Post Game Quotes: Ohio State
3/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo
Opening Statement…
Not sure about the game, but the after party was a reason to coach for another 10 years. It was unbelievable. It never gets old and I thought, honestly, our fans deserve so much credit this year. We lost two home games, they stuck with us the whole time, and I don't know if anybody left today. Unbelievable to me. I was appreciative. I guess I'm a blessed coach. I got a team that's been maybe as solid academically, athletically and socially as I've had. I have fans that have stuck with us. They've had a hell of a year though. When you look at football and basketball and women's basketball and volleyball and golf and all the other sports, it's kind of great to be a Spartan right now. Hopefully we all appreciate what we got. Today was a strange day. We didn't guard very good early again. They made some shots too. Give them some credit. They made some shots they haven't been making. They were a poor 3-point shooting team coming in. Today they shot the lights out. Started early, didn't think we guarded very well early. But (Marc) Loving's a hell of a player. I told you that I didn't think it was a 20-point game the last one and we prepared, but there were a lot more distractions than a normal senior night. For (Matt) Costello to get his 11 rebounds, whatever he ended up with, and 15 points, another double-double, is important. To (average) a double-double in the Big Ten, there just haven't been many players who have done that. A lot of very good players haven't done that and he probably doesn't get the credit he deserves. For Denzel (Valentine) to finish up with 27 points, 13 assists, only two turnovers, incredible. He's slacking on the rebounding getting only four, but I guess we'll give him a little reprieve on that. Bryn Forbes gets 14 points in what seems like a ho-hum day for him. You get 14 points, you get a rebound, you get a couple assists, he had no turnovers, just kind of the way you want to go out. Then before the game, Deyonta (Davis), I've been telling him all the time that someday he's going to owe Colby (Wollenman) a lot of money for the help he's given him with the scout team and everything. He kind of talked about maybe Colby should start and I was wrestling with it early but when a player says something, it's even more impressive, especially a player like him. Did it hurt him, because he didn't have one of his better days? Maybe. But it'll be a lasting memory to me, and more importantly than me, it'll be a special day for Colby and his parents who very seldom get to see him play. Defense was a little shabby at times, their offense was good, our offense was phenomenal, and we're moving forward. Next week we'll talk to you about what we have to do defensively to shore up a little bit. Right now we're just going to enjoy the moment and tell you that I've never been prouder of a group and the group is players, managers, assistant coaches, all the auxiliary staff, my AD, my President, everybody was here today to do something. Special day. It'll go down as one I'll remember as long as I'm alive.
On the unselfishness of his team…
First of all I want to thank Thad (Matta), too, because at the end of the game when I dragged out the Spartan tradition, that sometimes could be looked at as in somebody else's face. The first thing I did is I semi-apologized and then he said, 'Are you kidding me?' He was classy about it, so great, and said he's done some of it himself. That's number one. Number two, I think he's right on the money. He's evaluated us well. When you have that kind of assists, when you're getting 72 percent of your baskets, seven and a half out of 10 baskets are on passes, you can find some teams that are barely getting 50 percent. I think that does speak of this team. It speaks of the unselfishness of the team and the ability to make shots. You can look at it both ways.
