Penn State Men's Basketball
Head Coach Patrick Chambers Postgame Press Conference
vs. Maryland – February 27, 2019
Opening Statement
We're getting better. We played really good basketball out there today. I thought we played with energy and enthusiasm. Maryland, watching them on film, they're without question one of the best teams in this league and we just had a good day and they didn't. Turge [Maryland head coach Mark Turgeon] does a great job. I want to give credit to our players for helping them along in that, but we did some good things. We improved, our identity really showed by holding them to 20 points [in the first half], defending and rebounding, a lot of communication out there. But I said to them, "there's still room for growth here." Some teams at this point in the season are not going to get any better and that this is where they are. I'm so excited to go back to work tomorrow. We'll enjoy this tonight, but tomorrow when we get back to practice, I'm going to make sure they know to keep improving because it's there. That's what makes it exciting going down the stretch here.
Q: Have you ever had a player only take one shot and score one point and have the sort of impact that Jamari [Wheeler] had on the game tonight? It looked like he was in the middle of a lot of what you were doing.
A: Absolutely, and when he got into foul trouble it really hurt us. Those were some stretches where they went on runs and he was not on the floor. Pretty amazing. Seven assists, he was all over the floor, he was the maestro, he defended, he rebounded, and he did it all for us. To only have one point that just shows you the type of kid he is. He doesn't need the headlines. He doesn't need 20. He just wants to win, and we have a lot of guys like that that's a good thing. Johnny [John] Harrar, same thing. He scored nine but he just wants to win. He played great defense, so I thought those two guys really pushed us through.
Q: How many coaching moments are there in the second half of the game like that? I think inherently, it's going to get a little sloppy and crazy. How do you handle that knowing that this is a nice win but there are also probably some things you have to tighten up on?
A: Yeah, there's no doubt. So when you go up and Turge does a good job of getting them under 20 and putting a little fear into everybody, it gets sloppy, they're doubling everywhere, you just have to take care of the basketball, and you have to drive the basketball. I think that for a couple possessions there we tried to be too cute and we tried to run plays and we don't need to run plays at that point. It's really getting into spots. Get to spots and then drive the basketball. We're in the bonus, let's make this a free throw shooting contest. On the defensive end, again, unfortunately we went to that prevent defense, which I never get happy about, where we just let them score. We have to clean that up. That's why I say there's a lot of room for improvement here. Although we took care of the ball, which was a positive, we did a pretty good job on the offensive glass, which was a positive, and we shared the ball. So a lot of positives, but there are also some areas where we definitely have to improve in.
Q: Pat, I don't think it would come as a surprise to anyone who's watched you guys all season that you beat Maryland. What does it say that it was so convincing and you guys were so dominant for the better part of those 40 minutes?
A: You know what you always look at? You always go back to the first time we played them, and that was a long time ago, and most of you guys are in my press conference every week. I've said to you if you go back and watch us in November and December and now you watch us, that's growth, that's improvement. As a staff, you want to be the best you can be by the end of the year, and we're doing that. You want your players to continue to develop and get better. You're seeing that.
Q: Pat, what did you think of Myles' [Dread] hot start? I feel like he's had a couple of these now where early in the game he took a couple big threes to start you guys off. How important is that to get the team riled up and get the team going early on?
A: I agree with you. I think it starts with the stops, and then we're able to push it, and then he's able to get some space, and then that really is throwing a haymaker. You're getting a stop, you block a shot, you push the ball, you get him a corner three, he's feeling good, now he wants the next one, and now they're looking for him. Our defense and rebounding really dictated those open shots for him. He started the same way against Michigan, and I think that helps us and it deflates the opponent a little bit.
Q: How do you think your team has learned not only to start games well, but do their part in the middle and close games out?
A: I think you learn from those setbacks. We've talked about that, you learn from those failures. You learn from those droughts that we were having. We still had a couple tonight, but if we can prevent those droughts and be mentally conditioned or mentally tough, to be able to keep getting stops and rebounding during those droughts, really, that's what's going to propel you to keep the lead and stay in the lead.
Q: How evident is the growth in your eyes of watching the freshmen develop throughout the year? How much does that get you excited for the future of this team?
A: I've said it. I mean, we have incredible speed. I don't even want to think about next year because this team is getting better and I'm excited about it but we have incredible speed right now. We'll have incredible speed next year and those three freshmen are ridiculously talented. Put some weight on them, work in the weight room and keep developing them. I mean, we have a great foundation here. Obviously Jamari [Wheeler] is leading the way and helping these guys. Josh Reaves is doing a great job and Lamar [Stevens] is doing a great job leading them, but you excited when it comes together for those guys.
Q: How much has Lamar [Stevens] evolved through the season, particularly his efficiency and what kind of impact has it had on your season.
A: I think his patience and his pace have really slow down. I think he was more sped up in the beginning, maybe in January. Trying to do too much and now he's feeling pretty confident about the guys around him. He's reading the defenses a little bit better. When he got doubled, he kept his dribble. The double left, he kept it. Just little things like that I'm starting to notice and again, Kevin Freeman is doing a great job, our staff is doing a great job of helping him with that, but he really starts with him. Just slowing down and playing at game speed that is best for him.
Q: What can you say about John Harrar and Mike Watkins defensive efforts today while guarding Bruno Fernando?
A: I thought Mike [Watkins] and John [Harrar] played really well against Illinois, against a really good big, Giorgi [Bezhanishvili]. I thought they did a really good job on [Bruno] Fernando. They frustrated him and it's about getting to your spots, it's about continuing to develop, continue to work and they understand, three minutes you're going in, three minutes you're coming out, just keeping fresh bodies on Fernando and we did that tonight. They're growing, they're getting better.
Q: What specific area have you seen your team improve the most throughout the season?
A: We're defending and rebounding, that's for sure. I think our younger guys are playing with incredible confidence. Maybe it's something that you don't see, but I see. It's the connectivity and relationship among the players and staff. I think that type of culture can really push you through to winning. Even during the toughest time in January we didn't panic. They just kept showing up, they just kept coming back. That says a lot about the leadership of the players.
Q: Tonight you guys were able to produce 26 points off of turnovers. What can you say about your defensive efforts during this game and your team's speed?
A: We talked about this earlier in one of the pressers. We were turning teams over and we were doing a great job on the offensive glass, but we were not producing points. We were either missing layups or missing shots or giving it right back. It's nice to see us take those opportunities and turn them into baskets. I think that's really helping, and when you're not making shots, to get a couple of easy ones, layups, dunks, that's going to stop any run.
Q: How much emphasis did you put on offensive of getting to the glass today? How much part of that was in your game plan?
A: It all helps, it really does. Turning teams over, producing points, getting second opportunities, I think you would all agree that anytime you see an offensive rebound, we call them dagger threes, it's just the way it works in basketball. The fact that we got some extra possessions, it really helped us and it kept the momentum on our side.