NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL - MIAMI (FL) VS IOWA STATE

March 25, 2022

T.J. Otzelberger

Izaiah Brockington

George Conditt IV

Gabe Kalscheur

United Center

Iowa State Cyclones

Sweet 16 Postgame Media Conference

Miami (Fla.) - 70, Iowa State - 56

COACH OTZELBERGER: First of all, Miami deserves a lot of credit. They're very well coached, very well prepared, veteran team. We knew tonight coming in the turnover battle was going to be one that would have a significant impact on the win. And they did a better job than we did in terms of disruption and creating live-ball turnovers.

They made some timely shots when we made our runs as well. So a lot of credit to them. Tonight just wasn't our night.

But man, I'm proud of the young men on our team. What an amazing season. Great job they've done working every single day and really proud of them.

The last thing I'd say, to clarify before we move forward, it was, on our end, what happened with the starting lineup, if anybody has any questions regarding it, we entered it wrong. And that's on me as the head coach. So I'll own that. But that's what it was, why it was starting lineup happened the way it did.

Q. Obviously this is not the result you guys wanted but you and the gentlemen in your locker room have still put together one of the most impressive one-year turnarounds in Big 12 history. You've done much to restore the pride of the Cyclone program. So what do you think the season has done for building the foundation for future success?

COACH OTZELBERGER: These three guys right here, they trusted and you say bought in from the start. They had no idea what the wins and losses would be this season, but they agreed to work extremely hard to sacrifice, to work at a level that's uncommon and to put their belief in one another.

So I'm proud of this group. Right now we're excited about as things move forward what we can do with this program. But tonight all my attention is going to be paid to these guys and being thankful and grateful to them for how they've carried themselves -- classroom, community and on the court -- and you mentioned restore pride, and that's something that's very personal to me based on how I feel about Iowa State.

And so really proud of our guys for how they've carried themselves and what they've done and what they've shown this season.

Q. What can a season like this do for Tyrese? Maybe, he just turned 18, whatever it was not too long ago. What can it do for Tyrese and his career going forward?

COACH OTZELBERGER: Well, for every player, you want to play to the best of your ability and do the things that you do well. And Tyrese is a gifted player. He's certainly matured as the season moved on. Did a great job of commanding our team. Proved that there's no task too big for him even though he's a freshman. Plays with a poise and composure well beyond his years.

So really great freshman season for Tyrese. If I know Tyrese the way I believe I do, he's going to continue to work extremely hard to build on it because he's got great character and work habits. So I know he's got an extremely bright future based on how much he gives and puts into this game.

GABE KALSCHEUR: I think Tyrese is going to continue to grow as a person. I feel like this is his first year in college basketball and he's in the Sweet Sixteen. This is nothing but confidence for him throughout his career.

Q. George, as the clock was winding down the emotions were visible for you. I guess now that this season is over, how would you guys describe the run you guys were on?

GEORGE CONDITT IV: It was a special run overall. Like T.J. said, you never know, when we signed up for this, we didn't know wins/losses; we just wanted to go out there and play harder and bring pride back to Iowa State. So when that final buzzer went off, it hurt a little bit because you know the season's over with, but at the same time you have to hold your head up high because you quite literally turned this program around?

Q. Gabe and Izaiah, what do you hope the legacy of this team is?

GABE KALSCHEUR: I know everyone is proud of us in the community, but hopefully they know what we've done, how much heart we gave to this team and put on the court each and every night until that final buzzer sounds. I love playing with these guys, this coaching staff. And we made an incredible run. And I just hope everyone just notices how much work we put into the season.

IZAIAH BROCKINGTON: Just want to be remembered as a group that gave their all out there, just found a way to beat the odds and overcome adversity the whole year. I hope we made them proud back there, that they saw the effort that we put in and the run that we made.

And I just hope they can look back in a couple of years, when this program is still doing well, and just see us as the guys that got the ball rolling, that kind of started it.

Q. Did they do anything differently in the second half in terms of defensively? You shot a lot worse down the stretch? Was it fatigue? What were your impressions there in the second half?

GABE KALSCHEUR: I won't say they did much different. They were in the gaps, stringing out the ball screens and making it difficult for us to read the backside and step-throughs on the backside. It wasn't really much different. It was just us figuring out how to read the tags and the rotations of their defense.

Q. T.J., how are you going to remember this team?

COACH OTZELBERGER: This team is an enjoyable group to be around every day. I'll remember these guys for their heart, their fight, their sacrifice to one another, for the trust they bestowed in our coaching staff; for rolling up their sleeves and just doing the work every single day. It wasn't easy. But they kept coming back.

And we had our challenges during the year. We had some stretches, we lost four in a row. We lost four or five. We lost three in a row coming into the tournament. And these guys continued to do the work and fight through adversity.

And as a coach, that's really rewarding. You want to see young people develop individually, but you want them to learn those life lessons, that if they do those things, they can be successful husbands and fathers in whatever field they choose to work or play basketball moving forward. So this group will be very dear to me. And I'll always remember what these guys did each and every day.

Q. Izaiah, you landed at Iowa State after a big spring, of a lot of decisions. Can you speak what this team means to you and what went into that decision in retrospect?

IZAIAH BROCKINGTON: Well, what went into the decision really is Coach T.J. and all the coaches really recruiting me really hard and really selling me on what we could be. They told me about all the guys that were already here, the pieces that I would have on the team and how I would complement their games, their play styles, within their system on offense and defense. And they told me I could come here and really be a main contributor and really be a leader and in a great conference like the Big 12.

I mean, I wasn't really scared off by their past couple of years. It was a whole new team. I saw it as an opportunity that they gave me. And coming here, I definitely would say I made the right decision. I mean, this staff, the team, the fans, the school, every single one of them has changed my life. So I'm forever grateful to them, and I'm proud to be a Cyclone.