TicketsTulsa at Cincinnati
Feb. 25, 2018
BB&T Arena
Postgame Quotes
Cincinnati Head Coach Mick Cronin
Opening statement:
"Tulsa played really well today; give them a lot of credit. Their small lineup is just such a tough match-up for us. We were searching for different ways to play defense and none of them were working until we went with Tre Scott. When we went small, we played with no center; we had to go to a no center lineup to stop them the way they were making shots. Give their guys credit, but that's why Tre was recruited. You have to have different guys on your roster so you can play situational basketball. Nowadays, there are a lot of teams that go small, there are a lot of teams that spread you out and try to make the three-point shot their weapon and use their quickness to beat you off the dribble. When that happens, you have to have some guys on your roster to be able to make an adjustment and play small defensively. The last two games, Tre has been our leading rebounder as well. That was finally the defensive move that worked against Tulsa and give him a lot of credit; he did a good job. And, once we were able to get Gary Clark the ball, we stopped having to live at the three-point line. I thought that was big as well because they are small and you have to be able to get him going in deep, especially with Kyle (Washington) on the bench."
On a defensive slump for his team in the last four games:
"What I see is we are 25-4 and 14-2 (in conference) and, in the last two years, we have won 55 games. I don't know what people expect. I am just answering you. I am allowed to answer you however I want and I am going to give you a stat: Kentucky, Indiana and Louisville, this year, have combined for 32 losses. Tell me how long it has taken us to lose 32 games. Tell me how many years combined you would have to go back for us to lose 32 games. So, we are not perfect. We are far from perfect and, if you look around at what is going on, people should be really happy at Cincinnati with the way this basketball program is being run. Next question."
On what Gary Clark's play today means to the team:
"Again, they are small and we finally were able to get him the ball and get him going. But, like I told him in the locker room, players win games and he has to be assertive at all times. He is a great player. He is one of the guys (that should be considered for MVP of the league). There are a lot of good guys in this league, so I am not one of those guys that says my guy should be player of the league. Gary is a great player and, obviously, I am partial toward my guy, but there are some guys that have had great years in our conference, notably Rob Gray and some other guys. There are some really good players in our league."
On Jarron Cumberland coming out of a shooting slump and the work he has been putting in recently:
"I had a meeting with the staff Friday, early, and we talked about everything, each guy and what they needed to do as a shooter to shoot the ball better. It's going to start happening, period. It's not arbitrary. You want to make shots, you have to get your feet apart, you have to get lift, you have to get your hips down, your hips back and your head forward to stand up and shoot 22-footers. There was a time in basketball, when you watch ESPN Classic, nobody even shot the ball from where the current three-point line is. If you are going to shoot the ball with range, you have to shoot the ball through your legs. All you have to do is watch Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and watch them.
"Today's kids, they all want to shoot it from out there, but then there are fundamentals. If you are going to shoot it from out there, you are going to get your feet apart so you can get your hips down so you can get some lift on your shot. If your feet are together and your hips don't get down, you are going to be short. We had a lot of guys shooting line drives because of that. We have been sloppy with our fundamentals. There is a reason the ball goes in: if you shoot the ball the right way all the time and are committed to that… in our program, we have good kids because they made the adjustment. It is my job that my staff, when we go to do shooting stuff, it is getting done the way it needs to be taught, done the right way. It is no different than a blocking technique: it might work two out of 10 times and you have bad technique. You have to have the right technique, the proper technique, to do it well and do it well consistently. Guys worked hard it Friday and Saturday. Each guy watched film. Each shooter had to watch film of their makes and misses. We put a lot of time in trying to get these guys to be better players. I give those guys credit."
On assists and the ball movement today:
"What I would say is I am happy with 26 assists and, you're right, no coach is going to be happy with 14 turnovers. What you will find is these totals can be misleading. When teams play zone, your assist totals will always be higher because there is less dribbling and more passing. If teams play a lot of man and mug you like when we were at Houston, you can't make a pass and you can't even get open or post up because your being mugged, then it is hard to have an assist. Those games, it is really hard to make an assist. That is why I won't get too excited because I know why the assist totals are high and low. For us, we need to be able to make assists when a team is climbing into us and trying to take us out of our offense playing man-to-man. We have guys that are unselfish, but it is a lot easier to move the ball in zone offense because you are not dribbling."
