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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: SAN JOSEMarch 24, 2019Ritchie McKayCaleb HomesleyDarius McGheeLovell Cabbil Jr.San Jose, California Virginia Tech - 67, Liberty - 58 MODERATOR: Joining us are Caleb Homesley, Darius McGhee, Lovell Cabbil, Jr., and coach Ritchie McKay. RITCHIE McKAY: Congratulations to Virginia Tech. Coach Williams, his staff, wonderful, wonderful people. Did a great job in their game planning and excited for their advancement. I said on TV to the telecast after the game that, and I said this to our guys in the locker room, Mike Young, the coach at Wofford, had a great quote, and I think it encapsulates our season. He said, "Don't be sad because it's ended. Be happy because it occurred." And I think I get the privilege of leading a group of people or being a part of a group of people that are outstanding, and I'm really pleased that we had a season that was special and that that has occurred. MODERATOR: We'll open it up to questions for anybody up here. Q. Lovell, I asked you this in the locker room, but just how special was this type of season, school record 29 wins, first NCAA Tournament win, and to do it in a new conference that you guys were in? LOVELL CABBIL, JR.: It was pretty special for us. Just the group of guys that we have on our team, they're amazing. Just to be around them and do life with them every day, it's a fun time every day, all day when we're with each other. So just throughout this entire journey from the offseason to this point, it was just a blast, and I'm really sad that it's coming to an end. Q. Caleb, when you look back at the core of this team that's coming back, you lose leaders like Lovell, Keenan and Zach. When you look at this group that's coming back that has endured what you've endured through the tough freshman year, through the ups and downs of a conference season and then to be this high, how much does that set a foundation for what you guys can build upon during the offseason as motivation going into next year? CALEB HOMESLEY: I think Lovell, Keenan and Zach did a good job this year, especially Lovell and Zach since they've been here so long. They were the ones that laid the foundation for us. It's sad for them to go, but I believe they've laid such a strong foundation that now we know what the expectation is. Q. From your perspective, where are the biggest steps you see in this program, development from where you were back in 2015 to where you are now, 2019? CALEB HOMESLEY: I would probably say the culture and the buy in. I think our buy in has been great. I think Coach McKay did a really good job of picking the right culture, and the group of guys we have are really bought in. And I think when you have guys that are bought in, they can go all the way. Q. Darius, did you notice the type of culture that can really invest in the student-athlete and also promote success because of the way that you guys build on each day? DARIUS McGHEE: Definitely. I think Lovell, Racks (phonetic), Caleb, Myo, like those four was my four go-tos whenever I was down, in a rut or anything, and I think they did a good job of giving me advice and pulling me along and taking me under their wing. Q. Richie, you said when you were at UVA how you guys had to get guys two- and three-star guys who had five-star character and that really built the program of this team. These three guys and the guys in the locker room, the character of this group, how much has being able to develop those guys and find them really helped in getting this program to where it is today in such a short time? RITCHIE McKAY: I think player development is part of every coaching staff's desire and philosophy. The difference, if you will, in our success is these guys own that responsibility. They're really hard working and very selfless, and I think the combination of that affords you an opportunity to play on a stage like this. Q. When you look back at this season and the growth that this program has continuing on the upward trajectory, do you look back on it and say: I'm happy we went through this because of how much we were able to build for this program as the years go forward? RITCHIE McKAY: Yeah. It's hard to get to the NCAA Tournament. I've coached a lot of years, and it's really hard to get here. There's only one team from our conference, the ASUN, that typically is going to get a bid, and it's a terrific conference. So as competitive as the regular season is, again, to be a participant and qualify for it I think is exceptional. And then the fact that we earned a 12 seed and won a game I think is also exceptional. So yeah. Does that answer your question? MODERATOR: We're good. Okay. Thank you, gentlemen. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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