Michigan State University Athletics
Photo by: Matthew Mitchell/MSU Athletic Communications
Post-Game Quotes: Charleston Southern
11/18/2019 9:49:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo
Opening statement…
We played pretty well but we didn't look real in sync. We were a little disappointed on the bench. We just said that we looked tired. I think we're mentally exhausted. Cash (Winston) looks tired, he hasn't practiced much. His brother was up here supporting him yesterday. His brother had a game in Albion and it was the same time as our practice so I sent Cassius down there to support his brother and he missed the day before the game practice and I think those are some of the things that you got to do in this situation, but at the same time we haven't practiced very well and I thought (Thomas) Kithier, Xavier (Tillman), we looked really tired. I think mental fatigue is a lot worse than physical, but I also think we got to get back to practicing now. We've tried to do what we've got to do and it's going to be a process still, but I appreciated the fact that the guys had some positives. 31 assists is a big positive, out rebounding them that bad is a big positive. I thought our running game got going some, but we didn't seem to run as good because Cash didn't push as good. I thought Rocket, other than a couple shots, but he gets six, seven rebounds and he get six assists and that's better so he's getting better at that. Xavier, we wanted to go inside, we thought we were taking too many three's and we only took 17 three's, but we got the ball inside, got to the free-throw line a little more. All those things were a part of what we wanted to do but what scares you is when you play a game like Seton Hall and really, we hardly practiced before we went there, seriously, and then you win it and players think this is low management. We won't practice, and we'll just play, and you just can't do that, and I think that led to some of our shooting these past two games and I think it's leading to our conditioning. Tomorrow's off and Wednesday and Thursday are going to be boot camp and we're going to have to get back at it the best we can. Pleased with a lot of things, the 31 assists were the biggest. I thought got a lot of ball out of some new guys, remember we played without Aaron Henry tonight, but I thought Kyle (Ahrens) did some really good things defensively, I thought Gabe Brown did a good job. Our freshmen and our sophomores by committee were getting the four spot taken care of. That's another guy that looked really winded tonight was Kithier. We're just going to keep battling through this. I do want to thank our people publicly. I just felt that Cassius needed one moment. He kept telling me how much he appreciated, and his mother, the cards and flowers and all the things coming in to the office and so I just said if you want a minute you can thank them all and I thought that was good and I thought our people responded well and I was very appreciative of that.
On the hustle plays on the floor…
I think Cassius was one of them. That isn't the time where we were worried about Rocket getting hit in the head was it? No that was a different time, but when I saw Cash go down on the floor up that much I said well this team is going to find a way to bounce back here. We've got a lot of work ahead to play in a tournament like we're going to play in, but those are other things that our encouraging. I appreciate how hard my team's usually play, but Xavier had eight rebounds at halftime and he plow horsed his way through two more rebounds. Dwyane Stephens said they took Steven's last rebound and gave it to Xavier, but I don't know if that's true or not, to get his double-double, but give Xavier credit. He hung in there, but we just think he's got so much more to give, and we're going to try and get that out of him.
On Aaron Henry's status…
All kidding aside I am concerned about where people are right now. He sprained his ankle, didn't have to amputate, didn't have to do anything, just a sprained ankle. He was sort of, half limping around so I just said I'll keep you out of this game and then on Wednesday saddle up so that's what we did.
On juggling the lineup with Henry out…
I thought Gabe did a pretty good job. He's had a couple good games in a row now. He's getting better, he's attacking the rim, he's going to the offensive glass, he's running the court better, he's making shots. I don't know what he ended up, 5-of-7, got to the line a little bit Connor, we threw in there because he's been practicing his butt off as has a couple of our other guys. Brock Washington right now might be shooting as well as anybody, so he might be the next to get a chance, but we said we're going to play a lot of guys and we'll start pairing it down, but it isn't going to be right now. We've got through too much where the other fairness part is when Cash doesn't practice yesterday and everybody's playing with different people and then all of a sudden Aaron's not and Cash isn't in sync with them. We threw a couple away that were not real good passes and he normally doesn't do that. You know guys there's going to be some strange things that happen and we just hope to keep minimizing, minimizing and minimizing and see if we can get better at staying focused long each and every day, only time will tell.
