Post-Game Quotes: Detroit Mercy

Michigan State Head Coach Tom Izzo

Opening statement…
Well, I was disappointed as you can imagine I was. I thought (Mark Montgomery) Monty did a better job than I did.  I thought his team was tough. I thought the change he made playing the two bigs was a really good move. Looking at his team lately, they've been shooting a lot more threes and things, and they did a much better job of that, in my humble opinion.  I told them that. Our four upperclassmen, I thought, played pretty well. We were 20 for 31. We were five for 11 from the three. 11 for 11 from the free throw line. We had pretty good rebounding.  Jeremy (Fears Jr.) had 11 assists. We only had five turnovers between them. But our other guys struggled a little bit, and both offensively and defensively, and that was disappointing coming off a pretty good play out in New York, but that's where we are right now.  We're still not consistent enough for me, but bounced back a little bit better and out rebounded them by 11. Turnovers were 12, but they got a couple of turnovers for touchdowns, which I wasn't very happy about, and I just didn't think we played as good as we can play. We'll get better.

On playing against good friends…
Today's not an easy day for me.  I don't like playing my former guys. I don't like playing (Tum Tum Nairn Jr.) Tum or Monty or (Brian Gregory) BG, Mike Garland, Dwayne Stephens, I don't like playing any of them - Tom Crean over the years, that's not a lot of fun because I know what they're going through as they're trying to build programs. I also put it on my team, we got back late, we didn't have a very good practice two days ago because we couldn't do anything.  We had a great practice yesterday and I thought that's one of the things they're learning is how to do good practices that lead to good games. It's like studying for the test, then you got to take the test. We studied pretty good for the test. I didn't think we did a very good job, and that doesn't take anything away from what they'd done.  We just missed, I mean, we airballed some wide open shots. I mean, airballed. If you ask me, the guy that should be upset should be Fears, not me, he would have had 15, 16 assists tonight if they just hit regular shots.  So that's disappointing, and yet, whether you believe this or not, most people don't. I hardly said a word to that one guy about his shot. I was more disappointed that our two guards didn't guard anybody.  So, I don't put pressure on them about their shooting. That's a myth. I put pressure on them on how hard they play, how hard they run, how much effort they give, how much passion they play with.  Those are my stats. We weren't as good tonight in those couple positions. I thought Coen (Carr) started out really well.   At times a little bit of defensive lapse, but I thought his numbers were good - four for six, two for three, three for three, seven. He's just got to get more shots.  It's not always my fault. He's gonna get some shots, because he's got to get more shots.  But he did some good things. As well as Jaxon Kohler has been playing, we did not think he played very well. He didn't get one defensive rebound. Now, I thought they were physical and good in there. My key guys played really well for the most part, a couple of them didn't do what they needed to do. Those other guys right now will have to get after it tomorrow a little bit.

On the performance of redshirt-sophomore Jeremy Fears Jr. and Detroit Mercy Head Coach Mark Montgomery's impact on him…
 I agree with Monty. I will thank him, but I won't let him take him, but I'll thank him. He did do a good job recruiting him.  Jeremy's getting better. Jeremy's getting better. I mean, like I said, Jeremy's a sophomore in his eligibility, and even though he's a junior that's been in three years, he's a sophomore that has played two because of the time he missed. He's just starting to come into his own and he's still got to get a little better defensively, there were a couple of times he got after it like I think he can.  I think he's got to get that a little more consistent, so does he. But I felt good that I think he's playing under control. You look at it, 12 shots is probably a little more than normal for him, but 90 percent of them were good. I was impressed with Jeremy Fears. He's rounding into the point guard I thought he could be and would be and should be.

On getting Coen Carr more shots without being as aggressive at times…
I don't think very often he's over aggressive, and that's my opinion. We're trying to put him in more ball screens and we can do a little bit more. I don't think our break has been where it was, and he's really exciting on the break, not just because of the lobs, but he can get it and go. And I didn't think tonight Jeremy pushed it. We are just not as sharp on our break right now, and I don't know why that is, so I'll have to look at the film and figure it out, but we need Coen to get 12 shots a game, if you ask me.  And we need him to get to the free throw line, but what we really need is he went to that free throw line and he made his free throws, made a couple threes, and at times was really good defensively. I think he's got to get more consistent on that.  

