Marshall University Athletics
Marshall Basketball Postgame Quotes
2/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Dan D'Antoni, head coach
Opening statement
"I'm happy for the kids. You think about the walls we were hitting early, and I think everybody kept their oars in the water and everybody rowed from managers, to the [graduate assistants], to my staff and the players. The players didn't quit and I think they gave the town of Huntington something to cheer for with our second largest crowd. We need to keep growing our fan base that we lost and if we keep doing that it will be fun winters here in Huntington."
On Ryan Taylor's effect on the rest of the team
"He has a calming effect. The rest of the players are learning and when he has the ball it calms everyone down. Aleksa [Nikolic] and DeVince [Boykins] get calmed down with his presence and makes everyone play better. I think from a sophomore that changed from a catch-and-finish guy to a `point forward' he has really made a difference."
On Justin Edmonds
"Justin Edmonds had a real good game. He gives you another guy that can attack and get to the rim and do some things. He is one that can rip and he's getting stronger so he is getting to the rim and his shooting is getting better. He doesn't have the same `pop' that he used to have but he is getting to the rim. He is adjusting his game and he is a much better 3-point shooter. He is strong and a tough-minded kid and you got to like players like that."
Ryan Taylor, redshirt sophomore forward
On differences between the first and second halves
"Coming back out with the energy, we didn't close the first half well they went on a little run. I didn't want to send my seniors in their final home game with a loss. I know when I got back out there I was going to pick it up myself, try to stay out of foul trouble and we just kept a high hand. Even though Austin Loop didn't get a lot of looks, there was a lot of energy from the bench and underclassmen that played tonight."
On being physical
"I just had to go out there and just play my game. I kind of went back to how I played last year. I just wanted to get the win for my seniors and I was going to do whatever it took. I got my jump shot to fall early too."
On winning at home
"I just give all the thanks to the fans. They were loud in there tonight and the attendance has been great. We have a lot of things that clicked all together, started playing good. The fans and the band, we treat them like they are our sixth man. If we can get them going, they get us going, they get us energized and playing really well."
Justin Edmonds, redshirt junior guard
On stepping into a leading role
"We had to pick it up and keep Ryan [Taylor] out of foul trouble because he is one of our leading scorers. Ijust played off my teammates."
Cheikh Sane, senior forward
On winning at home
"It feels pretty good to have a fan base behind us because last year the fan base wasn't as big. This year is different and we thank the fans for all the support."
JP Kambola, senior center
On getting the word out about Marshall basketball
"Coach [D'Antoni] always emphasized that we need to change the image of what Marshall Basketball is all about. Starting from the beginning of the year when we did that 5K, we want to be involved with the community and show that we are changing, and also going to class and talking to our classmates and building relationships with people around campus and you see them starting to show up because they feel like we have chemistry and Marshall Basketball is starting to change in a good way."
On being uncontested
"In the game plan we knew the guys were going to double team anyone who went up in the paint. I just made sure to get in the right spots and had to be ready to finish quick."