On running game off from Charleston Southern makes…
We ran pretty good off makes and misses at times. It just wasn't as sharp. Cash (Winston) did some good things. He did some great things, but trust me when I say he wasn't himself. I'll give him credit though. Defensively, he played better. He was on the floor a couple times. It's borderline remarkable what that kid has done. I keep saying… I don't think I could've done it. It is, as I've said, his safe place. It is a place where he loves being around his teammates and coaches and the game that he loves. We're just going to keep being there for support, and yet pushing him. That's what I say is my hardest job now for my whole team. How do I grind it and be sympathetic. I don't have many sympathetic bones in my body, but in this one case I am finding a way to have many. There's a lot of talks now. There's a lot of… "I'm going to push you, but I understand." "I'm going to get after you, but I understand." "I'm here for you still." It's just been a lot of balancing that line. Nobody has taught me how to do it, so this is something where were trying to learn as a staff and a team.
On winning but talking about how they can always improve…
Oh, they definitely think that. When I show them that they're 4-for-17 from the three. Some foolish turnovers. Listen, we're trying to get better every day. I said this has been a week where we didn't get better in practice, and we understood it. This is a week when we put a lot on the line at that game at Seton Hall. Nothing against this team or what we did today. We just didn't do all the things today that you need to win big games. It's been kind of fun because I've been able to talk to him about it. We've kind of all been in this together, which they say happens. You rally around each other. So, it's not a lot of yelling and screaming. It's just, "do you see this, guys?" "Do you see that, guys?" "Can you see why practice is so important?" Like I said, it's been a big learning curve, but a good learning curve.
On Rocket struggling shooting but still having confidence…
Is that a polite way to say he keeps shooting? I'm kidding ya. I have been impressed with him. When he took one or two bad shots, I said, "well, that wasn't a good shot," and he said, "Well, you told me to be aggressive." Then again I thought… you see AAU ball and aggressive probably means that. So, he's learning me and I'm learning him. What I really did like is he got some big-time rebounds… came out of there with it. He got some really nice assists and he didn't really have the ball in his hands as much. He is making progress. He's getting better defensively. There's so many new things. Like, today we walked through some things at three o'clock that we normally wouldn't do because… I said to my staff yesterday and put this on the excuse table… wherever you want to put it. It doesn't really matter to me. There's a reality. When we started the season, we said, "Wow, Michigan State is going to be one of the most experienced teams in the country." Why do we say that? You know, we have two 30-minute players coming back in Xavier and Cassius. Then a kid like Aaron Henry, who I think played 20 something minutes last year. Then, Kyle Ahrens. And then Kyle got hurt early. There was some question marks on him. Then, all of a sudden Josh who was a 30 minute a game player last year is out. The meeting last night we had with my staff I said, "Okay, look, here's our subs." You start thinking about the three sophomores. Gabe played a little bit last year… I think six minutes a game. Foster played five minutes a game. Marky played five or six minutes a game. Gabe played in a couple of tournaments, but not great minutes. Then, the three freshmen haven't played. That's six guys right there. So, we're playing a lot of guys that don't have experience and haven't played together with everybody. When I say we have a long way to go, I try to add up the minutes of our top four guys. I look at Duke and I look at Kentucky and it's usually those people have five minutes for the guys that are coming back and all the rest are for freshman. Now, they have 75, 80, 100 minutes back and we have 100 minutes back. So, I've got to be a little more patient than I'd like to be and I have to understand that the Josh loss was not only a loss offensively and a big loss defensively, but it was 30 minutes a game. So, we're just going to keep building and keep working forward. But, this team has already overcome some incredible things and yet, we have a long way to go.
On guys being mentally exhausted and having a week off…
I think so, but I don't know what that week's going to bring either. One, you don't know the reasons. Guys have been great, don't get me wrong. They've been great. Cash has been great. I've talked to a few people. There's been a couple of people that have really helped us and helped me and helped them. I think if we just keep pushing and yet have our ears open. We've got to be there to understand. The trip to Hawaii too is a difficult trip. It's not easy to go over there. It's a long flight. You get there and you've got a big time difference. That's why I think that Wednesday and Thursday are two of the most important days of this early preseason for us because you get over there and it's really hard to practice there. It's usually muggy and hot. One year we went there and we practiced a little too hard I think and we cramped up if you remember back in those days. I've gotten a little older, wiser, smarter. I'm going to beat the hell out of them here and then we'll go over there and take it easy and go out on a beach and sunbathe or something.
