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STATE FARM MISSOURI VALLEY CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 7, 2020

St. Louis, Missouri - Arch Madness

Valparaiso - 89, Missouri State - 82

THE MODERATOR: Missouri State head coach Dana Ford is here. We do have Keandre Cook and Ross Owens on the way. Dana is going to open up with a statement anyway. So we'll do that.

DANA FORD: Congrats to Valpo. Wish them the best of luck in the championship game. Disappointed that we could not come out on the plus side today, and I thought our guys played -- I thought they played pretty hard. Maybe not as hard as we've been playing, but I thought they played pretty hard and tried to make an effort there at the end. But just not enough today.

Q. Coach, pretty close game at halftime. It seemed like it slipped away from you early in the second half. What happened there?
DANA FORD: Well, defensively, we just never could guard them. We could just never stop them. I think they shot about 50 percent, made threes, made layups, transition half-court, free throws. I mean, they scored every possible way, and we just never -- you can't go on a run unless you get stops.

Q. Yeah, it just seemed like the ball kind of stopped moving a little bit there in the second half. Is that something you kind of noticed there too?
DANA FORD: We had 15 assists on 30 baskets. We shot over 50 percent and scored 82 points. We gave up 89 points. We just didn't guard. Our feet stopped moving on defense is what happened.

Q. Just an end to kind of a season that had high hopes coming in. What do you make of this season as it comes to an end?
DANA FORD: Well, I mean, it's hard to answer today. We just lost a game that we felt like we had a chance to win. But I'm sure I let a lot of people down, but life it like that sometimes.

Q. The back half there, Keandre, you were just bringing the team back, big clutch shots. Just talk about what you guys were feeling trying to make that comeback.
KEANDRE COOK: We just tried to get a lot of momentum back. I was making some tough shots and stuff like that. We were starting to come back, but we just couldn't get over the edge.

Q. Ross, I know this isn't the result you wanted, but to go from a walk-on to a starter on this team and to bring it to where it was today, you know, just what's going through your mind as your career has ended here?
ROSS OWENS: I'm sad it's over. It's been a long four years. I could never imagine what I got to experience this year. It's been awesome. I've just been enjoying the ride, and like I said, I'm sad it's over.

Q. This is for Keandre first. Just what did everything mean to you, just playing at Missouri State? You've been around a lot of these young guys. Just how excited are you for just what's going forward under Dana?
KEANDRE COOK: It means a lot. Definitely created a family here. I learned a lot. Coach Ford taught me how to be a man on and off the court. It's a great experience, great journey, and it's a bright future for Missouri State.

Q. Dana, if you wouldn't mind, what will you miss about this senior class?
DANA FORD: I mean, they're great young men. Just being around them, having the opportunity to teach them on the court, off the court, great kids, resilient kids. They've grown a lot. Just being around them probably would be the most.

Q. Coach, there was just the inconsistencies throughout the first couple months, but you kind of started playing harder the last month, and yesterday it just showed off. Just what do you think the last month can do for the program going forward?
DANA FORD: I'm not sure. I mean, you'd hope we play hard every game, but I'm sure there's some things we can build off of once we look back, once we kind of unload after a season and look back. I'm sure there's some teaching points and some positive carryover.

Q. Some of that was from your young guys tonight. Like Isaiah went perfect from the floor and Ja'Monta got a bunch of minutes. How excited are you for the future with those guys?
DANA FORD: I love coaching those guys. Looking forward to working with them whenever we're allowed to get back out there. I think they're awesome. Great kids on and off the floor. Good young Valley players.

Q. You entered this off-season with four open scholarships, five graduating seniors. Just what are you looking forward to build with now?
DANA FORD: We'll have to evaluate the roster and see what we need. We've got to get some backcourt guys, a couple frontcourt guys for sure. Just try to fill some of the holes that we lose with the senior class.

Q. Dana, when you -- Gaige's early season injury, is that something that's going to get better, or does he have to do work on that in the off-season, number one?
DANA FORD: I mean, he just has to be off. It's an injury that he'll be off until it heals, but it will fully heal this off-season.

Q. With the tough season and everything, just what did you learn about yourself, and what do you feel like you kind of need to change going forward?
DANA FORD: I learn about myself every day, I guess. I don't -- I mean, at the moment, I'm not sure. I'd have to really look back and see. I mean, I -- you know, I try to be a good person, but I'm sure there's some things -- you know, each team is different. But who I am as a person, hell, I hope that wasn't the reason we had an up and down season. I don't think it was. I'm a pretty good guy if you ask me.

But I think each team is different, and we'll have to do a good job of building a good team.

Q. Coach, of the two games in the last basically 24 hours, what was the biggest difference between the two that you saw?
DANA FORD: They noticeably played harder than we did. When you look at the steals number and the offensive rebound number, I don't think we won those today. I don't think we won second chance points and points off turnovers, which in our last nine games, I'll have to say we won that seven out of nine times, and maybe Valpo is the two that we didn't. I'm not 100 percent sure of that.

But I just thought that they played harder. I mean, I thought it was really that simple. You know, you can look at some of those 50-50 balls down there, they just got them, and we didn't get them. When they made their cuts on the offense, they cut harder than our feet moved on defense. They just went after it harder.

Q. For both the student-athletes, what is the hardest thing about a season ending from your perspective? What's the hardest thing when you walk out and know there's not a practice or a game coming up? What will be the most difficult thing?
ROSS OWENS: I'd say the hardest thing is just knowing, for me, my career is over. Working since I was in second, first grade, playing the game I love, and being able to play at the highest level, and just knowing that it's all over.

KEANDRE COOK: Yeah, I would say too my career being over. I'm not going to be around my teammates because I'm going to graduate college and try to move on with my future plans and stuff like that. Just being around family, being around Missouri State, I'm just going to miss college.

THE MODERATOR: Gentlemen, thank you very much. Good luck in the future.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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