On where he's most impressed with Denzel Valentine's growth…
You pick an area. He was always a good student, but he's going to graduate, he's taking like two classes to graduate. So he's ahead there. You look at him off the court. He came in a little like every freshman; I think he's grown there tremendously. I think he was always a leader by example, but he became a leader by talking. And that's a big step for a guy to take, and he's done a better and better job at that. His ball handling skills have improved, his shooting has improved enormously. Everybody deserves credit for that - from his dad, to his brother, to the GAs that I've had, his brother Drew when he was here, Austin and TK, the managers. Everybody deserves a little credit but Denzel deserves the most credit. And then his defense. I mean, he has taken markable strides each year. I guess I'd have to say last but not least, his body. He doesn't have one of those Adonis bodies every though he works at it, but this year he really cut his percent body fat and he made himself better in every aspect. I don't know many guys that have improved in every aspect of the game like he has. I reiterate what I've said a bazillion times in the last two weeks. I love another candidate or two our there, but I prejudicially say that he's the player of the year and the reason I say it is the things I just told you. It's unfair because I don't know what a couple other guys have done, but I do know what he's done and he's done it at a high level. He's done it playing some of the best teams. Our league has been very good over these last 3-4 years. Our preseason competition has been off the charts these 3-4 years. We kind of forget…they were talking about the Oklahoma (game vs. Kansas), did Buddy (Hield) win that in the Kansas game. That was a triple overtime game and he was unbelievable. I was cheering for him. Then all the sudden, I forget that Denzel has 29 points, 13 assists, 14 rebounds or something like that when we played Kansas and it wasn't a triple overtime game. So when you look at those things, this kid, he's done it and he's handled the pressure of it, he's handled the pressure of being in his hometown. I love all four of them but I will miss Denzel because he's the closest thing to a player-coach you could have.
On if he could rank this senior class with the other ones he's had…
It's hard to, it's really hard to, because someone will get insulted. I don't want Mateen (Cleaves) getting mad, that's for sure, because that'll be tough on me. I saw Chris Hill in the stands and his group. Then Day Day (Draymond Green), I definitely don't want him mad at me. But if I took all the aspects of it, what they did on the court, off the court, in the classroom, in the community, this team has to rank one. Because all four guys are graduating, it's not even an issue. Colby's going to be operating on me someday, I don't want to insult him. The hell with Mateen, I don't want to insult Colby, he could be taking care of me later on in life. I think Matt has grown a lot. I think Bryn has grown a ton. You get that kind of growth, it means that coaches will get some credit for it, but it's the players around them and the players that are holding each other accountable - Bryn pushing Zel and Zel pushing Bryn. Who knows, you know. There are so many ways to look at it. I guess one way to look at it, you know, we'll see in the next three to four weeks how good they are.
On the other teams he said he thought he could win a national title with…
Oh yeah, 2000 and 2001, definitely. I thought 2010 we had a chance just because of the field but we lost Kalin (Lucas) and this and that. I thought 2014, even though we had all those injuries at the end of the year but we got back together, we won the Big Ten, I thought that was the best team that had a chance to win it because we had size, we had guards, we had a little bit of everything. Then this one. That doesn't take anything way from '99 or '05 or '09, I don't think it would have mattered how good we were until we ran into the Los Angeles Laker Carolina team. They were so good that year. Some of it was what we have a chance to do and some of it is how good the other teams are. Don't get me wrong now - we can get beat in the first round. I've seen other teams do it, that's just the way it is in that one and done time. But, I say going in the best chance, it's been the best chance in for sure three years, and maybe one of the two best chances in the last 10 years.
On Gavin Schilling's first half and why he didn't play much in the second…
You know, he should have played a little more in the second half and we played Marv (Marvin Clark Jr.) and Marv was playing pretty well. Schilling I thought did an incredible job in the first half. He was the one shining moment for us and deserved to play more. Like a good coach, I'll blame my assistants for that, but I won't blame anybody. I think everybody had an understanding of who was going to play. We were going to leave the seniors in there a little bit and there just wasn't as much time. Instead of getting Forbes at the end I decided that those guys deserved to play. That's the only reason. But Schilling made a big impression on me today. He started scoring the ball, he started rolling harder, he started rebounding, he was good on the ball screens. But we didn't do as good of a job. DJ said to me on the bench three times I did a poor job and I should have gotten Zel out more, we should have gotten Matt out a little bit more. We'll evaluate ourselves and rip ourselves a little too, but senior night, I've pulled enough guys throughout the year, they deserve to have a few extra minutes in there, as Schilling will next year.