On how coaching Rocket is…
You are asking me a question so everybody in Detroit can say I don't let him shoot, but I think he is averaging more shots than everybody. You know the truth of it is I have been really pleased with him. He's fun to coach, you tell him to do something, he knows how to do it. Now sustaining that is difficult, as it is for most freshmen. You know sustaining that, remembering that, you know, like when he shot his first free throw, he just kind of shot it. I said slow down, but if I looked at what he has picked up already, it's been a treat. He really picks up on things well and he has done a great job and he is tough, but I told him sometimes people get mad at me for players, but when a player goes in for a layup, you got to go in for a layup and dunk the thing, and get after it, otherwise you'd get left on Iron Mountain much less Detroit. It has been fun to talk to him about things like that and I mean, he really you know, once in a while gets a little moody. Hell, so do I, but I think in general you know Cash (Cassius) did a great job with him tonight on one shot it went right to him and I told Cassius, 'Man, that's what you got to do, so I have no problem because he is playing hard because he wants to learn, he is getting in more, he is learning how to put more time into the game and, as I said, we got a freshman that's replacing a four-year 30 minute a game player and it's going to take a little time."
On transition offense and how it relates to Arkansas back in the day…
Well the difference with Arkansas is they pressed all the time and so Larry would be frothing at the mouth if he could cover Arkansas. You know, they press and everything, but we run, and they press more. We did play them when we came back from Maui, that was the first time in the Palace, I think it was, but I have always been a Nolan Richardson fan not because they run and press hard but they just play so damn hard. You know his teams played harder than anybody so I think what you are seeing is that our team plays pretty hard. I think what you are seeing is, I think we could be a great running team as we keep moving forward, it's getting guys to play together and getting lineups to be fresh. We were coming down the court, straight-lined a lot tonight and we are always trying to diagonal it and that was a little bit of a problem tonight something because Rocket (Watts) had so many good rebounds. He just came out with it. I mean when he comes out with it, he is shot out of a cannon, you know, and that is going to get better and better so kind of looking forward to that myself.
Michigan State Forward Xavier Tillman
On tonight's performance…
We started off really well, we started off hot. We played good defense and were capitalizing on offense. Then we fell into a little bit of a slump in the first half and guys were just getting tired and winded. Coach did a great job of subbing everyone in … Julius (Marble) played, Malik (Hall) played … Conner (George) getting in there and everybody getting some time so that was very big. Then in the second half, we kind of ran away with it.
On tonight's comfort level…
Very comfortable. After we get huge momentum plays like Gabe's (Brown) dunks that he has or Cash (Winston) making a guy hit the ground on a dribble move or something like that or any one of our big plays. Those are huge momentum plays for us and we roll on to get ten straight points after that.
On the Maui Invitational…
I am excited. I have never been to Hawaii. I don't know, I am just really excited to go.
Michigan State Point Guard Cassius Winston
On the takeaways from tonight…
You just focus on the little things that as a team you can get better at. Today was our transition offense and our defense and our rebounding. Little things like that, no matter what team you are playing, those types of things are going to count towards a win.
On Gabe Brown's Performance…
He did really good. Played hard and rebounded the ball really well. He made some electric plays and if he can do that, he is going to have a really good career.
On worrying about getting assists…
No, not really. I am just trying to make the right play. Put people in the best position to score and things like that. It isn't my job to keep count.
On the difference between tonight and Seton Hall game…
Tighter game and much more room for error in this game, those types of things. This is a game where you have to get better. Seton Hall game is about winning no matter what happens. With a game like this, you kind of want to get better as a team.
Michigan State Forward Gabe Brown
On tonight's performance…
I just had openings when I ran my lanes. Cash (Winston) set me up and all my teammates set me up for good shots and good dunks and I took advantage of them.
On the highlight dunk…
It was in the moment. I saw him come late and I just went up. I started at him and I knew he was going to come late. My boy Rocket (Watts), he threw me a lob which got everything going.
On how important tonight's game is for preparation…
It was very important. This is a game that shows what we need to work on for the next game and the Maui Invitational This game really shows that we have some things to work on which means that this week is going to be critical.
