|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 6, 2014Auston BarnesGeno FordWalt Lemon, Jr.ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI Loyola – 74 THE MODERATOR: Bradley Braves are here. We'll ask coach Geno Ford to give a statement on the game. COACH FORD: I thought it was a really good game. Two teams fought hard and played well. They played better than us on the first half. We got ourselves in a hole. I thought we showed more character and toughness the last eight minutes than maybe has been our norm. That's why we gave ourselves a chance to win. We made big plays offensively, got stops defensively. You know, it's really unfortunate that they made a shot over two guys at the buzzer. You've got to give them credit. It was a heck of a shot. You got to tip your hat to them and keep moving forward. It was a disappointing end to the game and disappointing end to the year. THE MODERATOR: Questions for Auston or Walt. Q. Walt, just take us through your emotions right now. Obviously, a tough situation, but just take us through that. WALT LEMON, JR.: I'm just at a loss for words. Like Coach said, it's hard to‑‑ it's hard to end the season like that. I mean, my college career is over. Younger guys got a chance to play again. Me, I got to move on with my life. I wasn't ready to go home. I was planning to be here for four days. Q. Walt, can you describe the second half as you guys were making that comeback. It looked like you were kind of taking the team on your back. Tell us what you were thinking and what your mindset was when you were trying to make up that deficit. WALT LEMON, JR.: Actually, I wasn't trying. I wasn't ready to go home. Like Coach said, we started bad in the first half, and I wasn't ready to go home. I was planning on being here. I packed for four days, and that was my mindset. We were down, so I made it an issue to make myself be more aggressive. Q. Auston, you were hitting your shot on the wing there. Talk about how you were able to just hit your shot, but bring that energy on defense and then in the huddle. AUSTON BARNES: I don't know. I don't think we came out flat. We weren't putting stops together at all in the first half. I think my role this year was to be an energy guy and to hit some open shots. Q. Walt, how were they different offensively today than they were the first two games you played them? WALT LEMON, JR.: First, we created a lot of havoc when they set their ball screens. We managed to turn them over a lot. This game, they didn't ball screen as much. They moved the ball, and they ran sudden plays where guys cutting through staggers and down screens and stuff. And then they weren't really setting that many ball screens. THE MODERATOR: Okay, gentlemen, thank you very much for your time. We're going to stay here with Coach Ford for a little while longer. Q. Coach, just talk about the season, obviously, not the way you want to end it, especially on the buzzer beater. Just talk about the season and how you can improve next season. COACH FORD: I thought it was‑‑ it was a tough year. It was one where we really labored early for leadership and collectiveness that got better. I thought in February we were stringing together some pretty good basketball. And we became a good defensive team. It's ironic that that's what got us beat tonight. First half defensive numbers are really poor. And that was the game. You can always boil it back to one shot at the end. It was an unbelievable shot. But had we been able to get them guarded in the first half, like we did the four halves that we played them prior to that, we're probably not in that situation. You've got to give them credit for making shots. So it's a tough end. It's kind of, in some ways, you know, in course with our season. We had a difficult year. We played in patches and couldn't really string it together and be good in long stretches. And that's something that we've got to get corrected. I think that it's pretty obvious our depth was a challenge for us. We had three guys we leaned on heavily for minutes, with Walt, Auston, and Tyshon. The fourth guy was one of our main scorers, Omari played the whole season needing hip surgery. I give Omari a lot of credit. I don't know how many guys would have battled through and played. He could have taken the easy way out and sat the year, but he didn't. He'll have the surgery in a few weeks. And he'll be much improved. And Barnes will be much improved, and we're excited about the guys we've added. But that doesn't make it any better tonight as you sit in here after an emotionally draining game that you've got to give Loyola credit for. Doyle was 6 for 11, but I think he made his last three field goals. Q. Geno, you get to this game, and there's the challenge to finally get to play on Friday. You've got three seniors that you rely on, and yet they come out in the first half with that lack of a defense and slumping shoulders and all those things you've talked about, about body language. How does that happen? Why does that happen? COACH FORD: Well, I think it's frustration. First off, give Loyola credit. I thought offensively we were a little surprised they didn't do it in the second game because we had so much success with sideline ball screens in the first game. They changed entirely what they did, and that left us unable to get them trapped as often. First two games we were able to trap them a ton, and it gave us the steal run‑outs. We had one steal run‑out the whole game and the dunk the last three minutes. Our team thrives on that. I think tonight Tyshon Pickett battled at a level that is hard to fault. I thought he played really, really at a high, high level. And I think that our lack of a vocal leader at times during the season was a challenge for us. And that's what happens. That's those moments. You don't need leadership when it's going well. Anybody can‑‑ that's easy. Anybody can give you some of that when shots are going in and you're up by 15. It's easy to chest bump. I think where we struggled was sometimes getting a guy to get us all on the same page and heading in the right direction, and that's something we've got to find a way to get turned around. I think we got that in the works. I feel good about some of the younger guys that are that type of personality. I think it's harder‑‑ well, Walt and Ty, we rely so much on on offense‑‑ and then Walt leads the league in steals, and Tyshon was anything but a liability defensively. So those guys are having to play both ways. They've got a lot going on. It's tough for those guys, and it's not really their personality to be real vocal. It happens because the other team made shots. Had we had the lead, it wouldn't have happened. They got the lead. That's why I say the last eight minutes, I was never prouder of our team than I was the last eight minutes. Typically, our M.O. has been that's your back against the wall. Toughest spot as you can be in. And I thought we really rallied and pulled together and showed chemistry at the best level we've shown it all year, toughness at the best level we've shown it all year. That's what makes it more difficult to get beat how we did. Q. Coach, just talk about Walt's career. Obviously, you got three‑‑ four great seniors, but just talk about Walt's career that will go down as probably one of the best in BU history. COACH FORD: Walt's a self‑made player. He was an electric player, made exciting plays, a lot of highlight steals and dunks that were entertaining for the crowd. He made them‑‑ he's a self‑made player. I give him credit. He's one of the hardest workers I've ever had in terms of putting his own time in to get better. We'll certainly miss his work ethic. I give him credit for turning the program in one direction, and I'm going to give Tyshon credit for turning it in another direction. We're physically tougher than we were three years ago because of Tyshon Pickett, because of the physicality he brought every single day in practice and his spread, and we're no longer a soft team.  And I give him credit for that. I give Walt credit for turning the work ethic because we weren't a program three years ago where guys get in the gym and worked on their own game. To be frank with you, we had a hard time getting pickup games generated a couple of springs ago. Now, because of Walt's relentless approach to becoming a better player individually, it spread. Other guys are in the gym. I think you can give those two guys a lot of credit for changing the culture of our team in a couple of positive ways. We didn't have the season we wanted to have. It wasn't what you would, quote, a good season by any stretch. It was a frustrating season, difficult season. But you've got to persevere through that, and the program is built on solid foundation of work ethic and toughness that will get better and better. We need to add some depth in, and we've got to get the right mix. I feel like help is on the way, and we're headed in the right direction. I really do. I'm hurt from the way the game ended. Hurt for the seniors that that's going to be their last memory of a game was to have somebody make a three like that. But life goes on. The sun's going to come up tomorrow, and the only thing we can control is our response to that. I'm hopeful it will give some resolve to our younger guys about how difficult and how precious your time is to capitalize on. THE MODERATOR: Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|