Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Basketball Postgame Quotes
1/24/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Head Coach Dan D'Antoni
Opening Statement
"I thought the biggest news for the team and the city was the crowd, for a team that is now 5-15. The city coming out and staying with these young men who have been running into loss after loss and working to find the W's. This was a really big reward for them and I'm happy. They deserve it. They have prepared themselves to win this game through a lot of snowy weather. I'm looking forward to the next time we get on the floor, which is tomorrow morning. It will be a little more fun and we will prep for the next games on the schedule.
I know that they prepared for this one and worked hard to win this game and eventually it was going to happen and these kids should be proud of how they prepared to win this game and the way they played."
Differences in play
"We executed better. I thought our kids got into things. I have adjusted a bit for the way they guard Loop and the way they're guarding him helps other guys find some shots. The biggest thing is, it just felt like we made shots we hadn't made before. We made crucial shots, like Ryan's big one and those free throws at the end. With the way we play, you have to be able to shoot and have multiple shooters. You can't just have one. Justin Edmonds stepped up. Alex stepped up and made a couple of threes. Loop is always capable, so he forces the defense to play a certain way. It opens our pick and roll up and allows JP to get down and make some plays."
On Presence of Jane Kopp
"I also want to say, our biggest fan was there and that was Jane Kopp. I thanked her for being there and I will sorely miss Dr. Kopp, because I know he was behind this program and willing to work to bring up a lot of the facilities and things that need to be brought up to date."
On JP Kambola
"Somebody asked me if JP was in the doghouse and I said "I'm a coach, I don't build doghouses." If he wants to show me that he wants to play, he has to come out and practice every day and do what it takes. Before practice before the UTSA game I told JP there are no doghouses. I said all you need to do is come out and play well and show me you want to be on the floor. He is a great young man, who's run up against the wall as a senior and he's had all of those previous experiences and it's started to dwindle down. A lot of guys with a lot less character would have quit, but you know that he's come back and picks all of it up shows who he is.
He's our most talented big guy and I've told him since the season started that we need him. I'm happy for him and I hope he'll continue."
Call to Students
"I want to challenge the students. I still don't see enough painted faces, or a lot of people out here. I told them on my radio show, I'm 67 and I need your energy. Get out here and prop me up. Make me excited and get the team excited. I need that 18-24 year old energy. I hope they come support these kids. They deserve it, win or lose."
Ryan Taylor, R-So., Forward
On taking over down the stretch
"Coach just told me to be a leader on the court even though I'm a sophomore. My teammates were getting me the ball and setting good pick and rolls. I felt good after the first one went down."
On the confidence increasing as the game went on
"We knew coming in that we wanted to win. We knew it was a big opponent. Them (UTEP) being in the top half of our conference, we knew that we needed to bring energy from the bench and the starters. I think our home crowd gave us a lot of energy, too. It boosted everyone's confidence."
Justin Edmonds, R-Jr., Guard
On being red hot with his shooting
"It felt great. My teammates put me in position to make shots. Coach said shoot the ball with energy and work on your shot. If you miss a shot, come in and work on it."
JP Kambola, S, Center
On his energy
"Me being one of the older guys on the team, the guys look up to me and they feed off of my energy. They told me that's the reason I couldn't play in the past because I wasn't giving enough energy. Last game, I gave them an energy boost and we see how we improved. Tonight we won a big game with my energy."
On screens
"Coach emphasizes angles, so I make sure I get the person coming off the bottom with the screen. Once that is done, there is no way they can guard that. It worked tonight for us, and hopefully it works for the rest of the season."
