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

March 16, 2017

Sacramento, California

THE MODERATOR: Okay, we have the student-athletes from Kent State University, the Golden Flashes. Joining us are Jimmy Hall, Deon Edwin and Jaylin Walker. Gentlemen, I would like to ask each of you to characterize how your season has gone and what it's taken to get to Sacramento.

JIMMY HALL: I guess I'll start. It's been, you know, a real fun journey. We worked real hard over the summer and it means everything to our team and to Kent State that we're here in this position right now.

DEON EDWIN: Our journey was good. We had a little bumpy start and through the season we had some ups and downs. But I guess this makes the season more enjoyable that we're here, so I would say it's a good season for us.

JAYLIN WALKER: Pretty much what these guys said. We had an up and down season and we started bad, but through the end we started to carry things over and now we're here. So we are trying to continue on our wins as we go along.

Q. Can you guys talk about the turnaround you guys have had? I think at one point you guys were 5-7 in the conference and I don't think a lot of people thought you guys would be here. What was it that turned the season around? You won 9 of your last 10?
DEON EDWIN: From my standpoint our turnaround was like -- we had meetings before with we lost games and stuff and we came together as a group and talked about it. We had one big fight in the locker room, not physically, but just an argument. And then actually, like, challenging all players, I think, because at that time we were so offensive minded instead of more defensive minded and just doing the right thing to get the job done. I think at that point it was Toledo we lost to in a conference game and from there everything swing around from right there. So I think that was our main turning point and then challenging everybody.

Q. Guys, Kent State University! Jaylin, you were named the MAAC Tournament MVP. What was it like for you to cap off that title? Shot the lights out in a lot of those games. Do you feel like you will be able to carry that style against UCLA who obviously is the best team you guys have seen all year?
JAYLIN WALKER: Yes, I am going to carry that on to this next game, giving my teammates credit. They believed in me and believe that I can make shots and stuff like that, so it's going to be real nice.

Q. On an odd basketball note, what's it been like for you guys coming over the time difference, the weather difference, how have you gone through that in the 24 hours that you've been here?
JIMMY HALL: It's been a fun process. A lot of us have never been to California and getting away from the cold, so we weren't too stressed about traveling or anything! You know? Sunny California. We get to play a great team and we are just happy that we are in this situation again.

Q. Jimmy, what does it mean for you to come from Hofstra and overcome rough patches and finally make it here?
JIMMY HALL: Means a lot. All the hard work and things I've been through, it's a very humbling experience and I'm very blessed to be in this situation, and I just want to continue to play hard for the school that helped me get to where I am right now.

Q. Can you talk about how much your mom means to you? I know she sends you scouting reports. How does she have an affect on you?
JIMMY HALL: Yeah, yeah, she's everything. She has been with me the whole way, supporting me and believing in me. She is at every game. She is on her way here now, so it just means -- she means the world to me, and I want to go out there and play as hard as I can for her, too.

Q. Jimmy and Deon, can you talk about what this means getting to the NCAA Tournament as seniors? Finally making it to the tournament?
DEON EDWIN: I mean, that's everybody's goal, you know, as soon as you come into college is to win your MAAC Tournament and get to the NCAA because this is the biggest stage, show everybody, because at this time all eyes are on you and everybody else want to proceed from here to get a job in the NBA or overseas, now to show their talent and have fun.

JIMMY HALL: I agree with that. It means a lot to me being a senior and this being my last year. Who is to say if you could play basketball after this? It's a real privilege and honor to be here in my last, final year.

Q. Jaylin, you had this amazing MAAC Tournament run, MAAC MVP, but Kent was your only Division I offer. Last year you had the foot injuries and the setbacks. Also this year, talk about how that journey has come to now where you are?
JAYLIN WALKER: When I had my injuries for the past few months my coaches and teammates were just telling me to sit back, take notice of the game and watch our players and just see how things are and take rests, and soon enough, just get back to myself. Once I got back, there was a few games where I was shaky and stuff like that, but as I continued on, it got better for me.

Q. Jimmy, the first game in the MAAC Tournament was against Central Michigan. You guys were down a bunch of points and going up against Marcus Cain, you finished with 40 points and brought the team back for a victory. Did you feel like after that win you were catapulted to make the run you did in the MAAC Tournament?
JIMMY HALL: I think that boosted us a lot. They're a good team and he's a heck of a scorer. Being able to overcome the deficit that we were in, definitely it added fuel to our fire. But we always believed that we could do this. We never stopped believing. We've been talking about this since the summertime, since we got together. So we never lost belief, but it definitely boosted us.

Q. Was there anything different in your game plan for this week facing UCLA bigs like Lonzo Ball?
DEON EDWIN: Not really. We come out here, just play hard, stick to what we do best, and, I mean, that's all we can do right now, just play ball, have fun because we're here now.

JAYLIN WALKER: Gotta stick to the game plan like we've been doing and that's why we've been winning. So we're going to be doing that.

