	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

ATLANTIC 10 CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 12, 2011

Khalif Wyatt

ATLANTIC CITY, NEW JERSEY

Richmond Â– 58
Temple - 54

THE MODERATOR: We're joined by Temple University coach Fran Dunphy and student-athletes Khalif Wyatt and Lavoy Allen. Coach, an opening statement.
COACH DUNPHY: Well, it was a hard-fought game. I was proud of our guys throughout. I was proud that we went down a little bit and then came back, found a way to take a one-point lead with five minutes to go, I think, and then it was just we had three or four possessions that we were a little bit hurried on. Give Richmond credit for that.
We probably tried some things that -- we probably didn't trust in one another quite as much as we have in the past, and we came up a little short.
But I think there were some big, big plays made by both teams. And, again, I'm very proud of what our guys have done throughout the year and certainly the last couple of days as well.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Lavoy, this is kind of unchartered territory for you guys, won the past three years. What's the most important thing with the mental approach moving forward to get ready for what's going to look like an at-large bid for you guys?
LAVOY ALLEN: We've got to forget about this game. I think we gotta share the ball more, and just play the way that we've been playing all year long, and just got to get back to the way we were playing and everything will be okay.

Q. Lavoy, not to be able to repeat as conference champions, how tough was that for you guys? When you get to this stage and you want to repeat as conference champions, how tough is it knowing you're not going to be able to do that?
LAVOY ALLEN: There were a lot of sad faces in the locker room. But I would love to play tomorrow, but unfortunately we are not playing. So just gotta put it behind us.

Q. Khalif, that shot with 30 seconds left, what were you trying to set up on that possession? And I guess when you saw him leaning in, did you just decide you were going to try to draw some contact there?
KHALIF WYATT: Yeah, I got a switch on the bigger guy that was guarding me, so I thought I had an advantage. I got him off his feet. I thought I did a good job leaning into him, trying to draw contact. But the ref didn't see it that way, so turnover.

Q. Lavoy, can you just talk about Juan Fernandez's night? I know he had a career high 10 assists, but he was 3 of 17 shooting. You heard Coach talk about being kind of a -- I don't know if you were rushing the final minute. Do you feel that took a toll on him in trying to set things up and get you guys going on those last few crucial possessions?
LAVOY ALLEN: I'm not sure what Juan's mindset was, but I think maybe he thought there was a lot of pressure on him to make something happen when our offense was a little stagnant. And he tried to make some plays, and unfortunately he didn't shoot the ball well. But some of those shots usually go in. So we're not really worried about that.

Q. Lavoy, obviously not being able to finish off your career with another A-10 title and your last go-around in the NCAA Tournament, does this provide you any extra motivation to really get after it come next week?
LAVOY ALLEN: Whether we're in the NCAA Tournament or NIT or CBI, it doesn't matter. We're just going to try to go out there and just win. Doesn't matter if we would have won the championship this year or not, just going to play the same way.

Q. Khalif, I know you all have a good relationship on the team. Is this a game you guys wanted to win so Lavoy could have another championship before he leaves?
KHALIF WYATT: Yeah, I mean, it was for Lavoy. It was for everybody pretty much. We just wanted to play as much basketball as we can. If we would have won today, we would have had another game tomorrow. So the plan was to just play as much as we can. I mean, it just didn't turn out that way.

Q. Lavoy or Khalif, you played this Richmond team tough earlier this season. What did they do differently this time around?
LAVOY ALLEN: Earlier in the season when we played them I think we were on like a 16-0 run in the second half. That really helped us out. But this time around they really clamped down on defense and they forced us to take some bad shots and rush some shots and they defended us pretty well.

Q. Lavoy, with three of you guys in foul trouble early on, did you guys really have to be passive defensively to the point of even letting them score if they got the ball in good position?
LAVOY ALLEN: I mean, I don't think I let up on defense. Foul trouble or not, I was still trying to play defense the same way, so I don't think that was the thought there.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks, gentlemen. Questions for Coach Dunphy.

Q. Fran, as the previous question, Juan's game does not look good on the box score, obviously, but he found himself in situations where other guys were either not making themselves available or the Richmond defense was preventing them from being available. So his game was better than it looks in the box score; would that be your assessment?
COACH DUNPHY: Yeah, I think so. I think he tried to force a couple of things. But we're going to trust in Juan Fernandez with the ball. But I would say the same thing with Khalif Wyatt and Ramone Moore too; that we need to trust in all of those guys that they're going to make good plays.
He had a couple of tough shots at the basket that I'm sure he would change if he could. But 10 assists is very good and he's a terrific player. And we had opportunities to score a few times but we just couldn't get that done in the last five minutes.
But I'll trust in Juan Fernandez with the ball anytime.

Q. Can you just talk about where you go from here with your team? Obviously they'll be waiting now in preparation. Will anything change, be different, coming off a tournament loss as opposed to a win heading into the next one?
COACH DUNPHY: I guess we'll find out. But I'm hoping that the committee will choose to put us into the NCAA Tournament. We've had a spectacular year in so many different ways. And I couldn't be more proud of everything that we have accomplished and what these kids have done throughout the year.
So I hope we're ready to go if we can play some basketball next week.

Q. You played against Anderson before, but tonight he seemed exceptionally quick with the ball.
COACH DUNPHY: Yeah, he's a really good player. He was Player of the Year in our league last year, and he was First-Teamer again. Just a terrific basketball player. He made some really tough shots.
I thought they made a couple of -- even beside Kevin, though, the kid Harper made a great follow. He missed one shot and stayed in there. That was a big stick-back. Geriot had the same thing. Geriot had a 3 on the sideline that really hurt us.
I think overall we played pretty good defensively, we just didn't do as well offensively, and some of that is us and some of that is Richmond certainly. I wouldn't dismiss how good a defensive team they are.

Q. Could you talk about the development you saw from Aaron Brown in this tournament and what he did to step up without Scootie? And, number two, any indication of whether you'll be able to have Scootie for the NCAA?
COACH DUNPHY: I don't know that. He's been running. Just shooting the basket really hasn't started and stopped. I think that's the next progression that he has to make. If we have him, that will be great. Aaron has done great work for us all year long. Stepped up and made some big plays again tonight. So there's a growth in that kid that I think you find at the end of freshman years, and I think he's starting to grow as a player.
So if we have Scoot that would be great, but we'll trust in Aaron Brown as well.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297