MOUNTAIN WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 9, 2023

Kevin Kruger

Justin Webster

EJ Harkless

Thomas & Mack Center

UNLV Rebels

Postgame Press Conference

Boise State 87, UNLV 76

THE MODERATOR: We will start with comments from Coach, who is joined by EJ Harkless and Justin Webster.

KEVIN KRUGER: Obviously, a great game. Boise came out and punched us in the mouth early. We were kind of chasing our tail a little bit there. Hey, they took on a challenge and made everything and put us in a pretty good sized hole.

At halftime there was a sense that the guys knew we were going to chip away at it and chip away at it, and without a doubt in the second half did. Could have very easily let it get out of hand or kind of let it go the other direction, but guys did an unbelievable job fighting. Unbelievable job competing to chip away at it, and they believed in every huddle, every dead ball the way they were communicating. It had a feel that we were going to chip away at it, and they did.

Couldn't be more proud of them. I think the second half was certainly the representation that the team deserves to be kind of remembered by, just how hard they fought and how much they competed. You know, even being down there early just did everything they needed to do to give themselves a chance to win the game.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. EJ, just what was said at halftime about what you guys needed to do to get back in the game?

EJ HARKLESS: Just stay together, man. Don't let that first half define us. We've been hit with a lot of adversity this year, injuries, everything. We didn't let that define us. We always fought back, and that was our biggest message.

This could be our last game together, so just go out there and give it everything we've got and let the ball go where it goes.

Q. You guys had a couple overtime games in a row. Were you guys feeling the legs at all at the end?

JUSTIN WEBSTER: In those type of games I don't think you really feel it. I think adrenaline is pumping. You're so into the game that the only thing you are worried about is trying to get a win.

I feel it now. I can't lie to you. But during the game I don't think we felt it at all.

Q. EJ, three straight overtime games. Just talk about how that's just the message of the season, how hard you guys scrapped towards the end of the season.

EJ HARKLESS: Yeah. I mean, just like I said, the adversity that we got hit with the whole season, it was a lot of tough pills a lot of people had to swallow. I think seeing that the end was coming, it was a possibility that the end could be tomorrow, I think everybody accepted that and loved their role, fell in love with their role and wanted to see one another be successful.

We gave Boise State, a really good Boise State team that came out, shooting really well a good fight in the second half. Coming off a good solid Air Force team. You know, they had a long layover kind of feeling like you got to be super disciplined, super together to beat them.

It's kind of hard to come out and repeat that the next day, but I think we did that in the second half.

Q. I know we talked a lot about Shane Nowell this season. How is Shane Nowell, the future, a bright spot for UNLV?

EJ HARKLESS: 100 percent. He has been listening to coach every day in practice, and now he got his opportunity in the games kind of towards the end of the season, and his progression has been crazy.

Like I said about every freshman and sophomore on this -- everybody came in with different agendas, but, you know, just listening to coach was the biggest thing, and I think we started to do that down the line. We showed that as we started winning more games.

Q. EJ, you were only here for one year, but how do you feel like the program moved forward in that year, and do you feel like this team is set up for success next year?

EJ HARKLESS: Oh, 100 percent. As long as people can stay with Coach, a lot of people have better opportunities. There's kind of only four people that returned to their locker. I think it was Coach, Jordan, Keshon Gilbert, and he got a whole new coaching staff. Super credit to him. He got a whole new senior group that came in. Kind of got hit with adversity with injuries me not being healthy until two weeks before the season really, and I appreciate my teammates for allowing me to be a leader on this team and Coach believing in me. I can't thank them enough for that.

Q. You have a year of eligibility left. Do you anticipate staying here for that final year, and do you feel like the guys who do have eligibility left believe in the trajectory of this program?

JUSTIN WEBSTER: I can't speak for those guys. Obviously, I know Coach and everybody would love to have them back. For me, myself, it's just something I have to talk to my family about. Trying to decide what my future is, whether it's going to be here, whether I decide to take another route.

But it's something that I'm going to think about and talk to the coaches, talk to my family, pray about it, and just go from there.

