Penn State Basketball
Josh Reaves Postgame Press Conference
vs. Iowa – January 16, 2019
Josh Reaves | Guard | Sr./Sr.
Q: Josh, [Coach Chambers] just said the locker room was kind of down after this one. As a senior on this team, what is your message to the team after what is another close loss that slipped out of your fingers in the last 30 seconds?
A: I mean, we're right there. We did everything we could to put ourselves in that position. Iowa is a really good team and capitalized on the mistakes that we make and we just have to come back and watch the film and look at it and just make sure it never happens again.
Q: For you personally, those big 3-pointers that you hit down the stretch, I think you guys were down six or seven at that point, was it just one of those things where you say "I'm not going to let this one slip away"?
A: I think it was seven. But it was just in the moment. I had a wide open shot and I took it. I was feeling it and Lamar [Stevens] fortunately got me the ball the second time and I shot it and that was just basketball plays. It wasn't like a "I'm not letting this happen" it was just in the moment.
Q: Josh, obviously you guys want to push the ball once you get it but recently we've seen in halfcourt sets sometimes settling for shots, sometimes you have careless turnover, but tonight you avoided that. Is there any particular reason why?
A: It's just what our coach has been telling us. He harps on us in situations and don't let the ball stick and keep moving the ball and cutting for each other. Just getting movement throughout the entire possession. We've done a pretty good job at that and like you said, it's been working.
Q: Mike [Watkins] is a pretty emotional guy, he can take things kind of hard, what's your talk with him after missing those free throws. It's not the reason you lost but late in the game there how do you get to him?
A: Just exactly what you said. No time came off the clock. That wasn't the reason why we lost. There was an entire 40-minute game that went on. Just have to come back, get in the gym, shoot some free throws and get it out of your head. Just have a short memory about it. You can't harp on everything that happened. It's a fast game and you can't go into next game remembering what happened. But just move on and be mature and keep playing.
Q: It feels like a week or two now where Pat and you guys have been say that you guys are so close. What do you think you guys need to do to take that next step and finally build some momentum here in the Big Ten?
A: The little things. Diving on the floor, getting loose balls, tracking down rebounds, going into the lane to get rebounds, making sure we play ball screen defense well, making sure we run our offense well. It's just the little things that make things simple and are big at the end of the game.
Q: The offensive rebound they had off of [Jordan] Bohannon's miss. How big was that over the course of the game? Because it obviously gave them another opportunity.
A: It was huge. I was just talking to Steve Jones on the radio and I think he said that Mike and Lamar ran into each other and it's just unfortunate. We should have made up for that mistake and not let them get another shot off. He's a really good shooter and every time he lets go of the ball you think it's going in. We just have to dig down deep in situations like that. More time came off the clock for us to get a possession or a shot or force a turnover and they made a three. That's just something we need to work on.
Q: This game was played at a pretty high pace and especially given the games that you've played more recently. Was there any element of guys being tired in that final stretch because it seemed like there were a lot of mistakes. Not the same thing but there were some turnovers, missed free throws, offensive rebounds, that sort of thing.
A: I wouldn't say that. Our strength and conditioning coach do a really good job at getting our bodies ready for the season. I don't remember how much time was on the clock when he made that three but I think we had just come out of a time out or the refs were looking at the monitor to see if anything was going on. We weren't tired, it was just mental mistakes. We have to get better and be mentally tougher and push through those.
Q: You pour yourself into these games pretty hard, maybe more than most people. How are you after a game like this? How do you feel in any way?
A: I'm disappointed. I had four steals, seven assists, but I also had five turnovers. They were in crucial parts of the game. I'm probably my worst critic when it comes to taking care of the ball because I just expect so much out of myself. It's just difficult knowing that you were that close and you could have got it but it's just the little things that prevented you from that. I usually take the night to self-reflect and just come in tomorrow ready to go, ready to get better.
Q: Rasir [Bolton] had a pretty rough night against Michigan State, only played six minutes and didn't make a shot but tonight he seemed aggressive, he was attacking on offense, even his shot from three not falling. He was going to the rim, he was just really aggressive. What do you think of his response after what you and Lamar said after Michigan State about the freshmen needing to get a little tougher?
A: He did it. He stepped up. Myles [Dread] stepped up and the people that we needed to do things did things. We just have to finish out plays and get tougher at the end of games. We have to put ourselves in positions to win and try and seal it. I know Rasir and what kind of player he is and how dedicated he is to basketball. I feel like he's just going to keep working to get better every single day to keep us consistent.