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NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT

April 2, 2019

New York, New York

Lipscomb 71, Wichita State 64

COACH GREGG MARSHALL: That was a tough way to end the season. We went stone called and we got some decent looks. We got some so-so looks. We couldn't make it or we missed, the harder it seemed to put the ball in the basket.

But you've got to give Lipscomb credit. I tell you what, that's a gritty club. Five seniors in their top nine, two juniors, and they made the play that is they needed to make. They got the ball in the post and kicked it out for threes. They didn't have the same issue that we had.

So they come away with a victory. I thought we defended them pretty well, but our problem was in the last eight minutes on the offensive end. So we'll have to break the film down and figure out how we can get some better looks and hopefully make a couple.

Q. What was the biggest difference --
COACH GREGG MARSHALL: Biggest difference? I don't know if there was a difference.

Q. (No mic.)
COACH GREGG MARSHALL: You know, I talked to him about that. I don't like negative body language but that did show. Two of the finest gentlemen that I've ever coached and I think Jaime thought he should have gotten the ball. Dexter, for whatever reason, didn't throw him the ball.

So their emotions spilled out there, and so we addressed it. Two tremendous young men and I hate that that actually showed; that I saw it, too. That's why I walked out there and said, "We're not going to have that. If you guys want to do that, go somewhere else. We're not going to have bad body language and show our frustration physically like that."

Again, just frustration from not being able to score the basketball. And he should have thrown it in. I don't know why he didn't but I'll have to look at the film.

Q. (No mic.)
COACH GREGG MARSHALL: Well, it was 21-3 the last eight minutes.

I don't think so. I don't know.

Q. How disappointing is this --
COACH GREGG MARSHALL: You know, it's hard to be disappointed with this group. It's disappointing that we're not playing for a championship. That's what we came here to do. The better team won tonight, the guys that made the plays down the stretch. It was a great basketball until the very, end but we just couldn't put the ball in the basket.

And I don't have an explanation. I'll have to watch the film.

But it was dark; it was tough; it was not good, late January, early February, and these kids just continued to work. Those two seniors continued to lead. And the freshmen started to believe that, you know, we shoot tonight -- overall, we shoot 35 percent and 22 percent, and if we make a couple of baskets, we win the game. We're going on. We weren't beautiful offensively but we haven't been beautiful offensively for the whole stretch. I mean, I'm not sure how many times we shoot over 50 percent but it's not very often.

So they learned that they can win, with the defense and rebounding. Tonight we have one more field goal, five more rebounds and we hold a tremendous team, Lipscomb, to 71 points. You would think that would be enough.

But the more we miss down the stretch, the smaller that basket came. I don't know how many were bad decisions but a lot of them were just lack of being able to put the ball in the basket.

Q. (No mic.)
COACH GREGG MARSHALL: Some of it was private in our locker room, but I told them I was proud of them, I told them I loved them, I told them I loved I would be there for them the rest of their life. I told them that they were a bridge for what was a very, very bright fast and what I hope will be a very, very bright future.

And this was a year where we could have taken a big deep, I mean, a big dip. We didn't make the NCAA Tournament, but the last eight, nine weeks, playing the likes of Cincinnati twice and at Clemson and at Indiana, Lipscomb on the road, Furman, Temple, amongst others, we went 14 out of the last 18, and we're in Madison Square Garden playing in April.

So all I can do is be thankful that I've got these guys as soldiers, and just want to see them be successful. I think what they accomplished this year, just simply by learning how to lead and be positive with a young group that looked like they didn't know which end was what; they just continued to be positive. They continued to show them that this is how Shockers play. This is how we are going to be successful. And listen, they got a lot out of that group that's in that locker room.

Q. (No mic.)
COACH GREGG MARSHALL: Well, I think we did it ourselves on that board, and I can't recall guys, I think the pre conference what did we give ourselves, B, B-, something -- it was a B.

Then in the conference, finishing 10-8 after being 1-6, I think that was in the range of a B. And then we haven't done the postseason yet. So it's got to be somewhere in that ballpark. Obviously not an A, but it's not a failure, either. I would put it somewhere, a B, B-, B+. I'm going to let the players judge.

But we do have pre conference and regular season conference already on our white board in our locker room. So I think it would be hard to give us anything lower than a B.

Q. (What will you tell scouts about Markis.)
COACH GREGG MARSHALL: I'm going to tell them, first of all, he's great to be around. He's got a joie de vivre that is like no other player that I've really coached. I mean, he never has a bad day. He is always up. He's laughing. He's joking. He's fun to be around, and I look forward to seeing, you know, what life has in store for him. I know it's going to be positive and going to be good. He's a tremendous player. Can really score the basketball. He rebounds it. He's a really good defender, and some team will be lucky to have a guy like him on their roster.

So he's going to get some good looks. He's going to go to some camps, and it just takes one team to fall in love with him and I think that there's a very good possibility that that could happen.

Q. (No mic.)
COACH GREGG MARSHALL: Who is that for? You know, we have a hard road, just as Lipscomb had a hard road. They go through the State of North Carolina like Sherman limped through Georgia. We did -- we had our own little deal. We had South Carolina and then Indiana, all on the road. The two teams that played the first semifinal won six games combined on the road in some pretty tough places. I knew it was going to be a tough game, and we certainly wanted to win, but they made the plays down the stretch. I don't think the final score is very indicative of that game.

But in the end, I hope they do well and we wish them luck. I love their style. I love how tough those kids are, and I think he does a marvelous job with his team. But this group, what they accomplished down the stretch, I couldn't be more proud. You know, it's a bunch of freshmen, really. Maybe one JuCo guy and a sophomore that they just willed towards Madison Square Garden and New York City, and it was fun. It was just the whole thing was fun to be a coach and just watch them develop and mature, and enjoy the process.

Q. For the players, first time in Madison Square Garden, put yourself in contention --
MARKIS McDUFFIE: Like you said, it started to shrink a little bit. They didn't want to go inside because you know, we're really good inside. We had a difficult time trying to get it in there because they didn't want to get it in there, and like when it goes inside, everybody is trying to crash and stuff like that. I think they made a little adjustments, but also we just didn't make shots at the right time, and they end up getting over the hump.

SAMAJAE HAYNES-JONES: They were defending us very well. When we passed it in, they was going to dig very hard on us, and I think it's like he said, we just wasn't really making shots, so it was easier.

MARKIS McDUFFIE: I just can't believe it's over. I feel like I have another year, you know, and it hasn't really hit me yet until I go on to my next phase of my life. But oh, man, it's been an amazing full ride. When I wanted to commit here, I wanted to commit so I had no regrets. I committed here, no thoughts about transferring, no thoughts about -- because people transfer every year.

You know, I wanted to make sure, I'm loyal to their school and loyal to this community and I have been and it's been nothing but amazing. The fans have been unbelievable. They are like family forever now and these guys I've been around, these are my family forever. Whenever I need, they are going to answer. Whenever they need me, I'm going to answer. I just appreciate the brotherhood that's been here the last four years, and especially this year, really grown me as a man and as a basketball player, for me and Samajae, and I just appreciate it.

Q. (No mic.)
SAMAJAE HAYNES-JONES: Yes, it's just been a blessing, and just getting this opportunity to come back and play at home, I just love playing for a coach like this and this staff. This year was just a lot of adversity and something I can piggyback when I get older in my life, knowing that I've been through a lot of adversity in my life and I'm just very thankful for all of it.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENT

April 2, 2019

Gregg Marshall

Samajae Haynes-Jones

Markis McDuffie