Hey everyone, recovered from last night yet? We got to talk to Ta'Lon Cooper, B.J. Mack and Myles Stute off podium last night in Knoxville. Here is what they said on the 63-59 upset win over No. 5 Tennessee:
B.J. Mack:
On the belief to win:
"We knew coming in that this was two of the best defensive teams in the conference, so we just had to come in and believe that we are who we are. Get stops, try to take care of the ball, that was one of the big things. Coach Paris told us a stat that when Alabama came in here they had 22 turnovers, so that was a real big thing. They like to get out in transition, so control the transition points."
On setting the tone early:
"I feel like if I'm getting comfortable with the ball in the post that means the defense has to collapse and that opens up a lot of shots for everybody else on the team. We had Ta'Lon hitting big shots, Meechei getting downhill, it opens up a lot for everyone."
On the physicality of the game:
"It's up there for sure of one of the most physical games. We just have to keep rehabbing and get ready for the next one. We have big guys on this team, so it allows Josh to be able to bang and use his physicality and strength, and allows me to play when refs aren't going to be calling ticky-tack fouls. It helps us out."
On the identity of this team:
"We are who we are being the best defensive team in the country so far. It just helps out, and especially in the conference people are seeing that we're keeping teams that score at a high pace."
On Myles Stute:
"He helped a lot. It was a big help to see Myles back. He knocked down a couple 3s, and we really needed that coming into this game."
On the big picture:
"It gives us a lot of momentum, especially with Georgia coming up who we lost to at home. These three wins straight give us a lot of momentum going into there."
Ta'Lon Cooper:
On rebounding as a team:
"Going into this game watching film and stuff, we stressed rebounding. Coach told us about rebounding drills. It just shows that we all bought into what coach said the game plan is and how we executed it."
On Josh Gray:
"It's great to have Josh, because he's a physical dude. He's 7-foot, he's just been doing his job. We've been on him about it, and he's been doing his job."
On the big picture:
"We knew it was a special group. Coach put together an amazing group of guys. It all started off when we went to the Bahamas, we all saw the potential there and just kept building on it throughout the summer, and it's showing."
On the defensive identity of this team:
"Two good defensive teams in the SEC, it just shows how good we are defensively. I'm pretty sure our identity is our defense."
Myles Stute:
"It feels good to come in here and get a W, especially after my time at Vanderbilt. It meant a little bit more to me personally, and I told the guys that. But it's all love, and I'm just excited we came out of here with a win tonight."
On the late free throws:
"I put in work every single day and I trust myself and I have confidence, and that confidence comes from God and my teammates. So all glory goes to God for those free throws and the win in general."
On when he knew he'd be ready to go tonight:
"I wanted to go Saturday bad, I'm not going to lie. I'm a competitor, I love to play this game, especially at this level in the SEC. I hate to take any game, any practice off, but I felt good at practice the last couple days. Shootaround this morning went pretty well, so coach let me know I'd be getting some action tonight."
On the season:
"It's amazing. I'm so proud of these guys. We all have that same mentality of next man up. It doesn't matter if somebody is missing shots or if somebody has an off game or if somebody is injured, every single person on his team has a mentality of next man up, and we've all got to handle our buisness. I'm just so proud of these guys, and just glad to be a part of the ride at this point."
On coming in and building something with the other transfers:
"It's special. I don't think there's a word to describe it, truthfully. Not even really knowing these guys a whole lot coming into this situation and kind of taking that blind jump, leap of faith, and then coming in and really building something special. Something that we're going to look back on years from now calling each other, talking about, it means the world to me."
On his confidence at the free throw line:
"No doubt in my mind. I knew we were winning this game, and if I had to make those free throws to do it, I knew I was going to get it done."
On the defensive performance:
"I thought it was alright. There's still some things that we need to clean up. I thought they were able to get on the offensive glass a little bit and they got too many second-chance points. Definitely rebounds will be a key focal point for us the rest of the season, but a win is a win. Knecht, great player. Hats off to him. He played his tail off, and I have nothing but respect for him. Great player."
On Lamont Paris:
"It's been wonderful just to have more of a teacher than a coach. To be able to have like a real personal connection with your head coach and to be able to lean on him and ask whatever you need to know, even when times are hard and you know he has your back 100 percent."
On if he's been more emotional:
"For sure. You've definitely been able to see him on the sideline jumping a little bit, reacting to some plays. But he loves the game, he bleeds it. This is what he does every single day, every single second of the day, this is his life. I don't think anyone deserves this success more than Coach Paris."
And of course, this one:
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