Michigan State Guard Rocket Watts
On how to evaluate tonight's game…
I feel like we came out with a lot of energy and was playing good defense. All the guys were able to come together.
On tonight's performance…
This game is just a test and when you are not making shots it is just the game of basketball. You are going to have ups and downs and again you have to stick with it and keep working on your shot and the game will come to you.
On seven assists and six rebounds…
I came out with a lot of energy. I had a lot of energy at the beginning of the game and grabbing a lot of rebounds and pushing the ball and finding my guys in transition. Just playing free and out there having fun.
Charleston Southern Head Coach Barclay Radebaugh
Opening Statement...
"Before we talk about basketball, I had a moment with Cassius (Winston) and I am just very sorry about his brother. That is really, really tough, and I just admire how he has handled that, and how Michigan State backed him on that. What a wonderful young man and what a great example of what college basketball is all about. Certainly, very sorry for his loss. To basketball, I thought that it was a very tough night for us and a tough matchup with the size that Michigan State has. Their ability in transition is the best I've seen in a lot of years. I've been coaching for 31 years now and I haven't seen a team that runs like that since the old Arkansas teams, when I was in the SEC. Certainly amazing, amazing group of athletes that perform very, very well together. They seem very close knit, which is important in the long run, and obviously a very classy organization and once again a very tough matchup for us. I thought our kids played hard, I thought we had some frustration out there. It's been a tough road trip for us, Dayton and Michigan State within a three-day period is tough for anybody, and it is certainly tough for our team. We will take some good out of it. I think for schools our level right now that are playing these guarantee games, it is really important for us to find some good. Find 15 to 20 things to build on. Because unless there is quickly going to be some conference realignment, then Michigan State is not going to be in the Big South tournament, and I am very thankful for that. We don't have to beat Michigan State or the likes of Michigan State to get to where we want to go. Our team is a work in progress, we've got a long way to go, that is obvious by the way we've performed in the first five games. Our men do have character and they are a really good group of men, and they want to win, they want to play the right way, and do things the right way and I really love them. We will fight our way through the tough early schedule just like we always do, and we will be better in January and February because of that. Very thankful for this opportunity because it is going to help us improve.
On when MSU was up big and still had players diving at the ball on the ground…
"It's amazing. For them to be up thirty and them to be diving on the floor like that, and for them to play with that type of excellence all the way through. All the way through, the concentration, the effort. When I talked about Arkansas, it was when I was out of coaching briefly and they had those great teams that really ran. I was comparing them to that. I think Michigan State is in another class when it comes to their effort, and their ability and willingness to get on the floor up thirty. Just speaks of the amazing job that coach has done forever, and it's been real characteristic of him as I've watched from afar. The Michigan State teams are known for their rebounding and their effort. Certainly, when I saw that today, and started studying them on film a week ago in preparation for this game, I noticed three things. Their incredible hustle, their willingness to rebound every possession, and the way they run their floor. Those three things are elite. It's going to take them a long way. Another thing I noticed tonight, they have extreme unity. And we do too, and in fairness we are put in a very difficult situation playing these games. Our kids responded and played as hard as they can, we just aren't big enough and strong enough to compete with that right now."
On his thoughts on Gabe Brown and his first start, and MSU ability to score off makes..
"I have never seen anything like that. And first, I hope Aaron is okay. As coaches, we don't want any kid to miss any games, and on film he looks like just another great player for them. He plays with great class and great toughness. We were trying to get back on zone on makes and man on misses. During those times where they were sprinting the ball up the floor, because of some foul trouble that we had, we were playing a young man out of position. He was playing the four position, and they basically out-ran our attempt to get in a zone. We didn't get to play zone because it was on makes, so we didn't even have an opportunity to get into the zone much. It is amazing the way they get the ball out of bounds, get the ball to a player, mostly Cassius (Winston), and his willingness to pass the ball ahead. How many great players are willing to do that? How many great players want it in their hand, and then his willingness to pass the ball ahead is amazing. We are making a tape of that to show to our guys. Inbound, in his hands, passed ahead in three seconds? It is impressive. That is great coaching, but it's also great men that are willing to do that. Also, credit Michigan State's strength and conditioning coach as well, to be in that type of condition that consistently. They have done it now for the three games that I have seen. The one in person, and two on film."
