MOUNTAIN WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 14, 2024

Niko Medved

Nique Clifford

Jalen Lake

Thomas & Mack Center

Colorado State Rams

Postgame Press Conference

Colorado State 85, Nevada 78

THE MODERATOR: For Colorado State we have student-athletes Nique Clifford, Jalen Lake, Coach Niko Medved. Coach, we'll start with you with thoughts on tonight's game?

NIKO MEDVED: Man, what a great performance by these guys. I mean, they played incredibly hard, incredibly tough. Every time Nevada punched us, we found a way to punch them back. I just don't think I could have asked a group of young men to play harder than they did here tonight.

It's a high-level game. Two NCAA Tournament teams going at it. That's what you would expect in the Mountain West, but we have so many contributions from so many guys. These two young men were terrific on both ends of the floor. Terrific defensively, battling on the glass. I just thought their energy never slipped for 40 minutes, and that's what you have to do if you want to win this time of year.

Great win for our guys. Survive and advance, and we'll see you tomorrow night.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Nique, yesterday was Joe. Today was Jalen Lake. Just what do you make of the way they've been playing, especially today in the first half and what it means to have guys that can show up like this off the bench?

NIQUE CLIFFORD: No, I'm just proud of those dudes. The adversity we've been through this year, we've had guys that can really shoot the ball and have went through some shooting slumps to an extent.

We just stick with it, keep working, and those guys -- all the work they put in every day is showing up right now on the biggest stage. That just shows the depth we have on our team. We're just getting back it how we were playing at the beginning of the year, just having fun playing with that passion.

Q. Jalen Lake, would you consider this to be kind of the more complete game you've had in maybe a month just the way you played and the way you played through what was constant foul trouble throughout the night?

JALEN LAKE: Yeah, for sure I would say that was probably the most complete game I've played in a while. Just continued to stay consistent knowing that my teammates have the belief in me, knowing the coaching staff have belief in me. That gives me the confidence, so it was great to see some shots go down on the offensive side and then sticking with it on defense as well.

Q. How hard is it to play defense the way you guys did knowing that the game is being called the way it was and people and the fans were in foul trouble?

JALEN LAKE: Some calls didn't go our way. I think we stayed level-headed. I think we stayed consistent. The way we played defensively, showing our hands. Yeah, it was good.

Q. This was your most points scored since December 29th. What do you guys think worked? What do you guys think made today so good offensively, and how do you guys want to keep that momentum going into the semis?

NIQUE CLIFFORD: I think we just played our offense, got back to just flowing. Everybody was playing just care-free, I feel like, and everybody was playing with confidence. So when you have guys playing their game and doing what they do, I think the ball is going to go in the basket more times than not. So it felt good to have everyone get back to playing well offensively.

Q. You guys had 31 rebounds this game, and Nique you had three blocks. It was a good offensive showing, but it was also a good defensive effort as well. What does that mean going forward for the rest of the tournament?

JALEN LAKE: Yeah, I think that really set the tone. I think we played great defensively all 40 minutes. Just trying to play through the foul calls and things like that.

Rebounding on the glass I think we did good keeping them off the glass in moments. We've got to continue that. Like Nique said, we're playing free, carefree, and just having fun out there. That's what we want to do is get that joy back, and I think that will carry over to the next game.

Q. Nique, it looked like early on Blackshear was kind of talking a lot of smack to you up and down the court. Is that something that, I don't know, brought some intensity out of you? What kind of emotion went into this win? Everybody was obviously reacting after the big win.

NIQUE CLIFFORD: No, we were chippy the whole game, I would say, but that's what we love to do. We love to compete. They got the best of us twice, so it was a little personal for us, so we had a chip on our shoulder going into that game. It was a lot of fun getting after it against them.

You know, he's a good player, but we got the best of him tonight.

Q. Nique, you were all over the court defensively, especially in the second half, causing either multiple blocks or offensive fouls on the other team. What goes through your mind every play after momentum-shifting plays like that?

NIQUE CLIFFORD: I think we set the tone with our defense, like Lake was saying. We were playing hard defensively, and I think that translates to our offense doing well. Just flying around, playing as hard as we can. They got a lot of weapons, so I think we dialed into the defensive side.

Q. Both of you guys spent a decent amount of time on Lucas. Obviously he had success in I'm of the first two. I guess first motivation side on that, and what does it take to be effective on him, a guy that has that quick release?

