INVESCO QQQ LEGACY CLASSIC: DELAWARE STATE VS NC CENTRAL

December 18, 2021

Stan Waterman

John Stansbury

Myles Carter

Prudential Center

Delaware State Hornets

Postgame Press Conference

NC Central - 86, Delaware State - 53

COACH WATERMAN: First of all let me say thank you for having us. We're really excited about the opportunity to be here and play in this event. We got the call, it was sort of last minute. We didn't have a chance to prep. That's not an excuse.

But to be involved and to be a part of an event like this, we felt like we had an opportunity to represent Delaware State University and to represent HBCUs all across the country, so we want to make sure we thank the organizers for inviting us and having us here.

MYLES CARTER: Like Coach Stan said, it's definitely a great opportunity to represent HBCUs as a whole and Delaware State as well. We appreciate the attention and exposure. It's a great event, great atmosphere. And we just tried to come out and represent as best as we could. Unfortunately it didn't go in our favor but we'll get back to work.

JOHN STANSBURY: To piggyback off what my teammate said, Myles, it felt great to be out here. Me personally, being my first game back, a great experience, couldn't quit smiling because excited to play. Again, great atmosphere. Missing a few pieces, but I think we'll finish strong, but yeah, it was just exciting.

Q. How does it feel to play in a center like this? How does it feel to play in a venue like this?

MYLES CARTER: To answer your question, it's just it's really unreal. It's an amazing experience. As soon as we got off the bus we see the red carpet. We see the TNT cameras and everything like that. And looking around the stands before pregame and I'm seeing celebrities and everything.

So, like I said, just the atmosphere is crazy. It's not really common to play in this type of environment and everybody doesn't get that opportunity. Definitely taking it all in.

COACH WATERMAN: I'll echo what Myles just said. This is a big-time atmosphere for our guys and the MEAC conference. For us to represent the conference and have an opportunity to play in an arena like this and in an experience like this and to have a press conference like this, I'm telling you what I'm going to tell my guys is this is a dress rehearsal for the NCAA Tournament.

And I sit there and I say that; we'll be realistic. Got a lot of work to do obviously. But that's what it is. It's preparation for next-level kind of stuff. And that's really what this whole basketball thing is all about, preparing these guys for next level and the bigger games, sometimes I call it life, and we'll use these experiences to better prepare us.

Q. (Question about exposure for HBCUs).

COACH WATERMAN: Absolutely. This is huge. As I said, we have an opportunity to represent HBCUs across the country. And we don't get many opportunities to be on the national stage. The game is nationally televised on TNT. We're playing in this arena. And people across the country get to see there's really good basketball being played.

Norfolk State is on a roll right now. There's several teams in the SWAC that are playing really well. The MEAC, as I look at North Carolina A&T and watching those guys preparing to take the floor, and I'm pretty happy that they're no longer in the MEAC as I look at those guys. They're big and strong, and they look the part. And I think it's a great opportunity for the rest of the country to see the kind of basketball that can be played or is being played in the SWAC or MEAC and with HBCUs across the country.

And great coaches as well. I think about the coaches that are out there. Obviously this is my first year at the helm at Delaware State and to have an opportunity to be out there with Coach Moton and Kenny Blakeney and those guys is a real bonus, an awesome experience for us.

Q. (Off microphone)?

COACH WATERMAN: One of the priorities for us is trying to establish a culture, learning how to win and having a winning attitude and learning how to compete and play together. The Delaware State team that we've inherited, I've inherited, we only won three games last year. But there's some talent on the roster. And the I think we just have to improve our culture, learn how to win, learn how to fight, learn how to compete.

And then again, as I said, I just said to our guys in the locker room, I'm not ashamed or afraid to borrow from anything that I see that's positive out there. So when we see good programs doing good things, we're going to take some of that back and add to what we're already doing.

And it's great for our guys to see what winning programs look like and how they conduct themselves and how they carry themselves. That's the priority for us right now, and to be a part of this, again, we thought it was too good an opportunity for us to pass up.

It was a great learning experience for us and we're going to be better because of this experience. There's no doubt in my mind.

Q. In the event that a kid would like to come to an HBCU university, what would you tell them about that?

COACH WATERMAN: HBCU life in general, as they said, and it's hot right now. Everybody wants to be part of an HBCU. A lot of high school kids, I know even particularly in the state of Delaware, there are college fairs where we're bringing in college admission reps from across the country.

I know they had a college fair and a career seminar here, where they're talking to youngsters about life after high school and making college choices. And obviously the opportunity to get a great education at some top-notch institutions, but also to experience the HBCU culture and that life that doesn't happen anywhere else.

So, again, we're excited to be a part of it. We're happy to be a part of it. We love the culture we have down at Delaware State University. And I would encourage all young people who are looking to have access to a college education to make sure you check out the HBCUs and see what they have to offer.

JOHN STANSBURY: The HBCU experience, it's amazing to me. Coming out of high school I didn't know much about HBCU. I knew what Del State was because I'm from Delaware, but I didn't know exactly what an HBC was. Looking back, if I knew, I would have had that my first option. I love it. I love everything about it.

MYLES CARTER: I can say the same thing as L.J. In high school, I didn't know much about HBCUs. It wasn't my first choice. But after being here, this is my fifth year, I'm definitely glad and grateful that I attended an HBCU.

Coming from where I come from, and a lot of people at HBCUs, it gives us a sense of pride and a sense of hope because we don't really see, coming from the inner city, we don't really see too many successful people in the business world and different fields.

So coming to a HBCU, it definitely opened my eyes and showed me and other people that it's possible for people that look like us to succeed in the world. So I'm definitely grateful for my HBCU experience.