Opening statement…
We played pretty well but we didn't look real in sync. We were a little disappointed on the bench. We just said that we looked tired. I think we're mentally exhausted. Cash (Winston) looks tired, he hasn't practiced much. His brother was up here supporting him yesterday. His brother had a game in Albion and it was the same time as our practice so I sent Cassius down there to support his brother and he missed the day before the game practice and I think those are some of the things that you got to do in this situation, but at the same time we haven't practiced very well and I thought (Thomas) Kithier, Xavier (Tillman), we looked really tired. I think mental fatigue is a lot worse than physical, but I also think we got to get back to practicing now. We've tried to do what we've got to do and it's going to be a process still, but I appreciated the fact that the guys had some positives. 31 assists is a big positive, out rebounding them that bad is a big positive. I thought our running game got going some, but we didn't seem to run as good because Cash didn't push as good. I thought Rocket, other than a couple shots, but he gets six, seven rebounds and he get six assists and that's better so he's getting better at that. Xavier, we wanted to go inside, we thought we were taking too many three's and we only took 17 three's, but we got the ball inside, got to the free-throw line a little more. All those things were a part of what we wanted to do but what scares you is when you play a game like Seton Hall and really, we hardly practiced before we went there, seriously, and then you win it and players think this is low management. We won't practice, and we'll just play, and you just can't do that, and I think that led to some of our shooting these past two games and I think it's leading to our conditioning. Tomorrow's off and Wednesday and Thursday are going to be boot camp and we're going to have to get back at it the best we can. Pleased with a lot of things, the 31 assists were the biggest. I thought got a lot of ball out of some new guys, remember we played without Aaron Henry tonight, but I thought Kyle (Ahrens) did some really good things defensively, I thought Gabe Brown did a good job. Our freshmen and our sophomores by committee were getting the four spot taken care of. That's another guy that looked really winded tonight was Kithier. We're just going to keep battling through this. I do want to thank our people publicly. I just felt that Cassius needed one moment. He kept telling me how much he appreciated, and his mother, the cards and flowers and all the things coming in to the office and so I just said if you want a minute you can thank them all and I thought that was good and I thought our people responded well and I was very appreciative of that.
On the hustle plays on the floor…
I think Cassius was one of them. That isn't the time where we were worried about Rocket getting hit in the head was it? No that was a different time, but when I saw Cash go down on the floor up that much I said well this team is going to find a way to bounce back here. We've got a lot of work ahead to play in a tournament like we're going to play in, but those are other things that our encouraging. I appreciate how hard my team's usually play, but Xavier had eight rebounds at halftime and he plow horsed his way through two more rebounds. Dwyane Stephens said they took Steven's last rebound and gave it to Xavier, but I don't know if that's true or not, to get his double-double, but give Xavier credit. He hung in there, but we just think he's got so much more to give, and we're going to try and get that out of him.
On Aaron Henry's status…
All kidding aside I am concerned about where people are right now. He sprained his ankle, didn't have to amputate, didn't have to do anything, just a sprained ankle. He was sort of, half limping around so I just said I'll keep you out of this game and then on Wednesday saddle up so that's what we did.
On juggling the lineup with Henry out…
I thought Gabe did a pretty good job. He's had a couple good games in a row now. He's getting better, he's attacking the rim, he's going to the offensive glass, he's running the court better, he's making shots. I don't know what he ended up, 5-of-7, got to the line a little bit Connor, we threw in there because he's been practicing his butt off as has a couple of our other guys. Brock Washington right now might be shooting as well as anybody, so he might be the next to get a chance, but we said we're going to play a lot of guys and we'll start pairing it down, but it isn't going to be right now. We've got through too much where the other fairness part is when Cash doesn't practice yesterday and everybody's playing with different people and then all of a sudden Aaron's not and Cash isn't in sync with them. We threw a couple away that were not real good passes and he normally doesn't do that. You know guys there's going to be some strange things that happen and we just hope to keep minimizing, minimizing and minimizing and see if we can get better at staying focused long each and every day, only time will tell.
