Maryland – 72, Colorado State – 71
Kevin Willard, Derik Queen, Rodney Rice, Julian Reese
THE MODERATOR: We’ll begin with questions for the student-athletes after a gap assertion from Coach. Coach, let’s begin with a gap assertion.
KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, extraordinarily happy with this group of fellows for battling by means of. Colorado State is de facto good. Niko does an unbelievable job and I believed it was an excellent recreation.
Julian Reese will get a thousand rebounds on this recreation comes up in all probability with the largest rebound of his profession after which makes his free throws. So give Colorado State quite a lot of credit score. They’re a wonderful basketball crew. I really feel dangerous that they needed to go that method, however I actually felt like perhaps we have been due ultimately for a type of to go for us.
THE MODERATOR: Questions, please, for the student-athletes.
Q. Derik, solely three seconds to go there. What was going by means of your thoughts as soon as you bought that ball in your fingers?
DERIK QUEEN: That I acquired to get fouled or go on the market and make a shot.
Q. What are you doing to dam out the noise and give attention to what you needed to do as soon as the ball was in your hand and the way did you retain your composure?
DERIK QUEEN: First, that was my first game-winner and when Coach drew up the play, my teammates trusted me, he trusted me. I used to be slightly bit, like, nervous, however I knew we have been due for one and I needed to make this.
Q. What is going on by means of thoughts once you see him hit that shot and it goes by means of and you are going to the Candy 16?
JULIAN REESE: Yeah, we’ve all confidence in him. We knew the place the ball was going to. We needed to get the ball in his fingers. He had the mismatch, so I really feel like he simply took benefit and doing the issues that he normally doing. I used to be there for a rebound if it will have got here off and you-all noticed what occurred.
Q. Julian, on the free-throw line, flattening the 2 free throws to offer your crew the lead, speak concerning the thought course of going into that and the arrogance that you need to have needed to get that carried out?
JULIAN REESE: Yeah, once I was on the line, I used to be actually simply excited as a result of that is actually what I work for within the low season. That is actually all I used to be pondering, like, the low season work, it is the identical shot, and I used to be actually — earlier than we went within the huddle, once they have been reviewing it, we have been, like, let’s simply fear about protection proper now. I acquired these photographs. Let’s simply fear about protection.
So I actually wasn’t pondering an excessive amount of concerning the shot making it. I used to be actually eager about protection, and I used to be extraordinarily assured going into the road.
Q. Whenever you grabbed that huge offensive board, I used to be pondering that someplace your sister was in all probability freaking out. I do not know if you happen to’ve had likelihood to take a look at your telephone but, however I questioned if you happen to had and if she mentioned something. And likewise simply why do you suppose the 2 basketball gamers in your loved ones are such good rebounders?
JULIAN REESE: No, I have never checked out my messages but. I do know she’s in all probability going loopy on my telephone nonetheless proper now. However so far as the rebounding that runs within the household, I feel it is only a coronary heart factor. We simply play the sport with a lot depth and simply put on our emotions on our sleeve and attempt to play our hardest, and I simply actually did not need that to be our final recreation, so I simply actually needed to play actual laborious.
Q. Derik, you have been saying you have been sort of due. That is your first game-winner ever?
DERIK QUEEN: Yeah.
KEVIN WILLARD: I would not have given it to him if I had identified that (laughing).
Q. Did you come to Maryland to make moments like this, particularly in March?
DERIK QUEEN: Yeah, in fact. I imply, to start with, I simply need to put out for Baltimore. Lots of people do not actually make it out of Baltimore, after which I simply needed to come back right here and make a change. And hopefully I did make a change, so Coach Willard can hold getting quite a lot of native children.
Q. What was, if any, the changes at halftime? It regarded such as you got here out extra aggressive, notably within the second half taking pictures the three ball.
RODNEY RICE: Yeah, though I missed photographs, I am nonetheless going to shoot the ball, nonetheless going to be myself, nonetheless going to be aggressive it doesn’t matter what. I am certain all people is aware of that. They’re guffawing subsequent to me. Yeah, I will keep in assault mode all recreation.
