TAMUCC Postgame Quotes

Oklahoma State head coach Brad Underwood:

On the win over Texas A&M-Corpus Christi:
"First thing: 8.342 (attendance). Wow. I'm thankful. That's awesome. Noon tip during the week, Christmas break. I've said a million times that we have great fans. It was great to see today. I'm very thankful for that.

I thought this was a good ball team. In the first half, we came out, had great energy, phenomenal tempo and pace. I loved us getting in transition, and I thought we were really active. In the second half we were a little flat. We've got to try to avoid that. I thought the first half was maybe as good a performance by a guy who had two points than I've seen in a long, long time, and that was Mitchell Solomon. I can't say enough positive things about 11 rebounds in one half, and six of them on the offensive end. He was phenomenal.

Leyton (Hammonds) didn't have a great night offensively shooting the basketball, but we'll take seven rebounds from him. Jeff (Carroll) was active in the first half. He got some good looks that didn't go down, but had six rebounds. That's the kind of performance we need. We had 21 offensive rebounds today, and I'm very pleased with that. That's something we talked about in pregame."

On how the team is following the game plan:
"I thought in the first half we did a good job of not letting them get into a flow. What I thought would happen happened in the second half, when they put the ball in (Rashawn) Thomas's hands and just let him facilitate it. That's not the greatest matchup for Lucas (N'Guessan) or Mitch (Solomon) having to guard out there. I wanted to stay fairly relentless keeping our ball pressure up. Points in the paint were too high. We didn't do a good job of rotating today, especially in the second. We missed some opportunities to take charges and missed some opportunities to get on the floor for loose balls. We've got to clean that stuff up before conference play."

On what the benefit of playing a team like Texas A&M-Corpus Christi is:
"I think tonight you see Rashawn Thomas, and that young man is going to make money playing the game. He's a guy that can facilitate and play out on the floor. We're going to face that again. The more that we can see, the better. Then there's no surprise and I have a better idea of how to adjust. I think we also got great minutes tonight from Davon Dillard. He missed a couple of chippies, but his effort on the glass and attention to detail was great tonight. Now it's 18 conference games. It's a dog fight every single night. It's about scrapping every single night...We have to continue to have great energy and effort, and that's going to be the key for us."

On how the team's schedule looks for the holidays:
"We'll let the guys go now. A lot of them are probably out the door already. They're heading home. It's a great time of year, and I want our players to understand how important family and Christmas is. The break is good. I'm a big believer in that. We'll come back on the 26th, have a lift, have a run. We'll try to run Christmas out of them, and then we will jump into two-a-days. We've been doing two-a-days. It's a great time of year, and it's a great time to get better. We know what we're going to see in West Virginia, and we've got to get some work in at that and some other things."

On if he takes any time off for the holidays:
"Absolutely. It's a time I really enjoy with my family. I enjoy the opportunity to get not really think about it, to be honest. I've always thought it was an advantage to be able to turn that switch for a couple of days, and we're going to do that...My family is so excited. I'd like to wish everybody a happy holiday season and a very Merry Christmas, because Cowboy nation has been nothing but wonderful and spectacular to the Underwoods."

OSU guard Phil Forte and forward Mitchell Solomon:

On Mitchell's rebounding:
Solomon: "The coaches challenged us to go to the boards real heavy today, so that's what I did. I was just going ever time and the ball just came to me."

On if he knew how close he was to breaking the school record for offensive rebounds in a game:
Solomon: "I was not, but sounds good."

On if it was a tough game to get hyped up for:
Forte: "Coming into the game it was more about us trying to make sure we got better today because, like you said, we know what is ahead of us after Christmas break. All the other games coming up, there are no more days off, there are no more easy games on our schedule left. We were trying to focus more on us and trying to get better today as a basketball team."

On how many days they have off:
Forte: "We have today through the 26th off."

On if these are welcomed days off:
Solomon: "Yeah, for sure. I think our bodies need it. I think it is a good thing for us both physically and mentally to have a little time off before we get into Big 12 play."

On Forte making five 3-pointers and what that says about his teammates:
Forte: "I wouldn't trade my teammates or coaches for anyone in the country. They are always telling me to keep shooting, whether shots are falling or not. The coaches have always been supportive of me. When I'm out there on the court, it's more for them. I want to make the shots for them because they are putting me in the right positions. Seeing them get excited when I hit a shot, I want to make that for them. I feel like if I don't, I let them down. That's the main thing, I just want to be able to make shots for them because they do a great job of trying to find me and get me open."

On Thomas Dziagwa's shooting:
Forte: "He is in the gym a lot. He is one of the best shooters I've played with since I've been here. If you know Thomas, you know confidence with him isn't an issue. But that's what makes him so good. He believes that every shot is going in. As a shooter, you have to have that mind set."

On Dziagwa making his first 2-pointer of the season:
Forte: "You have to start somewhere. He has worked on his game every day and that's what I like about him. He is going to continue to get better."

On finishing the non-conference schedule 10-2 and the confidence they have going into Big 12 play:
Solomon: "We have won a couple big games the past couple weeks. We are excited. We are working to get better every day. We are excited to get into Big 12."

On now being a similar style of play as West Virginia and what they anticipate the game being like:
Solomon: "Rough. It's going to be a battle. We are going to have to put our helmets on, our hard hats, and go to battle."

On if it is exciting matching up with them:
Solomon: "Yeah, it's going to be weird for sure. But we are going to lean on each other, play for each other, and go to war with each other."

On if they are the hardest matchup in the Big 12 season:
Forte: "It is very different. The style of play that they use is very effective and they are very good at it. I think they beat us the last four times we have played them. Obviously, that is a team we have struggled with the last two years. We know when we get back from Christmas break we have a lot to work on and a lot to focus in on. It's the first game so you know you want to get off to a good start and we will have our hands full."

On if OSU does what OSU does as well as what West Virginia does:
Forte: "I think we are both very aggressive. We do it in different ways, I think. Each are very aggressive and try to speed up the game but they do it differently than we do at times. It will be a very physical game. Both teams are going to get after it on the defensive end and it will be a blood bath for sure. It is something we have to prepare for mentally and physically."

On if the team with the least amount of guys fouled out will win:
Forte: "Yeah, that is one way to look at it."

On how confident they are in their bench:
Forte: "Yeah, especially with how long the season is. The Big 12 schedule is very gruesome and having a deep bench definitely helps being able to change guys in and out. We have guys that are on the bench but could be starting. Mitch comes off the bench but he could be starting. I think it's guys not worrying about who's starting and buying into their role and what the coach asks of them and putting forth a team effort. I think that's what's made this team so fun to watch so far this season."

On if today was a good day to hit some 3-pointers and get momentum going:
Forte: "A little bit. I try not to think about it. I try to make every shot I can. It's more I don't want to let my teammates down. I don't want to let my coaches down. They believe in me probably more than I believe in myself. I don't want to let them down by missing shots. They give me great chances and great opportunities and so when I miss those shots that they give me, I feel like I'm letting them down. I just want to make it for them and for our basketball team. That really is my main focus, is making sure I don't let my teammates down."

On how difficult it is getting a rhythm for shots in this new system:
Forte: "There are some things that are different. Our attack is just so spread out. We have so many different ways that we can attack our opponent inside and out. Some guys have better strengths than others, so when you put those altogether, I think, offensively, it gives us a very balanced and dangerous attack."

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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Thomas Dziagwa

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