Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Oklahoma State vs Western Kentucky
March 21, 2018 | Cowboy Basketball
OSU head coach Mike Boynton
On Western Kentucky:Â
"They're a really good team. Coach Stansbury has done a really good job of putting those kids in a position where they can take advantage of their skills. They've got a couple of really good young kids mixed with some graduate transfers in there. The program is definitely headed in the right direction. So hats off to them for doing what they did tonight. We couldn't quite figure it out defensively, so they march on and we don't."
On WKU's defense:
"You could tell we didn't get a ton of quality shots. They kept us off balance and kept us thinking, which is something we certainly struggle with. I'm really proud of our effort. For this team to get to 21 wins and almost get to New York ... It's never the goal, but everything this team got this year they earned. I'm a proud coach because of that."
On getting close but not getting ahead:
"The crowd was terrific. I appreciate them for coming out again the way they did and bringing that energy. We just couldn't get over the hump ourselves. We played like a team that was a little exhausted. We're not making any excuses, but we didn't play with the same pop that we did the past couple of weeks. You appreciate all the seniors for leaving everything they had on the court and fighting the way they did. Western Kentucky was the better team today."
On Mitchell Solomon's night:
"There's no doubt. That's just who he is. At his core, he's a fighter. He's a warrior. He wants to leave everything he has on the line, and he did that every single night this year. I couldn't be more proud of his effort and his growth, not only as a player, but as a person. He is really starting to become a guy who understands how valuable he can be to a group, and that was something that we certainly relied on this year. We'll miss him."
On Jeffrey Carroll:Â
"Jeff has done a tremendous job of overcoming a lot of adversity. He has been through a lot in his personal life and is able to continue to fight and become a really good player ... somebody who will have a chance to continue to play. We'll certainly be proud of whatever comes next for him, but I'm very thankful for him and his efforts and his ability to be adaptable. I was the third coach that he played for in his final three years of college. He gave me everything he had every night, so I'm very thankful for him."
On Tavarius Shine:Â
"Tavarius has been big for us all year. That's a kid who, again, overcame a lot. At this time last year, we're not sure whether he's gonna be here but also not sure that he's going to play basketball again. For him to fight back the way he did and be such an integral part of not just what we were able to do here in terms of building some morale, he was a very productive part of the team. He played well for us at very key moment this season. We'll certainly miss his production if he decides to move on. We're thankful for what he did for us in helping lay a foundation for this year."
On Kendall Smith:Â
"Kendall was terrific. I would argue that when you look around the country, there aren't many graduate transfers who had the type of impact that he had. It was a really good fit for us and gave us some experience at a position we needed. He made some big shots in a lot of key games. He was really competitive and did a lot of things that helped us lay a strong foundation for us to build on."
On his first year as head coach:
"I'll say this, as a first-year coach I had to learn a lot on the fly and deal with a lot of things some first-year coaches don't have to deal with all at once ... maybe in time. I'm very thankful for the entire experience. I'm very thankful to Mike Holder and our administration for giving me this opportunity. It's a proud program and one that's going to be back to ... I think we'll have nights like this on a consistent basis where our fans show up and are engaged. We're gonna come out on the right side of the win-loss column. This program has a lot of growth to make, and I'm thankful for the opportunity and look forward to continuing here."
OSU forward Mitchell Solomon
On hearing the alma mater for the final time
"That means so much to me growing up a Cowboy. It kind of sucks that the last time I got to sing it was after a loss, but that's part of the tradition we have in this program. It means so much to me to be able to be a part of it and be a foundation for the future."
On building a foundation for the future
"Throughout my career, there's been a lot of adversity that this school has faced. To no fault of their own, the fans have felt certain ways about the program. But I feel like what we've accomplished this year and the obstacles we've overcome has given people a sense of hope and excitement for the program. We've built the foundation, now it's time for the pillars."
On Western Kentucky's play in the expanded lane
"I think with how much they drive, they have some elite guys who can drive on the wings, and with how the lane spreads out the floor, I think it definitely gave them an advantage. We kind of tried to play expanded in our defense and that could have been part of it, too. But they're just talented guys who were able to spread the floor."
On Western Kentucky's ability to answer OSU's scoring
"That's the type of players they have. People may not have heard about them, but they're every bit of a great team. They have all the pieces. They have size down low, guys who can shoot it and guys who can drive the ball. They are just a great team and they played well tonight."
OSU forward Jeffrey Carroll
On his final game
"It doesn't feel real honestly. Just being there for the last time and doing it in this special building is surreal to me right now."