Q. EJ and Justin, in the first half Boise State was projected through the first half to have more three-pointers than any other Mountain West tournament game with ten. Then you guys ended up with more three-pointers with 14 compared to their 13. What changed in the second half not just with the defense, but with the offense to finish the game and more three-pointers than them?

EJ HARKLESS: Being stubborn. Coach always talks about being stubborn and getting the shots that we want. We're a really good shooting team, but sometimes we get a little greedy. I think it was being stubborn in the second half knowing that that might be our last shot, and I think we fought to get good shots, and we got good shots. We just didn't make enough of those to fall on the other side.

JUSTIN WEBSTER: Just to back up what he said. I think once we realized after the first half what they was doing on defense, I think it made the second half a lot easier. They was trying to help in that gap, so two dribbles, one dribble kick and was getting wide open shots in the second half.

The ball wasn't sticking. We was moving the ball and guys were able to get easy looks. I think that's what contributed for us to get a lot of shooting threes in the second half.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen. We'll go ahead and dismiss the student-athletes and continue with Coach.

Q. Down big in halftime. I understand that you said that you guys already knew what you were going to do in the second half, like you already had a game plan set up. But other than that, what was said in that halftime speech to the players?

KEVIN KRUGER: Mostly just take a breath. The goal has to go out and chip and away at it, chip away at it. I kind of opened with I just felt like that first half we were just chasing a little bit and just our readiness and alertness needed start off better each possession, and undoubtedly it did.

There was a different feeling, a different energy. Even though at the first media I think we had only chipped into it two points, it still -- it had a good feeling. We were playing, getting the shots we wanted more. We were kind of forcing them to take shots that we preferred compared to the first half.

So just had a better feeling about it that we could chip away, but mostly just take a breath, relax. The goal just has to be chip away and believe in it.

Q. Coach, another run ends in a quarterfinals. Considering your history with college basketball, when a program runs into a roadblock like this, what is typically the answer or solution to get a program over a hump like this?

KEVIN KRUGER: They just keep working. Keep working. You know, we've got a great group of guys that work. We have a great coaching group that works at it, and I think you've got to believe in it. Just continue to be in the gym, talking to them, trying to get just better every day really.

Q. From the first meeting against Boise State -- an 18-point loss to the four-point loss in Boise to the overtime loss today -- with each meeting with Boise, did you kind of sense that the group was kind of getting more and more comfortable with what Boise does on their side?

KEVIN KRUGER: I don't know if we could say that, you know, just because of the way the game started. I do think that the first time we played them here was -- it was a rarity. It didn't happen very much this year. Up there was -- and tonight was much more, I think, a representation of this group as a whole.

Q. You talked a little bit about the legacy that you hope this group had. I guess what do you see that being on your program?

KEVIN KRUGER: I still think they should be remembered as a group that competed like crazy. I think every night guys battled, they fought. Down big, made big runs. Had some really good wins. Had some really good road wins.

I still think at the end of the day once everyone takes a breath, that this is still a group that should be remembered for being an incredibly competitive and group that fights.

Q. What do you see as the next steps for the program?

KEVIN KRUGER: Yeah, you know, we'll meet with them and just kind of go from there. You know, really until that happens, there's not a lot of things that can really be decided.

I think big picture-wise it's just going to be kind of smaller day-to-day decisions that happen, but at the end of the day we just have to get in the gym, just work.

Q. Do you have to start re-recruiting your own guys now to get them to stick around for another year?

KEVIN KRUGER: I mean, we'll talk to them and just, like, you know, we'll have our end of the year player meetings and go from there.

Q. Just through two years compared to I guess your big-picture vision for the program when you took the job, just how would you assess where you guys are at? Is this through year two where you wanted to be, and just what's -- I guess how would you just assess these first three years?

KEVIN KRUGER: I think, of course, we wanted to end the season later. I don't think there's any harm in believing that and thinking that.

But at the same time, I still think there's a lot of great that can come from this year. A lot of good things have been established. It's still kind of just one of those things where we'll just continue to work at it.

But I still think we're better off than we were a year ago at this time, and so we'll just kind of take that as our starting point going into the spring.

THE MODERATOR: That will do it. Thank you, Coach.

KEVIN KRUGER: Thanks, guys.