Ralph Sampson in 1981, how is it nice to lean on your two big guys to get home tonight?: "For me, I just love that. I think we've got a lot of ways to win, and if you're going to play in March and have a team that can win, you got to have a lot of different guys be able to step up, and there are guys on the bench that aren't playing great right now, that'll be huge for us in big games. And if you were in that locker room, you'd see them celebrating Kerwin, you'd see them celebrating each other, and I think that's the key to this team winning. JT's night was tonight, and he's got the talent to go for 41 I mean, but do you have the work ethic to put it into play? And he does, and this team does. And so, man, I'm so thrilled for him because of the hard work he's put in. But I can tell you this, there ain't nobody in this locker room that thinks that it's about one person. All of them know that we need each other in order to win, and that's that's the way we'll approach it."
How about Anderson's poise late?: "I mean, we've really been leaning on (Elijah Hawkins) for major minutes, and I could see the fatigue catching up to him tonight. That's what I'm saying about this team. Christian Anderson stepped in, I thought in the middle ball screen, he really was effective in getting the ball to JT and scoring, and then his defense, because he had been guarding him all game long and pressuring him and wasn't falling. Then Christian was able to come in, and I think they were fatigued, and then that's where he was able to apply pressure to and that's what makes us so effective. But Chris has got great anticipation, and he's going to be an elite defender, just the physicality of the game when they get you close to the basket, he's not quite at the level that he wants to be at you, but man, his activity, his composure, his belief, his understanding of the game, man, then the way he was able to close this game was said a lot about who he is as a person and who he is as a player."
Be sure to book with TreeLine Vacation Rentals if you are in need of a Broken Bow, Oklahoma cabin rental. All Red Raiders get a $200.00 discount (enter code RRS) and direct booking with no additional fees.
TreeLine Vacation Rentals – Broken Bow, OK
Craig Crawford (@crawfordTT)
214-228-0892
TreeLine Owner craig@vacationtreeline.com
TreeLine can also build, sell & manage investment properties in Broken Bow -- one of the best investment opportunities in the nation right now!
Opening Statement: "What a great college basketball game and the atmosphere as always, I think, is the difference in these wins, just the energy in the building to get stops when you're playing against an Arizona State team, and Coach Hurley, man, is that guy good at getting his team to scrap and fight and believe when they've had a hard season and just so impressed with their guards ability to score going into the game, and, you know, they didn't have Quaintance going into the game. And I thought it kind of gave them more spacing and more scoring on the perimeter. It didn't it took away a little bit of physicality in the the interior defense, but it gave them a scoring punch that was really hard to deal with. We made some defensive miscues in the first half that allowed them to get going, and we were careless with some turnovers that I think allowed them to play in transition. But man, give them credit, because I thought their their shot making was tremendous, and I just loved our team's fight to find a way and to see Kerwin Walton out there getting stops to finish the game was like one of the most beautiful things I've seen. It was awesome. And so a lot of people obviously contributed to this, but to see Kerwin Walton out there playing great defense to win the game, I think really says a lot about him and a lot about our program and how we're going to find ways to win."
How were you able to be the more physical team tonight?: "Well, I mean, you know they were smaller, so just, how do you take advantage of it? We encouraged our team going into the game, it's just not shooting shots going away from the rim and that's where JT got going. I just thought he was putting his feet in the paint and scoring at the basket, and so was Darrion Williams. JT going right to the basket was, I think, 1A and what we wanted to do. And he was tremendous to start this game. And he's been working. I mean, he's finally healthy, and he's finally able to practice, and he's finally able to put in the individual work. He's not shy about work. He'll work, and that dude will be in the gym, and he'll spend time doing it. I've been so impressed with his resilience, with his fight to keep getting better, even though he's kind of tweaked his ankles like you could tell you're he's just scratching what he's capable of. And I say that with a lot of confidence."
How about Kerwin's 13 of the first 15 to open the 2H?: "Give coach Linder and coach Nottingham a lot of credit. Because they just put him in the right spots and felt like we had the matchup we wanted. And Kerwin stays ready. I mean, there's a guy that puts in work too, and he's always consistent. He never misses a day. He's always in there shooting. And man, he was. He really gave us a lift to start that half."
What's the heart of this team after challenging games over the last stretch?: "Well, we didn't sign up for easy. We love it this way. This is where we want it to be. I mean, let's, let's play against the team that makes all kind of crazy shots, and let's see what kind of grit we have to win. That's what I want this to be about. Like, I don't want anybody to be injured when we play them. I want everybody to be healthy, and we want everybody's best shot. And that's what makes this sport fun, honestly. And if you don't enjoy that, then you're playing in the wrong league. And that's what I love about the Big 12. That's why I love playing in it. That's why I love coaching in it, because of guys like Coach Hurley or some of the best coaches that make your team better. Because the point of this is to compete against the best, see if you can be the best."