On running game off from Charleston Southern makes…
We ran pretty good off makes and misses at times. It just wasn't as sharp. Cash (Winston) did some good things. He did some great things, but trust me when I say he wasn't himself. I'll give him credit though. Defensively, he played better. He was on the floor a couple times. It's borderline remarkable what that kid has done. I keep saying… I don't think I could've done it. It is, as I've said, his safe place. It is a place where he loves being around his teammates and coaches and the game that he loves. We're just going to keep being there for support, and yet pushing him. That's what I say is my hardest job now for my whole team. How do I grind it and be sympathetic. I don't have many sympathetic bones in my body, but in this one case I am finding a way to have many. There's a lot of talks now. There's a lot of… "I'm going to push you, but I understand." "I'm going to get after you, but I understand." "I'm here for you still." It's just been a lot of balancing that line. Nobody has taught me how to do it, so this is something where were trying to learn as a staff and a team.
On winning but talking about how they can always improve…
Oh, they definitely think that. When I show them that they're 4-for-17 from the three. Some foolish turnovers. Listen, we're trying to get better every day. I said this has been a week where we didn't get better in practice, and we understood it. This is a week when we put a lot on the line at that game at Seton Hall. Nothing against this team or what we did today. We just didn't do all the things today that you need to win big games. It's been kind of fun because I've been able to talk to him about it. We've kind of all been in this together, which they say happens. You rally around each other. So, it's not a lot of yelling and screaming. It's just, "do you see this, guys?" "Do you see that, guys?" "Can you see why practice is so important?" Like I said, it's been a big learning curve, but a good learning curve.
On Rocket struggling shooting but still having confidence…
Is that a polite way to say he keeps shooting? I'm kidding ya. I have been impressed with him. When he took one or two bad shots, I said, "well, that wasn't a good shot," and he said, "Well, you told me to be aggressive." Then again I thought… you see AAU ball and aggressive probably means that. So, he's learning me and I'm learning him. What I really did like is he got some big-time rebounds… came out of there with it. He got some really nice assists and he didn't really have the ball in his hands as much. He is making progress. He's getting better defensively. There's so many new things. Like, today we walked through some things at three o'clock that we normally wouldn't do because… I said to my staff yesterday and put this on the excuse table… wherever you want to put it. It doesn't really matter to me. There's a reality. When we started the season, we said, "Wow, Michigan State is going to be one of the most experienced teams in the country." Why do we say that? You know, we have two 30-minute players coming back in Xavier and Cassius. Then a kid like Aaron Henry, who I think played 20 something minutes last year. Then, Kyle Ahrens. And then Kyle got hurt early. There was some question marks on him. Then, all of a sudden Josh who was a 30 minute a game player last year is out. The meeting last night we had with my staff I said, "Okay, look, here's our subs." You start thinking about the three sophomores. Gabe played a little bit last year… I think six minutes a game. Foster played five minutes a game. Marky played five or six minutes a game. Gabe played in a couple of tournaments, but not great minutes. Then, the three freshmen haven't played. That's six guys right there. So, we're playing a lot of guys that don't have experience and haven't played together with everybody. When I say we have a long way to go, I try to add up the minutes of our top four guys. I look at Duke and I look at Kentucky and it's usually those people have five minutes for the guys that are coming back and all the rest are for freshman. Now, they have 75, 80, 100 minutes back and we have 100 minutes back. So, I've got to be a little more patient than I'd like to be and I have to understand that the Josh loss was not only a loss offensively and a big loss defensively, but it was 30 minutes a game. So, we're just going to keep building and keep working forward. But, this team has already overcome some incredible things and yet, we have a long way to go.
On guys being mentally exhausted and having a week off…
I think so, but I don't know what that week's going to bring either. One, you don't know the reasons. Guys have been great, don't get me wrong. They've been great. Cash has been great. I've talked to a few people. There's been a couple of people that have really helped us and helped me and helped them. I think if we just keep pushing and yet have our ears open. We've got to be there to understand. The trip to Hawaii too is a difficult trip. It's not easy to go over there. It's a long flight. You get there and you've got a big time difference. That's why I think that Wednesday and Thursday are two of the most important days of this early preseason for us because you get over there and it's really hard to practice there. It's usually muggy and hot. One year we went there and we practiced a little too hard I think and we cramped up if you remember back in those days. I've gotten a little older, wiser, smarter. I'm going to beat the hell out of them here and then we'll go over there and take it easy and go out on a beach and sunbathe or something.
