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BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 14, 2014Ed CooleyBryce CottonTyler HarrisLaDontae HentonNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK Providence – 80 COACH ED COOLEY: Just a great opportunity for our team. I thought we came in. I thought our kids were prepared. Today we played with a purpose. We had played Seton Hall twice this year, but we never played them at full strength. The first time we played them, Teague had a concussion. Second time we played them, Fuquan had a hand injury. We felt we got their best shot today. I was proud of our guys. We responded in some foul situations; a lot of fouls both ways. But we were able to withstand some foul trouble. I thought we got good energy off the bench, by Brice Kofane especially. I thought Tyler got us going, and LaDontae was a man child today, an absolute man child today. He's had back‑to‑back games, and I always think he's one of the more underappreciated guys on our team. He's just been a rock. He was the first kid that we recruited to Providence college when we came, and I couldn't be more proud. Bryce was Bryce. They went on a little run. We called a time‑out to settle our guys down, and we almost found a way to make it a little more interesting. But we were able to advance and move on. The national tournament is all about is advancing. I'm just really proud of this group because I remember being in the same building some three short years ago, and that same organization beat us by 31 points when we first came here. So when you reflect and see how far you've come in a short period of time, it's all about these players and the effort and the time and commitment that they just put into not just the basketball organization, but the culture of building Providence College. So I'm really, really proud of this group. Q. Coach, this team has had some bumps throughout the season as well. You had a tough start to the conference schedule. Can you just talk about looking back at the beginning and just describe how far you've come and how important it has been for the experience of this group. COACH ED COOLEY: Sure. We're led by our seniors. We're led by our seniors and our upper class, starting with Bryce, Kadeem, LaDontae. They've been through a lot of Big East wars, and they've been through a lot of games. They've logged a lot of minutes. What I'm more proud of them is how they've handled themselves as men and how much they've grown. We all want to win basketball games, but at the end of the day, I'm a basketball coach that believes in developing a person as a whole, not just as a basketball player, and that's what these young men have done. Q. Ed, can you just talk about, you only play a rotation of six guys. You've obviously lost some guys the past couple years. COACH ED COOLEY: You only need five. Q. Talk about what it says about your team you're able to get to a Big East final. COACH ED COOLEY: It's a credit to our weight training and our conditioning staff that our players are able to withstand this. Especially this guy right here (pointing to Bryce Cotton). He plays every minute that God created this year. God bless him. He's done a great job. Again, it's a credit to the strength and conditioning staff and to them believing in the way we want to play. Q. Ed, just talk about both of the last two games, just holding off teams' charges. COACH ED COOLEY: If you look at our games, we're not the prettiest group. At the end of the day, we just want to win. We make it interesting, but we've been able to prevail. I hope it's ugly, and we prevail tomorrow, too. If it plays out the same way, we'll have the same conversation. Q. Coach, you had Batts and Desrosiers in foul trouble. Can you talk about the play of Kofane today. COACH ED COOLEY: Yeah, he had a couple of extra possessions. He had a couple of big time blocks. Another senior who's been through a lot. He hasn't played much for us but he's playing at the right time. I'm really appreciative, and I know these guys are as well. Q. Coach, it's been 20 years since Providence made it to the final at the tournament. Anything, comment, any reflection about that? COACH ED COOLEY: Sure, I remember. I remember when Providence College played in that game. I think I was just graduating from school, and I was really happy for our city and for our state. But that was then. This a new era. This is a new Big East. And we're really fortunate to be here because there's a lot of teams that would love to be sitting in this game tomorrow, and we're one of the last ones standing. Q. Just for all the players: Thoughts on winning these two games and following up on what Coach Cooley talked about, playing in the championship game of the Big East Conference Tournament tomorrow night, big television audience, big crowd, for the first time in 20 years. I'd like all the players to give me your thoughts on what a great accomplishment this is. LaDONTAE HENTON: This was one of our goals coming into the season. Madison Square Garden, it's a big place to play at, a great place to play at, and we just wanted to come in here, and we know we can compete with all the teams in here. So we wanted to do that. Coach just made a point of emphasis of playing real hard, coming out with effort, and that's what we tried to do the first two games. BRYCE COTTON: Following off of what LaDontae said, going into this summer, we built such a great chemistry, and we have such a tight bond, and we knew there was something special about this team. We couldn't quite figure out what it was that was special. As the season continues on for us, I think we're starting to see it. TYLER HARRIS: I just feel like it's a blessing to be here and play at The Garden and make it to the championship game. It was great, especially with this team, of how close we've become and just with the program and how we can make an impact on this program. I just feel like it's a great opportunity. Q. You talk about every time they seemed to get close, whether it was LaDontae or Tyler, came up with big shots. You guys tonight showed you're not going to completely let them catch you. COACH ED COOLEY: Showed our poise. These kids have played a lot of games. They've played a lot of minutes. So I thought our experience really showed down the stretch. I don't think we got rattled. I think they cut it to four or five a couple of times, maybe closer than that. I just didn't think we got rattled. We've been there before. The guys were great in the huddles when I call the time‑out. They run the time‑out. Sometimes I just listen. Sometimes the coaches want to dictate rather than listen to your players. When you listen to your players, they're going to tell you a great story. When the players talk, sometimes the coaches need to shut the hell up. Q. Coach, certainly, there's no lack of motivation for winning a Big East Tournament title. How much do you anticipate it playing into your team's focus going into tomorrow? You're an old guard Big East team, and this will be a new Big East team coming in. Kind of standing up for the old guard, do you think that will provide any extra motivation for your team tomorrow? COACH ED COOLEY: Man, I'm not thinking about that, baby. I'm not thinking about that. I'm just thinking about how we can beat whoever wins. We've played them. We played Creighton. We played Xavier. We split with them both. I'm thinking about the moment. I'm in the moment right now, not the what ifs. You know what I mean? I hope I answered your question. I don't think of that. I think of Providence College every day. Q. It wasn't a very good question. COACH ED COOLEY: That's all right. I love you, though. Q. Ed, was there any concern going into this game against a Seton Hall team that's kind of just playing with house money, really has nothing to lose? COACH ED COOLEY: Providence College was here with a purpose. Again, you have to worry about your opponent, but you have to worry about yourself and what you know. We had a goal and a mission. Our mission was to try to get to the NCAA Tournament. Our goal was it could change throughout the year. We started 0‑2. We had a devastating, devastating loss, and Kris Dunn, we had a couple of suspensions. We were sick. We had a lot of guys sick this year. I was sick. So it really is. It's an accomplishment because our mission is close to being achieved. Q. LaDontae, fourth straight game playing 40 or more minutes. Does fatigue ever get to you? Do you anticipate there maybe being a problem tomorrow night? COACH ED COOLEY: No, not at all. No. We've been playing this way the whole year. I'm sorry, but I'll answer that question. These kids have played like this since they came to Providence. He's averaged 37 minutes a game. He's averaged 120 minutes a game (laughter). And this man, he's averaged about 30. You can't be tired when you're playing for a championship. You can be tired at the end of the season when you're on vacation. Thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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