How were your guards able to turn it on defensively late?: "Yeah, well, initially, we wanted to push all their offense out because they run sets, but then they get in the scoring actions, then you got to squeeze them, and we got to spread out. And that was on me a couple times. We got confused in some ball screen coverages, and they scored on them early. So then it's like lightning fire. And once that fire gets going with those guards, that thing's gonna burn, and you better try to do everything you can. And we just, we let them get some of those baskets. Then at the end, we tightened up the pickup point, you know? And one thing is we didn't have any fouls, and so we just tried to be way more aggressive on the ball and in gaps to finish it. And I thought D5 was fantastic at that a couple of possessions, and Chance was good at it. And, you know, it helped just that we finally got a little more physical on the ball, I thought helped too. You know, we were playing a little backed up, even though we were pressuring them. And I thought he started it when he came back in and that overtime and started pressuring the ball, and then, I mean, at the end of regulation, and then we were able to kind of continue it and tighten those gaps up and got way more aggressive in gaps."
Was getting Phillips in early foul trouble a curse in disguise because of that five guard lineup?: "Seemed like it...Yeah, I thought the same thing. I mean, like we felt like to be able to keep our defense compact and not get too spread out, that if you had size matched up with this, we'd get stops. But also it's to our advantage for him not to be out there offensively. If you could play inside out, the JT was able to get closer to the basket. But in a game like this, and you know the formula for upsets, I mean, not to say that this is a big one, but you know, if they're going to win on the road, you making threes is a big part of it. So they were just basically trading threes for twos during that segment. JT, and those guys, we were getting twos, and they were making threes. So the hard part about that dilemma was just, you know, they did. They were able to go to a smaller lineup and spread us out, and that was as hard to defend as anything we've gone against this year."
What can you say about your team's late game execution tonight?: "We practice all these in the game scenarios. There was nothing that was confusing about it. It's a read situation. And we had options for a three. We had options for a couple of different things at two, and the miss was just classic heart from Chance McMillian find a way to tip it in and put us in overtime."
How do you feel D5 has started to get back after a tough stretch w/ 27 tonight?: "Oh, there's no question. I mean, it's a long year. We play for half the year. So, I mean, just from a team standpoint, what you find is he carried the load that people don't see when we like scrimmage St Mary's, I mean, basically played like 40 minutes, and played the point the whole game. And that's a scrimmage that no one watches, and it's one of the best teams in the country. He was tremendous. So just the build up to this, there's some ebbs and flows to it that you're not going to be at your best. And man, I what I love about him is his engaging ability to see what the team needs. Those two free throws he made were huge. He just he does get it now he gets it at the highest level, and I trust him explicitly, and he'll be a guy that leads us as we finish this run that we're on."
JT is the first one at 40 points, 15 boards of multiple steel since Ralph Sampson in 1981, how is it nice to lean on your two big guys to get home tonight?: "For me, I just love that. I think we've got a lot of ways to win, and if you're going to play in March and have a team that can win, you got to have a lot of different guys be able to step up, and there are guys on the bench that aren't playing great right now, that'll be huge for us in big games. And if you were in that locker room, you'd see them celebrating Kerwin, you'd see them celebrating each other, and I think that's the key to this team winning. JT's night was tonight, and he's got the talent to go for 41 I mean, but do you have the work ethic to put it into play? And he does, and this team does. And so, man, I'm so thrilled for him because of the hard work he's put in. But I can tell you this, there ain't nobody in this locker room that thinks that it's about one person. All of them know that we need each other in order to win, and that's that's the way we'll approach it."
How about Anderson's poise late?: "I mean, we've really been leaning on (Elijah Hawkins) for major minutes, and I could see the fatigue catching up to him tonight. That's what I'm saying about this team. Christian Anderson stepped in, I thought in the middle ball screen, he really was effective in getting the ball to JT and scoring, and then his defense, because he had been guarding him all game long and pressuring him and wasn't falling. Then Christian was able to come in, and I think they were fatigued, and then that's where he was able to apply pressure to and that's what makes us so effective. But Chris has got great anticipation, and he's going to be an elite defender, just the physicality of the game when they get you close to the basket, he's not quite at the level that he wants to be at you, but man, his activity, his composure, his belief, his understanding of the game, man, then the way he was able to close this game was said a lot about who he is as a person and who he is as a player."
Be sure to book with TreeLine Vacation Rentals if you are in need of a Broken Bow, Oklahoma cabin rental. All Red Raiders get a $200.00 discount (enter code RRS) and direct booking with no additional fees.
TreeLine Vacation Rentals – Broken Bow, OK
Craig Crawford (@crawfordTT)
214-228-0892
TreeLine Owner craig@vacationtreeline.com
TreeLine can also build, sell & manage investment properties in Broken Bow -- one of the best investment opportunities in the nation right now!
