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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: DENVER

March 19, 2016

Denver, Colorado

Iowa State - 78, Little Rock - 61

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Iowa State.

Coach, some comments on today's game.

COACH PROHM: First, just want to congratulate Little Rock on an amazing season. To win 30 games at this level is really special. They were terrific. But I think our guys getting an opportunity to watch them up close and personal yesterday, me coming from a mid-major, I think we had a great deal of respect for them.

I think our kids had a great deal of focus. In the big scheme of things, I'm extremely proud of our guys. We just been through a lot this year, since I got the job in June. Just getting to know each other, relationships, figuring out the best way for us to play, meeting each other halfway on things. Me and Georges were in a meeting Monday night talking with each other. The biggest thing was we just didn't want to let each other down going forward.

We've got a really good basketball team. I think everybody showed that. We were almost kind of the underdogs here. Nobody has really picked us in both games.

I can't be more proud of our guys. I think it's the fifth time Iowa State has been to the Sweet 16, fifth or sixth time. We're ecstatic. I told our guys in the locker room, I hope this isn't their most special moment. I want bigger moments for them in life and basketball going forward.

I really believe, and said this all year f you stay the course and do the right things, special things will happen. There's more things in store for this basketball team. I truly believe that.

THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions now for our student-athletes.

Q. Georges, when you decided to come back this year, is this kind of what you envisioned, what you hoped for?
GEORGES NIANG: Actually, when I decided to come back, I don't really think there was much of a decision. What Iowa State has given me, I could never walk away from a place like that.

To say the least, I was threw a couple of curve balls with coming back.

But it's all been great. I mean, Coach Prohm has been a blessing, really a blessing in disguise. Just him coming in and demanding the most out of us day in and day out.

In the beginning, it was tough to see. There was a lot of frustration up and down. But now you really realize, you know, what he was aiming for. He was really aiming for us to have each other's back, to play for a bigger purpose, and to do something for more than just yourself.

For that, you know, I'm forever grateful. I'm really happy that I came back to Iowa State.

Q. Georges, you've had some obviously disappointing moments in the tournament, your freshman year, last year, sophomore year when you broke your foot. What's it like to be having a tournament like you're having right now?
GEORGES NIANG: This is sweet, you know. For sure, I was joking with Naz long, You didn't earn the last Sweet 16 you were in. I made sure to tell him I earned this one.

That's not what we aspire for. Like coach says, he wants bigger things for us. We want bigger things for ourselves so we're going to keep fighting.

Q. Monte said yesterday it's going to take a unit to slow down Josh Hagins. What were you able to do to limit him throughout the game?
MATT THOMAS: I think Monte personally did an unbelievable job just himself in one-on-one situations, iso's, keeping him in front, taking away his shot.

As a teams, we're all in gaps, trying to plug gaps. That's one of the things coach really preached to us is plug gaps. We had seen him will his team to win against Purdue, so we knew what he was capable of coming into this one tonight.

I just want tip my cap to Monte because he did a really good job on a really good player.

GEORGES NIANG: Monte, that kid is a warrior, man. Battling through injuries, playing a lot of minutes. He's just up for the challenge every night.

You don't find that from many kids, but that kid's just a warrior.

Q. Georges, I was talking to your mom a few minutes ago. She said when the two of you sort of took it under control to change your body types, did you see that that made a difference here, you've gotten in such good shape over the last couple years?
GEORGES NIANG: Yeah, you know, my mom actually, while I was watching Around the Horn, she didn't let me eat Twinkies anymore, I had to eat salads.

It was a collective effort with her. She made so many sacrifices. When I started changing my body, she started working out at the same gym I was going to. We honestly did it together. That's how my whole life has been.

My mom has sacrificed her happiness to go along with mine. I can't thank her enough. She's my rock, you know, my backbone. It's been a crazy journey, but that was really a unique one that we could honestly do it together. I think that's what meant the most to me.

Q. Do you feel physically fit enough to play in altitude?
GEORGES NIANG: The first medias will hit you pretty fast. Coach Prohm has told me, You have to battle through it, get your second wind.

I think there was a time in the first half when I was really cruising and felt really good out there.

Q. Georges, how excited are you to play in the Sweet 16? Must have been difficult your sophomore year having to watch that game. What are your emotions like?
GEORGES NIANG: Yeah, no, it's going to be awesome. You know, I'm really excited. This is what you work for. Being a little kid, just dreaming about playing in situations like this, or playing in moments like this. To have the chance to do it, I think that's really cool.

I'm not going to get too overexcited. I think I'm going to be poised, ready to go, tackle the next team we play.

