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ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 9, 2017Maurice JosephJordan RolandTyler CavanaughPittsburgh, Pennsylvania GEORGE WASHINGOTN 53, Saint Louis 46 MAURICE JOSEPH: Yeah, I want to credit Saint Louis for coming out of the gates really strong. That's the second time we've played them, and that's the second time we've started flat and they have started really well. I thought that we missed shots and we compounded that by not defending the way we needed to. But credit to our guys on the other end, we came out in the second half with a lot of energy. Obviously the change of defense was huge for us. You know, we've come back from big deficits before this season, and I was glad to see our guys dictate how they wanted their season to end. It wasn't going to be tonight and the guys made that decision at halftime, so I'm proud of the guys, how they fought back. But we've got to find a way to make sure to have them move on now and prepare for the next team, because this league, there's no off-days. So tomorrow is going to be another tough one. We have to figure out how we're going to come out and beat a very talented Richmond team and a very good player in T.J. Cline, Player of the Year. So back to the drawing board, get out of here, get some food and figure it out. Q. What was Coach's message at halftime, and what in your own mind needed to change drastically? TYLER CAVANAUGH: He just told us, we've got to play. We were missing shots. We were taking too many threes. We were settling. We didn't getting it inside, but it's a credit to them the way they were defending and switching and junking it up a little bit. But in the end, we were pressing in the first half. We've have got to go out and have fun and just play. I know it's kind of cliché, but you've got to play loose. And that's what this kid did and brought us back in the game, along with Yuta. It's a big win for us. Q. Do you think that you can afford a slow start like this against Richmond or even further progressing in the tournament? TYLER CAVANAUGH: No, no, I mean, we battled today and got back, but Richmond and whoever we play, hopefully next, our elite teams, and we have to be ready to go right from the jump, elite players, and we were fortunate tonight. Saint Louis had good looks. They just rimmed out in the beginning, because we could have been down 20 at the half easily. We gutted it out and we've got to play better tomorrow. Q. After the slow first half, the entire team, and you especially had some really aggressive and good defense. What was the mind-set during that stretch? JORDAN ROLAND: Yeah, just like what Tyler said, we just needed to stop pressing and play our own game, like play more calm. I think we did that. Q. What's it like to be in a FIRST half like that where nothing is following and as a veteran, what are you telling them to improve during the break? TYLER CAVANAUGH: Well, it's terrible. Nothing is going in and you just see the scoreboard, they keep scoring, we're down more. Just stay; stay the course like we have this year and keep fighting and make enough stops. And that's a credit to the coaches and to Coach Joseph for keeping us focused and taking it in four-minute increments and just fighting each possession as if it's our last, because we didn't want to go home tonight. Q. Richmond has been a tough matchup for you guys. What problems do they cause and what do you have to do tomorrow night to have a different outcome? TYLER CAVANAUGH: They run a very unique Princeton-style offense with a great play maker in Cline directing it, and they have great guards. We just have to -- whatever the coaches tell us to do, we've got to be ready to go with that game plan and force them to take tough shots and score on them on the other end, and I think we'll be fine. They have been two close games. Q. What motivates your team? And I'm curious, how much are you guys fueled by defense? JORDAN ROLAND: I think today defense was huge. Today we switched to the one-three-one. I think our first run that we started Yuta at the top was huge. I think he forced a bunch of turnovers. I think defense definitely, definitely fueled our runs today. TYLER CAVANAUGH: Yeah, I mean, defense, and the last three games, the one-three-one has worked well for us. We caused some damage with Yuta and Jordan on top and our activity has been great. So whatever we need to do, but defense, definitely fuels us, when you get stops, but at the end of the day you have to put the ball in the basket to get on a run and we were fortunate enough to do that at the end with some big fast break points and some free throws, so I'm happy. Q. Curious what you think about defense and what motivates and fuels this team. MAURICE JOSEPH: Well, that's what we hang our hats on. I thought we finished the year off really well defensively. The first six games, our field goal defense was 49, 48 percent and you're just not going to win in this league defending that poorly. We did a much better job the last 12 games, particularly the middle six, the middle six games, where we held teams to about 40, 41 percent. It's vital. We hang our hats on it, and we understand that defensive rebounding is what wins championships and we've got to be able to bank on our defense when shots aren't falling. Shots were definitely not falling in the first half. We were 0-for-8 from the three and we were just kind of taking bad ones. Like the guys said we were pressing and seems like we were trying to make -- we were trying to get back in the game, get back from down eight with one shot, you know when I'm saying. We were taking deep ones, and we just can't do that. We got have to be able to stay the course a little better. But credit to our guys we figured it out in the second half and went inside a little bit more. Obviously the defensive change and defensive energy switched up in the second half, and I'm glad our guys did it. Jordan was huge in the one-three-one, so was Yuta, their activity and hands and all that kind of stuff, deflections, forced 16 