The publishing tool is currently down, so I'm posting some stuff out of ISU's media availability this afternoon here instead.
Here's everything CTJO had to share on his team's quarterfinal round game against the Bears.
On the dynamic of playing Baylor in consecutive games and what to expect:
“On our end, certainly we played well on Saturday and did a lot of things well. We’ve got to recreate and do those same things on the glass, passing on the interior and finishing at the rim. We also know that, for them, they’re a really good team that’s really well-coached. They’re going to make adjustments and try to get the game going up and down more. They’re probably going to probably play four guards more and try to skip the ball around and drive closeouts and do things to get the game that they want, where they can be more successful. We have to be really intentional, stubborn, to get the game that we need it to be and also understand that there’s going to be adjustments and things that we’re going to have to adapt to through the course of the game.”
On how to sustain that effort against the Bears from last weekend:
“More than anything, we’re at the time of the year, I talked to our guys a lot about the best locker room is going to be successful. Having fun, enjoying each other, this experience that we’re having together. We mean that. We told the guys before Saturday, ‘everybody’s getting in, everybody’s going to get a chance to impact winning’. When you say you need all hands on deck, we mean it. Everybody’s going in, so take advantage of that opportunity and that time. We need to draw upon that experience Saturday and continue with whatever opportunities we have moving forward to recreate that the best we can.”
On the need to get off to another good start on Thursday:
“We would like to start the game and be the aggressor. We would like to start the game with being the team that sets the tone for the type of game that it’s going to be. We’re confident in different combinations and personnel, whoever we put out there, can do a great job of that.”
On his thought process behind playing everyone against Baylor on Saturday:
“Just felt like, for everybody to be as engaged as we needed, to have great practices and great energy, maybe guys who hadn’t got in, you get to this point in the year and there’s guys that can check out mentally. Guys can say that, ‘you know what, you can say that, but you don’t need me, you don’t need all of us’. No, we mean everybody. Just something we thought could help bring energy to the group. We’ll continue to evaluate moving forward what will give us the best chance to win.”
On Gabe Kalscheur’s wealth of experience and having been in the postseason before:
“It speaks to the experience that he has. We talked about, even last year when we were going to the NCAA Tournament, we didn’t have a lot of guys with tournament experience. Gabe had had some games in the tournament where he did well and had success. When you’ve had that type of longevity, where you’ve been successful and played so many great teams over time, I don’t think the moment is ever too big for you. I don’t think you come into a game with jitters or nerves as much, because I’ve been here before and know what I need to do. He brings that veteran experience and calmness to our team of, I’ve been in this spot before and know how to handle it.”
On the work Kalscheur has done with a freshman like Tamin Lipsey:
“Tamin’s been fortunate to have a guy like Gabe that he can look to as an example. Tamin, himself, great character, great work ethic, all those things are in place, but now when you get to the college level, especially in the Big 12, seeing what that looks like, somebody that leads by example like Gabe does, I think it gives Tamin every day an example of this is how it’s supposed to look. Tamin’s done a great job in his own right of being prepared every single day and not letting the moment to be too big. We’re counting on both those guys in major ways. We’re fortunate Gabe has led the way he has, for sure.”
On the progress Tre King has made since becoming eligible:
“It’s so tough to come into a team mid-year. It’s the first time I’ve ever been a part of it. You’re trying to find the right blend and we were doing OK, yet we had the injury with Jaz (Kunc) not too far down the road. It was trying to get him acclimated but there’s probably such a thing as too much too soon as well. Continue earning it and working for it, even though he had done that in practice. Now we’ve seen throught he course of the year as he’s had this big rebounding game or this big scoring game or helped impact defensively a lot this game. He’s kind of built on that success and built his own confidence. Now, where he’s been able to come in like he did last game and be as productive over the entire game.”
On weathering the Big 12 storm and arriving at this point in the season:
“We really do believe that everything that we do everyday matters. Daily habits and cumulative effects of those over time. Yet, at the same time, the season’s long and over time, things can become mundane. Things can become to where you need to shake it up a bit. We’ve been fortunate, for the adversity and challenges we’ve had, and then responding to it and showing that ‘ok, we took some punches playing in the best league in the country’. You can play good and still not come out with a win, so it’s really been more about, for our guys, honoring our league, respecting how good it is, and understanding it. Realizing that we can reconnect to those habits. Be a team that this time of the year that’s really enjoying this moment and experience, hopefully for those guys that haven’t been in this spot before, they’re so excited that…if you’re Shoon (Osunniyi), Jaren (Holmes), this is a way that my last year of college so many of these special things I’ve worked for for four or five years, now I’m getting an opportunity to have these big moments.”
On what he saw of true freshman Demarion Watson on Saturday:
“Defensively, he was elite on Saturday. Guarding older veteran guards who are quick. He was dialed in and focused there. His confidence, I thought he was vocal, which was really good. Offensively, he caught it on the interior, made some great passes, and finished some plays. More than any game he’s played, he just looked confident out there. Like, as the game settled in and wore on, he was carrying himself like he’s done this before and been in this spot. That was great for us to see, because he does bring a lot to the table for our team.”
