NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - NORFOLK ST. VS BAYLOR

March 17, 2022

Robert Jones

Joe Bryant Jr.

Dickies Arena

Norfolk St. Spartans

Media Conference

Baylor - 85, Norfolk State - 49

THE MODERATOR: The Norfolk State Spartans joining us now, Mr. Bryant and Mr. Jones.

And, Mr. Jones, you can start with an opening statement, then we'll take questions from the room. And if there are any, we'll take them from Zoom, as well.

ROBERT JONES: Well, first off, hat's off to Baylor University. They played a great game. They came out and played tough, physical. They show why they're the defending national champs.

I think I told my guys during the game, we've had a heck of a season. Walk out that locker room, don't hold your head low. We've done some things that is hard to do at our level with the amount of games that we've won and the record that we've had.

So when you walk out of here, walk out as a champion and hold your head high because we've done some great things.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, sir. First question back on the right.

Q. Hey, guys. Coach, you were concerned about their length and athleticism yesterday. That was kind of your primary concern. Going in, what was your thought process on how you might try to handle it. And then, obviously, it didn't come to fruition the way you would like?

ROBERT JONES: We thought that we just needed to win the rebound battle, which we didn't. We needed to attack the whole glass, which we did. We had 15 offensive rebounds. So we did it in that aspect, but we didn't win the rebounding battle.

I always say no rebounds, no rings. And we didn't win the rebounding battle at all. We didn't play with the physical edge that we needed to play against a team like that. And then we just had too many mental mistakes.

Once, again, hat's off on Baylor. But if you look at the game film, a lot of it was our guys out of rotations that we made all year. We're not pick-and-roll tagging. We're not switching the right way when we're switching.

And at some stretches, I think we let the moment get away from us a little bit. Because, you know, it's uncharacteristic for us to give up 55 percent. They shot the highest of any team we played all year. So that's just uncharacteristic of us.

THE MODERATOR: Front row on the left.

Q. Coach, obviously, Baylor's a very talented team. But when they come out hitting six of the first eight three pointers, how hard is that to dig out of that hole?

ROBERT JONES: Yeah, they were doing something that obviously -- they came into the game shooting 34.6 percent from three. And like you said, they came out shooting six for eight, so that's 75. So they've already doubled -- more than doubled their output in the first two medias. And that was tough to come back.

I thought we had a good chance out of the halftime, the guys came out with good energy where we have cut the lead to 13. And then I think we blew a defensive assignment down on the other end and gave up a three or on the pick-and-roll or something like that. And then they went on like a 5-0 run, which pushed the league back up.

You know, a lot like I said, Baylor's a great team. They have a great program. Hat's off to Scott Drew and all of that stuff.

We missed a lot of defensive rotations today, for whatever reason. Maybe he can answer it better than I can. Because I always say, I don't -- I don't play. He knows what happens.

THE MODERATOR: Joe, why don't you follow up on that.

JOE BRYANT JR.: Yeah, man, just really us, for real. Like he said, missed rotations, short closeouts on shooters. Yeah, like, mental mistakes that we haven't made all year.

But I feel like, you know, we fought as hard as we could. Like he said, Baylor's a good team. We just fell short of the goal.

THE MODERATOR: Front row on the right-hand side.

Q. Coach, you talked about -- right before halftime, it looked like you guys got some momentum. What did you see on that play at the end of the first half when you went up and missed a shot? Tyrese looked like he was making a great defensive play and it turns into a dunk for them. What did you see on that play?

JOE BRYANT JR.: Well, first, I should have dumped it off to my big man. He was wide open. I mean, I fell, so I couldn't really see what happened. So I really can't answer that question too much.

ROBERT JONES: Like you said, I thought we were on a pretty good run. Like Joe said, he did have someone open, but once against, he had a layup, as well. And Joe Bryant is our leading scorer, so it's okay either way.

But then when the leak out happened and the run out -- the ball was bouncing around and then Terrence was back there and he was kind of caught in between charging the basketball and staying back. And then when he finally charged the basketball, 24 just got the ball and went the other way and caught a dunk, which was a splash play.

I mean, it should have been a 14-point game that I have -- I mean, even against a 12-point game, we should have scored it. So it should have been a 12-point game, and a 12-point game kind of changes things going into the second half a little bit. Because now if we hit that three that we did, now it's a single digit game instead of a double-digit game.

So that was a big play. That was a big play to end the half. Big play.

THE MODERATOR: Return to the right-hand side.

Q. Joe, offensively for y'all, did it feel like guys were -- I don't want to say tense or nervous, but how did it feel initially out there in those first three or four minutes? What did they do, I should ask?

