Postgame Quotes - Indiana vs. Kansas (Armed Forces Classic)
11/12/2016 2:55:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Tom Crean
On Curtis Jones being able to make clutch shots as a freshman:
"Yes and no. I think what that says is that the stage doesn't matter to him. I think that's what is really important. At one point, we had three freshmen in there in overtime and they all contributed. For us to find a way to win against a team like that and as good as they are and dealing with all the different kind of lineup changes that we had to have…we try to be a position-less team as much as possible.
"We try to get to the understanding that it's not really about what spot you are in, just get there. Our guys, when they move without the ball and move with the ball, you are going to find open looks. But you still have to have the confidence to knock them down. And those guys did.
"I thought De'Ron Davis' free throws were big. And Devonte Green's 3-pointer was big. In a game like this and that's measured like that and is so nip-and-tuck, every play is big. Just like every miscue is. So you just have to keep finding a way to be resilient. And these guys did. I said to Jayd Grossman before the game, 'It feels like March. We are in Honolulu and it's November but it feels like March in here.' And that's exactly how that game played out."
On his step-back 3-pointer in overtime:
CURTIS JONES: "I was just in the moment I guess. We all played hard and we just tried to get big buckets."
On the game going back and forth down the stretch:
JONES: "We knew we had to finish the game strong. We work hard and do a lot of conditioning stuff with Coach Anderson so I thought we were well-conditioned."
On being able to play so well after coming back from injury:
JAMES BLACKMON JR.: "It felt so good. I've been out for so long. I've missed the game. I missed being out there with my teammates. A couple plays I showed my emotion, but that's how much I love it."
On keeping focus when things aren't going well:
BLACKMON JR.: "I tried to drive when I had the shot instead on one play. I just had to pick and choose where my shots were and not over-drive the ball. I just had to take what was there."
On what he did differently in the second half to score 22 points after only scoring four points in the first half:
BLACKMON JR.: "I just really stayed in tune with things and my teammates. Thomas had a huge first half so we wanted to keep feeding him in the second half. From there, I just took what the defense was giving me. I was open a couple times and I was able to make a couple tough shots."
On Bryant's big first half:
BLACKMON JR.: "He was doing everything for us, whether it was handling the ball, rebounding or hitting 3-pointers. I don't think anyone made a 3-pointer except him for us in the first couple minutes. So we fed off that energy. Juwan came up huge rebounding the ball. In the locker room, that's all we talked about and we just fed off of that."
Head Coach Tom Crean
On Curtis Jones being able to make clutch shots as a freshman:
"Yes and no. I think what that says is that the stage doesn't matter to him. I think that's what is really important. At one point, we had three freshmen in there in overtime and they all contributed. For us to find a way to win against a team like that and as good as they are and dealing with all the different kind of lineup changes that we had to have…we try to be a position-less team as much as possible.
"We try to get to the understanding that it's not really about what spot you are in, just get there. Our guys, when they move without the ball and move with the ball, you are going to find open looks. But you still have to have the confidence to knock them down. And those guys did.
"I thought De'Ron Davis' free throws were big. And Devonte Green's 3-pointer was big. In a game like this and that's measured like that and is so nip-and-tuck, every play is big. Just like every miscue is. So you just have to keep finding a way to be resilient. And these guys did. I said to Jayd Grossman before the game, 'It feels like March. We are in Honolulu and it's November but it feels like March in here.' And that's exactly how that game played out."
On his step-back 3-pointer in overtime:
CURTIS JONES: "I was just in the moment I guess. We all played hard and we just tried to get big buckets."
On the game going back and forth down the stretch:
JONES: "We knew we had to finish the game strong. We work hard and do a lot of conditioning stuff with Coach Anderson so I thought we were well-conditioned."
On being able to play so well after coming back from injury:
JAMES BLACKMON JR.: "It felt so good. I've been out for so long. I've missed the game. I missed being out there with my teammates. A couple plays I showed my emotion, but that's how much I love it."
On keeping focus when things aren't going well:
BLACKMON JR.: "I tried to drive when I had the shot instead on one play. I just had to pick and choose where my shots were and not over-drive the ball. I just had to take what was there."
On what he did differently in the second half to score 22 points after only scoring four points in the first half:
BLACKMON JR.: "I just really stayed in tune with things and my teammates. Thomas had a huge first half so we wanted to keep feeding him in the second half. From there, I just took what the defense was giving me. I was open a couple times and I was able to make a couple tough shots."
On Bryant's big first half:
BLACKMON JR.: "He was doing everything for us, whether it was handling the ball, rebounding or hitting 3-pointers. I don't think anyone made a 3-pointer except him for us in the first couple minutes. So we fed off that energy. Juwan came up huge rebounding the ball. In the locker room, that's all we talked about and we just fed off of that."
Players Mentioned
Forward
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