On how Jesse McCulloch handled sitting out last season and how he's grown this year…
We love Jesse.  He's the one guy that communicates, he talks, he really does have a nice looking shot. I thought tonight, he got pumped a little bit, too, which means he's still got to get stronger.  We were letting the ball in the post too easily. That was the only thing. I mean, he had six rebounds.  He had a couple blocks, he had that one move that was a great play with him and Cam (Ward). It should have been a dunk, and he kind of went in there a little soft.  His dad won't be happy with him on that, but we think that Jesse has made incredible progress from where he was to where he is, in one year, and he worked so hard at it, I see that just getting better and better.

On his relationship with Detroit Mercy Head Coach Mark Montgomery…
I recruited Monty. I mean, he was one of the first big classes. Monty, Pep (Mike Peplowski), and Matt Stegenga, probably got me this job, to be very honest with you. Monty was the Pied Piper of that recruiting class. He was the one that rallied everybody else. He was very well coached by a guy named Ernie Price, who I think was a great coach. It is very difficult, but what you know what was rewarding tonight, I was sitting on my bench before the game and of course Smitty (Steve Smith) was the first player I ever recruited as an assistant. He's doing the TV broadcast and then I see Kenny Redfield come in, Antonio and Deuce, Dwayne Wiley, and they're all kind of hugging and kissing. Monty's there and I said, 'How lucky am I that I have a situation that I think most people would die for?' So, it's pretty neat to get to coach against your former player, and former assistant. Now, I got a couple of them. Tum Tum (Nairn Jr.) and him were former players, and former assistants. Dwayne Stephens, former player and former assistant. But it's not fun, but it's pretty cool when you think about it. And so, Monty, he was responsible for a lot of things here. He helped us recruit a lot of good players. He'll get that thing going, I really believe that. I hope so. Not an easy job, but Doug Wojcik scouted this game and the first thing he said was, 'I like the parts.' They're just not there yet. And I think that's true. And I think, I talked to Monty this morning and he said he was going to try to get his guys, he felt they were taking bad shots and this and that. I just thought he did a really good job tonight. The final score ended up what it was, but it wasn't really indicative.

On senior center Carson Coopers performance…
I thought Coop in the locker room too, he was more upset than I was, he just told the guys something that I'm embarrassed to say to you, but I was thinking about it; he had never been 3-0 here in his career. We just take it for granted. And now, what are we, 5-0, 4-0, whatever we are. But he brought that up to the team after the game. There's more we got to do and more he's got to do. He can't get in foul trouble. He's one of the smartest kids I got on the team. And him and Jeremy (Fears Jr.) are lethal on that lob stuff. And the teams getting better at the foul line again after a rough start there, that one game. He's shot probably 90% since that one game when he couldn't make one. And he's valuable. He's valuable because what he does for Jesse (McCulloch) and Cam (Ward), and Jesse (McCulloch) and Cam (Ward), come off a big game. I didn't think anybody was as sharp tonight except Jeremy (Fears Jr.) and Coen (Carr) a little bit.

On not being able to get the ball down in the post…
That's a good question. I've got to get either better passers, or I've got to do a better job. But that's where I give Monty credit. They didn't let it in the post as easy as we let it in the post. They did a good job of getting around them. And I thought physically, when that team plays teams in its league, if they can play the same way, they're going to get better. Because physically, they were tough and usually we're pretty tough. But I thought physically, we got punked a little bit. And I told Monty that after too. That was a compliment, not an insult.

On the performance from Jeremy Fears Jr. tonight…
I can, but you know me, I'm never satisfied. I think his defense can be a little better because I think he is an absolute dog defensively, meaning he'll dog you. Not a dog bad. I mean, he can get after you. He's a pit bull on that end when he wants to be. And now we're getting him a little rest. 28-29 minutes a game is probably perfect if we can do that because he's got to push the ball, he's got to defend the ball, and he's got to come off those ball screens, which can wear you down a little bit. But, yeah, I'm going to always want more out of Jeremy because that's me. But those numbers are about as good as any guard I've had here in a while. And his total numbers, they weren't against all cream puffs. They were against good teams. And personally, I thought the (Orlando) Lovejoy kid was very good, and he was good defensively. He was strong and had size. So, Jeremy did it against some pretty good people.

