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MAUI JIM MAUI INVITATIONALNovember 26, 2019Anthony GrantTrey LandersObi ToppinLahaina, Maui, Hawaii Dayton - 89, Virginia Tech - 62 THE MODERATOR: We'll start with questions for the players. Q. Obi, how much fun are you guys having out there right now? Everything is clicking. OBI TOPPIN: Knowing what we have been through this whole off-season and summer, it's just, it's a good feeling being in this position right now just because we know how hard we worked to get here. And so this opportunity to play in the championship at the Maui Invitational, it's a great feeling. Q. Trey, they cut it to 14 at one point there and you guys put it in another gear and really put it away. What happened at that point? TREY LANDERS: Coach Grant always preaches to us, like, we know basketball is a game of runs. Virginia Tech is a really good team so you know they are going to come back with a punch at the end of the day, we knew that was going to happen. It was all about us weathering the storm. We've had adversity before and it was just about us facing that and us staying together, I think was the biggest thing. So we did that as a team and we went on a run again. And after that our defense was, like intensity just went through the roof and I think that's what won us the game. Q. Obi, when you were on the free-throw line in the first quarter, someone was yelling something down and you kind of looked to the stands and at that point you kind of turned it up. Are you getting to a point where people are trying to find ways to get under your skin. How do you keep maintaining your composure? OBI TOPPIN: It's basketball, so people in the stands is going to do that. I use it to help me. I use it for energy, like, it pushes me to play harder and to get the crowd hyped, like, our fans were getting hyper while I was, while all of us was telling them to get loud. And it was just, it was just an uphill from then on. Q. Speaking of your fans, they were chanting with just over a minute to play there, We want Kansas. Do you guys feel the same way? TREY LANDERS: The biggest thing for us, we're just worried about who is winning the next game. We don't know who is going to win. The fans are going to be fans, they are going to say what they want. At the end of the day, we just focus on what we do, whether BYU wins or Kansas wins, we just got to lock in on what's going on, so we're not really worried about that part of the game. Q. Your mom and Victor arrived just before the tip. Did you get to see them? Did you know they were there? OBI TOPPIN: Yeah, I saw them walk in, but I was so focused on the game I didn't get to say anything to them yet so I'll see them after the game. Q. Trey, between the way you guys are playing, your style of play, and your fan's reactions, it seems like you guys have kind of got like a little yin-yang kind of going back and forth between the two of you, your fans and you guys. Is there something, I know you have massive support at home, but is there something kind of happening here? There's just something in the air? TREY LANDERS: No, like, I play with a lot of passion in the game and all my teammates do as well. So we know when the fans get into the game it just boosts our energy. So when a big play happens, I look to the crowd and I just do this (Indicating) and obviously that kind of -- my saying is, like, give them more, so they kind of get louder. But I think it just pumps us up. And our fans are like a big part of us when we play and go on runs. So I think the biggest thing is, like, when we have them, it just helps us even more. So we're always impacted to the game, even when we're winning or whether we're losing, so we just thank them a lot. THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll let you two get back to your team. Coach, would you like to start with an opening comment or go straight into questions. ANTHONY GRANT: Well, proud of the effort our guys put out tonight. I thought, we knew coming in, Virginia Tech is from a, just a coaching standpoint a lot of respect for Coach Young and the way his teams play. They're a tough guard. The stuff they run is really difficult to guard, especially on a one-day prep. So I was really proud of our guys to be able to lock into what we needed to do. They are a prolific three-point shooting team and we knew that. Just looking at the stat sheet here, they got, it looks like 21, is that right? 21 three-point attempts today? And made eight. And we knew coming in that that would be a huge key to the game. So I thought the first half, I thought our guys' energy and their alertness was really, really good. Like any good team, they made a run in the second half. And I thought from the eight-minute media to the close of the game our guys took it to another level defensively and were able to put the game away. THE MODERATOR: We'll open it up for questions. Q. Looking at the stat breakdown, it's crediting you guys on here with 20 dunks in this game. Can you speak to you guys getting the ball inside like that and that interior dominance? ANTHONY GRANT: Well, I thought that there were points in the game where we didn't really understand the advantages that we had in terms of some of the shot selection, but I thought, really, down the stretch of the game our guys understood where we had an advantage and we really honed in on that. And I thought they did a really good job to finish the game. I think all year we have been one of the more efficient teams in the country when you look at it from an offensive standpoint. So for us, I think it's just understanding who we are, identity-wise, and trying to stick to that identity. Q. Can you talk about your fans? They were obviously excited. Great game today for them to watch. But can you speak to how boisterous they are? ANTHONY GRANT: Well, that's, if you ever get a chance to come to Dayton, Ohio, you'll know that that's an everyday thing for our fans. We got some of the greatest fans in the country. You can see by the way they travel, the way they show up here. And they love the Flyers. So I can't thank them enough for coming out here and giving us all the love and support that they give us. Q. I wanted to ask you: We keep asking about the fans, the Dayton fans. You got your family up in the crowd. At one point Obi is pointing up to your kids, I believe, and just excited and celebrating. What's it like to have your family here in such a big moment for the program? ANTHONY GRANT: Ask me when the American Express bill comes at the end of the month I'll probably tell you better (laughing). No, but it's great. Obviously, my wife and my four kids are here, for my kids their first time in Hawaii, so getting a chance to enjoy this experience and obviously to come out and support our team, it's great to have them here and get a chance to experience this tournament. Q. Were there telltale signs through pre-season that this was, that you guys had the potential of being this cohesive and together this early on in the season? ANTHONY GRANT: I said this the other night, our guys, they love each other, and it sounds like a cliché, but from the summer we got a group of guys that they enjoy being with each other. When they're not out here on the court together at practice you'll see them hanging out together, they go to lunch together, they hang out, they're with each other when we're not doing basketball stuff. They enjoy each other's company, they enjoy being with each other. So that's always a good thing. And for us, we're five games into this thing, you know what I mean, so we'll, we understand that and we understand that we have room to grow as a team and this is a great tournament for us to find out about ourselves and we're excited that tomorrow we get a chance to compete for a championship. So we're taking it one day at a time and just looking forward to continuing that process. THE MODERATOR: All right, thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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