On how coaching Rocket is…
You are asking me a question so everybody in Detroit can say I don't let him shoot, but I think he is averaging more shots than everybody. You know the truth of it is I have been really pleased with him. He's fun to coach, you tell him to do something, he knows how to do it. Now sustaining that is difficult, as it is for most freshmen. You know sustaining that, remembering that, you know, like when he shot his first free throw, he just kind of shot it. I said slow down, but if I looked at what he has picked up already, it's been a treat. He really picks up on things well and he has done a great job and he is tough, but I told him sometimes people get mad at me for players, but when a player goes in for a layup, you got to go in for a layup and dunk the thing, and get after it, otherwise you'd get left on Iron Mountain much less Detroit. It has been fun to talk to him about things like that and I mean, he really you know, once in a while gets a little moody. Hell, so do I, but I think in general you know Cash (Cassius) did a great job with him tonight on one shot it went right to him and I told Cassius, 'Man, that's what you got to do, so I have no problem because he is playing hard because he wants to learn, he is getting in more, he is learning how to put more time into the game and, as I said, we got a freshman that's replacing a four-year 30 minute a game player and it's going to take a little time."
On transition offense and how it relates to Arkansas back in the day…
Well the difference with Arkansas is they pressed all the time and so Larry would be frothing at the mouth if he could cover Arkansas. You know, they press and everything, but we run, and they press more. We did play them when we came back from Maui, that was the first time in the Palace, I think it was, but I have always been a Nolan Richardson fan not because they run and press hard but they just play so damn hard. You know his teams played harder than anybody so I think what you are seeing is that our team plays pretty hard. I think what you are seeing is, I think we could be a great running team as we keep moving forward, it's getting guys to play together and getting lineups to be fresh. We were coming down the court, straight-lined a lot tonight and we are always trying to diagonal it and that was a little bit of a problem tonight something because Rocket (Watts) had so many good rebounds. He just came out with it. I mean when he comes out with it, he is shot out of a cannon, you know, and that is going to get better and better so kind of looking forward to that myself.
Michigan State Forward Xavier Tillman
On tonight's performance…
We started off really well, we started off hot. We played good defense and were capitalizing on offense. Then we fell into a little bit of a slump in the first half and guys were just getting tired and winded. Coach did a great job of subbing everyone in … Julius (Marble) played, Malik (Hall) played … Conner (George) getting in there and everybody getting some time so that was very big. Then in the second half, we kind of ran away with it.
On tonight's comfort level…
Very comfortable. After we get huge momentum plays like Gabe's (Brown) dunks that he has or Cash (Winston) making a guy hit the ground on a dribble move or something like that or any one of our big plays. Those are huge momentum plays for us and we roll on to get ten straight points after that.
On the Maui Invitational…
I am excited. I have never been to Hawaii. I don't know, I am just really excited to go.
Michigan State Point Guard Cassius Winston
On the takeaways from tonight…
You just focus on the little things that as a team you can get better at. Today was our transition offense and our defense and our rebounding. Little things like that, no matter what team you are playing, those types of things are going to count towards a win.
On Gabe Brown's Performance…
He did really good. Played hard and rebounded the ball really well. He made some electric plays and if he can do that, he is going to have a really good career.
On worrying about getting assists…
No, not really. I am just trying to make the right play. Put people in the best position to score and things like that. It isn't my job to keep count.
On the difference between tonight and Seton Hall game…
Tighter game and much more room for error in this game, those types of things. This is a game where you have to get better. Seton Hall game is about winning no matter what happens. With a game like this, you kind of want to get better as a team.
Michigan State Forward Gabe Brown
On tonight's performance…
I just had openings when I ran my lanes. Cash (Winston) set me up and all my teammates set me up for good shots and good dunks and I took advantage of them.
On the highlight dunk…
It was in the moment. I saw him come late and I just went up. I started at him and I knew he was going to come late. My boy Rocket (Watts), he threw me a lob which got everything going.
On how important tonight's game is for preparation…
It was very important. This is a game that shows what we need to work on for the next game and the Maui Invitational This game really shows that we have some things to work on which means that this week is going to be critical.