On the defenses communication when facing screens…
I thought after the first five or six minutes, that's a good point because those huddles were a little more animated, because I didn't think we were talking. I've got a couple of guys, mostly the new guys, but I got a couple of them that I think they think they're going to die if they talk. And, I mean, it's hard because they're all part of your generation. By the way, if I could text them instead of talk to them, we'd be better off. But I think right now we've just got to keep working on that. Cooper's really good, Jeremy's really good, Coen's getting better. But we've got to get those other guards better. And unfortunately, those two and three men, usually the best players on the other team are the two and three men. So, that's going to be a point of emphasis, and there might be some changes. And it might be we're searching a little bit and so we'll see, but we're going to play them all, and we need a little more consistency out of them in ways that my staff and some of my seniors think they should be doing.

Detroit Mercy Head Coach Mark Montgomery

Opening Statement...
I thought that both teams competed. The guys came out. I just said, you know what, we just gotta compete, play hard, fight every possession. Everyone knows Michigan State came in here on a roll. They didn't play quite as well as they played Kentucky, but I can understand. It's always great coming back home where you're welcome. Coach Izzo hates these games I said, 'I don't know why because he's never lost one.' I thought our guys did everything we could do to compete, and this is only going to help us get better.

On his homecoming and how games like this can set him up for success…
It's fun when, before the game, you can go see Steve Smith, college roommate, got a championship with, and then I'm talking to Coach Izzo, and then Ken Redfield. I remember him hosting me on my visit and also won a Big Ten championship, when he comes on the court and gives you a hug. Those memories, you know, when you're 18, 22, you know, going to happen 30 years later. I thought that was pretty fun. No matter what, it's always going to be home. When you play four years and you coach 13 years and, Coach said when he started off coaching, 13 years as a coach at Michigan State. It really, guys, it's like 30 years because every day it's like a battle. But, you gain a lot of experience. You grow a lot of relationships. It's always fun coming back, especially as a coach because everyone on their staff, from a trainer, to, the video, the stretch guy, you become such incredible friends with these people. But that's what my guys get a great experience of, in my mind, this gets us ready, when we do win the Horizon League. We will play an opponent like this in the NCAA tournament. So games like this are important. So, I got a lot of it. I'm going to go on the bus to coach in Chicago and play DePaul. I don't know if DePaul is going to be quite as good as Michigan State, but a challenging schedule always gets you ready for conference play. I told my team the most important 20 games of the season is your conference. So you schedule everything you can before the conference to figure out yourself and then kind of go from there.

On the topic of Jeremy Fears…
Yeah, Michigan State should thank me on that one because I had to work Fears' family and dad in the morning and the night to get them to come here. That's a true statement. Jase Richardson, too, they should thank me for that one too. I think I'm happy for Fears because he overcame a lot of adversity, some issues that he had, his freshman year, and some unlucky timing, and now the kid's averaging a double-double. A true, true leader, true Spartan, and I'm happy for him and he makes two threes on us, on top of having a double-double, incredible point guard, and it's going to be fun watching him and the Smith kid and Purdue go head to head for the Big Ten title.

When asked about Carson Cooper…
I remember when we were recruiting Carson Cooper, it was the EYBL, one of the last weeks. I think it was Eastern Michigan that offered him a scholarship and another school. We just saw this Jackson kid, good size, and over his career. You just have to trust the process and he trusts the process. His athleticism, his skill to handle the ball in those handoffs and in those rolls, his strength has gotten stronger. I know all of those guys are going to graduate because they were good students when they came here. So it's good to see a guy stick with it because so many Division I athletes now, with the year he had last year, with the agents and how they want to shop kids, it's good to see Cooper and Koehler and Coen and Fears stay loyal to this place. It's a fun story. I like the development that Michigan State does with their players.

