ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 11, 2025

Mike Young

Brandon Rechsteiner

Tobi Lawal

Spectrum Center

Virginia Tech Hokies

Postgame Press Conference

California 82, Virginia Tech 73 (2OT)

MIKE YOUNG: These guys here know I'm not much of a general comment guy. You guys take it and roll.

Q. The foul on Mylyjael there that allowed them to tie it, what did you see on that possession, if anything?

MIKE YOUNG: There were so many plays. I thought it was questionable. Now, I'll go back and see it tomorrow, and more often than not, they get it right. You got a lot better look at it than I do. I thought it was a questionable call, but the official that made that call is a good one. I will defer to him.

Q. 18 turnovers tonight. What was causing the turnover problem tonight, and why has it seemingly been a problem all season long?

MIKE YOUNG: You've seen us play a lot. I've had so many teams that have ranked nationally in assist-turnover. It kills me.

I don't know. I don't know. I've tossed and turned and gone back and forth and tried every -- I mean, you can't do it. I've told you, I've told anybody that will listen, I've told these guys. Bases on balls in baseball, turnovers in football, turnovers in basketball are going to kill you.

I don't know, man. I don't know. Address some things in the off-season; I can assure you of that.

Q. Brandon, you guys were 1 for 16 from three before you hit that big one to take the lead at the end of regulation on the pass from Jaydon. What did you see on that look, and were you anticipating the ball coming across the floor like that?

BRANDON RECHSTEINER: Yeah, we had a similar play earlier when he tried to throw to the cutter, and I was telling him when drives baseline, my man is cutting in. So I told him to throw it. So we kind of talked that through.

Q. Obviously been a rough shooting day for you from three. Were you pretty confident when you put that ball up there when you made that shot to make it 60-59? What was your mindset there?

BRANDON RECHSTEINER: Yeah, you don't really think about that. You just let your work and muscle memory take over. I'm confident in every shot.

Q. Brandon, obviously it was a rough shooting today, especially for Jaydon. Was that their defense? What made it a rough shooting day from three-point range?

BRANDON RECHSTEINER: I can't really answer that. It happens. It's basketball. You've got to play through it, find other ways to contribute.

Q. Toby, you had a great presence in the game day, double-double both in points and rebounds today. Was there anything else you felt like you could have done that maybe could have changed the tide of the game?

TOBI LAWAL: First, I'd like to give glory to God. I feel like I should have rebounded way better. Petraitis got six offensive rebounds. That can't happen. Even though I got a double-double, it wasn't good enough.

Q. Toby, Brandon, did you guys like the offensive looks you guys got, especially from behind the arc? Just one of those cases where shots don't fall? What do you tell your teammates in huddles like that when shots aren't falling?

TOBI LAWAL: I mean, it's part of the game. You're going to shoot the same shots that you practice and that you take in games. If they don't go in, there's nothing you can do. You've just got to find ways, like he said, to win the possession back or try and contribute in other ways.

BRANDON RECHSTEINER: Yeah, I would say we had some good shot selection. I don't think anyone was being selfish or forcing it. I like how we kept going to Mylyjael at certain times. We just weren't hitting the shots.

Q. For both the players, you guys came out in this game with great energy. What was the mindset coming into this tournament? What did you think you could get done this week, and how disappointing is it to have it end this way?

BRANDON RECHSTEINER: It's truly heartbreaking to know that we had a chance right there and we lost, because we were definitely planning on being here for a minute. We liked how our schedule was, and we were very confident, felt prepared as a team. We were all confident. It hurts.

TOBI LAWAL: Every game is a championship game. The only way you can keep playing is if you win, so that's what my mindset was. I feel like especially for people like Ben Burnham and Mylyjael, that's how they've been trying to play the whole season. It's harder for them because it's their last one, so yeah.

Q. Brandon, going back to the turnovers, 18 tonight. What do you think caused that? Was that their defense forcing the issue, some unforced stuff?

BRANDON RECHSTEINER: Unforced, honestly. Yeah, I would just say unforced. We're just careless sometimes. Especially as a point guard, I've got to do better. That's my main thing going into the off-season.

Q. Mike, what did you think of the mindset of this group --

MIKE YOUNG: It was great, great, great. Had practiced well, good look about us. I thought we had some good moments in the first half. I think we had five turnovers at the half.

They were ready to go as they have been all year.

Q. Mike, you and Ben Burnham go back pretty much his entire college career from the College of Charleston until now. Can you touch on y'all's relationship, and if this is his final collegiate game, can you talk about --

MIKE YOUNG: He's a great fella, tough about the right stuff, comes to work every day, practices really hard, he practices exactly the way he plays. Really hard, competitive.

He had some growing up as a basketball player when he first came to us. But I think all in all, Ben had a good year for the Hokies, and I know that I thoroughly enjoyed coaching him. He's a great person.

Q. Tough shooting day from three, especially for Jaydon. Was that their defense giving you tough looks? What did you make of that today?

MIKE YOUNG: No, no, and I take nothing away from Coach Madsen's defenses and the Cal Bears. My gosh. You can draw that thing up, and somebody had got to step to the plate and get the thing to the bottom of the barrel. We had great one after great one after great one.

I can think of maybe two -- Lord sakes above. I'll tell you what, didn't deter us from continuing to put it up there. 25 is not a bad number. We had a couple -- college basketball player, you've got to step to the plate and you've got to get that thing home. That's just the bottom line. Need to do better.

Q. What did you think was the difference in the 8-0 in double overtime that let them run away a little bit?

MIKE YOUNG: Yeah, Stojakovic got going. He's a good player, nice young man. The big deal for us was rebounding, and we did a fair job. But 31, golly day, I admire that kid. He's not much to look at, but he's tough, he's rugged. He's a good basketball player. Kept a couple of balls.

And Dort and Sissiko are men. We get caught coming over to help going after a blocked shot and they get the thing up on the rim, and we weren't big enough, physical enough to get them down on the baseline where we could corral that ball with others.

Q. You said a bunch of times that you really liked this group. What was missing to allow them to have more success --

MIKE YOUNG: A lot was missing. A lot was missing. Just call it what it is. They're great kids and a pleasure to work with. We've got to get more talented, and we're going to, quick.

Q. Coach, you discussed on Monday about what needed to happen in order to stop Wilkinson, talking about his ability to use his left hand. But then Stojakovic came up to the plate and especially earlier in the outing. What made him so difficult to guard?

MIKE YOUNG: We don't have a great matchup for him, to be frank. We need one 6'6", 6'7" that can bully his neck and guard him. He's a pretty physical kid. He's got good size like his dad. But 29 is inexcusable. He had some success early on and got on a bit of a roll.

Nice job on Wilkinson. He had 38 at Notre Dame on Saturday. But Stojakovic, needless to say, really hurt us.

Q. When you said you want to get more talented, obviously as far as the turnover ratio, is that something that can be fixed in the portal --

MIKE YOUNG: It better be. It better be. I'm not living through that again.

Q. You had the inbounds pass at the end of regulation that was turned over. You had in overtime Brandon stepped out of bounds, and then you had that Jaydon pass that went out of bounds. All those three unforced?

MIKE YOUNG: If you could dream it, we've done it. Again, we're going to get a lot better. We're going to get a lot better.