On the numbers that highlight the regular season…
You know the numbers are ridiculous. I'm the farthest thing from an analytics guy there is. I know the pro basketball is going more to analytics and I'm not a big fan of that. I'm a big fan of your heart, not your numbers. I almost despise it. But if I look at the analytics, my god. I keep looking at the Big Ten stats and I said this is a joke. We're either one or two in everything just about. A guy asked me something two days ago, 'If you don't like the analytics, how do you like the eyeball test?' That's kind of more my style. I don't like it quite as much as the analytics because I'm a negative SOB, but I do like it. I said we're playing good, we're playing hard, we're sharing the ball, so I guess that's why you're picked high because both analytically and eyeball wise, we've played and earned the right to be a first, second, I don't know, third seed. We've earned the right to be in the conversation.
On if any particular numbers have impressed him...
Well the assists have because that means you're sharing the ball. Our defensive field goal percentage has until the last 3-4 games. I think we've slumped a little bit in that. Our offense, 3-point shooting, we're like six percentage points ahead and there are some very good three-point shooting teams - Indiana, Michigan - in our league. If I let myself, I'd be impressed with a lot of them. But as I told my guys, they can all enjoy it tonight and they can all enjoy it tomorrow, because tomorrow's off. But Monday, it's going to be dog eat dog, and we're going to get back on what we've got to get better at defensively, what we've got to get better at with the ball. We're going to get back on all the things. But we're not going to talk about today, because I too enjoy a day and that's how it's going to be.
On where the focus lies with six days off…
Well defensively, it's got to get better. And you know, rebounding, we rebounded pretty well tonight, but we went I think three games in a row we were plus four. We're normally plus 10, 11 or 12. Today we were plus 10. I didn't think we were great, and I don't think we're cutting out well - we have some work there to do. We need to work on getting a hand up, people were shooting threes in our face. We have enough work that I don't think I'm going to take a four day vacation. I think I'm just going to stay here and do some work.
On the evolution of Matt Costello this year…
You know, you're going to laugh at this, but I push Matt every day. Some people take it wrong. The one thing I should say to you all about when Matt comes over and looks like he's yelling; Matt is the most respectful human being on this planet. He's been raised that way. He just has a different way of saying it. And how can I argue? My way isn't always so easy to accept or see either. I told you the story about after the Ohio State game. We got in at about 2:30, its 8:30 in the morning and who's in my office? Matt. He's saying 'coach I need to watch the film, I did this wrong, I did that wrong. Stay after me. Zel, stay on me'. They get it. And that's why I'm gonna miss them. Not everybody gets it. They know what they want to accomplish personally, and what they want to accomplish as a team. My job is to push them to accomplish those things each and every day. And I take that job to heart. I don't always do it the right way, but I always do it with the right motivation. And that's all the matters to them, and that's all that matters to me. They know where I'm coming from.
On what senior night does for recruiting…
I had a friend of mine that was a priest that left. He came back today to watch the game. Recruits in the stands, former players in the stands. I saw Neitzel, KT, and Chris. There are probably a million more. Even the average fan. If you weren't moved by that, I wouldn't want you. I wouldn't want you. I was very, very proud of our people. Not our players, but our people. I mean, those people in the stands, you can tell, they gave them respect and love. And we're not allowed to use that word because we're macho athletes. They gave them respect and love. And they did it at the highest level. And I think our players have given them respect and love back. And that's what it should be all about no matter if you're a recruit, a mom, a dad, a little kid, a 90 year old mother - like my mother was her today I'll have to ask her what she thought about it. If she didn't like it, I might have to kick her out tonight. She'll have to get a hotel room or something.
