Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes Wichita State vs Oklahoma State
December 09, 2017 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton
On the crowd
"Obviously being here in front of our fans was huge. I can't I can't say enough about how good our crowd was, how into it they were and how big of a boost they gave our team when we were getting stops and even when we weren't scoring. They stayed locked in, so I thank them for that. I wanted to thank them. They certainly made a difference in the atmosphere in this building today. I think our team fed off that. There were some guys out there playing really, really exhausted, but they kept fighting through because of the energy our fans were providing. I know that our fans can do that on a consistent basis. I hope they'll continue to do it."Â
On being tougher in the first half
"We were very locked in defensively. We did a very good job of following our game plan and being aggressive on both ends of the court. Obviously we didn't play with as much fluidity offensively as I would have liked. We didn't turn the turnovers that we forced into points, which I think kinda came back and haunted us because we had to face them, and they're a very good defensive team as well."Â
On pulling Kendall Smith after his second foul
"I will reevaluate how I did that. I'm not sure that was the wisest choice on my part. He's a fifth-year senior. I may need to give him a chance to play through that, but at that moment I didn't want to risk it because I knew that it would be a close game at the end. I knew it would be close enough that I needed him on the court and didn't want to chance him picking up three in the first half."
On not trying to match 3s in the second
"I'm very proud of my team. We went, for most of the game, toe-to-toe with them in almost every facet. They kicked our tails on the glass toward the end of the second half. We knew that was a point of emphasis, and we didn't get the job done in that area, but I'm proud of our guys. We've got a lot to build on. There are a lot of things to learn from this game. I think this team will continue to grow and learn and get better. Getting the ball inside has been a point of emphasis for us for a couple weeks, and it's something that we've certainly gotten better at. As that continues to evolve, our shooters will have better looks, and I'm sure that they'll make them when that time comes."
On guys playing tired
"I would imagine if we had to play a game on Monday, Mitch probably couldn't go. He's physically spent. He gave us everything he had today. I'm proud of him. That's what a senior does. That's how your leader is supposed to look. I'm proud of him and his teammates for continuing to fight the way they did."Â
On finals week
"That's what those guys are here for. The most important thing they'll do while they're here is get a degree. We'll take a little bit more time off this week so they can take care of that business, but we'll get right into starting to preparing for another really good opponent."
Oklahoma State guard Tavarius Shine
On if the defense displayed tonight was on par with Mike Boynton's expectations
"Yes. It's definitely how he wants us to play: up in them, cause problems, get as many deflections as possible."
On what the defense does for the team
"It just gives us confidence moving forward. From the starters to the reserves, it gives everyone confidence. It works. Some guys might think in their mind that it doesn't work, but it definitely does work. As long as we keep working at it and give 100 percent, it's going to work."
On stretches of time without making a basket
"You're going to have those type of stretches. It's basketball. You're going to have runs, and then you're not going to have runs. We've just got to stay in it and keep playing. If shots aren't falling, that doesn't mean anything. As long as we go down and play defense like we're supposed to play defense, our offense will come."
On what the crowd support meant
"Everything. It meant everything. They helped us out a lot. They help me out a lot. Sometimes when you feel like you don't have the energy to play, you hear that crowd, and it gets you going. It gets me moving all the time. They were everything."
Oklahoma State forward Mitchell Solomon
On his personal defense against Shaquille Morris and the team's defense overall
"Shaq's a great player. It took a total team effort. He can score in a lot of ways, but I think that means a lot moving forward. It shows we can guard some elite bigs and play great team defense."
On playing Landry Shamet
"He can play and score in a lot of ways, as you can see. He got to the free throw line, he knocked down threes, he got to the rim. He's a great player, and he's going to score a lot of points this season. It was a big challenge for us, but we came up short."
On the level of physicality
"We knew coming in that this game is going to be a fight. It was a war, down low especially. We were bumping each other all game, but that's just how some games go."
On what's different between this year's defense and last year's defense
"Just the type of personnel we have this year. We have different guys that bring different things to the table. We've got a lot of length, on the wing especially. We've got length at the point with (Kendall Smith) and we've got quickness at the point with (Brandon Averette). I think we just have a lot of attributes people bring to the table this year that we didn't have last year."
On the crowd support
"That atmosphere today in the gym from both sides was one of the better atmospheres I've played in. (It was) just back and forth. Everyone was excited. Everyone was loud. Like Shine said, it gives you extra energy. It lets you tap into the reserve tank and lets you play even harder."
Wichita State head coach Gregg Marshall
Opening Statement
"First of all I would like to say how excited we are about the win. Obviously I know the history around here and I know how difficult it is to win. It looked a little off with the first half then ultimately we took control toward the end of the first half and it was back and forward in the second half. I thought Landry and some other guys played with tremendous poise, not pleased with the turnovers but based on how the game went last year I am very pleased with the rebounding margin in our favor."
On Landry overall
"Tremendous defensively as you mentioned, I thought he moved his feet...we had a great scouting report from Coach Isaac Brown, we knew which hand they preferred to drive so in times they lowered their head and they were determined to get to the rim and he took a number of charges. He was tremendous going to the basket, finding open shooters and knocking down the three ball."
On adjusting to Oklahoma State's pressure
"Well we tried to do a couple of different things. We tried a ball screen offense early. We just have to settle down, we still have guys who, even though they have played a few years...they still seem rushed to make a decision. They don't have to make a decision. I am not sure if we have had a five second count in the entire season. Oklahoma State is known to cause turnovers and they create havoc and that is what we have seen from this team over the past few years."
On turning around the game in the second half
"I mean we knew we wanted to win. We talked about it being a tie score and nothing is less important than the score at halftime and these guys just continued to answer. Every time they made their move we made a counter and that's what it took. That's what it takes to win here. It's a very proud program and they have a great young coach and tremendous players. I don't know if they lose anyone except Carroll and maybe Solomon."
Sophomore Guard Landry Shamet
On the challenge of playing Oklahoma State
"Obviously, like coach mentioned, we still had last year in our mind. As a completely different team we have come a long way from there but just showing some redemption and how that's not our kind of basketball we played that night. It's really just another business trip, coming down here and getting a win on the road and handling our business. I think we did that pretty well."
On getting the team out of the first half rut
"Middle box screen worked really well for us against them since they deny so much...so just trying to spread the floor more offensively and we got in the bonus pretty quick early and that helped a lot. Being aggressive coming off screens, get to the free throw line and I think coach had a great game plan and changing offensives in what we are in."
On him stepping up with Shaq Morris not playing as well
"I wasn't constantly thinking 'Shaq isn't scoring, I need to pick it up,' it was just a next man up type of thing and seizing the opportunity that is given to you. I had opportunities tonight and I wanted to be aggressive and that is my mindset every night even when Shaq is scoring 20 and doing what we has been doing all season. So I just try to be aggressive and help my team in that way."
