Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Oklahoma State vs. Iowa State
January 02, 2019 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton
Opening Statement:
"It's Big 12 basketball. It's what we have preached to our team consistently since we got here in June. This is what you're preparing for, and you have to bring your best to have a chance. For the most part our kids play hard but they did not play as well, and you have to play well to win in this league."
On OSU's transition defense:
"It's what they do well and we couldn't stop them. We didn't turn it over an abnormal amount tonight. We had a decent amount of turnovers, they weren't all great, and you would like to cut them under double digits if you can. They are electric, they get out and run and pass the ball really well when they are running at you."
On OSU's offensive success in the second half:
"I thought we ran a pretty good offense. We assisted on half of our baskets tonight, which is a good sign. You would like it to be a little bit higher than 50 but it's a good number. We had a few possessions where we held onto it too much. We had a couple we could have jumped on to cut the lead and really put the pressure on them. They did what good teams do, they got the lead, they made free throws and they closed it out in the end."
On Cam McGriff and Lindy Waters minutes:
"I told these guys, this is what it is. They will be sore and tired tomorrow and it's only one of eighteen. We have to rest up, and Iowa State did the same thing, they played their main guys the most minutes. It's what you do when you are trying to scratch and claw and know that the margin is very thin. They have been through it and know what it takes and will be ready for the next one."
On spreading the floor:
"I sit here saying this after another loss, but I can see the progress we are making. I look forward to the day that it all comes together, quite honestly. We are playing a little more consistently each game. We are playing a little bit better offensively each game. It's just a matter of putting it together all 40 minutes. We had a few guys who didn't have their best games, and we have to get those guys playing better."
On Michael Weathers:
"It is something that we have really focused on the last couple weeks, just getting him better. Coming back from Christmas, we just really focused on trying to get him to be the best version of himself. He feels like all the pressure in the world is on him, and we just need him to do what he does best for our team. He can score, and really get by anybody off the dribble. We need him to keep making those layups and continue to get to the free throw line and knocking them down."
On the upcoming game in Norman:
"We have five freshmen that are all from out of state. They all count the same, but this one means more. That is the mentality that we are going to go in with. We are going to prepare the same way we have, and we need a little more edge on the road against them."
OSU Junior Lindy Waters III
On the play of OSU freshmen:
"I thought they did pretty well for their first conference game. There were just little mistakes that we have to fix offensively. We have to execute a little bit better. We rebounded the ball well, but whenever they got second chance points, they made us pay. We have to foul a little bit less on the defensive end, but that's just getting the feel for conference play. They'll get used to it."
On the 9-0 run OSU made to close the first half:
"That shows us when we're best. The first seven seconds (of a possession) is the weakest time for any defense. When we were able to push it and get open shots, we were able to close the half out well. (The run) was encouraging for our young guys in their first conference game, to battle back. They battle every night and all day in practice. That's what we're here for, to compete."
On what OSU can improve on:
"(We need to) get into our offense faster and utilize mismatches. If Cam (McGriff) has a small guy on him, then we need to post him up. If Mike (Weathers) has a big guy on him, we need to drive at him. Whenever we call a play, we don't get into it quick enough. Whenever we (get into plays quickly) we've got four guys on the same page and one not on the same page. That starts with me talking to Cam, our leadership. We have to make sure everyone is locked in and on the same page. We'll get there."
OSU Junior Cameron McGriff
On his own play:
"I was just playing hard. That's what I hang my hat on every night. I try to play harder than my opponent, get to the offensive glass and make highlight plays. That's who I am at the core."
On the runs during the game:
"(Iowa State is) a good team. Good teams are going to make runs. I thought we made our runs and we got the crowd involved as well."
On the play of Yor Anei:
"I saw a lot of good things. He protects the paint well, that's what he does best for us. That's something we hang our hat on and we expect that from him in every game."
Iowa State guard Nick Weiler-Babb
On what went wrong at the end of the first half:
"We just stopped sticking to our principles on defense. We were giving up easy layups, open threes. They made a couple of tough shots, but I think we stopped moving the ball, which is what got us the lead (early). We got away from that and then we stopped getting stops and it kind of got out of hand, so we just had to tone it back up."
