Feb. 7, 2015
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Vanderbilt Head Coach Kevin Stallings
Opening Comments:
“This was just like you knew it would go when you play one of Frank [Martin’s] teams… You have to play hard against them or they’ll embarrass you. Our guys responded. We did a few good things, especially when we got down 11 or 12. I told our guys at the under-12 time out in the second half that there was still plenty of time. James [Siakam] was great again for us. Luke [Kornet], I don’t know what the numbers say, but he was a difference-maker for us. He gave us another ball-handler out there, which was important against their press. Riley [LaChance] did some good things down the stretch. I’m really proud of my team.”
On Vanderbilt’s Zone Defense:
“We were trying to find a defense that would work. They hit shots against our zone. They penetrated our zone. They did a great job of penetrating and kicking it out to a shooter against our zone… We had to go back to man-to-man. We kept changing to find something that worked. I like the intensity we played with defensively. The free throw box-outs were good. [South Carolina] does a really good job with free throw rebounding, and that was critical for us down the stretch.”
On Vanderbilt’s Backdoors and Cutters:
“We had three chances to dunk and a layup go over the backboard; we weren’t finishing. We tried to open up our offense and get out of our pattern. We can be a patterned team sometimes. We added some stuff on Thursday where we could be random in our cutting and not be as predictable. It worked out well.”
On Vanderbilt’s Comeback, Which Featured an 18-0 Run:
“I liked it; I was enjoying it… We played hard. You have to play so hard against Frank [Martin’s] teams. Riley [LaChance] gave us a couple of shots. Luke [Kornet] hit a big three on our side. It was a collaborative effort. James [Siakam] and Jeff [Roberson] were big. Damian [Jones] played well when he was in.”
On Out-Rebounding South Carolina by 13:
“That was all about effort… [South Carolina is] a great offensive rebounding team. Part of our success was [Michael] Carrera getting fouls early.”
On Being in the Bonus with 11 Minutes Remaining in the Second Half:
“I told our guys… if they had an advantage, drive it.”
Vanderbilt Sr Forward James Siakam
On what triggered the 18-0 run:
“I think it was harder playing. Carter got in and got us going, and guys started making shots. The energy from the crowd also helped; it was a combination of a lot of things.”
On getting his energy back:
“The encouragement and trust from my teammates has really helped get my energy back. I think they did a really good job, especially Riley, of motivating me and telling me that they believe in me. I think after a while, you start to get your confidence back, and you see that those young guys believe in you and they want you to help them grow. I think for me, that was huge, and I always want to do something for my teammates. So it’s all thanks to them.”
On being in the right spot at the right time during the game:
“I just do everything that I do everyday. It’s really about going to the board every time. So whether we make it or not, I’m always going in. I don’t really have an answer; it’s just my feet taking me there.”
On the speech he gave to his teammates at the twelve minute mark:
“I just told them to go harder. Sometimes things don’t go the way we want them to go, and all I can say to my teammates every time is to go even harder. I think they listen to me, and that’s something that I really and truly appreciate. For me, it gives me even more motivation to go out there and lead them.”
Vanderbilt Fr Guard Riley LaChance
On the turning point of the game:
“I think we just regrouped, got back together, and we refocused on what we needed to do. We got a couple of stops in a row on the defensive end, which was huge for us. I think that really got us back in the game. We got on the transition a little bit, which was what needed to do.”
On the inspiration James Siakam brings to the team:
“I think the energy he brings everyday in practice and every game is what we look to. I tell him all the time that he leads us. He leads us with his energy and he leads us vocally out on the court. The stuff that he brings to our team, the value of it is unreal. He definitely inspires us, and I think you saw that tonight. Everybody was playing hard, and if everybody plays as hard as James does we’ll be alright.”