On how this group of seniors has improved since arriving on campus…
Well I think Denzel has improved a ton, he was barely a top 100 player. Matt Costello was barely a top 100 player. Bryn Forbes, I don't k now if he was a top 100 player. And Colby was… not a player. And I'd like to sit up here and beat my chest and say 'look what I turned them into', but it didn't happen that way. I mean I'll be the first to tell you that my assistants did a great job, the managers did a great job, but those kids… I always look at millionaires. And I say okay, was that million handed down, or was that earned? And nothing was handed down for these guys. I sure as hell didn't hand anything down. They worked. They earned it. They did it. And I'm not sure any group has come from there to here, no matter what happens next week or the week after, like this group has. And this is usually praise for the end of the year, rather than the end of the regular season, but it must mean they moved me, too. I was sitting in my hotel room two days ago at Rutgers, and the Bad Boys thing came on. Isiah Thomas says at the end 'I gave everything I had, I had nothing left'. I looked at those four guys today and I said 'you guys have given everything you have, but you better have something left'. And that's the way I look at it.
On the unselfish nature of this team…
Alvin Ellis made one today that I'd never seen him make. He caught it and he hit Marvin Clark so quick. I'd like to say Denzel wears off on you. Kind of like Magic wears off on our whole program. We know how he brought the pass back to basketball. I sell that a lot with guys. When Mateen is back I have him talk to guys about that. And then to watch Day-Day in the NBA, there's just something about this place right now, and I think that's the way people look at it. I'm proud they look at it that way. I don't care how good we get, who we recruit, or who we don't recruit. I don't want to lose the blue-collarness. I don't want to lose the ego-less way of doing things. I don't want to lose the work ethic, and I don't want to lose the respect that players have for the players that were here before, and the fans that are here now. Those things are going to be staples when I leave, and I'm going to dedicate my own wall to it. Man, this team taught me a lot. This team taught me a lot on how and why to keep pushing. I'm happy I didn't give in to them but I'm happy they hung in there with me.
Senior Guard Denzel Valentine
On the emotions of senior day…
"It was amazing. All the emotions, running through my head and running through our team's heads. There was a lot to play for tonight. We came out and our defense wasn't the best but we got the win. We just have to improve on our defense, but other than that I think we played solid."
On the team's offense…
"We moved the ball fairly well and got the shots we wanted. Our bigs did a good job of posting up and getting the shots they wanted. Bryn [Forbes] did a great job of coming off screens and Eron [Harris] was in attack mode from the beginning. McQuaid was under control today and Tum [Nairn Jr.] was finding me for shots. It was just a team effort as far as the offensive side. We did what we had to do."
On tying Michigan State's record for the most wins in a regular season with 26…
"That's a huge record. We'll always be able to look in the record book and see our team and see what we accomplished this year. We would have liked to get the Big Ten Championship outright, but we have a lot of basketball left to play and can still win two more championships. We're not done. We want to play nine more games and win two more championships."
On the Breslin atmosphere…
"It was huge. From the start it was loud, and even though the full Izzone wasn't there it was still a great atmosphere. Pretty much everybody stayed at the end for senior night to recognize the seniors and I. That's big time. Shout out to the fans and everybody that stayed around, that's respect and that's why I'm so proud to be a Spartan."
Senior Forward Matt Costello…
On the experience of senior night…
"It just meant so much. All the support that we had when we were down, when we were high, we've always had the fans' support. To see all the families here, Colby's parents came in all the way from Wyoming. Tum's [Nairn Jr.] mom came in from the Bahamas. We really had a Spartan atmosphere today. We were talking about it last night and it felt so good."
On his brother's performance of the national anthem…
Originally we were planning on me singing it with him. The whole experience kind of nixed that, I was crying too much. Having him sing just reminded me of all the times we've been through. We've always done the national anthem together, so to hear him sing was a great experience and it felt good."
On the effort that the team played with today…
We did a pretty good job today offensively, but the place that we have to sure up is defensively. We need to sure up those gaps and contest those 3's."
On the Breslin Center crowd today...
"The crowd was amazing. Everybody came out for senior day and stayed all throughout the whole thing. It helped that it was a Saturday afternoon, but everybody was there for the whole speech. They were giving us support and cheering us on. So you have to credit Spartan Nation on a snowy nasty day like this."
