Penn State Basketball
Student-Athlete Postgame Press Conference
vs. Alabama – December 14, 2019
Lamar Stevens | Forward | Sr./Sr.
Q: Lamar, how do you believe in yourself to get out of a shooting slump, you did go on a 7-0 run by yourself, get that block.
A: I just believe in the work that I put in. I remember the Georgetown game, I came to the bench and I was really upset because I was playing horrible and I remember Coach Ferry telling me, "It's okay, you're not going to suck all game." That kind of stuck with me. I always say that there's no way I'm going to suck all game, I work too hard. I just really have a lot of confidence in myself and the work that I put in and my teammates and coaches believe in me, too. So I think it's just natural.
Q: Alabama's head coach said that they made a concerted effort to make Mike [Watkins] get away from the rim and sort of put you towards the rim and make you protect the rim. Do you take that as a challenge? Obviously, you succeeded with five blocks, but do you try to make up for Mike [Watkins] when he's forced to be out there on the perimeter?
A: Honestly, I just want to impact the game in any way possible. Whenever I see an opportunity, I want to just do whatever it takes to be beneficial for my team, whatever that is. If I have to protect the paint or guard somebody or score the ball or make a play, anything. I just want to always make the winning play for the team and just do whatever I can.
Q: Down the stretch, it seemed like you really wanted to take over the game defensively. How much do you value your own defense and how much does that get your offense going even when you're not having the best shooting day?
A: I just felt like that was something that we needed. They were living in the paint, so coach put me on to their five man to switch and me guarding the guards and I take it personal. I never want anybody to score on me, and if they do I'm upset every time. That's just something I definitely take pride in and I felt like we needed it in this game. They are a really good team.
Q: So you are on [Alex] Reese at the end of the game. Last possession, did you think he would take the three in the corner? You were up on him tight, did you think he would take the three?
A: Well, our scouting report from the game is he's a shooter. So I wanted to make sure I made him uncomfortable and just not let him be able to rise up for the three because I know that's what he wants to do. I wanted to make him drive because I didn't think he could get past me. I don't know what he did, but he did… that.
Q: Whatever that was, do you think you prevented him from shooting a three? Did he have a gap there where he could have shot it?
A: Oh no. No. No shot.
Q: Lamar, something Pat [Chambers] mentioned is that he kind of had a hunch that Curtis [Jones Jr.] was going to go off tonight. What's it like for you to have another veteran guy, an experienced guy, that can kind of click and many of you expected him to break out?
A: Yes, absolutely. Curtis [Jones Jr.], he puts the work in and he's a fifth-year senior. He's seen it all. So it's only a matter of time until this is a consistent thing for him. He's so talented. If you guys could see him in practice, it wouldn't be a surprise to see him come out here and do this. So like I said, he's a senior, he works hard, so I knew this game was going to come soon.
Q: Lamar, where are you guys coming out of this six-game grind against major conference opponents and how much is this few days not playing games going to help everybody kind of breathe a little?
A: We're definitely tired. Definitely. We want to take advantage of all of the facilities we have and go see our trainers and make sure we get our bodies right to come back against [Central Connecticut State]. But we'll be ready to play on Friday so these next couple of days are definitely huge for us to make sure we get our bodies right so we're ready to play.
Q: In the big picture, are you happy with where you guys are at this point of the season?
A: Absolutely. 100 percent. I think you see guys step up every night, I think for the most part, we've had a consistent Mike Watkins, [Myreon Jones] has been pretty consistent over this stretch. Izaiah [Brockington] has been a great spark off the bench for us. So I think across the board, big picture, I'm definitely happy with how we've played over this stretch.
Q: How important do you think it is for a team to learn how to pull good basketball out of a game where maybe things aren't going your way?
A: It's huge. Shots aren't going to fall every night, so when you can win on the defensive end or just find ways to win, that's what makes the best teams because anything could happen on any given night. We need everybody and you saw that today. We got contributions across the board, so it's definitely something that we take pride in. We're a deep, veteran team, so I think that's something that we all know playing college basketball.
Q: Lamar, after the three-point play that you had in the second half and then the jump ball, you seemed pretty emotional and let out a big scream after both of those plays. That kind of seemed to add a spark and an energy to the team. What were the emotions going through your head after those plays and how important was that to you and the team?
A: I think the and-one tied the game and then the free throw gave us the lead and then came down and getting a stop and giving us another opportunity to extend the lead. We just talked so much in the locker room about how we didn't want to have any regrets, so I felt like everybody really played with their heart and really gave everything they had to make sure we didn't leave that game with a loss and I think that's just what showed out. I thought it was for everybody. I wanted to get my team going and I thought it did.
Q: Lamar, now that your team is kind of in the national conversation and there are eyes looking toward maybe be ranked in the AP, what is you feeling as a veteran being at least in that conversation, you, yourself, and this entire program?
A: I mean, as a whole you look at it and it's great. It's great for our fans and everybody else, but at the end of the day I just want to keep on getting better and focusing on this team and focusing on one game at a time. As long as we keep on doing that, all of that outside extra stuff is going to keep coming. We've just got to make sure we keep responding and keep continuing to get better each day.