On having Lindell Wiggington back fully:
"I felt like he jumped right back into it. He's been great ever since he's been able to get back into practice, he's been great. (He) just has to keep his attitude up and i think he did a great job of that tonight. He stuck with it, missed a couple shots but he shot 11 free throws, so I think he just fit right back in."
Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm
On multiple guys playing over 35 minutes:
"Tyrese (Hailburton) just ends up playing 39 or 40 (minutes), I just like him out there for a lot of reasons. But yeah, we usually play about eight (guys). Tonight, we had some other guys in there in the first half. I thought Cam (Lard) was really good in the first half for us, and I thought Lindell (Wiggington) was. Obviously those are two guys who were big factors for us last year with our team and those guys responded. But yeah, We will play those guys a lot of minutes."
On the team's pregame motivation:
"Stuff pops up on Twitter. Kyle Williams played 13 years for the Bills, stayed with the same franchise. We showed his pregame (retirement) speech to the team. He really just talked about how powerful it is as a teammate when you hold one another accountable to excellence. Then he talked about the standing ovation when he got off the field and walked off for the last time, and how awesome it was to see how excited his teammates were to say 'congratulations on an unbelievable career'. Then, showed the postgame speech. And then I just compared Bills fans to really, Iowa State Cyclone fans. I'm a diehard Redskins fan, but I follow the NFL and love the NFL. Bills fans they just show up. If it's 20 degrees, they show up. If it's snowing, they show up. They go to one Super Bowl, they lose, they go to three more (Super Bowls), they lose, and they show up. They're a fan base that just exudes what is right about sports. They just keep coming back and that's why I kind of compared that fan base to ours. And the guys took to it, you know they were both talking about Kyle Williams when they walked in here."
On Lindell Wiggington:
"I thought he really responded well. I thought he really competed and made big plays. I think his three-point shot will continue to get better as he continues to get game conditioning. I thought he was a big factor, I thought Cameron was a big factor and then I thought all of the other guys down the line were great. I was just proud of the guys. I thought this was our most complete game of guys being about each other, from one through 13 regardless of 4 minutes, 1 minute, or 37 (minutes). That's what it's got to be for this team."
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Opening Statement:
"It's Big 12 basketball. It's what we have preached to our team consistently since we got here in June. This is what you're preparing for, and you have to bring your best to have a chance. For the most part our kids play hard but they did not play as well, and you have to play well to win in this league."
On OSU's transition defense:
"It's what they do well and we couldn't stop them. We didn't turn it over an abnormal amount tonight. We had a decent amount of turnovers, they weren't all great, and you would like to cut them under double digits if you can. They are electric, they get out and run and pass the ball really well when they are running at you."
On OSU's offensive success in the second half:
"I thought we ran a pretty good offense. We assisted on half of our baskets tonight, which is a good sign. You would like it to be a little bit higher than 50 but it's a good number. We had a few possessions where we held onto it too much. We had a couple we could have jumped on to cut the lead and really put the pressure on them. They did what good teams do, they got the lead, they made free throws and they closed it out in the end."
On Cam McGriff and Lindy Waters minutes:
"I told these guys, this is what it is. They will be sore and tired tomorrow and it's only one of eighteen. We have to rest up, and Iowa State did the same thing, they played their main guys the most minutes. It's what you do when you are trying to scratch and claw and know that the margin is very thin. They have been through it and know what it takes and will be ready for the next one."
On spreading the floor:
"I sit here saying this after another loss, but I can see the progress we are making. I look forward to the day that it all comes together, quite honestly. We are playing a little more consistently each game. We are playing a little bit better offensively each game. It's just a matter of putting it together all 40 minutes. We had a few guys who didn't have their best games, and we have to get those guys playing better."
On Michael Weathers:
"It is something that we have really focused on the last couple weeks, just getting him better. Coming back from Christmas, we just really focused on trying to get him to be the best version of himself. He feels like all the pressure in the world is on him, and we just need him to do what he does best for our team. He can score, and really get by anybody off the dribble. We need him to keep making those layups and continue to get to the free throw line and knocking them down."
On the upcoming game in Norman:
"We have five freshmen that are all from out of state. They all count the same, but this one means more. That is the mentality that we are going to go in with. We are going to prepare the same way we have, and we need a little more edge on the road against them."
