Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: OSU vs. West Virginia
March 09, 2019 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State head coach Mike Boynton
Opening Statement:
"We got a lot of positive contributions from a lot of different guys and they were all really valuable for us. Most of the guys are banged up, but they had a collective toughness and spirit of competitiveness about themselves and they found a way to get the job done."
On West Virginia:
"I know coach Huggins. He didn't win 700, 800 games because he laid down. His guys are going to be fighters and competitors and that's what we expected. We just had to be able to respond when they made that run, which we did today."
On Yor Anei:
"You saw a battle of the future of our league today, between him and Culver. Yor was ready for the challenge. He's got a little back tightness himself. They are all laboring, as I'm sure some of their guys are, too. I was really proud of Yor for finding ways to impact the game. He didn't necessarily have the same offensive output that he has had at times this year, but he was really locked in on the defensive end."
On his message to the team during timeout:
"I told them to settle down. We were trying to manage the game with few bodies and so I wanted to give them an opportunity to catch their breath, refocus for the next possession and give ourselves the best chance to win."
Oklahoma State freshman Yor Anei
On his blocks providing energy:
"I think it gets the crowd excited and then that transfers to us and gets us excited too."
On his last block of the game:
"I don't know, I just try and block everything down there. It just felt like normal, natural instincts."
On playing best basketball at this point in the season:
"I believe so. I think ever since the roster trim, now we're finally getting adjusted starting about two weeks ago. Everybody knows their set role and what they need to do in order for us to be successful on the court."
On the fans sticking with the team all year:
"I know it has been kind of a bumpy season, but I just want to salute all of the fans that have stuck with us throughout this roller coaster ride of a season."
Oklahoma State junior Lindy Waters III
On fighting out the win:
"It's really nothing new. We've been dealing with hardships all season long. We know that basketball is a game of runs. They'll go on theirs and eventually we'll get a stop and go on our run."
On Yor Anei's play:
"With eight blocks? I've never played with anybody who had more than five. You know, he's a big part of our team. He helps us cover up our mistakes on the perimeter. We really love how he plays defensively."
On what this win means heading into the Big 12 tournament:
"It gives us a lot of confidence going into Kansas City. It was a great way for us to cap off the regular season. But, tomorrow we have to come in and get our minds right because we believe we can go into Kansas City and win it all. That's our mindset."
On the Big 12 standings:
"We just focus on the next game in front of us. All of that stuff on the outside doesn't really mean anything because at the end of the day, it's just us in the locker room. No one else sees what goes on, how hard we work or the amount of work we put in. So whether we're last or first, we're going to play as hard as we can every single game."
On Yor Anei's potential:
"You tell me. He's got a lot of potential. He's not even scratching the surface of what he can do, and I'm excited to be able to play with him for another year."
West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins
Regarding Overall Thoughts on the Game:
"We played hard. I thought we played hard. Our offensive execution at times we struggle with and I honestly thought the difference in the game was them being able to block shots around the rim. I think he blocked five. That's 10 points we probably would've had, so I think he made a heck of a difference."
Regarding Yor Anei's Blocking Abilities:
"Obviously he's 6'11 and long. You probably couldn't do that because you're not 6'11 and long. That's probably what it is. He has good timing, too. He's really made himself a good player; Mike has done a good job with him."
Regarding team's attitude:
"I don't think anybody is excited about playing us. We screw up a set, we miss a guy wide open. When it was a three point game, we missed a guy wide open on a shuffle cut; we didn't even look at him, and that's our first look. We're playing four freshmen, let's be honest. We're playing four freshmen and obviously one of them is really good, but they're young and they're going to make mistakes."
Regarding missed shots:
"In this league if you don't make open shots, you're gonna have a hard time winning. We haven't made open shots. If you don't make free throws in this league, you're gonna have a hard time winning. We would've beat Texas Tech at home if we would've made free throws. We shot 50 percent from the free throw line. I mean, c'mon, make some free throws. This league to too good, too close, too well-coached for you to give away opportunities to score."
