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NATIONAL INVITATION TOURNAMENTMarch 28, 2017Rod BarnesJaylin AiringtonDedrick BasileNew York, New York GEORGIA TECH 76, CSU Bakersfield 61 COACH ROD BARNES: First of all, I would like to thank God just for giving us an opportunity to be here. Really proud of our team for this season. We need to give Georgia Tech some credit. They did a really good job tonight. Really caused us a lot of problems out there. But I'm proud of our guys. I'm proud of these seniors and what they have done for our program and for the university and for the City of Bakers field. Again, we're thankful to the NIT and committee and the way they have looked after us and cared for us and shown great hospitality and the professionalism that they have shown us during this journey. Q. Does anything feel differently tonight from the past three games? Any nerves or anything at the beginning? Just seemed off-kilter from the start compared to the last. JAYLIN AIRINGTON: No, just we had a sluggish start I guess. Give credit to Georgia Tech. They were making shots, and they was just the better team tonight. Q. Offensively, specifically, Jaylin, that offense had really caught fire the last few games. What was the difference? JAYLIN AIRINGTON: I guess we saw different defenses. I guess they kept throwing different things at us: One-three-one and then switch up to a man, and it was just spread it out. It was just a different defense they kept throwing at us. That's about it. Q. Only forced seven turnovers; is that just a credit to them? What did you see there? COACH ROD BARNES: Again, I think they just played well tonight. We can't take anything from what they have done. They spread us out. They took care of the basketball. We had some plays, there was a lot of tips that we didn't get to tonight, and whatever reason that was. But again, they are a good basketball team. They have been playing well down the stretch just like we were, and tonight was their game. The pace was their game. The flow was their game. They are a good enough team that we couldn't turn it around. Q. Seems like the last few years, it's always been a team of firsts, and this is the first time you guys end the season at Madison Square Garden. Can you reflect on your two years here? DEDRICK BASILE: My two years here has been fantastic. I'm very pleased and grateful to be around the guys and the coaching staff that I've been around for these two years. To just, like the way the team became a family, I mean, it's just a crazy two years. I don't regret nothing that happened. I just love everybody around this school. This is a great two years. Q. For both guys, what's this run been like through the NIT? You've played on the road every game, and you got here to Madison Square Garden earn, first 8-seed ever to get here. DEDRICK BASILE: It's been a great run for the team and for our program. I mean, it just great opportunities for us, and we just came up short. We would like to win it all, but we just ended up coming up short. JAYLIN AIRINGTON: To piggyback off what Dedrick said, it's been great to be with these guys and the coaching staff. It's a great time on the road, on the road a lot. We have been used to it. I'm sad it had to come to an end tonight but I love these guys, and we're just enjoying the moment and we enjoyed the process of the season. Q. I was wondering if you could give us your thoughts on that man there, your coach. JAYLIN AIRINGTON: Coach Barnes, man, he's great. I don't know the words to explain how he is. He's a man of God, first of all, and I'm grateful for him for that, and for giving me the opportunity. I'm just blessed to be part of his life and have him in my life. I don't know, I'm just lost for words and I'm just grateful and thankful for to him for giving me the opportunity to play here at Bakersfield. Q. You got to play some big-name teams. Wondering what you think this run did for your program? COACH ROD BARNES: I think that people realize who we are now. We have been a team that we felt like over the last two years, and even at the end of three years ago, that we were making a move. The last two years, as I told our team today, to win almost 50 games in two years is something special. I think people realize now that each team has its own, but we're building a program, and that's where we started six years ago. I think now on a national level, people are starting to realize we have a pretty good program there in Bakersfield, and these guys play a huge role in it. But our administration has been really supportive of us and the community, it's really energized our community. We feel like the next step is just for us to keep going. We were anticipating this year being a great year, but I think we're getting to the point where we expect a great year every year. As I challenged our guys that are coming back: We've all got to get better. These guys have set the bar high, and it's going to take a lot of work, determination, to keep this thing going at the level we have it now. Q. If you could reciprocate what Jaylin said, the senior class, and Matt and Justin as well, you mentioned many times how much you enjoy being around them, now that it's sort of finished could you reflect on it? COACH ROD BARNES: Well, you have kids, student athletes, that come, and they trust you. When they trust you to come, and you have a vision and a dream, that it's hard to see; when I asked Jaylin to come here, who was just trying to get into a league. After Dedrick watched us play a little bit, he said, "Coach, I can come help you." So not only just to see what they have done on the court; I could speak of great things that have happened off the court. In our program, that's the most important thing to us. We've got young men that are graduating; that they are good people. They will it be great neighbors, husband or brothers, and they have grown. That's the most satisfying and pleasing thing to me. I think when you look out on the court and see the way they play, I think you can correlate that to what kind of human beings they are. We had a rough, tough game tonight and Georgia Tech really caused that somewhat but our kids continue to play and play with sportsmanship, and played until the horn went off, and that's our expectation for them in life. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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