#34, Julius Mays, G
On how the team played in the second half in comparison to the first …
“We came out with a lot more energy. We started getting more aggressive, scrambling, rebounding and running.”
On if he was worried when the collision initially happened …
“Anytime you hurt your knee, you are always thinking ‘Oh my ACL, my MCL.’ I was scared at first just because of the way I landed. ”
On how relieved he was when he got the prognosis from the doctors …
“I don’t like being injured. I hate being injured. I hate when people get injured. I was glad to hear the doctors say that it wasn’t anything serious, and that everything would be alright.”
#3, Nerlens Noel, F
On being the most improved player on the team…
“Yeah, Coach Cal told me that. He told that I just need to stay focused, work hard, be energetic and just bring what I have to the table.”
On not being able to attend the extra practices in the summer …
“Yeah I wish I could have gone, but it definitely pushed me when I got here. It put (myself) in the mindset of when I got here that I would have to put my all into it get where I need to be as a player.”
On areas that he has improved the most …
“It would definitely have to be my confidence. I know that I can go to hoop and score from the block. My confidence came from all the drills and repetition in practice.”
On what are they doing as team that helped them improve in the second half…
“It really comes down to our unity as a team. The first half we struggled, but we came together in the second half. At halftime we figured it out and really got it going.”
15 Willie Cauley-Stein
On what changed in the second half..
“Effort. We just put more effort in the second half to get a stop. Making them turn the ball over so that we could get transition points. Coach had a big part in it, but we had to realize ourselves that this is not acceptable at the higher collegiate level.”
On how this game helped prepare for Fridays game…
“When we go back and watch film, it shows you what we have to go back and work on, even the strides we’ve made since the last game we played. “
On defending the 3-point shot…
“We knew coming into the game that last year they put up around 30 3-point shots and that was a big emphasis.”
#12, Ryan Harrow, G
On the teams improvement …
“I thought everybody played hard today. Coach was stressing Kyle (Wiltjer) and I to have more energy on defense and I thought we did that today.”
On the difference between the first and second half …
“Coach told me to be aggressive. It starts on the defensive side and if I got energy on the defensive side it will translate to the offensive side.”
On tonight’s performance…
“I think it was a step up. We played good defense in the second half. We were scrambling and making sure that they weren’t able to shoot 3’s because that s what they wanted to do.”