On today being a good test to prepare for the postseason:
"When I was young, my dad had this little trophy and was bragging about that he and my mom won a dance contest down at the Ludeline Gardens. You ever get in one of those? See, back in the 60's, everybody could dance. But, to win that contest, you have to be able to dance to every song that comes on. So, if you are going to make a run, you can't just win one way, so, yes is the answer to your question. You're going to run into some games where a team gets hot and you have to be able to score with them. You are not going to be able to just shut everybody out. It's not our defense sometimes; the other team is making shots. The other teams practice, too. They have scholarships as well. They are trying. They had a game plan and we knew what it would be. It was the right game plan. Frank (Haith) is a good coach, they won six in a row and they are probably going to be the four seed in the tournament. You have to be able to win different ways if you are going to make a run. You have to.
"With that being said, if we are going to take the next step as a team, Gary is going to have to take control of his team and he has to set the standard because he is the guy that plays well on both ends. He has to hold Kyle accountable defensively. See, you are never going to be great if a guy only defends because the coach is going to take him out or yell at him. I don't think the Golden State Warriors are worried about Steve Kerr yelling at them. What I think is, they rotate defensively because they are worried about Draymond Green yelling at them. Great teams have internal pressure. Great teams hold each other accountable. We are trying to prepare guys for a one-and-out tournament where it's over. We check you into the game and the first thing you do is lose your man and give up a three. You have to be fearful that, when you come back to the bench, your teammates are going to be on you, not your coach. To me, that is what separates the great teams if you look around pro sports. That is what I believe."
Cincinnati Player Quotes
#11 Gary Clark, F
On what turned things around for Cincinnati:
"Early on they hit some threes and when you let a team get in rhythm and get comfortable like that the three becomes the equalizer in the game and then we had a lot of turnovers early so we had to stay together and hold each other accountable. We have to keep doing that for the last two road games especially."
On how frustrating it was to sit out for 12 minutes with two fouls on his senior day:
"It is frustrating but with the group of guys we got they were holding it down while I was sitting out. In the second half we kept getting steals, Tre came in and blocked some shots, went the other way Cane getting layups, and Jacob and Jarron shootings threes."
On his mindset on coming back in the second half:
"It was a combination of lot but taking care of the ball is huge, that is one possession where we don't get a chance to rebound or score so it just takes the life out of you especially when teams are getting rebounds well, second opportunities and we are not even getting a shot up. Once we started taking care of the ball in the second half and were able to rebound and just get out there defensively, that's where we just kind of start pulling away."
On what was going through his mind during the senior day ceremony:
"It was a moment where I think it kind of was starting to approach me that this was my last time playing in front of all of our fans at home. I didn't think about it leading up until today because we have a good crowd, but today it was special for me to spend all my four years here and enjoy the atmosphere of our fans, it was pretty cool."
On the meaning of him and Kyle going out together:
"It is funny because of all the stories we tell of how I first saw him at NC State. We built a relationship through recruiting and he comes here and we are polar opposite on the court but just to go out with a guy like this is special. I kept looking at him like this is it right here, it is the last home game here where we can wear our white uniforms and be in front of our student body and fans."
On what he is going to miss the most about leaving UC:
"Honestly, people may not believe me but that moment where I mess up and I purposely don't look at coach and he is over there just throwing a fit because he is trying to get my attention and I purposefully don't look at him. I will probably miss that because what if I had looked at him? What is he doing right now? That is probably it."
#24 Kyle Washington, F
On the key to the turnaround:
"I think we just stayed together. It took us awhile to create separation between the two of the teams in terms of scoring. They played exceptionally well. They were making shots, but we knew that coming in. I think we have to be more accountable, especially myself just playing defense and just being aware of all our assignments and just being ready. But I think we showed resilience today so I'm proud of our team as a whole."
On if the team feeds off the energy when Jacob Evans III, Jarron Cumberland, and Cane Broome shoot well:
"Oh yeah, for sure. When we have that extra offensive punch it gives us a different perspective for everybody, but it also gives us a different level. I think great teams have different levels and different ways to win. If we can continue to develop that and continue to show that we can win in different ways because, you know, obviously coach isn't happy with (allowing) 74 points. And we're not happy with 74 points. We want to do better. We are gonna focus on what we have to do to get better on the defensive end of the ball. We want to keep on growing that offensive potency."
On what when through his mind when UC was down eight on Senior Day:
"I've been telling you guys a lot over the years. I think Gary and I have been through a lot on and off the court. I don't think we ever count each other out. I don't think we ever count our team out. But I think that's a mindset that you develop over time and life and I think that's a great message for anybody that wants to listen because we could be down 20, honestly to tell you the truth, and still think that we have a chance to win. So obviously we don't want to put ourselves in that position, but it is the same thing in life. You might take a few bumps in bruises, but if you're willing to keep on working and keep on fighting then I think you'll come out and prevail at the end. So, I think that's our mindset and I think that's the rest of our team's mindset."