Ohio State Men's Basketball Coach Thad Matta
On today's defense…
"Well, obviously they were high powered offensively. We were fixated around one thing defensively too much, and we needed to see two things going on and rotation wise we weren't where we needed to be and have the pressure on the basketball that we needed to disrupt. I thought we did a little better job in the second half, but they were just sort of picking what they wanted and putting it on us."
On Michigan State's offense…
"As I told the coaches tonight, I saw that about four or five years ago when we played Wisconsin on senior day and had an offensive performance like that. I think with Valentine he is just, A) he has great intelligence, always looking to make the right read and when you do that and can shoot the basketball at the level he can, I think he was 5-of-6 from 3 tonight and the one he missed was at the end of a shot clock. He made us pay going under a handoff, he made us pay going over by a rescreen, he hit a couple in transition. With his size he does a great job of understanding what is going to happen before it happens."
On Michigan State ball movement…
"I think that is something you know that sort of separates them, they have a really good understanding of who is open, executing what they are doing and we had a team on senior day a few years ago have 29 field goals and 28 assists and that is solid basketball right there in terms of what you are doing. They have ball movement and guys were where they were supposed to be and they found them."
On message to team going to Big Ten Tournament…
"Well it's funny because my message was five games ago we said that we have a five game season and we want to be a better basketball team at the completion of the five games. I thought we did some decent things today, obviously our defense wasn't where it needed to be but we were better offensively. We were not able to get that break that we need especially there in the first half there was a couple of plays and loose balls that I thought we had them and we were going the other way and they end up making a basket. My message I think was hey, were going back and lets be the best team we can be next time we play and go from there."
On MSU 3-pointers making them good…
"Yeah, they can get you either way to be honest with you and I think that was something that we wanted to lock down on 3's, but they came off ball screens and they were hitting the roll guy like I said, we weren't closing out the way we needed to be. Finally in the second half we did and we got a blocked shot but you know that is what a guy like Valentine can do, you are so consumed with them and Forbes has been shooting the ball at such an alarming rate you are kind of focused on him."
On bench gesture…
"Yeah, its something we addressed with him (Daniel Giddens). We don't act that way at Ohio State and that is unacceptable, like I said. That guy turned and said something at the bench, but we don't act that way and its something that he obviously regrets doing and we will take care of him when we get back."
On moment where you thought a break was coming…
"We were hoping, but they just made big shot after big shot after big shot after big shot and it was one of those where they were rolling for forty minutes. We thought that if we could get three-consecutive stops one time, we could crack into this thing but it just wasn't met to be in that regard because they just did not miss."
On team's defensive struggles…
"This team has shown to be a very good defensive team. Just from the standpoint of that we have been pretty good in terms of rotation and we have been pretty good in terms of understanding the core principles of what we need to do on the action, three-straight times down the court in the first half they scored and that can't happen in terms of what we are about and what we are trying to do. Lets face it, when we play at our best we are really, really good defensively."
On this being the perfect storm in terms of how the team moves the ball…
"Yeah absolutely, there is no question about it. When you come into the season shooting 46-percent from 3, we looked yesterday I think and offensively and Wisconsin last year was the highest Big Ten offense and we were number two a few years ago and they are rolling. In that year we shot 45-percent from 3 and it just opens so much more and I think that was the big thing, getting Costello going early, we didn't do a good enough job fighting the post move and the catch and score against Michigan State are detrimental to you. We have to take that away and we were not able to."
On possibility of needing to win Big Ten Tournament to make tourney…
"I haven't thought that far ahead from where my mind is and you guys won't believe me but I never thought about the NCAA Tournament or anything like that. It's always how do we get better from the standpoint that we were a better team at this point than we were at home. That to me is something that is important. It is something that we need to continue to grind and get our minds right and knowing that hey, we have the same team coming back next year and we are making strides, that is big for me and obviously trying to find the silver lining in this but you know we have guys playing better basketball right now and we have to keep fighting with that."