When asked how he and Izzo are alike and different…
We are a lot alike because I hear from my assistants all the time that I carry so much love for my players. It's hard to play them all, but in the time that I was here, the time that Izzo put into meeting with the players, it does not matter if it's driving to the house, walking, you really develop a relationship and a connection with him. Difference wise, I think probably I am healthier, work out more, and I eat better meals than coach. We are both competitors and I think we both love our profession. There is no better job than to coach college basketball. I don't know if there are a lot of differences, probably the biggest difference is the payroll, but other than that we are a lot alike.

Junior Forward Coen Carr

On playing against former coach...
Just to see a familiar face over there and Ian Jones too. He was over so you work you up. Both of those are my guys. So just to see them again, you know it was good. We got to chop it up a little bit before the game and everything. So it's always fun to see the guys. It's always a fun little competition.

If it's easier to stay locked in playing good or bad...
Probably when the team is struggling, I mean you still have to be positive. You know, you still have to bring the energy, even when things aren't going our way. So especially when a lot of people look at you for energy, you know you definitely got to stay on that. So I would say probably when the team is struggling.

On getting more shots...
It was, I was definitely trying to be aggressive in the beginning. Fears set me up for a few nice plays. I got two open threes, hit those. I was just trying to be confident in myself and that's all they have been telling me. So, I mean he said that he wants me to be more aggressive on that time to pause so that's what I'm trying to do.

Asked about Jeremy tonight...
He's a different type of player and that's all I want in a point guard you know. He is looking to get guys open and also, he's somebody who has got so much better on his shot, creating for himself a little bit too. Just to see his game come around like that.

Senior Center Carson Cooper

When asked about Jeremy...
Especially when you play teams that you know kind of drop ball screens or they kind of just sit underneath the defender. I won't be able to get lobs every time and work out of the role every time. So, I've got to understand how to kind of read Jeremy. He's got a lot better with probing and kind of you know keeping his man on his back, on his hip, and you know allowing me to kind of snake in front of him and take that man out.

Talking about team chemistry...
I mean it's great. I feel like every game we continue to grow closer as a team and especially with me and our pg's and guards that we have that I'm working with every day. You know it's getting better every day and they feel a little bit more comfortable every time we play. Although we didn't play super great today and we'll look at the film and continue to see, moments that I might have missed up or moments they might have missed up."

Best teammate moment of the game...
Yeah, there is this guy called Nick Sanders. He's on our team. He hit a nice shot, no hesitation because we told him, we said we were going to beat him up if he came in one of these games like this and wasn't aggressive like he does on scout teams when we play against him because he scores so much on scout team and he hits shots on scout team.

On recovering from early fouls...
Yeah I mean it's tough you know I hate being in that position Selfishly, I think some of those were ticky tack and the level of physicality that we play every day, but I mean what can you do in that moment? It's tough for me mentally early after I got those fouls because I know I'm going to have to sit and there's 16 minutes left on the clock so mentally I kinda checked out for a bit when it came to I kind of told myself I wasn't going to get back in. But when Jesse (McCulloch) got his second foul and they kind of had to you know tell me to just play safe. I was able to get my feet wet a little bit so it was good for me. It wasn't great for Jesse to getting that second foul, but I guess it was good for me to kind of stay in the game and get a little more minutes but it hurts because you can't play as physical and aggressive as you usually do but glad I was able to contribute the same.

Redshirt-Sophomore Guard Jeremy Fears

On his performance tonight...
I think this summer like I said was really big for me, just my game overall. Just this summer like just time, mentally and physically just knowing what I can do and how much better I got. This is my first real summer. At the same time I was kinda like a freshman, I kind of know what I needed to work on and get better at, but at the same time you know players like. Players like Trey and Kur kind of had an off night shooting, but just the fact that I have guys around me that help me and make my life easier.

On seeing Coach Montgomery again...
It was great. I love Coach Monty, he kind of took over my recruiting after Coach DJ (Dwayne Stephens) left so just I was with Monty every day of my freshman year just talking to him watching film, picking his brain so you know being able to see him and play against him was great.

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Players Mentioned

Coen Carr

Carson Cooper

Jeremy Fears Jr.

Jaxon Kohler

Jesse McCulloch

Jase Richardson

Nick Sanders

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