On what was going through his mind during senior day ceremony:
"I think I was just trying to approach it as a regular game. There were a lot of festivities and a lot of fans showing us a lot of love today, so I think it was cool. I appreciated it. I know Gary appreciates it. I've appreciated the Cincinnati fans and all of y'all the whole 3 years I've been here."
On what he will miss most about leaving UC:
"I think the fans, because of the exhilaration of making a great play whether it be on defense or offense. You know, I live for stuff like that. I know when I was a little kid I used to watch college basketball every chance I could. I would be like I just can't wait to be in that position where I'm on a team, a great team. The fact that God has been able to grant that for me in my life, I'm extremely, extremely grateful for that."
Tulsa Head Coach Frank Haith
Opening statement:
"We were down a man. I thought everybody understood before the game one of our soldiers was down and we had to pick up and do a little bit more. Really proud of our kids effort. How hard we played. How we competed. We had a couple plays there where the game was within balance. We had a six-point lead, we mishandled the ball, we had a missed block out. When you're on the road, every little thing, you can't have those controllables. We needed a shot, not a miss or a turnover. We needed to come up with those offensive rebounds and we had a couple of missed block outs. They scored on them. I think one they ended up scoring a three on. Cannot fault our effort or how we carried ourselves. We came in here to this game believing we could win this game and I am proud of how we competed. We can build on this game. This team has been playing well the last half of the year and it was no different this afternoon. I thought we played extremely well."
On Elijah Joiner getting his first start in a hostile environment:
"He had six points and six assists and only two turnovers in 28 minutes. He was really, really good. He got in foul trouble or he would have played more. We had to watch his minutes there in the first half. But he was really, really good in this environment. He's grown up and these are really, really important minutes for him from a growth standpoint for his career."
On his team being resilient to the very end:
"I think we cut it back to four or six after they jumped out to a 13-point lead. We battled back. We had some good execution plays on offense. We didn't get enough stops on the other end during that stretch there. That's when they hurt us on the offensive rebounds. Then Gary Clark made some big buckets down the stretch."
On the status of Sterling Taplin:
"He tried his darnedest to get ready to play, He's just not ready yet. Hopefully, he'll be ready on Thursday (at ECU). It was a pretty bad sprain. We will see if he's ready to go on Thursday."
Feb. 25, 2018
BB&T Arena
Postgame Quotes
Cincinnati Head Coach Mick Cronin
Opening statement:
"Tulsa played really well today; give them a lot of credit. Their small lineup is just such a tough match-up for us. We were searching for different ways to play defense and none of them were working until we went with Tre Scott. When we went small, we played with no center; we had to go to a no center lineup to stop them the way they were making shots. Give their guys credit, but that's why Tre was recruited. You have to have different guys on your roster so you can play situational basketball. Nowadays, there are a lot of teams that go small, there are a lot of teams that spread you out and try to make the three-point shot their weapon and use their quickness to beat you off the dribble. When that happens, you have to have some guys on your roster to be able to make an adjustment and play small defensively. The last two games, Tre has been our leading rebounder as well. That was finally the defensive move that worked against Tulsa and give him a lot of credit; he did a good job. And, once we were able to get Gary Clark the ball, we stopped having to live at the three-point line. I thought that was big as well because they are small and you have to be able to get him going in deep, especially with Kyle (Washington) on the bench."
On a defensive slump for his team in the last four games:
"What I see is we are 25-4 and 14-2 (in conference) and, in the last two years, we have won 55 games. I don't know what people expect. I am just answering you. I am allowed to answer you however I want and I am going to give you a stat: Kentucky, Indiana and Louisville, this year, have combined for 32 losses. Tell me how long it has taken us to lose 32 games. Tell me how many years combined you would have to go back for us to lose 32 games. So, we are not perfect. We are far from perfect and, if you look around at what is going on, people should be really happy at Cincinnati with the way this basketball program is being run. Next question."
On what Gary Clark's play today means to the team:
"Again, they are small and we finally were able to get him the ball and get him going. But, like I told him in the locker room, players win games and he has to be assertive at all times. He is a great player. He is one of the guys (that should be considered for MVP of the league). There are a lot of good guys in this league, so I am not one of those guys that says my guy should be player of the league. Gary is a great player and, obviously, I am partial toward my guy, but there are some guys that have had great years in our conference, notably Rob Gray and some other guys. There are some really good players in our league."
