NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - MARYLAND VS ALABAMA

March 22, 2021

Darryl Morsell

Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Maryland Terrapins

Postgame Media Conference

Alabama - 96, Maryland - 77

Q. For you, just what were the emotions on the court after the -game and kind of going into the locker room tonight?

DARRYL MORSELL: Just all so surreal. You know, this team, they fought. Everybody counted us out the whole year. We was 1-5, counted out. We was counted out before the year. We was 1-5 in Big Ten, counted out; 4-9 in the Big Ten, counted out. Lost our last two regular season games, still counted us out. So we just -- I just told everybody how proud of them I was. Never giving up. That showed a lot of character and just carry that same mindset in life. Words can't really explain it right now. But it was surreal.

Q. You just mentioned how you told the guys in the locker room how proud you were of them. Obviously not the result that you wanted tonight. But what do you think the legacy of this year's Maryland basketball team is going to be when you look back on the team and people outside of the program look back on this year's team?

DARRYL MORSELL: It's the grittiest group of guys I ever played basketball with. We were resilient. There's so many adjectives to describe this team. We are the smallest team in the best conference in the world, playing the best big men in the country that you could throw at us. And we just kept fighting.

I think we go down in my record books as the grittiest team ever to put on that Maryland jersey. I can't do nothing but applaud these guys. You know? Donta didn't come here to play center. We were all playing out of position. We're all sacrificing but we all put the team first. And I just applaud and appreciate everybody for that.

Q. Along with that, what do you think it says about this group about how you were able to get to this point in the season even if it wasn't the result you guys wanted? And just as a senior leader on this team, what did you kind of see in the resilience from a lot of the young guys?

DARRYL MORSELL: I said it earlier. We were on a roll against a ranked team, I forget who it was, but I said we're a team full of dogs. We've been fighting our whole life, everybody on this team. Fighting on the basketball court. That's nothing.

That's what we did every day. I really can't put it into words right now. But this team wasn't supposed to be here. You put us on paper. You ask anybody, we're not supposed to be here, man. But we're here. We kept fighting.

Coach Turgeon did a phenomenal job this year, with this group of guys. He made us better. And he brought the best out of every single one of us. And that's all I'm going to always remember about this team.

Q. I know the loss is still fresh, and obviously you're emotional, but what will the next couple of days and weeks look like in deciding whether to come back for another season?

DARRYL MORSELL: First, get the shoulder fix. I'm going take a couple of days to remember this time with my guys, take a couple of days off. But first thing first, I'm going to get my shoulder fixed. I gotta get surgery.

But then after that, I'm just taking it day by day. I really can't tell you. I wasn't expecting to lose today. You know me; I'm always thinking positive. I'm always thinking for the best. So I really can't tell you what the next couple weeks are going to look like. But the next couple of days I'm going to get my legs back under me, rest, see what I'm going to do about this shoulder, get surgery, and move on from there.

Q. Following up on the shoulder. What kind of surgery? What injury is that, and how have you been playing through it all year?

DARRYL MORSELL: I don't know the exact surgery. But it's a fracture in my labrum. And it's really nothing you could really do about it but just fight through it for real. And when I dislocated it, when I came back, the doctor said it's up to me if I could tolerate the pain. It's based on my tolerance or whatever. I just wanted to go out and fight for this group of guys and give it my all. So that's it.

Q. Obviously tonight Alabama really shot the heck out of the ball. When a team's able to get to point where they're able to throw pretty much anything up and walk to the other end of the floor, it's got to be difficult, I guess. What's your mindset playing against a team that just can't miss?

DARRYL MORSELL: Hmm, um, it's definitely something we haven't seen before. It's the first team all year to score 90 on us. They came in locked in, had a great game plan. They have great spacing on their drives. They look to attack mismatches. They found a rhythm. We got out early and then they found their rhythm, started hitting shots, and never stopped missing shots. So just a credit to them, credit to their culture and how they play. They are really good.

Q. With how bruising the Big Ten schedule was for the entire season but also in the final stretch with so many games postponed and rescheduled to the end, what kind of toll did that take on your team or the conference in general as you're heading into the biggest, most important part of the season, including the Big Dance?

DARRYL MORSELL: It's gruesome. The Big Ten is a gauntlet. Every game is a dogfight. No matter who you play, whether you're playing the worst team or the best team. It's going to be a game. Not too many blowups in the Big Ten. But I think it prepared us for the NCAA Tournament. This team has seen so many different teams creating that toughness and that resiliency to fight through adversity that we found. It's what you can ask for, growing up as a little kid, you just want to play basketball at the highest level. Big Ten is that for Division I. That's all I can say about the conference. It's crazy. And it prepared us.

Q. Obviously the emotions are heavy right now. But looking back on the season, and you mentioned how this was the grittiest group of guys you played with. What was your favorite memory of the season, which game for you kind of sold it on this team?

DARRYL MORSELL: Had a lot of memories. I'm trying to think. It's just so many good ones. It's crazy. But just all the talk leading up to the NCAA Tournament about us not being here, us not being able to do nothing, us -- just everybody doubting us. That win against UConn certainly felt good. But you know, we had a lot of great moments this year. The win at Illinois. Went on a five-game stretch. We was 4 and 9. Won five in a row. We locked in on five in a row.

There's so many memories from this team, it's crazy. Shucks. Just practices with these guys. Being in there, about the fight, and being gritty. I have so many memories with this team. I can't really point out one. But I know that I enjoyed all those memories. And I'm always going to cherish it with these guys. They helped me become a better basketball player and a better man. And that's all I could ask for.