Penn State Men's Basketball
Student-Athlete Postgame Press Conference
vs. North Florida – November 9, 2018
Lamar Stevens | G/F | Junior
Q: You were able to move the ball around on offense today, as well as make plays in the paint. How were you able to utilize your physicality on offense today?
A: The biggest player on their team was 6'7/6'8 and I thought that I would have that advantage in the paint. I took advantage of it and my teammates put the confidence in me to do it and it worked.
Q: Can you talk about how you've managed to stay out of foul trouble and the confidence the coaching staff has in you to keep you in the game regardless of getting into foul trouble?
A: I think over time I've been in foul trouble a part of my career here and I think I've just learned by watching film where I'm picking up small fouls and where I can do things a little differently. I think that's what contributed in them having confidence in me. We practice stuff like that, when people get into foul trouble, so it was similar to practice.
Q: Talk about how your confidence has grown when switching to the "5" position in games and over the years.
A: I've always been a player that wants to impact the game. I feel like I'll play any position that's needed for us to win and I think coach knows that, and that's why he has the confidence in me to put me in any position.
Q: Josh Reaves had a big game tonight defensively. How does his energy affect the teams play and your individual game?
A: Like I've said before, Josh [Reaves] is the heart and soul of our team. We depend on Josh to bring that energy to uplift us when things are slowing down and not going our way. He does every night and even in practice every day, so it's not a surprise to me.
Q: The North Florida coach said today that you seem to be the guy that Penn State looks to offensively. Would you agree with that statement?
A: Yeah, I do. I feel like our team depends on me to score or make plays. Our young guys believe in me and the team believes in me, so I do whatever I can to help us win.
Q: Myles Dread scored the most three's today on the team even as a freshman. What does his confidence say about his performance and where do you see his season going.
A: Myles is a very confident player and can really shoot the ball. That's his job and we expect him to put up a lot of three's each night and more than likely, most of them go in. That's his job.
Q: Is there a difference playing with Jamari Wheeler at the point than there was with Tony Carr? Tony was more of a scorer whereas Jamari is looking more to you to get you the ball? Does that change how you play?
A: It's definitely different, they play completely two different games. Tony was also a bigger point guard and we used him to post up, but Jamari takes advantage of his quickness to get everybody else involved. I feel like it opens up more back cuts and gets more people in the paint than anybody because he is so fast. That's just the biggest difference. You always got to be ready for back cuts and getting opening because he will get it in the paint.