JALEN LAKE: Yeah, he is a tough cover. I mean, this is my second year guarding him. He's grown a lot in his game just a little bit off the bounce and shooting threes from deep and all that. So just have to be able to chase him around and be effective and kind of pressure him, so...

Q. We're about a month removed of Jarod Lucas and Nevada ending the game at Moby Arena off the crazy buzzer beater. How good did it feel to get your revenge game here tonight?

NIQUE CLIFFORD: It felt great. That's something we talked about before is just him running all over our floor. Go back to what I said. It was a little personal for us, and we needed to get this one, so it felt really good to get this win.

Q. Nique, for you to have these big moments late in March, late in games how much are you relishing this, and is this kind of what you envisioned in making this move?

NIQUE CLIFFORD: Definitely. It's a lot of fun playing with a team that's so unselfish. Everybody cares about each other. The coaches are just so locked into our team and everything that we're doing.

It's been a great move for me, and it's been a lot of fun. I couldn't ask for a better place to be.

Q. The Rams fans have made the travel and brought that energy the last three games on the road. How has that been for you guys?

JALEN LAKE: That was great. I mean, it gets us going seeing them out there. All love to them. I mean, they brought the energy in Moby and then being able to see them bring it in Colorado Springs when we play Air Force. These last two games has been amazing. It's helped us a ton bringing the energy.

Q. Nique, I was curious, I think Lucas hit three or four shots in the first half that looked indefensible. When you finally get a fly through the air and block that three on the wing, does it feel like a breath of relief for you to finally get him once?

NIQUE CLIFFORD: Yeah, it always feels good to get a block on somebody. Like Lake was saying, he's a good player. He can really shoot it. You just have to be dialed in and make it tough on him, try to make him shoot as tough of shots as possible, and I feel like we did that for the most part, but he's a tough shot maker, so credit to him.

THE MODERATOR: We're going to dismiss the athletes at this time. Thank you, men. Questions for Coach.

Q. Just from your perspective, how badly did you see your guys want to get this one today given how it went last time?

NIKO MEDVED: I know these guys talk about last time. That's a factor too, but you better want to get one because it's March. These are all one-game seasons right now. That's what we talk about. If you don't win tonight, you're going home in the Mountain West Tournament. I think there's a desperation for every team right now to play.

The Mountain West has been so competitive this year. Obviously they beat us twice. I think we felt -- they're a terrific team. They're well-coached. They've got great players. They're tough. But I think both times we felt like we didn't bring our best against them, so we really wanted to bring our best tonight. And we think when we bring our best, we can compete with anybody.

Q. Coach, you mentioned that you felt like you brought your best tonight. How long has it been in your mind where you really felt like your team had played this well this complete?

NIKO MEDVED: I think it's been a while. Particularly on offense. It's been a weird season that way that the first couple of months of the season we were one of the best offenses in the country. Then we struggled a lot just shooting the ball.

I think all the other metrics offensively we were pretty good, but our defense took a massive jump. You know, tonight it was interesting. I told the guys, I'm not going to call any plays. We're just going to go. We're going to get it out. We're going to go. We're going to play. I told Isaiah today at pregame meal, I'm, like, come here. I said, don't look over at me tonight. Just go. Just go. Just go be you. Just go play, hoop. That's what I told him to do.

You could kind of see his chest kind of -- I said, don't worry. Game goes on. We'll do what we need to do, but just go. Just get it out and go and play.

I think our motion offense is good. I mean, I look at the numbers, and man, when we have multiple guys -- you guys followed us up. When we have multiple guys in double figures, high assists, low turnovers, we're sharing it, getting to the next action quickly, that's when we're at our best.

Q. First couple of years you were in the league, two-bit league. This thing is, obviously, really competitive still, but just curious how it feels right now you're playing quarterfinal games against lock NCAA Tournament teams. Next game up, same deal. Just how good has this thing gotten?

NIKO MEDVED: It's amazing. I've been in this league a long time as an assistant, as a head coach. I said it last night, but there's a scenario on Saturday night last game of the regular season, I mean, a couple of balls bounce, San Diego State is looking at a 6 seed, and more than likely they get a higher seed in the NCAA Tournament than we have here.

