ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE BASKETBALL TIPOFF MEDIA DAY

October 12, 2021

Earl Grant

Makai Ashton-Langford

Brevin Galloway

Boston College Eagles

Press Conference

Q. Welcome to the league, Coach.

EARL GRANT: Thank you.

Q. Welcome back to the league I should say. So having those four seasons with Brad Brownell, just what you can say about your time at Clemson, and also your time at Charleston and how all of that has brought you to this moment, kind of what you've learned from those two pieces?

EARL GRANT: Yeah. Obviously being at Clemson for four years, being day one with Brad Brownell, just seeing what we had to build the program. The type of players we inherited. Obviously also the kids we had to recruit, what went into that.

So I think the biggest thing I learned from them was just probably him and Gregg Marshall, they kind of had the same mindset. You got to defend, rebound, take care of the ball. You do those three things you always give yourself get a chance.

I did learn from him, what it looked like to be a good husband and father too. That was probably the neatest thing, the way he dealt with his wife and kids. I had a young son at the time. I was just recently married. But good basketball coach but better man.

So but don't take any shortcuts trying to build a program. Understanding that we're not going to turn this program in one week. It's going to take time. And these guys, these seniors I have a lot to do with the first initial phase of us trying to move the program forward.

Q. Being a native of North Charleston you spent a lot of your career on the Atlantic Coast. What is it about this region of the country that fits your coaching?

EARL GRANT: You know, I've been every where. I've been in the midwest, I've been on the east coast, and now I'm up north, northeast.

You know, I love good basketball. I love to compete. I love the win. I love being in the locker room. I love to sweat with the players. So for me, I don't know if it's necessarily a region that I'm attracted to. I'm attracted to certain type of kids. I'm attracted to guys that don't mind working hard, guys that have some humility to them.

We just happen to have a chance to compete at the highest level now, so that's exciting being in the ACC with guys who can play at that level and compete with some of the best players in the world.

So just fired up. Fired up about these two men sitting to my left. Fired up about the opportunity to be at Boston College, a big-time winning program that we've got four Sweet 16s, three or four Elite 8s. It's a big-time program. So we've got to get back to that.

Q. Makai, the same type of question for you. You started at one school in the northeast and you stayed in the region to complete your college career. What about the draw to this region for you?

MAKAI ASHTON-LANGFORD: It's home for me. I've lived here my whole life. Throughout even high school, I've never left the northeast. So it is a little cold over here, but I don't mind it too much. I'm a home body so I don't mind it at all. But it's definitely home for me. I love being over here with my family, them being able to watch the games and come to all the games.

It's definitely a -- it boosts me a little bit.

Q. This is for each of you. Coach, you got into it a little bit, the history of Boston College. But what you see from this year's makeup of the team, I'd love to get your thoughts on that; and then for both of you gentlemen, just what you can say about what Coach Grant brings to Boston College. And I know you know him very well and just what each of you can say.

EARL GRANT: Yeah. What I see is I see a great group. I see a great group that's really starting to mesh with each other. I see a group that is competitive. I see an athletic group, and I see a group that's going to compete and fight. That's just what I see. I look working with these guys from day one, especially Makai and his brother DeMarr, and James, Freddy, and Justin Vander Baan. Those guys from day one with me. Those guys hadn't missed a day, hadn't missed a beat. We added some other kids to the formula, but we got a good group.

So we're going to compete. We're going to be excited about every game that's on the schedule. We're going to put our best foot forward trying to move our best foot forward. So I think it's a situation we got what we need. And I look forward to working with this group.

Q. What Coach Grant brings to this team?

MAKAI ASHTON-LANGFORD: He brings energy, enthusiasm, and you could tell he's willing to fight with us. Like he said, he be out there sweating with us, playing defense. Like I said, I think he's the number one defender in the country. He brings that enthusiasm to the gym for us.

So that kind of boosts us up for practice and getting ready to play in these games and scrimmages.

BREVIN GALLOWAY: I've been around Coach Grant for -- it's been 14 years maybe since I was about nine or ten years old, and obviously he's going to be a great leader. Great family guy. I've learned a lot from him in that aspect, just how to deal with family members, how to treat your family members, wife, your kids.

I feel like a lot of the stuff that you'll learn from him is not really basketball. It's more life in general. So I feel like that's what I'm going to take and try to implement in my life as I grow up and become a man. So yeah, obviously he's going to do his best to lead us on the court, but I feel you off the court he'll really help us develop and grow in the man he wants us to be.

Q. Coach Grant, you kind of already answered this question, but I just kind of wanted to know, your first year there, what are some of the goals that you have? And also how did you get your team to buy in? As a new coach it's always kind of difficult to get the team that's already been there to kind of buy in into something brand new. What are some things you've established with this team to make them commitment to you 100 percent?

