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BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 14, 2014Melvin EjimFred HoibergDeAndre KaneGeorges NiangKANSAS CITY, MISSOURI Iowa State – 94 THE MODERATOR: We're joined now by Iowa State, Coach Fred Hoiberg, student‑athletes Melvin Ejim, Georges Niang and DeAndre Kane. Coach? COACH HOIBERG: Couldn't be more proud of these guys, how they came out of the gate after a very tough physical game yesterday against Kansas State. Everybody that stepped on the floor made a big contribution today. You look at these three guys, what they did, and you look at a guy like Daniel Edozie who hasn't had a lot of minutes for us, came off the bench and was huge. He was able to spell our guys. We had a couple of guys cramping up over there on the side. But for those guys coming in there giving us those nice spot minutes to give these guys some rest was very important, as important as anything that happened today. Defensively, in the second half, we made adjustments. They were hurting us in the paint with Perry in the first half. We tried to be there on the catch with our double teams. We were much better in that area and our rotations were very crisp and we were able to slow them down a little bit. I thought offensively we were really good all night with spacing, played a lot of two‑man games and we were able to knock down shots. Just a great win for our guys, really proud of them, big opportunity in front of us tomorrow. Q. Melvin and Georges, obviously all three of you up there played well. How important is it for that to happen going forward and how much different is this team when it gets the contributions from you three? GEORGES NIANG: I think we're very good going forward when all three of us make great contributions. But I don't want to take anything away from our guys coming off the bench, especially Daniel. He did a great job holding his own down there, getting big rebounds and that big and‑1 was huge for us. We love competing for championships. Coach says take it one day at a time. The Big 12 championship is in front of us and that's what we're looking forward for. MELVIN EJIM: I think every day we play, we bring it. The chance of us three playing well is increasing and when guys that come off the bench, like Dustin, are playing well, Monte is playing, Daniel comes off and gives us some vital minutes, it shows how versatile this team is, how many weapons we have and how hard we're to beat when we're all clicking. We're doing a real good job and we're really rolling right now, and I think that it's just going to continue to go in that direction. Q. Georges, how is the face? Looked pretty bad going off the floor? GEORGES NIANG: Do I look better now? That was coach was telling me, I look a little better now. Q. A little bit. Overall, in the first half, you guys gave up the 16‑0 run, but you just didn't look rattled. How much of that was that a conversation with you guys on the floor and how much of that is an extension of what Fred teaches you all? GEORGES NIANG:  Coach preaches how are you going to act when adversity hits you? Are you going to give up? Are you going to point the finger? Are you going to point the finger at yourself? How are you going to act? He asks us that question all the time, and I feel like we came here for a reason. We didn't want to go down with a fight, so we just kept fighting, clawing, pulling, and we eventually got it on the two, even though I missed a bunny out there to tie it. Then we went in and we felt like we had these guys in the second half. We came out and made the first punch and from there it was clear skies. Q. Melvin and Georges, how different is KU without Embiid out there? It seemed like you guys were really having your will right at the rim most of the second half. How different are they when he's not playing? GEORGES NIANG: He's a very good shot blocker. He's a rim protector for them, and it's unfortunate they didn't have him. But don't take anything away from this Kansas team. They're extremely talented. They have a bunch of guys they can go to. So it was a little bit easier getting to the rim, but they're still a very talented team. MELVIN EJIM: I think their depth on the post, you know, they have three or four guys they're rotating in and out. So they played extremely well today, and I don't think you should take anything away from them and for us. Q. Georges and DeAndre, Bill Self had expected there to be basically a pro‑KU crowd every time that they played in this building. Do you feel like what Coach preached about how you're going to act helped you to stay composed tonight? And did you feel like it was mostly a pro‑KU crowd out there? GEORGES NIANG: I think our fans travel really well. They're just as loud out there, but Coach is always telling us you've just gotta play the next play. So I think that's what we did when they hit us with that 16‑0 run. And we just, like I said, kept fighting and clawing and battled our way back into the game. DEANDRE KANE: Same thing Georges said. Coach preached at the beginning of the game that teams are going to go on runs and adversity is going to hit. How are you going to respond? And you just gotta keep playing. You've got to play 40 minutes. Can't play 38‑, 36‑minute games. You gotta play 40 minutes, play it all out. Their fans were pretty loud, but our fans were pretty loud, too. And we just went out there and played hard. Q. DeAndre, how much different is the game for you in terms of pressure when Melvin and Georges are contributing and other guys are hitting shots the way they were tonight? DEANDRE KANE: It takes a lot of pressure off me, especially when we've got Monte Morris in the game, he can handle the ball. And Georges brings up the ball and so does Mel. It makes it easier for me. But this was the type of offense we've got. We like the run and gun, we like to get up and down the court. Anybody can bring it up. You see when Georges brings it up, he can run ice at the top of the key. But it takes a lot of pressure off me knowing these guys can contribute, too, by bringing the ball up. Q. Georges, KU