Opening Statement:
"We got a lot of positive contributions from a lot of different guys and they were all really valuable for us. Most of the guys are banged up, but they had a collective toughness and spirit of competitiveness about themselves and they found a way to get the job done."
On West Virginia:
"I know coach Huggins. He didn't win 700, 800 games because he laid down. His guys are going to be fighters and competitors and that's what we expected. We just had to be able to respond when they made that run, which we did today."
On Yor Anei:
"You saw a battle of the future of our league today, between him and Culver. Yor was ready for the challenge. He's got a little back tightness himself. They are all laboring, as I'm sure some of their guys are, too. I was really proud of Yor for finding ways to impact the game. He didn't necessarily have the same offensive output that he has had at times this year, but he was really locked in on the defensive end."
On his message to the team during timeout:
"I told them to settle down. We were trying to manage the game with few bodies and so I wanted to give them an opportunity to catch their breath, refocus for the next possession and give ourselves the best chance to win."
Oklahoma State freshman Yor Anei
On his blocks providing energy:
"I think it gets the crowd excited and then that transfers to us and gets us excited too."
On his last block of the game:
"I don't know, I just try and block everything down there. It just felt like normal, natural instincts."
On playing best basketball at this point in the season:
"I believe so. I think ever since the roster trim, now we're finally getting adjusted starting about two weeks ago. Everybody knows their set role and what they need to do in order for us to be successful on the court."
On the fans sticking with the team all year:
"I know it has been kind of a bumpy season, but I just want to salute all of the fans that have stuck with us throughout this roller coaster ride of a season."
Oklahoma State junior Lindy Waters III
On fighting out the win:
"It's really nothing new. We've been dealing with hardships all season long. We know that basketball is a game of runs. They'll go on theirs and eventually we'll get a stop and go on our run."
On Yor Anei's play:
"With eight blocks? I've never played with anybody who had more than five. You know, he's a big part of our team. He helps us cover up our mistakes on the perimeter. We really love how he plays defensively."
On what this win means heading into the Big 12 tournament:
"It gives us a lot of confidence going into Kansas City. It was a great way for us to cap off the regular season. But, tomorrow we have to come in and get our minds right because we believe we can go into Kansas City and win it all. That's our mindset."
On the Big 12 standings:
"We just focus on the next game in front of us. All of that stuff on the outside doesn't really mean anything because at the end of the day, it's just us in the locker room. No one else sees what goes on, how hard we work or the amount of work we put in. So whether we're last or first, we're going to play as hard as we can every single game."
On Yor Anei's potential:
"You tell me. He's got a lot of potential. He's not even scratching the surface of what he can do, and I'm excited to be able to play with him for another year."
West Virginia head coach Bob Huggins
Regarding Overall Thoughts on the Game:
"We played hard. I thought we played hard. Our offensive execution at times we struggle with and I honestly thought the difference in the game was them being able to block shots around the rim. I think he blocked five. That's 10 points we probably would've had, so I think he made a heck of a difference."
Regarding Yor Anei's Blocking Abilities:
"Obviously he's 6'11 and long. You probably couldn't do that because you're not 6'11 and long. That's probably what it is. He has good timing, too. He's really made himself a good player; Mike has done a good job with him."
Regarding team's attitude:
"I don't think anybody is excited about playing us. We screw up a set, we miss a guy wide open. When it was a three point game, we missed a guy wide open on a shuffle cut; we didn't even look at him, and that's our first look. We're playing four freshmen, let's be honest. We're playing four freshmen and obviously one of them is really good, but they're young and they're going to make mistakes."
Regarding missed shots:
"In this league if you don't make open shots, you're gonna have a hard time winning. We haven't made open shots. If you don't make free throws in this league, you're gonna have a hard time winning. We would've beat Texas Tech at home if we would've made free throws. We shot 50 percent from the free throw line. I mean, c'mon, make some free throws. This league to too good, too close, too well-coached for you to give away opportunities to score."
Players Mentioned
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