Oklahoma State University Athletics
Campbell Postgame Quotes
November 11, 2016 | Cowboy Basketball
Head Coach Brad Underwood
On the opening night win:
"I don't know what to think. We're obviously pleased with the win, and that's obviously something that we're always going to take, but I was very, very disappointed. I told my staff that I thought they would come out as a Princeton-style team. They stopped running Princeton, and they ball-screened us time and time again. We went most of the first half guarding ball screen correctly until Mitchell (Solomon) guarded a couple late. It's a start, and we're a ways away.Â
"I thought our effort was good. Shots didn't go tonight, especially from three, but that's all because we didn't run any offense. We didn't move the ball. I thought we played somewhat tentative and yet somewhat selfish. Having 15 assists and scoring 100 points is something that I can't live with. That's not what we're about, and that's not what I want us to be about. Once we got over that early turnover stretch, I thought we were okay, but we've got a lot of work to do on offense."
On how the team's effort seemed to wear Campbell down late:
"That's what we do. (Chris) Clemons is a terrific player, and he got cramps at the end. You have to face that in 40 minutes, and we had them with long possessions, dribbling the basketball. I'm very happy with that. We had 15 more shots than them. Most night's I'll take that. I thought Jeff (Carroll) did a great job on the glass and Cam McGriff showed us what he's capable of with 13 rebounds in his first game. Once he slows down and lets the game come to him, he's very, very good.
"You can't say enough about Jawun (Evans) tonight. Jawun early was maybe a little too tuned up. Once he slowed down, let the game come to him and make the reads he needed to make, he was absolutely sensational. Then we got in the bonus early. I need Jawun to shoot 200 to 250 free throws this year. When he can do that, he's going to be really a very difficult guard. He was two-for-two from three. People have decisions to make with him.Â
We got a poor shooting night from Phil from three, but again, I was disappointed with our offense tonight. I thought we just played very quickly and never had good rhythm. That's something we've got to get better on."
On what Jawun Evans has improved the most on:
"Defensively. He had five steals tonight. He's learning to anticipate. He's learning to understand what we do. He's so strong. Clemons is a strong kid, and Jawun neutralized him. He's going to have to do that because we have very good guards in this league. Bothering people is very important. Everything starts with him with the ball and everything starts with him on the defensive end. Like I said, the Clemons kid is a tremendous talent."
On Jeffrey Carroll:
"He's doing it. He got a couple of steals and got going early. A lot of guys know to find him in transition because that's somewhere he's very, very effective. When Jeff gets his feet set, he's going to make it. I'm the most proud of Jeff's rebounding tonight. We really challenged those guys the last couple of days to get active on the glass. We need Tavarius (Shine), we need Jeff, we need Lindy (Waters), we need all of those guys to be very active on the glass. I'm pleased with that. He's very capable of being a dynamic offensive player."
On what the team needs to work on looking forward:
"I think we might work on some ball-screen coverage tomorrow, and I think we might try to work on a few things offensively, but I was very disappointed with ball-screen coverage. That's something that we pride ourselves on. My team last year was No. 1 in the country in turnovers forced on ball screens, but our rotations were off. We have to understand that quiet teams aren't successful teams. You have to be noisy and you have to talk. We've been harping and harping on the guys that you can't be quiet. That's an area that we need to improve."
On if he took a moment today to think about being the head coach at OSU after such a long journey:
"I think about that every day. I'm fortunate. It's been a long journey, it's been a great journey. The journey makes it all work it. We've got a great locker room. We've got great guys and a great staff. I know how fortunate I am because I'm at this place and I know how much it means here to our fans. I've talked about the history. We've had some great coaches here. I get to go to work in this building and I get to coach these guys. It's just special to me. To get my first win in here will be something I will always remember. Hopefully it's one of many to come, but you get consumed in those 40 minutes and in the outcome of the game, but I thought about it a lot today."
OSU sophomore guard Jawun Evans
On the game:
"Just a great night for us. We started out kind of slow. As a team we picked it up on the defensive end."
On the defense:
"We started off kind of slow early. We got some key guys come in and pick up the defense. We just wanna get a lot of fast break points."
On offense:
"Just taking what they give me. My teammates put me in a better spot. I just tried to pick us up and get us rolling."
On playing fast:
"It's definitely fun, just getting out and running. You get tired just call your teammate and he's gonna be ready."
OSU freshman forward Cameron McGriff
On first game:
"I just tried to come in and bring a lot of energy to the game, hype my teammates up and get everybody going. Lotta rebounding and energy, lots of highlights, dunks."
On veterans calming him down:
"They told me to slow it down. I got a travel one time, they told me to calm down, keep my composure. I had butterflies in my stomach, but those guys really kept my head straight."
