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NCAA MEN'S 1ST AND 2ND ROUNDS: TULSAMarch 24, 2019Kelvin SampsonGalen Robinson, Jr.Corey Davis, Jr.Tulsa, Oklahoma Houston - 74 Ohio State - 59 THE MODERATOR: We're going to ask the coach to make a statement on the game and then questions for all three gentlemen from Houston. Kelvin, please. KELVIN SAMPSON: First of all, congratulations to Coach Holtmann and his Ohio State program for a tremendous year. When you're one of the last 32 teams standing, you learn in this profession as a player or coach, you just don't take that for granted. Congratulations to them on a great year. Both teams fought hard. I thought defensively once we got through -- we came in wanting to guard them a certain way, then we quickly changed and made an adjustment, and from that point forward, I thought our defense was really good. We got on the balls of our feet and started attacking. I thought our best player tonight was our senior point guard, Galen Robinson. Has nothing to do with his points. The most overrated thing sometimes is evaluating someone based on how many points he scores. I seen a lot of guys play horrible and score a bunch of points. I've seen some guys that play great, score hardly. Brison Gresham tonight is by far our best big guy. I'm sure he scored. I can't remember. Three for three, three for four. It was his defense. Holding Kaleb Wesson had 7 shot attempts, 6 of them 3s. That means we won that battle. If we got him taking 3s, that's a good thing for us. I just thought that our guys executed defensively what we wanted to do. After about the 8, 9 minutes into the game -- we weren't letting them get too comfortable. We can't let you get comfortable. Ball movement was excellent. Galen just competed hard. Corey -- Corey doesn't have to shoot the ball well to play well. These two guys, they're just warriors, tough kids. That's our program. Our program is built on competing and playing with a chip and never losing that chip. That's important. I tell the kids all the time once they leave our program and they go out into life, "Don't ever lose your chip, man." That's important to live your live with it because that gives you a competitive edge. I was ready proud of our team tonight. THE MODERATOR: Questions start right here. Q. You and the program have been through the last five years, it's been since '84 since you've been in the Sweet 16. What does this mean for this program and these players and you? KELVIN SAMPSON: I think it means more to the fans than it does us. '84? These guys weren't born. So that means nothing to them, you know. Like when they came here, everybody likes to talk about Phi Slama Jama. They kids didn't know who they were. They never heard ever them. That's for the old guys. But the five-year thing is significant. The 30 years is not. Since '83 it really isn't. That means a lot to our fans, though. They take pride in it. I saw a lot of proud Cougars up there behind us tonight and the ones I was happiest for were the guys that's been supporting this program since those days. As far as Galen, he's been here four years. He's won a hundred and -- how many games? 108, 109? So he doesn't know anything but winning. Corey has been here two years, and two years his team has won 60 games. The bad days, the dark days, don't apply to our kids. They don't know anything but winning. Galen has been here four years. He's won 22, 21, 27, now 33. When you talk about 30 years ago, Galen is 21 years old. I remember it, but I wasn't here so -- that's great for the old guys, you know. Makes them proud, makes them happy. But we're living in the present. We're not living in the past. Q. I need all of three of you please to talk about what the locker room celebration was like. Whose idea to have the water guns? KELVIN SAMPSON: Kellen's. I went in armed this time. I was going to get it, but I was going to get my licks in. These guys, you know, they don't just dump water on you. It's the coldest water ever. That's a water bath of joy. What did the have one against -- at Cincinnati. We had one there. Was that the clinched the conference championship and tonight -- they threw the whole orange cooler on me there. GALEN ROBINSON, JR.: You know, we're on social media and we saw other teams, you know how fun it looked, you know what I mean. And when I went to bed last night, all I was thinking about was winning just so we can do that, so I can see how it feels. It was exactly -- to be going to the Sweet 16, it feels amazing. COREY DAVIS, JR.: I knew they were armed and ready. That was fun. KELVIN SAMPSON: Preparation, planning, organization. Have a plan. GALEN ROBINSON, JR.: Militia. Q. UCF had a heck of a game today, and you guys are representing the American into the next round and you're kind of -- you're beyond a mid major league and fighting for distinction really as one of the power league. I just wondered if you feel that responsibility, if you carry it with you to the next round and what -- KELVIN SAMPSON: Of what, our conference? Q. Yes, sir. And Kelvin, just reaction to what happened with UCF and Duke today. KELVIN SAMPSON: Yeah. I was texting with Johnny after his win against VCU -- Johnny Dawkins is just a great guy, just a class, class act. I was thrilled for him and his program. We split with UCF, and for the average fan, they don't realize how good somebody is until they see them play somebody they think is good. They didn't realize that -- UCF is good. Tacko Fall would be a outstanding player if he was 6-11, 6-10. He just happens to be 7-6. If he hadn't gotten in foul trouble -- he was dominating those games. He played against Duke like he played against us, Cincinnati, Temple. We saw that all year. People were going, I didn't know this. You didn't see him, then. The guy that beat us was Aubrey Dawkins. We were up 62-60 with under a minute to go, and he flew to the left corner in front of their bench, raised up and hit a 22 and a half footer flying. I remember one year we played Duke and JJ Redick did that to us in Madison Square Garden when we played Duke. I remember that. That's what he reminded me of. He was doing the same thing today. They've got a big time team. Zion Williamson doesn't go Superman on them. Duke is at home and UCF is moving on. I was just proud of them. And yes, we're representing our conference and that's great. We're moving to the Sweet 16. But Cincinnati had a great year. I don't like the fact that somebody loses in this tournament and automatically you did this or did that. It's hard to make this tournament, and you saw how good Iowa yesterday or today -- they played Tennessee yesterday? Everybody is good. You can lose to anybody in this tournament. Q. I know you guys are looking forward. Corey, last night we saw you right before you went to sleep on Twitter. You took one more look at last year, that shot. Can you tells about that now that you think about that going forward? COREY DAVIS, JR.: I just felt like that moment, honestly I just been motivation for a lot of us. Just to see it right before, because I know it was the same thing that happened in the second round, and I just wanted to kind of give myself extra motivation just to play as hard as I possibly can, not even put ourselves in ins that type of predicament again. To win in March is hard as it is. Just to come into this game, I wanted to be as focused as possible and give myself any type of edge I could to be prepared and lead my team along side with G. Q. Galen, we asked you yesterday about Houston committing to this program and Kelvin talked about how important it was to get your buy-in. What does this mean to you to be in the Sweet 16 with this program considering everything Houston, the city, the fans, the school, even your high school, means to you? GALEN ROBINSON, JR.: Definitely a blessing. My mom keeps in contact with a lot of people and these people from middle school, all parents and stuff texting her, talking about supporting us, everybody been watching. It just feels good because everybody knows I'm a Houston kid. I never really thought about this. I was just worried about playing and getting on the floor. To be in this situation and, you know, with these guys that I love so much, Coach Sampson, man, you can't put a price tag on it. I really mean that, because we work so hard and to come up short the way we did last year, it hurt. To be able to advance this year, it means everything. Q. Coach and maybe one of the players. Just if you could clarify for us just what happened with the technicals at the end of the first half and did that give any extra fuel for the second? KELVIN SAMPSON: The second part, no. The only thing it gave fuel to was that it put us one step closer to the bonus, because the two fouls counted for the second half so each started with a team foul. So now we were now 6 fouls until the start. That was the only significance of it. Just being competitive. Ohio State's kids are classy, great kids, great coaching staff. Our kids are classy. Just nothing. THE MODERATOR: Anything else for the Cougars? All right. Gentlemen, thank you and best of luck. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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