Q. Considering the momentum they had from that win over Purdue, everybody was probably picking them. How important was it for you to come out and establish your lead early, take control of the game?
MATT THOMAS: It was huge for us. You know, we knew what they were capable of. Coming into the game, we wanted to dictate tempo. We knew they wanted to play a little slower than we like to.

Getting off to that good lead was crucial for us because I feel like we played at our pace pretty much the whole game. They pretty much had to, like, fight and claw back because we had a comfortable lead for most of the night.

THE MODERATOR: We'll dismiss the student-athletes at this time. Thank you, gentlemen.

We'll continue with questions for Coach Prohm.

Q. I know you've only gotten to coach Georges for one year, but what has he meant to this program and what does it mean to him to be able to play in his first Sweet 16?
COACH PROHM: You know, Georges, he's a special person. He's done so much for this school. I think the resurgence, the renaissance of Iowa State basketball, I think he's a huge, huge part of it. Obviously Fred started it when he got there.

But Georges, he's the winningest player in the history of the school. If you saw Senior Night, the emotion, 14,000 people giving him a standing ovation. I couldn't even get his name out of my mouth before everybody was already clapping for him.

He just represents the game the right way. He's been a pleasure to coach for me. He's challenged me to grow as a coach and get better. Hopefully I've helped him in some ways, too, if not as much basketball, then in life going forward from here. Basketball, he's got a pretty good skill set. There's not so much I could come in and add to it.

Your best player has to play the best in March in big moments. The last two games he's been unbelievable.

But me and him have had a lot of heart-to-hearts this year, a lot of meetings in my office one on one trying to really just see what we can do to max this team out this year.

Obviously with the coaching change, players, there was a lot of things we had to work through. We met for a while again on Monday. Like I said earlier, we don't want to let each other down. There's a mutual respect for one another.

What he's done for Iowa State, third leading scorer in the history of the school, about to be the second. Winningest player in the history of the school. He is the second now. Then he represents the school the right way on and off the floor. You don't get much better than that.

Q. Jameel had only six points tonight but he clearly had a huge impact. Talk about what he brings to your program.
COACH PROHM: 10 rebounds, I thought he changed some shots at the rim, had some big offensive rebounds for us. When Jameel's playing at a high level, his ball-screen defense tonight was terrific. That was such a big part.

Monte, deservingly so gets a lot of credit on Hagins, but if we don't have big ball-screen presence by Jameel, by Deonte, by Georges, we don't stop Hagins like we did.

He got downhill too much the other day on Thursday against Purdue, and we knew we couldn't let him get downhill. When Jameel is playing at a high level, he's as good as anybody in the country.

Again, me and Jameel has been through a lot together. But there ain't nothing better than when you're hugging each other and heading to the Sweet 16. I think he's grown up and matured over the last couple of weeks. And he was great for us today.

Q. Is this as good of a back-to-back stretch as you feel like you've seen your guys play this year?
COACH PROHM: I thought defensively the first half against Iona, we were terrific. I thought the second half of Iona, we got up and down, did some things out of character that got the game too sped up.

But from start to finish, we were terrific tonight. That was what we challenged them at halftime. We've guarded well in the first half of many games this year, but our second-half defense has been very, very poor.

Tonight we put it all together. Their sense of urgency was great.

But I think over the last couple weeks we started playing well. I don't know if people realize how many close games we've lost where a shot goes in, you know, we're 26-8, whatever, and then we get beat by Oklahoma in the last minute last week. Then we get beat by Kansas, we're up one with three minute to go. Two really good teams that could possibly be in the Sweet 16 with us.

So we were getting better down the stretch. We've been getting better all year. I think now we're better as a team, we're unified. Like Georges said, we're playing for one another.

Q. Steve, what did you tell your team as far as you personally knowing the kind of chip on their shoulder that a mid-major has in this event?
COACH PROHM: Well, like I said, I think watching them in person. The best thing that happened yesterday was Hagins getting 31. I don't know how much would we have the same amount of focus if Hagins had 12. So to watch him do what he did, will them to victory, have 29 in the second half in overtimes, I thought that helped us. Monte said, All right, he can play.

But the mid-major, this is your time. You don't get many opportunities neutral floor at home to make a name for yourself, so you got to do it in March.

Chris did an amazing job. I mean, to win 30 games I think is terrific. But that's the thing I wanted to harp with our guys. Hey, they're very, very good. You don't win 30 games by just showing up. You're very well-coached and you have very good players.

These guys have been focused. Players are defined in March, the great players. I think all of our guys, every one of our guys we put in tonight gave us something.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you for your time, coach.

COACH PROHM: Thanks.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297

NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: DENVER

March 19, 2016

Steve Prohm

Matt Thomas

Georges Niang