ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 11, 2021

Nysier Brooks

Miami Hurricanes

Postgame Press Conference

Georgia Tech 70, Miami 66

Q. Can you just talk about that first half today, 16 points, five rebounds; what were you feeling in the first half, and then was it just that they clamped down on you in the second half?

NYSIER BROOKS: In the first half, I knew that the last game that we played, like I could work different angles and try to score. So coming into this game, it just was like -- I just tried to do the same thing but earlier in the beginning of the game just to try to give my team a presence in the paint.

To the second half, they started adjusting. They started sending the double-team as soon as I put the ball on the ground, so I couldn't really get into my sweet spots for real. That's all I can really say on that.

Q. Can you just talk about -- you guys got so close, even in this game to pulling off another upset. What was the feeling in the locker room after and just immediately after this game? It really did go down to the final minute.

NYSIER BROOKS: Some of us are down right now, to be honest with you, because we really thought we had a chance to win. We came out with the first punch. We took a couple punches back and we really -- it was a real good game, and we really thought we could win, we just fell a little short like a couple other games this season, two points, two, three points, and it's tough.

Q. You think fatigue kind of caught up with you guys today?

NYSIER BROOKS: A little bit. You know, it gets tough with six guys and the rotations are pretty short. We were playing like -- no offense to my teammate Willie, but we were playing a walk-on like serious minutes. So it was just a little tough on our team together.

But we were -- I guess you would say we were compromising for that by just playing together and not just trying to depend on him for most of the scoring.

Q. You closed the season playing your best basketball. What clicked for you late in the season that allowed you to go on this run?

NYSIER BROOKS: It's March. It's my last season. Just trying to play my hardest like I have been any other game. When the ball gets in my hand, it's my night. And if it doesn't, I'm not a person who's going to force anything. I try to play within the rhythm of basketball and the rhythm of my team, and I just try to play fundamental basketball.

Q. The end of the season that you had -- and not only you, but the whole team -- going on this run, does that make it more enticing to maybe think, okay, maybe -- what could this team accomplish if I come back for another season and so do a few other guys, especially if we can all get healthy? Where are you right now in the decision that you'll have to make pretty soon here?

NYSIER BROOKS: Like I've been saying, I haven't really gave it too much thought. We just played our last game, and it's something that I'll be thinking about over the next couple weeks.