Q. Have been there any changes defensively that perhaps helped you sort of win this recreation?
RODNEY RICE: Yeah, as a crew, I feel we have been in our personal heads on the offensive finish within the first half, after which at halftime Coach was telling us that protection dictates offense. We acquired to get deflections and simply play protection, lock up.
Q. Coach Willard mentioned, tongue in cheek, on Friday that nobody listens to him in his family, his spouse, his children, however tongue in cheek. What makes Coach Willard — what makes — or in any other case — what makes him somebody who basketball gamers take heed to and what has he meant to you guys within the brief time he is been with you?
DERIK QUEEN: First, he did pay us the cash (laughing). And so we acquired to take heed to him. And all of us belief him as a result of he is, like, a participant coach. After which he need nothing however the most effective for us and he simply coaches laborious. He talks to us apart from basketball. He is simply all the time there and simply need us to win.
JULIAN REESE: Yeah, I really feel like as a participant, you bought to place that belief in your coach. It is a part of being a crew. And as a frontrunner, I acquired to take heed to him and we acquired to take one thing from one another and simply that is what we acquired to do for to us win. I really feel like each good crew has that that listens their crew chief and all people works collectively simply to try this.
RODNEY RICE: Yeah, each on and off the court docket we love Coach Willard, man. So I imply, that belief is there, like the blokes have been saying, and, yeah, that goes into all the pieces else.
Q. A whole lot of instances when Derek’s out on the ground, he simply seems to be like slightly child. He is all the time smiling. He is enjoying together with his mouthguard on a regular basis. What’s it prefer to play with somebody who has quite a lot of pleasure concerning the recreation?
RODNEY RICE: I feel we’d like that. I feel whereas we’re enjoying, we get — nicely, particularly me. I am going to communicate for myself. However I get so locked into the sport, I must chill out slightly bit. Having him within the locker room, I am not so tense. So yeah, I recognize that from him.
THE MODERATOR: All proper. We’ll excuse the student-athletes and take questions for Coach.
Q. Are you able to inform us the sensation to be on the suitable aspect of a one-possession recreation lastly in an important of circumstances?
KEVIN WILLARD: It feels actually good, to be trustworthy with you, as a result of we battled again, Ju making the free throws. These guys have bounced again each time we have had a buzzer-beater. And actually the intestine punch was Michigan State. These guys have proven such character in how they’ve bounced again. That is all I advised ’em within the huddle. I mentioned, Guys, for the primary time we’ve time left. It is our time to sort of make our second occur.
We’ve not had that likelihood, and so I used to be actually simply — they only bounced again. They’re an excellent group. They do pay attention. And I am simply joyful for them. I imply, this can be a second that they are going to bear in mind for the remainder of their lives. I am nonetheless going to be teaching for hopefully 10 or 12 extra years, however for these guys, Ju’s a senior, DQ goes to the professionals, Rodney’s going to be round with me for some time, but it surely’s an excellent expertise for ’em.
Q. Can you are taking us by means of the huddle with 3.6 seconds left, what you advised the blokes and what you drew up. The consequence clearly was nice.
KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, I run the identical play on the finish of the sport now, ever since Isaiah Whitehead made a buzzer-beater towards Villanova. I am not mentioning that for — it is not — y’all acquired to cease that shit. It is not — that is not, like, a pseudo factor.
I ran that for Isaiah Whitehead and we ran it twice this 12 months for Derik and he scored. And I requested the blokes, I mentioned, Who desires the ball? As a result of typically you may draw one thing up for a man that perhaps does not need the basketball, and his actual phrases, I need the M-F ball. So as soon as he mentioned that, it was a reasonably easy determination. And I may see everybody’s physique language sort of perk up slightly bit as a result of he was so assured in the truth that he needed the basketball. So it was only a easy zipper, give him the basketball and let him go to work.