On Jarron Cumberland coming out of a shooting slump and the work he has been putting in recently:
"I had a meeting with the staff Friday, early, and we talked about everything, each guy and what they needed to do as a shooter to shoot the ball better. It's going to start happening, period. It's not arbitrary. You want to make shots, you have to get your feet apart, you have to get lift, you have to get your hips down, your hips back and your head forward to stand up and shoot 22-footers. There was a time in basketball, when you watch ESPN Classic, nobody even shot the ball from where the current three-point line is. If you are going to shoot the ball with range, you have to shoot the ball through your legs. All you have to do is watch Steph Curry and Klay Thompson and watch them.
"Today's kids, they all want to shoot it from out there, but then there are fundamentals. If you are going to shoot it from out there, you are going to get your feet apart so you can get your hips down so you can get some lift on your shot. If your feet are together and your hips don't get down, you are going to be short. We had a lot of guys shooting line drives because of that. We have been sloppy with our fundamentals. There is a reason the ball goes in: if you shoot the ball the right way all the time and are committed to that… in our program, we have good kids because they made the adjustment. It is my job that my staff, when we go to do shooting stuff, it is getting done the way it needs to be taught, done the right way. It is no different than a blocking technique: it might work two out of 10 times and you have bad technique. You have to have the right technique, the proper technique, to do it well and do it well consistently. Guys worked hard it Friday and Saturday. Each guy watched film. Each shooter had to watch film of their makes and misses. We put a lot of time in trying to get these guys to be better players. I give those guys credit."
On assists and the ball movement today:
"What I would say is I am happy with 26 assists and, you're right, no coach is going to be happy with 14 turnovers. What you will find is these totals can be misleading. When teams play zone, your assist totals will always be higher because there is less dribbling and more passing. If teams play a lot of man and mug you like when we were at Houston, you can't make a pass and you can't even get open or post up because your being mugged, then it is hard to have an assist. Those games, it is really hard to make an assist. That is why I won't get too excited because I know why the assist totals are high and low. For us, we need to be able to make assists when a team is climbing into us and trying to take us out of our offense playing man-to-man. We have guys that are unselfish, but it is a lot easier to move the ball in zone offense because you are not dribbling."
On today being a good test to prepare for the postseason:
"When I was young, my dad had this little trophy and was bragging about that he and my mom won a dance contest down at the Ludeline Gardens. You ever get in one of those? See, back in the 60's, everybody could dance. But, to win that contest, you have to be able to dance to every song that comes on. So, if you are going to make a run, you can't just win one way, so, yes is the answer to your question. You're going to run into some games where a team gets hot and you have to be able to score with them. You are not going to be able to just shut everybody out. It's not our defense sometimes; the other team is making shots. The other teams practice, too. They have scholarships as well. They are trying. They had a game plan and we knew what it would be. It was the right game plan. Frank (Haith) is a good coach, they won six in a row and they are probably going to be the four seed in the tournament. You have to be able to win different ways if you are going to make a run. You have to.
"With that being said, if we are going to take the next step as a team, Gary is going to have to take control of his team and he has to set the standard because he is the guy that plays well on both ends. He has to hold Kyle accountable defensively. See, you are never going to be great if a guy only defends because the coach is going to take him out or yell at him. I don't think the Golden State Warriors are worried about Steve Kerr yelling at them. What I think is, they rotate defensively because they are worried about Draymond Green yelling at them. Great teams have internal pressure. Great teams hold each other accountable. We are trying to prepare guys for a one-and-out tournament where it's over. We check you into the game and the first thing you do is lose your man and give up a three. You have to be fearful that, when you come back to the bench, your teammates are going to be on you, not your coach. To me, that is what separates the great teams if you look around pro sports. That is what I believe."
Cincinnati Player Quotes
#11 Gary Clark, F
On what turned things around for Cincinnati:
"Early on they hit some threes and when you let a team get in rhythm and get comfortable like that the three becomes the equalizer in the game and then we had a lot of turnovers early so we had to stay together and hold each other accountable. We have to keep doing that for the last two road games especially."
On how frustrating it was to sit out for 12 minutes with two fouls on his senior day:
"It is frustrating but with the group of guys we got they were holding it down while I was sitting out. In the second half we kept getting steals, Tre came in and blocked some shots, went the other way Cane getting layups, and Jacob and Jarron shootings threes."
On his mindset on coming back in the second half:
"It was a combination of lot but taking care of the ball is huge, that is one possession where we don't get a chance to rebound or score so it just takes the life out of you especially when teams are getting rebounds well, second opportunities and we are not even getting a shot up. Once we started taking care of the ball in the second half and were able to rebound and just get out there defensively, that's where we just kind of start pulling away."