got into foul trouble the first half. No matter who they played against you, your game worked against anybody. What is it about your game that just translates, doesn't matter who the defender is? GEORGES NIANG: I give all the credit to Coach Hoiberg. He puts me in great situations to use my advantages, and that's my body and my moves. So he puts me in great positions. And my teammates, they do a good job of spacing the floor and let me go to work. And when we have a double team, they're wide open to knock down shots. So credit goes to my team and Coach Hoiberg; they just do a great job of putting me in good position. Q. Wonder if you could describe the meaning of getting to this title game by way of going through Kansas and sort of the colorful time you've had with them over the years. COACH HOIBERG: I mean, we've had some unbelievable matchups the past couple of years, able to beat them a couple of years at our place. And the absolute two hardest games I've ever had as far as losses go. McLemore banks in the 3. And then losing the one at home, a tough call there at the end. Didn't play very well at home against them this year. Thought we played very well at Kansas. They just were great. I don't think anybody would have beat them that game with Embiid and what he was doing. And Perry Ellis had a great game, and Naadir was a difference‑maker and Wiggins was awesome. It's a great team. It's a great win for us for the fact that it gives us confidence that we can compete with anybody in the nation. It was good to finally get one of these at the end after struggling to close out games against Kansas here these past few years. Bill Self, I think, is as good as there is in this business. He does such an unbelievable job. It ain't easy, regardless of the talent, to replace five starters. What he's done with that team, to put them in contention for a 1 seed is a great credit to he and his staff. He's just done an amazing job, but for us to win this game, it's great for our team, and even better for our fans that made this trip down here, doubled the amount of tickets we had a year ago. So to win this one for them was very important and a great feeling. Q. How difficult is it for you to execute offensively and defensively when one of those guys or two of those guys are struggling? COACH HOIBERG: You know what, so much of it depends on the night, who we feel we have a matchup that we can take advantage of. We miss a lot of easy ones in that first half. We were getting to the rim and a lot of that has to do with Kansas. They've got great length in there. They protect the rim as well as any team in the nation, their two‑point field goal percentage. But we were getting there. In the second half, we started finishing. Georges, we felt, was the guy that could go out and make plays for us. And he did that. Had a few turnovers he'd probably like to have back, but he must have scored six or seven straight possessions there to create some separation for us. So, again, it just depends on the day. DeAndre made some really great plays without getting to the rim and obviously shot the ball extremely well. And Monte Morris, again second consecutive game where he made big plays down the stretch for a freshman in his first conference tournament. Q. I know there's a lot of factors, but you guys shot 54percent tonight after, I think, 39percent the first two games against them. How different is the way that you attack and the way that you plan to attack them without Embiid in there? COACH HOIBERG: Well, he's certainly a difference‑maker on that defensive end at the rim. They're so good at trying to get in there and score at the basket. I think we only had 12 in the first half in the paint, 24‑12. We close that gap to 44‑38. So we were able to probably attack a little bit more tonight than we were the first two nights. Georges had a really tough shooting game, his first one. Made those shots in the second one in Lawrence. And then again was unbelievable today. Those plays he made, those aren't easy shots. He makes them look easy, but it's a credit to Georges with what he's done with his footwork. He's in much better shape this year, to be able to finish off that game for us was huge and he did a lot of that yesterday as well against Kansas State. Q. When was the last time you had a T, because I don't think you haven't had one this year? COACH HOIBERG: Kentucky, two years ago in the NCAA tournament. Those are the only two I've had in my life, including as a player. Q. And what really makes you mad, because even the one tonight looked like you got caught in a TV timeout? COACH HOIBERG: I wasn't going out on the floor to dispute the call. It was a media timeout. And I went out there and I used a bad word. I'm not going to sit here and pretend I didn't. And I put a little bit of that run that they had on me, because I thought we got a little unnerved. We just got a little bit rattled when I got that. I told them next time out, I apologized to them. Guys, everybody take a deep breath. Let's get our composure back, and we did. We closed the half out very well. What did they get up by, ten maybe. We were able to cut it by two, which was manageable at the half. I thought our energy out of the gates in the second half was really good, able to take a lead and never give it up. Q. What is it in the second half that you did so well to shut down Perry Ellis after that explosive first half? COACH HOIBERG: That was the big thing that we talked about. We were probably a little too complicated with a one‑day prep, with our schemes as far as when we were going to double when we weren't. The second half we just decided to go anytime he caught the ball. What was he? 9 for 10 in the first half, only got up a couple shots in the second. We had it rolling. Shoot, he had 28 on us last year in this exact same game. But we did much better job with our double teams in that second half, and rotations were very good, closing out their shooters. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, Coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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