THE MODERATOR: Any other questions? Okay, gentlemen, thank you.

We now have the head coach of the Kent State Golden Flashes, Rob Senderoff, in his sixth season with the program. Coach, it's the first NCAA Tournament for your team since 2008, certainly a stupendous season. Can you talk about the highs and lows that you faced during the course of the year?

ROB SENDEROFF: Absolutely. First of all, it's an honor to be here and for our team and our program to be part of March Madness here again. As you mentioned, first time since 2008 and sixth time in school history.

This is great to be a part of. Our players are really excited. Our university is excited to be a part of this and getting an opportunity to play a great UCLA program and a great UCLA team tomorrow night is something we're really looking forward to.

Q. Coach, first off, it's an honor as a student journalist to be able to follow the team out here. My question is, you know, Steve Alford, Coach of UCLA, you guys both have ties to Indiana. Have you spoke with him at all?
ROB SENDEROFF: No, I don't know Coach Alford. Obviously, growing up I certainly watched him and know how phenomenal of a player he is and as good of a player he was he's going just as good of a job as the coach of UCLA, and, again for us and our program it's a privilege to get an opportunity to play such a good team here in the NCAA Tournament and we're excited to get a chance to play them tomorrow night.

Q. Talk about what being here means to your program after not being here for so long. What does it mean going forward?
ROB SENDEROFF: I think that's a great, great question, and it's really -- our league is very, very difficult. It's a one-bid league most of the time and it's a league where you can have tremendous success and still not be in the NCAA Tournament.

We've won 122 games in the six years that I've been the head coach, but getting to that tournament means so much to our school and to our fans and to our university that it's just really humbling to be part of this. Our team this year, as these guys mentioned that were on before, we started out with some really good wins, and we beat Texas at Texas early in the season. But also some close losses, and at one point we were 9-9. At one point we were 13-12 and we were 1-4 in the league and 5-7 in the league at one point.

To finish winning 9 out of 10 games, to be down in 8 out of those 10 games at halftime it really shows the resiliency and the toughness of the group that we have, and as a coach you couldn't be prouder of seeing a group of men who compete and play as hard as they do for each other and for our university.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about what's different coaching this team on such a run versus what it was like coaching Indiana?
ROB SENDEROFF: Well, coaching this team, you know, it's really special, because these guys all have tremendous stories to tell. Jimmy Hall, you mentioned him, Jaylin Walker, who was up here didn't have any scholarship offers coming out of high school and as a freshman he broke his foot, at the beginning of his sophomore year he broke his foot and then he goes and has 30 points in the Conference Championship game. Deon Edwin played his entire junior year in league with a torn meniscus and had to have surgery right after the season. And for his senior year to be part of the NCAA Tournament team since 2008 I think it speaks toward their resiliency. We have other stories to tell, as well, Jalen Avery, our starting point guard, first time we played we were 9-9. He had not played in two straight games and then became our starting point guard, and from that point on we're 13-4. Mitch Peterson, a freshman wing, who at one point we thought about redshirting is now playing 30 minutes a game as a freshman. There are so many stories to tell with this group, and it's so special to be the coach of it.

Q. You guys have adopted the mantra that, "This story isn't over." What does that mean for you going in tomorrow?
ROB SENDEROFF: We watched prior to our game against Akron where we snapped their 30-game home winning streak, we watched a video on the Super Bowl, and during that video after halftime when the New England Patriots were down 17, 18 points at halftime, Julian Edelman who was a Kent State graduate you hear him talking to Tom Brady right before the start of the second half saying, we're going to come back and win this and it's going to be an hell of a story. That's all he says. It's going to be an hell of a story. We have sort of kept that. This is going to be our story. From that point on we have won 9 out of 10. Like I said, at halftime in 8 of those 10 games we defended like crazy, made timely plays when we needed to and we've shown tremendous toughness and resiliency as a group.

Q. Coach, any different approach here? UCLA obviously a little bit bigger of a team, bigger brand than Akron, Buffalo, Ohio University, teams of that nature. But I get the impression that you guys are comfortable with the cards that you've been dealt and that's how it's been the last 10, 11 ball games. Do you guys feel comfortable? Not a lot to change going into this game?
ROB SENDEROFF: Everybody who makes the NCAA Tournament is a really good team and everybody who makes the NCAA Tournament is playing with confidence. Our guys certainly are. We have a belief in what we are doing. With that being said, we know we're playing one of the great programs of all time and one of the great teams in the country this year in UCLA.

They certainly are more than capable of winning this entire tournament, and at the same time that I say that, we also know that this is March. In March, you don't have to beat UCLA seven times or four times out of seven. You just have to beat them Friday night at 7:00. We're going to play with confidence. There are certainly some things we need to do really well to have a chance to win; but, again, our guys are playing loose. Really happy to be here and excited about the opportunity that lies ahead of us.

THE MODERATOR: Any other questions? Rob, thank you.

ROB SENDEROFF: Thank you.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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