Oklahoma State University Athletics
West Virginia Postgame Quotes
February 27, 2016 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State head coach Travis Ford
On facing West Virginia:
"I thought our defense played really well. We held them to 36 percent from the field and 35 percent from 3-point. For a team that traditionally fouls more than anyone else and they go to the line 37 times and we go 20 - figure that one out. We knew going into this what we'd have to compensate for at some point and I thought our guys had great fight to them. The turnovers were our Achilles heel. Rebounding was another Achilles heel. We had some opportunities to score the ball in the second half - free throws, few jumpers, open layups that we didn't convert that you just have to convert. You've got to put them in the hole. You have to. That's going to fuel you and give you energy and sometimes you can't control all of those shots, but one game we're going to make those shots and that'll give us a chance."
On Tavarius Shine:
"He got into foul trouble and that hurt his rhythm in the second half, but we had a tough night for some guys. Some tough nights from some key guys, for us, really key guys that just didn't have their best night."
On his message in the locker room:
"First we went over things we need to do better. We can't turn the ball over. We've got to rebound the ball. You know me, I don't usually talk much about making shots - that can come and go. But I told them 'you've got to step up and make some shots now. That will help you because your defense the last two games has been off the charts, but our offense has let us down, the rebounding let us down a little bit.' I told them 'you've got to dig deep inside. Dig deep and we've got to come out with one of our best performances at some point. We've got to stay positive and throw these shoulder back, as we keep saying - 'you've got to throw shoulders back, keep your head up and grit your teeth and move on and try to get ready for Monday night's game."
OSU wing Tavarius Shine
On the opponents' second-half runs:
"It's been real tough on us," Shine said. "We've got a short bench so you know fatigue comes in a little bit some times. Mainly though, we've just got to hit more shots in the second half."
On dealing with the losses:
"It's always tough," Shine said. "Losing in general is tough on the whole program, but we've just got to stay positive and stay together. We've got to keep pushing and stay as a team. These are my brothers, so even with the losses I still come out and give my all."
On looking at the season as a learning experience:
"It's tough to say, but it's also good," Shine said. "Sometimes when you fall, you've got to get back up. Some stuff is tough but it's always going to help you out in the end."
OSU wing Joe Burton
On what was working for him:
"It was really just driving to the basket," Burton said. "That's what my coaches and my teammates were telling me to do every time I got the ball. I felt like it was a mismatch for me so I just kept driving to the basket."
On dealing with the losses:
"That's really all you can do is just give it your all," Burton said. "That's really what our coaches emphasized to us. The circumstances might not come out the way you want it, but as long as you gave it your all, we'll be fine with it."
On fatigue setting in:
"I think fatigue sets in on all of us," Burton said. "I don't think anybody in the Big 12 or maybe the country practices as hard as we do. Fatigue on those guys [Jeff Newberry and Tyree Griffin] is going to set in because those are our leaders on the team, but I think fatigue sets in on all of us."
West Virginia coach Bob Huggins
On West Virginia's energy:
"We had some spots where we didn't run the ball down the same way we normally do, but I think for the most part it was good. It was good to have everybody back, because then you rotate guys in and out."
On Oklahoma State's effort:
"Travis [Ford] is doing a great job, when you think about losing the people that he's lost it's crippling. We lost some guys, not for the season like [Travis Ford]Â has and you lose two guys that are the quality of the guys that he's lost for the year, it's next to impossible to win games in this league. It's a hard league when you have everybody and much less when you try to play without games you are building your team around."
On having a healthy roster again:
"I don't know what to do, it's kind of a fine line. I don't want to work them too hard, but I don't want to not work them hard enough. That's why on Tuesday we just shot and run and it wasn't a pounding, it was just running to get some wind."
On Jaysean Paige:
"He wasn't as good as he has been, but he was pretty good. Once he figured out that he's got really good athleticism, he's got great strength and still finish, which a lot of guys can't do."