OSU Junior Lindy Waters III
On the play of OSU freshmen:
"I thought they did pretty well for their first conference game. There were just little mistakes that we have to fix offensively. We have to execute a little bit better. We rebounded the ball well, but whenever they got second chance points, they made us pay. We have to foul a little bit less on the defensive end, but that's just getting the feel for conference play. They'll get used to it."
On the 9-0 run OSU made to close the first half:
"That shows us when we're best. The first seven seconds (of a possession) is the weakest time for any defense. When we were able to push it and get open shots, we were able to close the half out well. (The run) was encouraging for our young guys in their first conference game, to battle back. They battle every night and all day in practice. That's what we're here for, to compete."
On what OSU can improve on:
"(We need to) get into our offense faster and utilize mismatches. If Cam (McGriff) has a small guy on him, then we need to post him up. If Mike (Weathers) has a big guy on him, we need to drive at him. Whenever we call a play, we don't get into it quick enough. Whenever we (get into plays quickly) we've got four guys on the same page and one not on the same page. That starts with me talking to Cam, our leadership. We have to make sure everyone is locked in and on the same page. We'll get there."
OSU Junior Cameron McGriff
On his own play:
"I was just playing hard. That's what I hang my hat on every night. I try to play harder than my opponent, get to the offensive glass and make highlight plays. That's who I am at the core."
On the runs during the game:
"(Iowa State is) a good team. Good teams are going to make runs. I thought we made our runs and we got the crowd involved as well."
On the play of Yor Anei:
"I saw a lot of good things. He protects the paint well, that's what he does best for us. That's something we hang our hat on and we expect that from him in every game."
Iowa State guard Nick Weiler-Babb
On what went wrong at the end of the first half:
"We just stopped sticking to our principles on defense. We were giving up easy layups, open threes. They made a couple of tough shots, but I think we stopped moving the ball, which is what got us the lead (early). We got away from that and then we stopped getting stops and it kind of got out of hand, so we just had to tone it back up."
On having Lindell Wiggington back fully:
"I felt like he jumped right back into it. He's been great ever since he's been able to get back into practice, he's been great. (He) just has to keep his attitude up and i think he did a great job of that tonight. He stuck with it, missed a couple shots but he shot 11 free throws, so I think he just fit right back in."
Iowa State head coach Steve Prohm
On multiple guys playing over 35 minutes:
"Tyrese (Hailburton) just ends up playing 39 or 40 (minutes), I just like him out there for a lot of reasons. But yeah, we usually play about eight (guys). Tonight, we had some other guys in there in the first half. I thought Cam (Lard) was really good in the first half for us, and I thought Lindell (Wiggington) was. Obviously those are two guys who were big factors for us last year with our team and those guys responded. But yeah, We will play those guys a lot of minutes."
On the team's pregame motivation:
"Stuff pops up on Twitter. Kyle Williams played 13 years for the Bills, stayed with the same franchise. We showed his pregame (retirement) speech to the team. He really just talked about how powerful it is as a teammate when you hold one another accountable to excellence. Then he talked about the standing ovation when he got off the field and walked off for the last time, and how awesome it was to see how excited his teammates were to say 'congratulations on an unbelievable career'. Then, showed the postgame speech. And then I just compared Bills fans to really, Iowa State Cyclone fans. I'm a diehard Redskins fan, but I follow the NFL and love the NFL. Bills fans they just show up. If it's 20 degrees, they show up. If it's snowing, they show up. They go to one Super Bowl, they lose, they go to three more (Super Bowls), they lose, and they show up. They're a fan base that just exudes what is right about sports. They just keep coming back and that's why I kind of compared that fan base to ours. And the guys took to it, you know they were both talking about Kyle Williams when they walked in here."
On Lindell Wiggington:
"I thought he really responded well. I thought he really competed and made big plays. I think his three-point shot will continue to get better as he continues to get game conditioning. I thought he was a big factor, I thought Cameron was a big factor and then I thought all of the other guys down the line were great. I was just proud of the guys. I thought this was our most complete game of guys being about each other, from one through 13 regardless of 4 minutes, 1 minute, or 37 (minutes). That's what it's got to be for this team."
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