On coach Boynton's first year as head coach
"I'm speechless. He was projected dead last in the Big 12 in his first year and he surpassed all those expectations. People were saying things about him, but he's a great person and I can't wait to watch him build this program."
WKU head coach Rick Stansbury
Opening Statement
"First of all, congratulations to Oklahoma State. What a terrific year they've had. If there was any team that deserved to get in that tournament, it was Oklahoma State. Mike (Boynton) has done an unbelievable job with this team. For somebody to beat the people they beat this year and not make it was an unbelievable job. That's what makes it even more special for us. Our guys came in here and found ways to take a punch and respond. We never let it get too far away. For the most part, we led and kept the crowd out as best as we could. I can't say enough how proud I am (for my team). I knew we had something special back in September. It was on display tonight."
On if this team has surpassed his expectations
"We had one guy come back. We didn't know we were even going to have him until August 5. I knew we had one thing: good people. When you put a whole new group together, a bunch of different ingredients, you better have some good ingredients, and I knew I had that. We've mixed it and stirred it all different ways, and they found ways to overcome. We only had seven scholarship players until January. They found ways to beat Purdue and SMU early. We had to go through a tough road. We were disappointed we weren't in the tournament. We had to come back and play an ACC team, a Pac-12 team and now a Big 12 team -- with two of those on the road against really quality teams."
On Oklahoma State's defense
"Oklahoma State is one of the better defensive teams in the country and we came in here and scored 92 points on them. Early in that game, I thought the pressure affected us. I knew we had to do two things to offset the pressure: throw it to the block and drive it to the block. For the most part, we did that."
WKU freshman guard Taveion Hollingsworth
On coming back from a quiet game on Monday
"I didn't think I'd come out like this tonight. Once I came out and made some shots, I realized I could keep doing it, so I did."
On feeding off the Oklahoma State crowd
"I love playing in front of crowds like that. I like playing big games like this and we all have something to prove. We like playing big teams like this, too. We think we can play against anybody."
On going to New York for the NIT semifinals
"We can't wait. We want to win it, but we're going to take it one game at a time."
WKU graduate senior Dwight Coleby
On dominating the post
"Coach just preached all season getting the ball to the post, play inside out and attack the defense. Our guards did a great job of feeding the post, and it worked out for us."
On avoiding fouling out
"We said 'Keep playing aggressive, but let's play smart.' We didn't want to reach in or get any sort of small foul, so we did a great job of that."
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On Western Kentucky:Â
"They're a really good team. Coach Stansbury has done a really good job of putting those kids in a position where they can take advantage of their skills. They've got a couple of really good young kids mixed with some graduate transfers in there. The program is definitely headed in the right direction. So hats off to them for doing what they did tonight. We couldn't quite figure it out defensively, so they march on and we don't."
On WKU's defense:
"You could tell we didn't get a ton of quality shots. They kept us off balance and kept us thinking, which is something we certainly struggle with. I'm really proud of our effort. For this team to get to 21 wins and almost get to New York ... It's never the goal, but everything this team got this year they earned. I'm a proud coach because of that."
On getting close but not getting ahead:
"The crowd was terrific. I appreciate them for coming out again the way they did and bringing that energy. We just couldn't get over the hump ourselves. We played like a team that was a little exhausted. We're not making any excuses, but we didn't play with the same pop that we did the past couple of weeks. You appreciate all the seniors for leaving everything they had on the court and fighting the way they did. Western Kentucky was the better team today."
On Mitchell Solomon's night:
"There's no doubt. That's just who he is. At his core, he's a fighter. He's a warrior. He wants to leave everything he has on the line, and he did that every single night this year. I couldn't be more proud of his effort and his growth, not only as a player, but as a person. He is really starting to become a guy who understands how valuable he can be to a group, and that was something that we certainly relied on this year. We'll miss him."
On Jeffrey Carroll:Â
"Jeff has done a tremendous job of overcoming a lot of adversity. He has been through a lot in his personal life and is able to continue to fight and become a really good player ... somebody who will have a chance to continue to play. We'll certainly be proud of whatever comes next for him, but I'm very thankful for him and his efforts and his ability to be adaptable. I was the third coach that he played for in his final three years of college. He gave me everything he had every night, so I'm very thankful for him."
On Tavarius Shine:Â
"Tavarius has been big for us all year. That's a kid who, again, overcame a lot. At this time last year, we're not sure whether he's gonna be here but also not sure that he's going to play basketball again. For him to fight back the way he did and be such an integral part of not just what we were able to do here in terms of building some morale, he was a very productive part of the team. He played well for us at very key moment this season. We'll certainly miss his production if he decides to move on. We're thankful for what he did for us in helping lay a foundation for this year."
