NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST FOUR

March 19, 2024

Kenneth Blakeney

Bryce Harris

Seth Towns

UD Arena

Howard Bison

Media Conference

Wagner - 71, Howard - 68

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Howard.

Q. Bryce, could you take us through that comeback in the final minutes there? You got it to one and you had looks for 3s at the end. Kind of the mindset going into that knowing you were down a bunch and had to rally.

BRYCE HARRIS: To be honest with you this is a resilient basketball team. The fact that we did that, I'm honestly not shocked. That's just a true testament to who we are, not only as basketball players but our character.

I mean I could sit here and talk all day, but that's just who we are. That run, it's a testament to everything we went through during the season.

Honestly, it just came down to playing together, being connected, make sure we stay connected. That was the mindset during that run.

Q. The resiliency of this team, how much did that carry you through this game and through the season where you faced adversity?

SETH TOWNS: I mean, we, I think, faced more adversity than any team I've ever been a part of this year, with injury in particular. And then not just with injury, but with dropping games that we didn't expect to and how we had to fight back and come together as a group. It's a testament to who we've been all season. And I just couldn't be more proud of this group.

Q. Bryce, can you take us through the last three minutes? What did you think was the key to making that late charge? And follow-up to that would be the three great looks you guys got in the closing seconds?

BRYCE HARRIS: Honestly, it all just came down to being tough and hunting, as we would say. Doing our EGBs. We did it at a very high level. Good things happen when you do that.

Some would say the basketball gods, they look after you when you do the right things and go about trying to win the right way. So that's really what that push was.

It didn't go our way at the end, but for that stretch, that's the only concern we had. Everything else will take care of itself after you just hunt.

Q. Even though the outcome didn't go the way you wanted, just the season overall, you guys talked about changing the culture of the program. Just how were you guys able to do that? And what did the season mean to help foster that change?

BRYCE HARRIS: Honestly, to reiterate, it comes down to basketball, but it also comes down to having connections to who we are, not just as basketball players but human beings. Playing on a basketball team is one of the more beautiful things in life because it gives you a group of brothers who have a common goal and it allows you to have a deeper connection past being just a teammate.

What we speak a lot about is having brothers. When you have brothers, you'll go through things with your brothers. You'll have good moments. You'll have bad moments. You'll have moments where you're mad at your brother, your brother is mad at you. But you have to go through the rocky mountain and get over it -- especially to reach that common goal.

In a nutshell, that's basically what that was, just understanding each other, understanding our whys -- why we play the game, who introduced us to the game, what's carrying us through any type of adversity that we have, whether it's basketball-wise or in life in general, and just carry on and be able to lean on one another.

SETH TOWNS: I think we had several moments throughout the season where we really had to look ourselves in the mirror. And I think that seeped into the fabric of who we were, who we are.

And I think that shows up in the last three minutes of this game. And furthermore, I think this will show up in the rest of our lives and how we proceed as men. It's just a testament to who each of these individuals are on this team and the culture that's been built here.

Q. I've had an opportunity to watch you guys pretty much, Bryce, for the past few years, and, Seth, you've been at numerous institutions. Let's talk about this entire HBCU experience. You put the world on notice about how Black college basketball is represented at the highest level. Just tell us about the experience of playing HBCUs. But more importantly, letting folks know around the country that we have some of the best in Black college basketball?

SETH TOWNS: I can say that it's a true honor to play for an HBCU. It's one of the more empowering experiences that I've ever had. It goes so much deeper than basketball, than how we perform on the court. It shows up in the spirit that you see, in who we become as men.

So much of why we had these breakthrough moments as a team, so much of why we look so deeply at ourselves in the mirror is because of how much it matters, like, how ingrained this has been in our identity.

So we're playing for something that's so much bigger than us, and I think we all understand that.

Q. Take us to that last possession and what exactly did you tell your team before they went out on the floor, before that?

KENNETH BLAKENEY: First, I'd like to give thanks and praise to my Lord and savior Jesus Christ.

The last play, we actually had two different plays drawn up. We had a play, if we were two points down and we had a play if we were three points down, especially with the time that was going in.

So we wanted to try to get Jordan Hairston a play call Shovel, to really push the tempo, try to get as deep as he could with Seth Towns trailing and flip it back to Seth for hopefully an open 3-point shot. I think we didn't get the ball as far down as we wanted to do, and Seth was a little bit further out than he was probably comfortable shooting.

But in saying that, we still were able, I think, to get three great looks at the basket. But sometimes the basketball gods are with you and sometimes they're not.

Q. Can you speak to the resiliency of the team during that comeback; you're down 13 with four and a half minutes left, and how that carried you through the moments in the regular season, where as Seth alluded to there were moments of adversity?

KENNETH BLAKENEY: This was certainly one of the most challenging years that I've had in basketball. And certainly as a head coach, when you look at our team -- and I don't know what the number is tonight -- but before the game we were at 82 games missed from guys in our rotation.

And with that there was never any continuity with this group until pretty much the last probably seven or eight games, where we had, unfortunately, the continuity because guys were out. So we were able to just kind of play with the group of guys that we had.

And there were times this year that was really, really dark for our group. I think the emergence of Seth as a leader, as a vocal leader, as an emotional leader, we play a style of basketball in our culture, if there's no leadership and if our team isn't a player-driven team, we're not going to have the type of success in a year that potentially we could have.

And Seth emerging as a leader and on the court, off the court, emotionally and very vocal, I thought really connected us for that last part of the season.