EARL GRANT: Number one thing about the buy in, you know, it ain't about me. It's about the experience. I'm just there to be for them and try to usher them along. Try to get them to be as successful as they can be. I know how it feels to be a college player and compete with your teammates. So this is their experience. So again making it not about me, making it about them.

I know what they have to do to have a chance to be successful. So I'm just trying to show them that. Just a blueprint to find success. But my goal for this year is to move the program forward. It's pretty simple. I don't have a lot of extravagant goals. Just move the program forward.

Look like a team that love each other. You know, compete to the highest level of our ability. And if we do that, we're going to find our self being successful. So that's my goal, move the program forward. Be there for these guys every day show up, have enthusiasm, have energy, controlling what we can and let the chips fall where they may.

Q. Brevin, from the podium, you've not played since September. How is the knee? What's the whirlwind been like changing school, rehabbing, changing schools, the pandemic, all of that?

BREVIN GALLOWAY: It was really, really difficult for like a three-month period. Obviously I didn't know what my future was going to be. I didn't know what was in the midst of it. Everything has been going good so far. Once I got to Boston got like the new atmosphere, new experiences, I feel like everything started to come together. I was able to find myself again. Pretty much just going through the whole rehab process obviously it's difficult and strenuous, but I feel with the group of guys, with Makai and the team we got, everyone, they loved me from day one, accepted me and supported me.

So it's been easy from that point. Ever since June 1st when I got to campus, everything since then has been rolling good.

Q. Makai, your assist to turnover ratio was almost 2 to 1. What have you done during the off season to try to get those numbers a little better?

MAKAI ASHTON-LANGFORD: Definitely play making is a big part of my game. I'm faster than most guards, so it's kind of easy for me to get into the paint. But once I get into the paint, it's about making that next decision. And I've been trying to kind of slow down a little bit and actually see what my options are. So that's what really helped me last year and just watching with the coaches and just trying to make that next move, hopefully it will be 3 to 1 this year.

Q. I noticed you had a good amount of winning success at College of Charleston. What culture do you expect to bring to Boston College to have the same winning success and a winning season?

EARL GRANT: So you said -- what was the last part you said?

Q. What culture would you like to bring to have a winning season at Boston College?

EARL GRANT: Again, it's -- I feel like I've been fortunate that I've been in programs where we've had to turn it around. And we won, we did it.

And so again, I don't know exactly what this year will hold. But I got great peace in knowing that whatever comes out of this year is what's supposed to happen. So we're going to go into every game -- we've got a one-game season every game.

Like I can't even see -- I can't see the whole season. I don't think that way. We got practice when we get back. I see that. We got a skim majority coming up this weekend I do see that. I don't see past that. I just want these guys to have good days, to get better every day. To enjoy the process of what we're doing. You only get one chance to be a college player and then it's over. It's over like that. So getting them to fall in love with the process of becoming who you're trying to become because who we're trying to become is a special -- I see something special.

I see us making history. But the first phase is this year. So we've got to find love and the process of becoming something. And just starts with the day to day behavior. It's what you do that day.

Q. Coach, welcome to the ACC. Wanted to ask all of you guys just in terms of having this fresh season, do you feel less pressure from the rest of these other schools in this conference who are expecting maybe some high volume championships out of the gate? Do you feel like it's more fun to kind of have that less expectation going into this season?

MAKAI ASHTON-LANGFORD: Honestly, I don't really feel pressure towards the season. Like nobody -- obviously we haven't -- these past couple years BC hasn't been the best, so nobody really expects much out of BC. So that -- I feel like that makes us more hungry to actually prove people wrong in a way. And definitely you could definitely see it in the locker room. Everybody on the team wants to change the atmosphere of con fee forum our home Jim and have more people come to the game and support us.

BREVIN GALLOWAY: I don't feel any pressure. Like Kai said, obviously we're going to be underdogs heading into the season, so I feel like for me going into my final year I just want to have fun with everything. There's going to be ups and downs, but that's how basketball is in general.

I feel like if we're putting our best foot forward and having fun and loving each other and doing everything with the right spirit, then I feel like we'll be straight and the results will be what they should be.

I feel like pressure isn't there as long as we go out there and have fun, everything will happen.

EARL GRANT: I do believe pressure is a privilege. So I don't feel pressure, but I do hear people ask a question about this season, how we're going to be, and that is a fuel -- that is fuel to your fire. We've got good players. We got a big-time program.

Boston College is one of the best programs you can ask for in the world. So we can't take that lightly. We're just going to compete every day and we're going to have fun doing it. So very excited to be here. Very humbled by the opportunity.

Just want to see these guys have the most success they possibly can have.