Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
November 01, 2013 | Cowboy Basketball
Nov. 1, 2013
Oklahoma State Cowboy Basketball
vs Emporia State
Friday, Nov. 1, 2013
OSU Head Coach Travis Ford
Opening statement
"I was very happy with the team effort tonight. It was much better than the first exhibition game. I thought we played much more aggressively. I liked us diving on the floor. I thought we played above the rim tonight, as far as blocking shots, getting rebounds. It's always fun to see them go out and execute things we've been working on for the last three or four days. The effort was much better. We didn't shoot the ball very well, but I'm not really worried about that at this point. I was anxious to see how we would respond after the practices we've had."
On freshman guard Stevie Clark
"We've spent the last couple of days talking to him about making that adjustment from being the guy that needed to score a bunch of points to coming in here at a higher level with a bunch of good players, and he's done that to this point. I never questioned whether he could. Even when he was scoring 40 points a game, I saw that he could pass and handle the basketball, but I liked that he got five assists and one turnover. That's what we're looking for from him. I like to see him and Marcus (Smart) out there. That's been really good for us at times."
On the emphasis of defense during practice this week
"There's been a lot. Our half-court defense in the first game wasn't bad. It was our press that made our defense look bad. We worked on our press a lot and made some adjustments through the film. Our guys look much better doing it. I was happy we were able to be as aggressive as we were in the first half, and they didn't shoot a foul shot. That changed in the second half. I just liked our aggressiveness, which is something I didn't see in the first game at all."
On problems shooting three-pointers tonight
"I'm not concerned with that at all right now. We've been shooting the ball really well. Shooting can come and go. You can't worry about it. I don't think we took too many bad shots. I can remember two bad shots we probably shouldn't have taken, but other than those, they were all good shots. I'm not worried."
OSU freshman guard Stevie Clark
On his role
"In high school, I had a big role in scoring because I was the only returning player, so I had the most experience. With this team, there's a lot of older players, so I just need to be the facilitator for the team, and if I get an open shot, then I'll hopefully knock it down."
On adjusting to college basketball
"Coach and Marcus (Smart) are doing a good job of helping me adjust, passing the ball and trying to keep my turnovers down and getting my assists up. It's an adjustment."
On what Marcus Smart has been helping him with
"After practice, showing me how to come off screens and the options I have and what pass to make and what not to do."
On differences from last game to tonight
"The intensity picked up quite a bit. Coach (Ford) got onto us for that, so we played a lot harder than we did the first game."
OSU sophomore post Kamari Murphy
On the defensive performance
"That was the emphasis from the last game. We didn't really protect the rim much last game, the guards didn't get after it pressuring the ball. So practices leading up to the game, we worked on that, and it showed tonight."
On the emphasis on defense
"That's just how we're going to win this year. With our goals and what we want to do, defense is the key. Coach got on us in practice and emphasized that. Because we know we're going to go in and score, but defense will win the games."
On differences from his performance last year to this year
"I definitely have more confidence. I believe in myself more. The other guys believe in me more. You can tell in practice, they know my spots and where I like to be, when I pop they know I pop, when I'm rolling, they know. So I feel more comfortable."
On how that changed
"It goes with time. Some with workouts, some with pickup games, practices during the year and even talking, like when we watch an NBA game, just talking translates over into the court."
Emporia State Coach Shaun Vandiver
On the quality of play from his team
"(It) Wasn't good enough. We have a lot of film to break down, we have a lot of things to get better on. The problem is that I've talked to all my friends and colleagues in the Division I level about the rules changes, and my guys just don't understand what it takes right now to really compete and guard without using your hands or forearms or impeding their progress. At the end of the day, we've got to get better. I know we have a mixture of older and younger guys, but our older guys have to do a better job of leading and the younger guys have got to catch up to the learning curve. We have no time, because a week from today we're going to be at UMKC. I told them, Coach Richardson, came from Louisville, national champions, he's going to have them ready. He's going to have them competing and chomping at the bit. If we don't come out with better enthusiasm and effort, it's not going to be good."
On playing against Oklahoma State
"Marcus Smart, he's the real deal. David Stern is waiting with a hat and a jersey for him at the podium, or whoever the new commissioner is going to be. They're not ranked No. 8 in the country for no reason. They're not preseason co-Big 12 favorites with the (Kansas) Jayhawks for no reason. They came out and they imposed their will. They did that for 40 minutes. For us to even be considered in the top half of the MIAA, we have to have that same attitude and effort that they imposed on us tonight. And I guarantee you, we will."
On how some of the younger guys played
"Yeah we had some guys hit some shots, but at the end of the day if you hit shots and it's a two-, three-, seven-point game, then I'm excited. But when you're down 26- or 30-points and you're hitting shots then yeah, it's a feel good moment, it's a 'Make-A-Wish' moment, I guess. The biggest thing is that I've got my guys on film and I've been telling them from the jump that this is not good enough. We're going to get after it tomorrow morning, and if I don't like what I see, we'll come back tomorrow evening and we'll come back Sunday morning and Sunday evening. What they have to understand is this league that we're in, the MIAA, is no joke, and that effort right there is not good enough. I'm not going to yell; I'm not going to scream; I'm not even going to curse; I'm just going to teach and I'm going to get seven or eight guys to compete, that's it."