To be the 7 seed in this tournament and be playing -- I mean, heck, we could end up with a higher seed. Who knows? So it's just been incredible. It's a testament to we have terrific coaches in this league. We have a lot of programs and fan bases that care deeply about basketball, and you put those things together. We've got great players, here's what you get.

It's about an a great year for the league and three years in a row now, and I hope we can keep that in a momentum goes because it's a lot of fun. It's not fun to coach every night in the league, but it's sure as heck a lot of fun to compete in it.

Q. Jalen Lake led the team in points this game. What does that mean to relieve a little bit of stress off of those more common higher points scoring players?

NIKO MEDVED: When you coach, you don't understand sometimes the things these young people go through off the court and the challenges that they have and to just see these guys continue to have a strong chin and get back in the fight and just keep playing, and they do everything we ask them to do. I'm just so proud of him because he cares so deeply. He works so hard. He is so coachable.

Just to see those shots again go in for him tonight was just awesome because, again, he's such a team guy. He's a coach's dream that way. I thought that just energized our group, much like Joe Palmer did last night.

Q. Coach, you're now 5-0 on neutral site, which obviously in this time of year is exactly where you want to be. What do you think about this team -- what about this team makes them so good at a neutral site?

NIKO MEDVED: You know, I don't know. I don't know that. I think we have a good team, but all these teams are good. For whatever reason, we've played really, really well. We do what we do. If you get out of this tournament and you play in the next tournament, people probably don't have each other scouted as well, and you just kind of let loose and play.

I don't have any answer why we've played well in a neutral court this year. We've lost a bunch of close games on the road, but we've played well. I guess playing well in the neutral court is a good thing this time of year. Are.

Q. What does a game like this mean to you as a coach whether you see so many key contributors in this game? You have five players score double figure points in back-to-back games with a guy coming off the bench with such big scoring outputs early in the game?

NIKO MEDVED: Again, when we were playing our best basketball early in the season, that's kind of what you saw from this group. That's kind of what we do, and that's what happened tonight.

Again, we share the ball. We move. We get multiple guys that can score, and that makes you harder to defend. Obviously I think we have the best guard in the country, so that helps a lot. It makes me look like I know what I'm doing at times because he's so great, and he's such a great -- he just buys in. He's the one that sets the table. He's the one that buys into playing this way and playing unselfish. He encourages the other guys to keep staying aggressive.

When you have leadership like that, that sets the tone.

Q. I just want to hear your thoughts on Nique Clifford's skill set and what allows him to make some of these moves late in games that maybe aren't really something you coach, but just something he can do?

NIKO MEDVED: I think for him he's finding -- every player is their own unique self. He's such a unique player that way. He's got great length. He's got an unbelievable nose for the ball. He sees the floor really, really well, and he is just one of those guys that can affect the game in so many ways.

What's funny is he's been so good in a lot of these games where we're not calling plays. We're just playing, and his talent takes over.

He just is so versatile on both ends of the floor. He is one of those guys that can come out of nowhere and make a play. This time of year you've got to make plays if you want to win, and he sure made a lot of them tonight.

Q. Coach, there's a point in the second half where Nevada got back in the game and your guys were only up by five. How were you able to hold ground right there and extend the lead back up to double digits at that point?

NIKO MEDVED: I think any team -- Nevada is a great team too. They would tell you that's basketball. Basketball is a game of runs. When two good teams are going at it, they're going to make a run, and you can't panic. You just have to keep playing. You have to stay aggressive. You have to find a way to punch back. Our guys did that every time.

We were able to answer the bell. We knew Nevada was going to make a run. They're a terrific team. But our guys showed resilience. When you have a veteran group who has been through that before, they understand it. They don't panic. They just regroup and try to make the next right play.

Q. Coach, you say that you didn't call any plays. Is that hard for you to do, or is Isaiah that good that you feel comfortable that he can just take the reins like that?

NIKO MEDVED: We called a few plays, you know what I mean? Time-outs or whatever. For the most part we weren't.

Yeah. Really, that's what we do every day. The guys have a good feel for how we want to play with each other and getting to the next action. I just thought today we needed to play a little bit faster. I just thought we needed to play a little bit faster, a little bit more aggressive. And I thought it paid off.

Obviously, we have a great point guard. So when you have a great point guard, the ball is in his hands a lot to start those actions. And because he's such a great decisionmaker and finds guys and builds confidence and makes it a lot easier.