On Kendall Smith:Â
"Kendall was terrific. I would argue that when you look around the country, there aren't many graduate transfers who had the type of impact that he had. It was a really good fit for us and gave us some experience at a position we needed. He made some big shots in a lot of key games. He was really competitive and did a lot of things that helped us lay a strong foundation for us to build on."
On his first year as head coach:
"I'll say this, as a first-year coach I had to learn a lot on the fly and deal with a lot of things some first-year coaches don't have to deal with all at once ... maybe in time. I'm very thankful for the entire experience. I'm very thankful to Mike Holder and our administration for giving me this opportunity. It's a proud program and one that's going to be back to ... I think we'll have nights like this on a consistent basis where our fans show up and are engaged. We're gonna come out on the right side of the win-loss column. This program has a lot of growth to make, and I'm thankful for the opportunity and look forward to continuing here."
OSU forward Mitchell Solomon
On hearing the alma mater for the final time
"That means so much to me growing up a Cowboy. It kind of sucks that the last time I got to sing it was after a loss, but that's part of the tradition we have in this program. It means so much to me to be able to be a part of it and be a foundation for the future."
On building a foundation for the future
"Throughout my career, there's been a lot of adversity that this school has faced. To no fault of their own, the fans have felt certain ways about the program. But I feel like what we've accomplished this year and the obstacles we've overcome has given people a sense of hope and excitement for the program. We've built the foundation, now it's time for the pillars."
On Western Kentucky's play in the expanded lane
"I think with how much they drive, they have some elite guys who can drive on the wings, and with how the lane spreads out the floor, I think it definitely gave them an advantage. We kind of tried to play expanded in our defense and that could have been part of it, too. But they're just talented guys who were able to spread the floor."
On Western Kentucky's ability to answer OSU's scoring
"That's the type of players they have. People may not have heard about them, but they're every bit of a great team. They have all the pieces. They have size down low, guys who can shoot it and guys who can drive the ball. They are just a great team and they played well tonight."
OSU forward Jeffrey Carroll
On his final game
"It doesn't feel real honestly. Just being there for the last time and doing it in this special building is surreal to me right now."
On coach Boynton's first year as head coach
"I'm speechless. He was projected dead last in the Big 12 in his first year and he surpassed all those expectations. People were saying things about him, but he's a great person and I can't wait to watch him build this program."
WKU head coach Rick Stansbury
Opening Statement
"First of all, congratulations to Oklahoma State. What a terrific year they've had. If there was any team that deserved to get in that tournament, it was Oklahoma State. Mike (Boynton) has done an unbelievable job with this team. For somebody to beat the people they beat this year and not make it was an unbelievable job. That's what makes it even more special for us. Our guys came in here and found ways to take a punch and respond. We never let it get too far away. For the most part, we led and kept the crowd out as best as we could. I can't say enough how proud I am (for my team). I knew we had something special back in September. It was on display tonight."
On if this team has surpassed his expectations
"We had one guy come back. We didn't know we were even going to have him until August 5. I knew we had one thing: good people. When you put a whole new group together, a bunch of different ingredients, you better have some good ingredients, and I knew I had that. We've mixed it and stirred it all different ways, and they found ways to overcome. We only had seven scholarship players until January. They found ways to beat Purdue and SMU early. We had to go through a tough road. We were disappointed we weren't in the tournament. We had to come back and play an ACC team, a Pac-12 team and now a Big 12 team -- with two of those on the road against really quality teams."
On Oklahoma State's defense
"Oklahoma State is one of the better defensive teams in the country and we came in here and scored 92 points on them. Early in that game, I thought the pressure affected us. I knew we had to do two things to offset the pressure: throw it to the block and drive it to the block. For the most part, we did that."
WKU freshman guard Taveion Hollingsworth
On coming back from a quiet game on Monday
"I didn't think I'd come out like this tonight. Once I came out and made some shots, I realized I could keep doing it, so I did."
On feeding off the Oklahoma State crowd
"I love playing in front of crowds like that. I like playing big games like this and we all have something to prove. We like playing big teams like this, too. We think we can play against anybody."
On going to New York for the NIT semifinals
"We can't wait. We want to win it, but we're going to take it one game at a time."
WKU graduate senior Dwight Coleby
On dominating the post
"Coach just preached all season getting the ball to the post, play inside out and attack the defense. Our guards did a great job of feeding the post, and it worked out for us."
On avoiding fouling out
"We said 'Keep playing aggressive, but let's play smart.' We didn't want to reach in or get any sort of small foul, so we did a great job of that."
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Players Mentioned
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