ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 13, 2024

Earl Grant

Devin McGlockton

Quinten Post

Capital One Arena

Boston College Eagles

Postgame Press Conference

Boston College 76, Clemson 55

EARL GRANT: Just thankful. Thankful, happy for our players, just the efforts they've been putting in for multiple years, just to see the fruit of their labors, that they can get rewarded from all the labors and the hard work they've put in. I thought they played great, they played hard, they were connected, and we showed a lot of grit. I'm just proud of the players and really happy for our program.

Q. Coach and Devin, there was that stretch in the first half early where Quinten got that kind of phantom second foul. How did you guys not only weather that storm but play so well with him on the bench?

EARL GRANT: Well, I think we've had some experience of it. The first time we played Clemson, we had six players. We had a stomach bug hit it and Quinten didn't play. Six guys went out and played as hard as they could, and we lost the game, so I think that helped.

Sometimes adversity and negativity is supposed to be bad, but sometimes you grow from it, and so I think those experiences allowed us to grow, so when we got in that situation tonight, nobody flinched, nobody panicked.

DEVIN MCGLOCKTON: We are just a deep team, and I feel like Elijah Strong did a good job. He's a freshman, he's been improving a lot, so it was good for him to come in and get the minutes that QP had off.

Q. You were at a disadvantage in terms of rest, but what were the benefits of playing and beating Miami yesterday and carrying it over to today?

EARL GRANT: Probably just momentum. You would like to be off the first day, and sometimes you think that rest is good, but getting that first game under your belt can help, as well. I think it was just momentum. We played great yesterday. We had a lot of confidence coming into this game. I think the momentum helped us.

Q. Quinten, you faced UVA two weeks ago, now going to face them again, managed to score 24 points in that first matchup. UVA is known for having a really good strong defensive team. What did you see in that first matchup to allow you to score those points and what are you anticipating in tomorrow's matchup?

QUINTEN POST: Let's see. Yeah, they play very tough on defense. I think we played a great game against Virginia the first time. They're kind of thin up front a little bit, so that gave me some opportunity to get down low and score some points.

But the key to me is I think Reece Beekman. I think he's a really good player. I think he really hurt us in the first game. We've got to find a way to stop him. I think if we do that and we play the way we played offensively tonight, we have a really good shot at beating those guys.

Q. You heard coach address the idea of you've got some momentum but you also put some minutes on your bodies the last couple days. How do you feel and how do you find the energy for another game tomorrow against another high-powered opponent?

QUINTEN POST: For me, I feel really good. I've been a little emotional these last few days because I realize that every one of these games could be my last. Just thinking back on all my years in college and especially my three years at BC and with this program and what my teammates have meant to me, they've meant the world to me.

I told the guys, I'm not ready to be done, basically. So I really want to keep playing. After last game I said I'm trying to play every game like it's my last game, and tonight, everybody played like it was their last game, and it showed.

For me, I don't feel tired. I'm really excited to play this next game.

DEVIN MCGLOCKTON: I also feel good. I'm ready to play for my seniors just like he said. This could be their last game, so I'm just ready to go out there. We have momentum, so we've just got to keep that going to the next game.

Q. Do you feel like Clemson was lacking in energy at all? Seem ed like you guys had some extra juice. I guess they're considered a lock for the tournament; what do you think this game said about y'all, the fact that you were able to beat them so soundly tonight?

DEVIN MCGLOCKTON: I feel like we just had a good game plan. Our game plan was to keep the bigs, PJ and Schieffelin off the boards, and I feel like we did a good job of that.

And we were just playing BC basketball, holding them to under 60, that's what we do, and when we hold them under 60 we're going to win.

QUINTEN POST: Yeah, I see we out-rebounded them by 16. I think everybody just played really well, especially Donald hand from the bench. Really proud of him. I think Elijah Strong gave us great minutes, and I think me and Dev really held our own down there.

I think they're a really physical team, and we matched their physicality tonight, and it showed.

Q. Earl, you heard the guys talking about Reece and what he brings to Virginia. What are some of the keys in that matchup? What did you like in the first game and what needed to be cleaned up?

EARL GRANT: Yeah, they've got a great program, really good players. Coach Bennett does a great job. We're just thankful. This has been an interesting year, been an interesting journey, and God kind of just keeps protecting us and guiding us through, so we're just thankful. We've been working hard. We've been believing in each other. We've been through a lot of adversity.

At the end of the day, we're just happy to be playing. We're going to come out with the best plan. We've got a lot of time to rest tomorrow. We've got a lot of time to prepare, and we're excited. We're just happy that we're going to be playing another game and we get the chance to advance to that next round.

Q. Quinten, two years ago you guys were in the same position of advancing to the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. In what ways does this situation feel different from then?

QUINTEN POST: I think three years ago was our first year, my first year and Coach's first year. We've been together for a year, but we still didn't really know ourselves and our identity. I think we came together as a group and we played really well.

But right now I feel like all of our guys know exactly what they bring, what they're good at, what they're not so good at, and I think we're playing as a team, and we play for each other, and that's the difference. We've got veteran leadership. We've got young talented guys.

I just feel like we're more war ready than we were three years ago.

Q. Coach Grant, can you take us a little bit more through your game plan tonight and what you feel like you did effectively?

EARL GRANT: Yeah, I think it wasn't really just a game plan for this game. It was maybe three weeks ago. Like I said, adversity had really hardened us. We made a commitment, here are some things we have to do in order for us to survive, and guys committed to doing it, whether it be ball screen defense, whether it be just guarding the ball one-on-one, sharing the ball. We just made a commitment, and we're starting to see the fruits of our labors, and it's been beautiful to see.

Again, I'm just proud of the players because they do all the heavy lifting. We give them a plan, and they go out and trust it and believe it and do their best. Just so proud of them.

The program is lifting up. I'm excited for our program and the players.