Michigan State Guard Rocket Watts
On how to evaluate tonight's game…
I feel like we came out with a lot of energy and was playing good defense. All the guys were able to come together.
On tonight's performance…
This game is just a test and when you are not making shots it is just the game of basketball. You are going to have ups and downs and again you have to stick with it and keep working on your shot and the game will come to you.
On seven assists and six rebounds…
I came out with a lot of energy. I had a lot of energy at the beginning of the game and grabbing a lot of rebounds and pushing the ball and finding my guys in transition. Just playing free and out there having fun.
Charleston Southern Head Coach Barclay Radebaugh
Opening Statement...
"Before we talk about basketball, I had a moment with Cassius (Winston) and I am just very sorry about his brother. That is really, really tough, and I just admire how he has handled that, and how Michigan State backed him on that. What a wonderful young man and what a great example of what college basketball is all about. Certainly, very sorry for his loss. To basketball, I thought that it was a very tough night for us and a tough matchup with the size that Michigan State has. Their ability in transition is the best I've seen in a lot of years. I've been coaching for 31 years now and I haven't seen a team that runs like that since the old Arkansas teams, when I was in the SEC. Certainly amazing, amazing group of athletes that perform very, very well together. They seem very close knit, which is important in the long run, and obviously a very classy organization and once again a very tough matchup for us. I thought our kids played hard, I thought we had some frustration out there. It's been a tough road trip for us, Dayton and Michigan State within a three-day period is tough for anybody, and it is certainly tough for our team. We will take some good out of it. I think for schools our level right now that are playing these guarantee games, it is really important for us to find some good. Find 15 to 20 things to build on. Because unless there is quickly going to be some conference realignment, then Michigan State is not going to be in the Big South tournament, and I am very thankful for that. We don't have to beat Michigan State or the likes of Michigan State to get to where we want to go. Our team is a work in progress, we've got a long way to go, that is obvious by the way we've performed in the first five games. Our men do have character and they are a really good group of men, and they want to win, they want to play the right way, and do things the right way and I really love them. We will fight our way through the tough early schedule just like we always do, and we will be better in January and February because of that. Very thankful for this opportunity because it is going to help us improve.
On when MSU was up big and still had players diving at the ball on the ground…
"It's amazing. For them to be up thirty and them to be diving on the floor like that, and for them to play with that type of excellence all the way through. All the way through, the concentration, the effort. When I talked about Arkansas, it was when I was out of coaching briefly and they had those great teams that really ran. I was comparing them to that. I think Michigan State is in another class when it comes to their effort, and their ability and willingness to get on the floor up thirty. Just speaks of the amazing job that coach has done forever, and it's been real characteristic of him as I've watched from afar. The Michigan State teams are known for their rebounding and their effort. Certainly, when I saw that today, and started studying them on film a week ago in preparation for this game, I noticed three things. Their incredible hustle, their willingness to rebound every possession, and the way they run their floor. Those three things are elite. It's going to take them a long way. Another thing I noticed tonight, they have extreme unity. And we do too, and in fairness we are put in a very difficult situation playing these games. Our kids responded and played as hard as they can, we just aren't big enough and strong enough to compete with that right now."
On his thoughts on Gabe Brown and his first start, and MSU ability to score off makes..
"I have never seen anything like that. And first, I hope Aaron is okay. As coaches, we don't want any kid to miss any games, and on film he looks like just another great player for them. He plays with great class and great toughness. We were trying to get back on zone on makes and man on misses. During those times where they were sprinting the ball up the floor, because of some foul trouble that we had, we were playing a young man out of position. He was playing the four position, and they basically out-ran our attempt to get in a zone. We didn't get to play zone because it was on makes, so we didn't even have an opportunity to get into the zone much. It is amazing the way they get the ball out of bounds, get the ball to a player, mostly Cassius (Winston), and his willingness to pass the ball ahead. How many great players are willing to do that? How many great players want it in their hand, and then his willingness to pass the ball ahead is amazing. We are making a tape of that to show to our guys. Inbound, in his hands, passed ahead in three seconds? It is impressive. That is great coaching, but it's also great men that are willing to do that. Also, credit Michigan State's strength and conditioning coach as well, to be in that type of condition that consistently. They have done it now for the three games that I have seen. The one in person, and two on film."
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