Q. Good name on the game-winning play. Was he the one one which had eyes lit up or was he the primary one which eyes lit up?
KEVIN WILLARD: He was the primary one and he was very smitten by wanting the basketball. And once more, I do know he is solely a freshman, I do know this can be a huge stage, however Rodney’s by no means been within the NCAA Match, Ja’Kobi’s by no means been within the NCAA Match. Onerous to run a play on the finish of the sport for a six-eleven middle like Ju, so when he mentioned he needed the basketball, it simply made it fairly easy.
Q. They beat you on the offensive boards, they beat you in steals. How do you clarify the win of this recreation exterior of guts and guile?
KEVIN WILLARD: No, Colorado State’s good, man. I watched movie — we watched movie after Grand Canyon, and I mentioned, This could be the most effective crew we have performed all 12 months offensively. They cross the ball, they display nicely. Niko runs stuff — he is acquired eight trillion performs. So that is only a nice win for our guys.
Q. I do know you talked about you need these moments to be concerning the gamers, however for you attending to your first second weekend as a coach what’s that feeling like?
KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, I imply, it is good. I am not going to lie. I might a lot fairly be teaching than being again house. I want my first weekend would have been at Seton Corridor, to be trustworthy with you. Seton Corridor was actually good to me and I believed we had some probabilities. It is laborious, to be trustworthy with you. I do know it is all the time been on my again and it is all the time been a stigma, however I knew I had confidence in myself that ultimately if you happen to hold attending to this event, which my groups hold attending to this event, that I used to be ultimately going to knock the door down.
I want I might have carried out it at Seton Corridor, to be trustworthy with you, first. It is a spot I liked and nonetheless love and so they have been so good to me. I want I might have been in a position to do it there. However I am glad that — that is solely our second Candy 16 in 23 years right here, so I am simply as joyful that it occurred at Maryland.
Q. Rodney’s personal phrases. We have been in our heads offensively. I feel at one level he was 1-8 and there have been different guys not taking pictures that nicely. At halftime what did you attempt to get out of them and what did you see within the execution?
KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, I’ve realized this crew. They do not react nicely to me being detrimental or me being indignant. Not that I get indignant any extra, however I simply reminded all people that as dangerous as we performed offensively, we have been solely down seven. We must always have been down in all probability 13 or 14 factors as dangerous as we performed offensively. Simply reminded them that permit’s return to doing what we have been doing.
The nerves are actual. Taking part in in your second spherical for these guys, quite a lot of these guys the nerves are actual, and so they need to carry out at a excessive degree. The sport has modified. They play nicely and subsequent factor their NIL {dollars} go up. The switch portal opens up, I feel, that opens tomorrow. Good transfer by the NCAA.
So there’s so many alternative stresses, plus they need to win, they need to play nicely. Their households are right here. So for me, I simply attempt to give them a stress-free zone within the locker room. The locker room is their secure spot, the huddle is their secure spot. They know they are going to come over and never get yelled at, they know that they are going to get inspired. It is identical factor at halftime. We watched movie at halftime and we watched our protection, and all people sort of simply regarded round at one another and was like, all proper, that is not what we’re about. So just about simply being a dad, just about to simply letting these guys know it is okay, we’ll play higher.
Q. I questioned what it is like when you will have Derik, he seems to be like slightly child, quite a lot of time after which for him to say that within the huddle emphatically which is one thing that always you want a senior a very skilled veteran to say.
KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, I imply, I’ve talked about Derik at size. He’s, his positivity and his joyfulness for all times, his mother has the identical vitality. He simply has such an excellent vitality about him that he, once you’re round him you are going to smile, you are going to snigger, you are going to hug him. His teammates are the identical method. He simply has, not too many individuals on this world have constructive vitality any extra and he is so enjoyable to be round as a result of he is all the time constructive. So when he mentioned that he needed the ball and the best way he mentioned it, I knew one thing good was going to occur as a result of good issues occur to nice folks and he is a good, nice individual.