turnovers. Just happy that our guys really made the decision to come out in the second half and compete at a high level. Q. In particular with Yuta, obviously getting the defensive recognition for his efforts, you said earlier in the year he guards pipsqueaks, and it's consistently throughout the year for him to guard Davell the way he did, shooting the ball ineffectively, turning the ball over seven times, and creating that defensive disposition that became infectious; how important is that for you guys? MAURICE JOSEPH: He's our warrior man. He never complains about getting shots, whether we are playing man, one three one; he's just flying around. He just wants to compete and help our team win, and he did that tonight. I asked him at one point, "Do you need a sub or are you tired?" And he told me, "Hell, no." And I was like, "Go do your thing, man, you're good to go." He's a warrior. He deserves to be all conference. He's one of the most selfless teammates I've ever met. He's a tremendous "us" guy. He's definitely not a "me" guy. He does whatever he need for our team to be successful defensively, and again, he's our warrior. Q. Were you at all worried at halftime, only scoring 13 points in the first half, think you guys weren't going to be able to get the offensive side going? MAURICE JOSEPH: I was definitely concerned about the fact we were pressing and taking too many jumpshots. I thought we were shooting so many, try to get going and we weren't taking enough inside out jumpshots. We got some good looks that just rimmed out and just missed. But I was concerned more so about the fact that we were trying to get back into a groove and we stopped playing inside out as much. We were trying to get going with our jumpshots by shooting more jumpshots and they weren't falling. Sometimes it's going to happen: First time in the arena, depth perception, all that kind of stuff. You can make all the excuses in the world; we just weren't making shots. So we've got to be able to play inside out and pass up good ones for great ones, and we did that in the second half a little better. We got to the free throw line more. We didn't get got to the free throw line a bunch but we got to the free throw line, and you know, we just -- we have to do a better job. So I was concerned but you know, we've had experience in this type of situation, being down a bunch at halftime. So I felt confident the fact that we were going it make a run. Whether or not we were going to come all the way back and take the game over, I wasn't sure about that. But I knew we were going to fight back and I knew we would come back, because we've done that all year. We've been down 18, 20, 13, we've come back. We've tied games, won games. Two games ago, we were down 18 at Fordham and we come back and we win by one. Our guys were resilient all year, so I wasn't worried about us coming back. I knew we would come back. I just hoped we would have enough in the tank to finish the job and we did. Q. Princeton offenses and motion movement offenses are so successful. What are things you can do defensively to try and slow it down? MAURICE JOSEPH: Well you've got to make sure that you understand where they are trying to get their actions, and it's tough because there's a guy like T.J. Cline who is making plays for them who can make up for good defense with a tremendous pass or can make up for a good defense with a tremendous post move. He's such a talented playmaker and player in general that he makes their Princeton offense, or whatever they call their offense, a lot more special than it probably is, because he's such a -- he's that special of a talent. So we have to make sure we understand what they are trying to accomplish and this is a team that we've played twice, I think the last three years so we know their personal really well and we know what they are trying to accomplish and it's a matter of trying to stop it, and again, that's a tall order because they are so talented. ShawnDre' Jones is a tremendous guard, four-year guy who has been good since he stepped on to their campus and T.J. Cline, obviously just a monster. So we have to make sure we come ready with a scouting report in terms of how we're going to approach them defensively. We've got to make sure that we know that we can't let them get going early, and we can't come out flat. And I think we could have switched some things up from the two games we played them to hopefully keep them off balance. Hopefully those things work and we'll look at that when we get back to the hotel. But you can't let those guys get into a groove, because once they do, then you're done. They are just too good, too talented, and T.J. Cline, he's a heck of a player. So if you let them get going, it could be a long night. Q. Tyler finished 3-for-12 but got 16 rebounds. Can you talk about his ability to be effective even when his shot is not falling? MAURICE JOSEPH: Well, Tyler is a warrior, man. He knows, this is his last hoorah. He didn't want to go home tonight. He was very vocal at halftime. He actually cut me off and jumped into the guys, and I let him go. It's their team. It's his team. He's our horse. He's our senior captain. He's our leader and all that kind of stuff. So I let him rock; I let him influence the halftime speech, and he did a great job and our guys followed suit. And I said my peace and that was that. We went on the court and we did it. He's able to affect the game in so many ways. Not just from a production standpoint, but he shoots the ball well, he rebounds, he leads, he understands the defensive concepts, he communicates back there defensively, and he's one of our best scouting report guys in terms of telling other guys where to go, so he does a tremendous job, not just from a production standpoint but he's leadership, A to Z, he does a tremendous job for us. He's a -- that's why he's -- why he should have been first team all conference, in my opinion, but that's why he's an all conference guy. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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