Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
December 30, 2013 | Cowboy Basketball
Dec. 30, 2013
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
Postgame Quotes
Oklahoma State vs Robert Morris
Monday, December 30, 2013
OSU head coach Travis Ford
On how the team rebounded the ball
"I thought we rebounded the ball extremely well in the second half. The rebounding really improved when we needed it to. They had six offensive rebounds for a lot of points in the first half. We only allowed three in the second half."
On the offensive success in transition tonight
"We were really pushing the basketball and looking ahead, whether it be off the advance pass or the speed dribble. We got a couple, and then I thought they were going to get back, but we just kept hitting them with it. Our reaction was very good. We were forcing them into a lot of shots that were rebounding long. When shots are rebounding long, that gives you an advantage offensively going to the other end. As a coach, when you work on something extensively and then go and carry it out in a game, it's fun to see that. We've been working on playing faster and working on our fast break every single day. That was fun to see."
On Michael Cobbins' injury
"It doesn't look good. We'll wait and see a little more tomorrow, but as I told our team, it's part of the game. I hate it for Michael. He's a terrific young man. He's what's right about college athletics. He'll bounce back, but I hate it for him. Any time you lose any player, it puts a little bit of a dent in your team, but it also gives other players an opportunity. On our team, he's our starting center, but it's going to give Stevie Clark and Phil Forte opportunities. That's because we may have to move Le'Bryan Nash to the five spot, Marcus Smart to the four spot and those other guys will have to step up. Gary Gaskins will have to step up. He can physically play in the Big 12, we're just going to have to get him to understand everything that's going on in the scouting reports and things like that. If Mike isn't able to go, everybody's going to have to chip in because Mike was a very important part of this basketball team. That's part of the game. You can hold your head down and feel sorry for Michael, but not for our basketball team."
On players having to step up after the Michael Cobbins injury
"We're not going to change who we are offensively. All of our guys are going to have to step up, as far as the big guys ... they need to play within the offense. They need to understand who's going to score our points and where they're going to score them. Gary Gaskins, Marek Soucek and Leyton Hammonds, we need these guys to do the little things. None of those guys can block shots like Michael Cobbins, except maybe Gary Gaskins, but maybe they can do things that Michael couldn't do. They can help our team in ways that they haven't thus far, and I'm going to help them. I've told our team that I'm going to help these guys as they come along."
On Kansas State
"Kansas State is playing terrific. They're playing the best basketball they've played all season without question. One of the things that has to do with it is they've got everybody healthy. They have Thomas Gibson, who was maybe considered their top player early in the year, back and healthy. They have a good guard who was out first semester that, from what I understand, is going to help them out a lot. They're coming off a big win against Gonzaga. This is a team that is getting votes right now in the top 25. We have seven teams in the top 30 right now in the Big 12. The Big 12 is the best it's been since I've been at Oklahoma State. (It's a) great challenge for our team. We just need to take it one at a time. We are going to give everything we have into every single game, and then once that game is over we are going to learn from it, forget about it and move on. Win, lose or draw, it's going to be a battle in this league."
OSU junior wing Brian Williams
On where the team is at headed into Big 12 Conference play
“I feel as if we look pretty good as a team. We had 27 assists tonight — that's a pretty good mark. If we can keep that up, we'll be just fine.”
On the amount of dunks
“It definitely started on defense. We forced a lot of tough shots, especially a lot of long trey balls, and they bounced long. Kamari (Murphy) and Le'Bryan (Nash) and Mike (Cobbins), when he was in, cleaned up the rebounds. That allowed us to get out on the break and score the ball. And we found each other, too. Twenty-seven assists is big, and I'd really like to keep that up.
How the mindset changes as the team enters conference play
“Every game is important, but every game means a little bit more as we come around to conference play. We missed the regular-season championship by one or two games last year. Every game is important. You don't want to go back and say, 'What if I did this this game,' or 'What if I did this that game.' We just have to be consistent every game and every one is important.
OSU sophomore guard Phil Forte
On the team's assists
“That's something we've said all year, we're a real unselfish team. We know we have the players and talent, offensively, to score. It's nice to see that everyone doesn't care who scores or who does what. As long as we keep that going, things will go really well for us.”
On playing with multiple different lineups
“We've switched lineups in practice and stuff. We're used to playing with different guys, so it's not too big of a difference. We have a lot of versatile players, too. Brian (Williams) can play four or five different positions — LB can, Marcus can. When you have that versatility, it makes it kind of easier to throw in different lineups. With Mike (Cobbins) going down now, I think that's going to be key for us.”
On the crowd
“It was nice to see. The more people we have in Gallagher(-Iba Arena), the more energy we play with. It's always nice to look out there and see all the people in a packed house. I was kind of surprised with the crowd we had tonight, but it's great to see that and we appreciate everyone coming out.”
Robert Morris head coach Andrew Toole
"Oklahoma State is a talented team. There's no doubt about it. Their talent level at every position is incredible. The frustrating thing is that we didn't do the things that we needed to do to compete with a team like this. We did it in spurts, which is what we've done all year. After they jumped up to a lead, from the 14-minute mark to about the four-minute mark of the first half, I thought we played some really good basketball. We settled in. We got comfortable. We got some shots, and we played with some energy."
"All of a sudden, it was an eight- or nine-point game. In that media timeout, we were talking about finishing the half strong, make good decisions, continue to play with comfort. OSU goes on a run late in the half, and we missed a couple of layups and free throws, then capitalized with a dunk and a three-pointer. Those are the things that really create separation. If you wanna play good teams, beat good teams, be considered a good team, you have to be consistent and comfortable in any environment regardless of who you're playing against. Certain decisions you make in a game should be universal, and unfortunately for us, they've been too selective."