On what was going through his mind during the senior day ceremony:
"It was a moment where I think it kind of was starting to approach me that this was my last time playing in front of all of our fans at home. I didn't think about it leading up until today because we have a good crowd, but today it was special for me to spend all my four years here and enjoy the atmosphere of our fans, it was pretty cool."
On the meaning of him and Kyle going out together:
"It is funny because of all the stories we tell of how I first saw him at NC State. We built a relationship through recruiting and he comes here and we are polar opposite on the court but just to go out with a guy like this is special. I kept looking at him like this is it right here, it is the last home game here where we can wear our white uniforms and be in front of our student body and fans."
On what he is going to miss the most about leaving UC:
"Honestly, people may not believe me but that moment where I mess up and I purposely don't look at coach and he is over there just throwing a fit because he is trying to get my attention and I purposefully don't look at him. I will probably miss that because what if I had looked at him? What is he doing right now? That is probably it."
#24 Kyle Washington, F
On the key to the turnaround:
"I think we just stayed together. It took us awhile to create separation between the two of the teams in terms of scoring. They played exceptionally well. They were making shots, but we knew that coming in. I think we have to be more accountable, especially myself just playing defense and just being aware of all our assignments and just being ready. But I think we showed resilience today so I'm proud of our team as a whole."
On if the team feeds off the energy when Jacob Evans III, Jarron Cumberland, and Cane Broome shoot well:
"Oh yeah, for sure. When we have that extra offensive punch it gives us a different perspective for everybody, but it also gives us a different level. I think great teams have different levels and different ways to win. If we can continue to develop that and continue to show that we can win in different ways because, you know, obviously coach isn't happy with (allowing) 74 points. And we're not happy with 74 points. We want to do better. We are gonna focus on what we have to do to get better on the defensive end of the ball. We want to keep on growing that offensive potency."
On what when through his mind when UC was down eight on Senior Day:
"I've been telling you guys a lot over the years. I think Gary and I have been through a lot on and off the court. I don't think we ever count each other out. I don't think we ever count our team out. But I think that's a mindset that you develop over time and life and I think that's a great message for anybody that wants to listen because we could be down 20, honestly to tell you the truth, and still think that we have a chance to win. So obviously we don't want to put ourselves in that position, but it is the same thing in life. You might take a few bumps in bruises, but if you're willing to keep on working and keep on fighting then I think you'll come out and prevail at the end. So, I think that's our mindset and I think that's the rest of our team's mindset."
On what was going through his mind during senior day ceremony:
"I think I was just trying to approach it as a regular game. There were a lot of festivities and a lot of fans showing us a lot of love today, so I think it was cool. I appreciated it. I know Gary appreciates it. I've appreciated the Cincinnati fans and all of y'all the whole 3 years I've been here."
On what he will miss most about leaving UC:
"I think the fans, because of the exhilaration of making a great play whether it be on defense or offense. You know, I live for stuff like that. I know when I was a little kid I used to watch college basketball every chance I could. I would be like I just can't wait to be in that position where I'm on a team, a great team. The fact that God has been able to grant that for me in my life, I'm extremely, extremely grateful for that."
Tulsa Head Coach Frank Haith
Opening statement:
"We were down a man. I thought everybody understood before the game one of our soldiers was down and we had to pick up and do a little bit more. Really proud of our kids effort. How hard we played. How we competed. We had a couple plays there where the game was within balance. We had a six-point lead, we mishandled the ball, we had a missed block out. When you're on the road, every little thing, you can't have those controllables. We needed a shot, not a miss or a turnover. We needed to come up with those offensive rebounds and we had a couple of missed block outs. They scored on them. I think one they ended up scoring a three on. Cannot fault our effort or how we carried ourselves. We came in here to this game believing we could win this game and I am proud of how we competed. We can build on this game. This team has been playing well the last half of the year and it was no different this afternoon. I thought we played extremely well."
On Elijah Joiner getting his first start in a hostile environment:
"He had six points and six assists and only two turnovers in 28 minutes. He was really, really good. He got in foul trouble or he would have played more. We had to watch his minutes there in the first half. But he was really, really good in this environment. He's grown up and these are really, really important minutes for him from a growth standpoint for his career."
On his team being resilient to the very end:
"I think we cut it back to four or six after they jumped out to a 13-point lead. We battled back. We had some good execution plays on offense. We didn't get enough stops on the other end during that stretch there. That's when they hurt us on the offensive rebounds. Then Gary Clark made some big buckets down the stretch."
On the status of Sterling Taplin:
"He tried his darnedest to get ready to play, He's just not ready yet. Hopefully, he'll be ready on Thursday (at ECU). It was a pretty bad sprain. We will see if he's ready to go on Thursday."