NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - OHIO VS CREIGHTON

March 22, 2021

Jason Preston

Hinkle Fieldhouse

Ohio Bobcats

Postgame Media Conference

Creighton - 72, Ohio - 58

Q. Jason, you're often your own worst critic when it comes to things. How would you process your night tonight, and what would you attribute it to? Were you off your game? Were they really good defensively? What kinds of things happened to you out there offensively, and how do you feel about it?

JASON PRESTON: You know, give them credit. They were really determined in the first half to get the ball out of my hands and ball screens, trap me hard. But I missed a lot of makable shots tonight, a lot of floaters I should have finished, missed all my threes. This is on me. I missed so many makable shots.

Q. Jason, at one point in the season, Ohio was .500 in the MAC, and you guys made it all the way to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. To turn around that season like that, what can you say about the turnaround of that season and the improvement you guys had to just make it this far?

JASON PRESTON: It just speaks to our culture. Our culture that Jeff Boals -- Coach Boals, I mean, I'm sorry -- has done for our program. I don't know if you saw any of our elimination games, but just the energy has been amazing. From the start of the game, they're waving their towels. It just shows everyone who's not playing, 1 through 15, we're all locked in. We're rooting for each other, we're all cool with each other.

I'm just so thankful that all 14 of those guys are my brothers. It goes down to the training staff, the assistants, everybody. I'm just very thankful.

Q. Jason, Coach Boals earlier said, as an alumni and a former player, thank you to you all. What has your relationship been like with him, and what has he done for improving you all in this program?

JASON PRESTON: Everything. Coach Boals, Coach Boals means everything to this program. You know, what he does, the confidence he gives us -- and it's fun. It's fun. Like I talked about our culture, and Coach Boals, he did that. He taught us how to celebrate our wins, how to respond to our losses. Even at halftime, we were down 15, and everyone was just positive. Just how he's handled everyone and made improvements to people's characters.

He's big on the little things. It's not just basketball with him. On and off the court, he's going to do anything for you. I love that guy. I'm so thankful that he's my Coach.

Q. Jason, you got to experience something that very few athletes get to in their entire career. When you first came to Ohio, you knew that this would be a possibility of a goal to achieve, but now that you reached this pinnacle, what does it mean to you to be on this stage and to be able to accomplish that with this group of guys?

JASON PRESTON: When I look back on this, it's going to be a memory of a lifetime. I'm just so grateful to be here. This doesn't happen often. I was telling our freshmen the other day this stuff just doesn't happen often. I'm taking it all the way back to freshman year, prep school, high school. This has been a dream of mine to make it here my whole life. I had one of my worst games of my career today, but I'll forever be thankful for this experience, the lessons I learned from all this. Yeah, I'm just grateful.

Q. What are the things you'll be thinking about in the next days, weeks, about your future and whether you want to come back or not?

JASON PRESTON: I can't really think about that now. I'll take it day by day, pray about it, talk to God about it, talk to Coach Boals about it. We'll weigh our options, and we'll see what we'll do.

Q. What are you going to remember most about this year besides, obviously, getting to this point in the season? Is there a moment? Is there a period? Is there something that's going to kind of like crystalize what this whole year has meant to you, Jason?

JASON PRESTON: I'll remember how fun it was. I'll remember how fun it was. Every day -- Coach Boals was just talking about how rare it is, every day you come to practice, and it's fun. You want to play with one another. Every guy is unselfish. We don't have egos on this team. It was just so fun doing it with the team.

Some of these teams, they win, and I don't know if they really have fun doing it, but every day was a blast. It really sucks that it's all over, but it was just so fun to be here.

Q. Jason, I just wanted to follow up on what I asked you before. I guess, what are the things that you're going to be considering, the things that you'll talk about with Coach Boals and maybe your family and other people that are close to you?

JASON PRESTON: I'll probably talk about my future. I love Ohio so much. I'm so thankful for the opportunity that I've been given to play here for three years, and like I said, we'll weigh all of our options and see what happens.

Q. Jason, at the end of the game, I saw that you and Ben Vander Plas had a long moment together. What was conversation like between you two?

JASON PRESTON: Ben Vander Plas. I love Ben Vander Plas. That guy is my brother for life. Man, we do everything together, and he makes the game easier for me. It's so fun -- it was so fun to play with him. Off the court, we're always eating together, talking together. It kind of sucked being in a hotel with no roommate. He's always my roommate. We're always talking.

Oh, man, he really doesn't get all the credit he deserves sometimes. That's an amazing basketball player. You want to talk about a guy that can defend one through five, pass, knock down threes, go in the post. I love Ben Vander Plas and everything he's done, him and his family. They're amazing people. I love that guy.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Jason. Appreciate your time today. Congrats on a great season.