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STATE FARM MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 2, 2018

St. Louis, Missouri - Arch Madness

Bradley - 63, Drake - 61

THE MODERATOR: Drake Bulldogs are here. Niko Medved is the head coach. Reed Timmer and Graham Woodward represent the student body. Niko, please.

NIKO MEDVED: Obviously, kind of what you'd expect, a really, really hard-fought game between these teams. Even though we won the first two, they were both really close. It was the same thing here today. Came right down to the wire.

I thought our kids played really, really hard. We just left a few things on the table execution-wise, and clearly we struggled to keep them off the glass in the second half. You've got to give them credit. It's tough. These guys have given so much here this year, and there's nothing that I'm going to say to them or anyone that's going to make us or them feel better, but, obviously, we're crushed. But I think when the sun comes up and time goes by, these guys will be really proud about what they accomplish this year.

Q. Graham, they came out early in the second half and hit you with a 12-0 run, got back in the game. What did you see happening during that stretch? What were you guys not doing?
GRAHAM WOODWARD: I think we kind of preach about it. We talk about coming out the first four minutes, where we need our energy and our effort defensively and offensively. And they came out, and they took it to us. That was kind of what they did, and they kind of flipped it on us.

So I think that was the piece that we didn't respond well to that, but it's a game of runs, and I think they came out with that intensity, and we didn't. So I give them credit there.

Q. Reed, what did they do defensively second half? Especially in the last few minutes because you guys really didn't get some good shots during the last couple minutes.
REED TIMMER: They were just coming off handoffs, and they trapped me. Part of our offense is getting that handoff going. We knew that, and obviously, they did a good job. So that's what they did.

Q. Reed, their last possession, from your vantage point, what did you see happen?
REED TIMMER: I knew we were trying to deny Brown around the ball. G did a good job, and they obviously improvised and had 23 drive the ball down the lane. We walled up, missed a shot, and then they followed up and scored.

Q. I guess for both the players, talk about this season and what you were able to accomplish. Where do you think this program is at right now?
GRAHAM WOODWARD: So Coach said it, I think for us, we came in as a senior class, and we stuck together even with the coaching change, whatever it was. We stuck together, and we trusted Niko's vision as well as the rest of the coaching staff. So I think that was a huge piece for us throughout this year, and like Coach said as well, when the dust settles, I think we're going to realize what we've done and how we've switched it around here at Drake, and we continue to do that.

I think we're just proud of one another for staying together and just fighting throughout the entire season. So I'm really proud of my teammates and my coaching staff for that.

REED TIMMER: Yeah, I echo that. Obviously, it's hard right now to reflect on everything that's happened, but I think, like G said, when everything is settled and we have time to reflect, hopefully, we can say that we left a positive impact. And like he said also, proud of everybody in the locker room and proud of our coaches.

Q. You had that eight-point lead at halftime. What was your message to the team, and what were you guys expecting from Bradley?
NIKO MEDVED: I felt like they would come out and compete their tail off. That's who they are. We wanted to do the same. I thought we could have played better. We'd done a good job of keeping them off the glass and not turning the ball over early in the game. They came out with a lot of intensity. They made a couple shots early, and we didn't. That was obviously a key stretch in the game. Those first three or four minutes in the second half were key.

But like we do, our guys responded, and then it was on. You know, game on from there. You know, it's -- we couldn't rebound with them. That's the deal. We just could not keep them off the glass. That's what we do. We've been undersized all year, and we've been able to manage that piece of it. We've been able to keep teams off the glass for the most part, and today we couldn't do it.

I thought their pressure got to us a little bit, and like you said, they did a good job double-teaming Reed. I don't get into the basics, but we probably didn't trust our offense as much as we needed to. I wish I could have helped them a little more. Late, we didn't have any time-outs left. I felt we had to use them in those scenarios where Bradley was making a run.

That's the way it goes. Our guys left it out there tonight. You've got to give Bradley a lot of credit. They really came and fought in the second half.

Q. Coach, Reed said it's hard to reflect now, but he's had a pretty special college career, on the court, off the court. What has he meant to your program and Drake just all around?
NIKO MEDVED: I think it's hard to just even put into words right now. He's obviously gotten so many accolades this year, all of them well deserved. I mean, all-time leading scorer, what he's done. You just look at him here, I mean, this kid is competitive as any kid I've ever been around, and he's crushed. Because he cares so much.

It's really hard to put into words what it means, but what's great about him and these other guys is I just -- they've done -- I mean, they've come out here, and they've stayed together, and they've really flipped the energy behind this program, the belief behind this program. Showing that we can do it. And they've really, really done that, and I think that's the cornerstone of what we need moving forward.

We've got a lot of shoes to fill coming in with these guys because of who they are, not just as players, but as people and their character. Reed has just been -- I mean, all-time leading scorer at Drake. So what he's meant, I think it's really difficult to put into words, but it's as good as anyone I've been around.

Q. We talked about Darrell Brown yesterday and his quick recovery. I don't know that any of us could have expected the type of game he had today based on the little practice he had this week. What did you think, and how did you try to defend him?
NIKO MEDVED: I mean, we went into the game plan assuming he was going to play like we talked about and going, it's funny, he's a terrific player. We've struggled with him this year. Sometimes that happens to a kid, and they've got some injuries. I think, for us, Phil Fayne and Keyshawn, Illinois State, same thing. Came back first game after an ankle injury, and he was really energized. To me, it looked like he had fresh legs. He looked aggressive like he always is. He definitely didn't look to me like he was a step slow.

Got to give him a lot of credit. He came out and made some plays. They obviously played very, very well in the second half.

Q. Coach, as you go into next season, what do you think some of -- you might not know right now, but what do you think some of your goals might be next season for the program?
NIKO MEDVED: We're going to have a really, really young group. We're losing five seniors. We're one of the oldest teams to one of the youngest teams in the country quickly.

You know, it's just too early to tell. Obviously, we want to take what this group has done and the expectations and be able to move them forward about how we prepare, how we practice, how we go about our business on and off the court. Hopefully, these guys have set that foundation.

I'm really excited about the future here at Drake. I think we can be a real contender in the Missouri Valley. We've got a great school, a great community, a great league. We've got so many things to sell, and I think that's really showing. I'm really excited about the recruits we've got coming in, excited about the players in this program. We'll have three key seniors coming back. I think Nick McGlynn has improved as much as anybody in this league.

I'm excited. I've coached young guys before, and get in there and teach these guys, and they get better, and I think they're going to be hungry. I don't know what it's going to look like on the court next year. I wish I could tell you, but I know one thing, I'm excited about it.

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