JOE BRYANT JR.: The first two medias, it feels like there was a bit of the jitters and nerves. Because, like, last year, there wasn't that many people there. But as time went on, guys settled down.

We just missed some open shots. The ball was starting to hurt us a little bit. But I felt like -- like I said before, we played as hard as we could, we just fell short.

THE MODERATOR: Further over on the right-hand side.

Q. Yeah, Joe, I was just wondering: You know, in the locker room, what kind of is the feeling right now? I know this isn't how the season -- you wanted to see the season end, but is there still a sense of pride between you guys?

JOE BRYANT JR.: Yeah, of course. Obviously, losing is disappointing. But at any day, we're still champions, we're still back-to-back champions. We still made school history. The first team to win outright, regular season and MEAC tournament champions.

You know, I love these guys, love the coaches. You know, I enjoyed this run. But like I said, we just fell short of the goal.

Q. Joe, I saw your dad before the game. He's got a good video of you taking the court for the entry pregame. Just for your family and you being from Hampton Roads, and like Taylor, Norfolk, in general, what did this moment stepping on this court, on this big court your senior year mean to you personally?

JOE BRYANT JR.: You know, the young guys that's coming up after me, they can, you know, come right in their backyard and hoop. They don't got go to a big Power 5 school. You know, mid-major basketball, it's still, like, great basketball.

You know, it just means a lot. A lot of fans at home. My family's at home watching. I know they're proud of me. So I just got to keep my head high and just move forward.

THE MODERATOR: We have a question on Zoom from David. Go ahead.

Q. Hey, Rob. Can you hear me?

ROBERT JONES: Yes, I can hear you.

Q. Hey, congrats on a great season. I wanted to ask you why Jaelen was suspended for the first half and how much of a factor that was?

ROBERT JONES: I mean, it could have been a factor. You know, I think that -- he was in violation of team rules. I think no matter when a NCAA tournament or wherever you're at, if you -- there has to be integrity within the program.

Sometimes you have to make tough decisions to keep the culture right. Because I think culture wins. He had to be suspended because we can't allow that to happen. And it trickles down to some of the younger guys. So I think that for us to keep the culture in place, he had to be suspended. And, unfortunately, because he is our second leading scorer. But, you know, integrity first.

THE MODERATOR: Okay. Time for a couple more.

Q. Coach, moving forward into the future, you spent, I guess, 9 or 10 seasons at Norfolk State. I know you just signed a contract. But you've been pretty open of liking challenges and moving forward ahead. I know you just signed a contract. But what's your mindset going forward for you personally -- professionally, I should say, with Norfolk State in the future?

ROBERT JONES: I mean, I'm Norfolk State's men's basketball coach. I mean, whatever happens happens. I think that with success comes suitors. But then you just have to make the right decision for when that happens.

So, you know, I know there's a lot of rumors and stuff like that. There was rumors and all that stuff last year, too. But I'm Norfolk State's men's basketball coach. I love coaching these guys.

And I really want to -- I wouldn't mind doing it again, you know, to be honest with you. I wouldn't mind trying to go back-to-back-to-back-to-back, to back-to-back, I guess. Because three regular seasons, three tournament championships. So that would be, like, six back-to-backs, right? Or three back-to-backs.

So I don't really let that stuff bother me too much. I don't really talk to the guys about it. Even last year, he'll tell you. I didn't talk to the guys about that stuff. I just -- you know, I'm just one track -- the NSU is where I'm at and that's what I want to make better.

As I walk the hallways and I see Kansas and Kentucky -- I mean, Kansas, and North Carolina, and Marquette and all these great programs and I see our program on the walls with these programs, I want these guys to feel like they belong.

I want to keep -- you know, this is my Kansas, this is my Carolina, this is my Marquette. And I want to keep, you know, trying to advance the program as much as I can. Because we got some great players here, man. We got some great people around us. And we always have the why not us attitude.

Although we fell short by way more than we wanted to fall short by, to be perfectly honest with you, you know, I can't take anything away from these kids and these people that's around the program.

And the new Dr. J and Melody Webb, those people like that are trying to take the vision of the program that we have to make it like a North Carolina or a Marquette and things like that. We making strides in the right direction and things like that.

But, hey, I know that was a little longer answer than you wanted, but, you know, I'm just giving you the answer that's on my heart.

THE MODERATOR: Coach, that feels like an ender.

ROBERT JONES: Hey, I closed the show.

THE MODERATOR: Yes, sir. Congratulations on a great year.

ROBERT JONES: Thanks, man.