South Carolina head coach Frank Martin
Opening Comments:
“A lot of credit to Kevin Stallings and those young kids and James Siakam. I have tremendous respect for that young man and the courage and leadership that he has been providing for that team since day one with so many young kids. Once again, Kevin has proven that he is one of the better coaches in the country. He and I were joking before the game that a couple of years ago we weren’t very good and neither was he. Here we are two years later, and we both like our teams a lot, and yet our records don’t show that. A lot of credit to Kevin and those young kids he has.”
On Vanderbilt’s cutters:
“He changed some entries that set us up for some back cuts, and early in the game they got two or three back cuts. Credit him for that, but those back cuts were not what bothered us. Yeah, they got some back cuts the first six minutes of the game and then the game settled down and we adjusted to the adjustments that he made. Those back cuts weren’t there again. In the second half James Siakam said ‘We’re not losing’ and we didn’t respond. He lead his team and then we didn’t have anybody stand up and answer the bell for what James Siakam was doing. Once again, we had a lead in the second half on the road and we got beaten.”
On the 18-0 run:
“We didn’t get a rebound and got beat off the dribble. Thats what beat us, not the back cuts. Not guarding the basketball. Complete breakdowns on our rotations when people got beat off the dribble. We just completely fell apart defensively, and after we were up 12, we were 3-18 from the field. You can’t win on the road if you make three of your last 18 shots, it’s just not going to happen.”
On Duane Notice’s absence late in the game:
“It hurt us. He has got to learn not to grab people off the ball. Those are bad plays, and is completely against what we teach. That is part of his growth. He has got to stop grabbing guys off the ball because those are fouls, and if they did it to us I would be upset if they didn’t call it.”
On James Siakam:
“I love him. I used to have a team full of guys like that at K State, and that is what we are trying to build. I love his enthusiasm, his strength, his toughness, his passion. Maybe he is none of those things, but as an outsider that is the impression he gives me. His demeanor is contagious and gets people wanting to play with that enthusiasm, strength and toughness.”
On their rebounding in the second half:
“We couldn’t guard the ball and couldn’t get a rebound. I don’t think we grabbed an offensive rebound in the second half. I don’t think we grabbed a defensive rebound from the 12 point lead on, and we couldn’t guard the dribble. That’s a bad recipe. Give them credit. We were in control of the game and then the young kids said ‘Nope, that ain’t happening,’ and they beat us to the punch. If this were a boxing match, I would have thrown in the white towel during the last 10 minutes, that’s how badly we were getting beat.”
On Riley LaChance:
“We stopped guarding the basketball. So they drove us, and we had to rotate and got sucked in too deep. We had bad rotations. You give LaChance enough open shots and it is just a matter of time. Once he saw the first one go in every one after that went in too. In the first half we continued to challenge his looks so he never got a clean one. Early in the second half we were doing some of the same thing, but we stopped guarding the basketball. They were driving us from every spot and with offensive rebounds, kick out, three, then you start not guarding the ball so the backside guy doesn’t rotate because LaChance just made one, so they get tomahawk dunks that break the rim. Give them credit, they made the plays to win the game.”
On his team needing to take more shots:
“You’ve got to take the shots that are there. We have guys on our team who continue to pass up shots. When you attack a defense and you crack it, and someone gets the opening to shoot it or drive it, that person has to have the courage to make that play. Right now we are sitting back and waiting for the next guy to make the play, and we never attack the defense when we make a hole in it. I didn’t think our offensive execution was bad, we just have to have some courage and make a play when the situation calls for it. They went on that big run, we called a time out, and ran a set that we run, got a three point play out of it to hold the waters down, but gave up three offensive rebounds on three consecutive free throws. It is hard to win when you do those things.”
South Carolina So Guard Duane Notice
On Vanderbilt’s late run to win the game:
“As a team you just have to withstand the run another team gives against us, and I think we kind of gave into the pressure of what they were doing to us. We didn’t have anybody who was able to step up, and you know get stops, score the ball, or get rebounds. So, if we want to be good in the future we are going to have to come together collectively as a team to be able to do that.”