Penn State Men's Basketball
Postgame Press Conference
vs. Michigan State – March 3, 2020
Patrick Chambers | Head Coach
Opening Statement
First and foremost, I'm incredibly grateful for that these seniors have accomplished in their careers. It's just amazing. Mike Watkins stayed the course when he easily could've left, knowing how hard it was going to be, but he still stayed, and everyone surrounded him and supported him. Lamar Stevens made a powerful statement last summer to stay. We're not in a position to fight for a championship, which we haven't done in my tenure, without those guys, so I'm incredibly grateful for them. Curtis [Jones], didn't have to come here, he had many other suitors, but he chose to come here because of our staff and guys like Lamar and Mike. It speaks volumes as to where this program is today. I felt like game wise, it's exciting to be on that level now, and that can't drop. We're a damn good team, we just haven't played 40 minutes yet. MJ [Myeron Jones] is getting back, he's getting closer and closer. We're getting close. I think MJ got tired out in the second half. We had a great first half, but a disappointing second half. Give Tom [Izzo] credit, give Michigan State credit, and give [Xavier] Tillman credit. I haven't seen anybody guard Lamar like that in four years. He did an outstanding job of really frustrating him all night long. We have a lot of basketball to be played, a lot of time for us to right the ship, and we will because I know we have a lot of commitment and a lot of love in that locker room.
Q. Pat, you always get an A-plus effort from Lamar, but where is he physically because there are some things there that seem to be signs of fatigue, whether its missing free throws, or not quite getting some of those dunks that he usually gets. Can you speak to that?
A: You're going to have to ask Lamar because I don't want to give anybody an excuse or an explanation because I look at Tillman and Tillman played 38 minutes. So, he's our best player, he needs to play. We have to battle through mentally and physically now. For him, he has a lot of pressure on his shoulders. In this entire program his face is everywhere, but he still needs to battle through.
Q. I'm wondering what you saw different from Michigan State in the second half in this meeting than you did a month ago in East Lansing. Where are their characteristics different and where are they different?
A: I thought it was Tillman, I thought Tillman was terrific. He had 23 and 15, a double-double. I don't think he had that good of a game against us the first time around. Then Rocket Watts with his speed too. You know what Cassius [Winston] is going to do, I thought we did a really good job on Cassius. As a team, I thought we did a nice job, but I thought Rocket Watts, [Aaron] Henry's production, and Tillman for sure was the difference in the second half.
Q. They really made you work on the defensive end, especially in the second half they were really moving. Did you think your guys were less physical at the other end? You guys weren't moving the ball as much as they were.
A: Sometimes that happens when you miss shots. Sometimes you can miss shots then your effort on the defensive end isn't the best. So, we have to grow, learn and continue to get better. These guys are thoroughbreds, man. These guys are top level athletes. It's the mental condition that we need to punch through, and we will have plenty of time to do it.
Q. Do you think that's their heritage, and your lack of is a part of it?
A: I don't know about that. They've been there before. We beat them at Breslin. We should have confidence against Michigan State, and I think we did. They just made plays in the second half.
Q. To piggyback on that, to what extent do you feel like attitude plays or hustle plays or effort plays, how much do you feel like that kind of dictated some of the pace in the early part of the second half?
A: Yeah, those first four minutes were massive. They got some rebounds, they made a three, we had some turnovers, some long, missed shots, some real quick shots too. I think that definitely swayed the momentum their way. We'll watch film, we'll learn, we'll continue the process of getting better. They definitely made some big-time attitude or winning plays that kept the momentum going in their favor.
Q. The last two home games you've made 16 threes. you've made one now in the second-half in this game and the last. I know you haven't seen the film but do you have a guess as to what that disconnect has been between the first and second-half opportunity shooting?
A: You know what – you're not going to like my answer – it's the league. We play in the Big Ten, no one is going away. You have eight teams in the top 25, this is a darn good league. You're playing against great talent; and we jumped them, and they came out and jumped us. We have to prevent that from happening, we gotta play that much harder and we gotta figure that out. We were doing it for eight-straight games when we had that winning streak. So, it's in us. We just gotta bring it back out.
Q. Do you think the ball stopped a little too much offensively in the second half at Lamar and Myreon when you guys were trying to get that going in the game?
A: You know I gotta watch the film. Possibly. We had 17 assists and four turnovers. So, what did we have five in the second-half? Possibly, but then the shots weren't going though. You know we'll look at the film, we'll dissect it. I really think it was our defense. I felt like if our defense could really stand tight, tight together, and keep that trust that we had the first half, we scored 31 points against an great elite scoring team. So, I'll look at the defense end more than the offensive end.
Q. Pat, you made it a point several times already. You've said a lot of time to ride the ship, mental conditioning, you gotta punch through it. You said it's in you, you won eight in a row. What's the difference between when everything is going well, and you're winning, and how the players respond to that, to now, you've lost four or five, you are getting close to the end and you lost a 19-point lead on senior night. What's the difference from an emotional and mental standpoint now, versus the eight-game winning streak?
A: You know we just gotta keep showing up. Gotta keep a great attitude, gotta continue to have fun. Continue to come into practice and keep working hard. Great group of guys. We had 21 wins, 11 wins in the Big Ten when the Big Ten's probably at the best it's ever been. You could probably answer that. That's what [Tom] Izzo said to me before the game, he said he'd had never seen the league as good as it is this year. That's a guy who's been here, at Michigan State, and in the Big Ten for a long time. So, we've done a lot of great things. We have to press on, we have to stay the course. Whatever great cliché you want to use, that's what we have to do, and we're going to continue to do that.
Q. Even with a 15-point lead in the half - you've played Michigan State before, you know what they're capable of and the run they've been on. You had to figure that they were going to make a run and I'm sure you told your team that in the locker room. What exactly, when they did make the run in the second-half, what exactly about that is so hard to stop?
A: Well we gotta get to the free throw line. We didn't make free throws. That's the time where we really need to post up and get an easy one or an offensive rebound put back or a dagger three. But we weren't making our threes and we weren't making our free throws - and I think we missed some layups. We missed some layups during that run. So they were able to get the rebound and they take the ball from one end, just like we do, from one end to the other very quickly, and they were able to get some easy baskets.
Q. Pat is there any concern that your team's best basketball is behind you? I know you keep saying you haven't put together the full 40 minutes yet - are you worried that may not come, that there isn't enough time left?
A: No, I disagree with that statement because we haven't had Myreon Jones for a long time. So he's just getting back, so he was very rusty against Iowa. He was very good in the first half, just okay in the second-half because of his wind, but once we get him back to full strength I think it's full steam ahead.
Q. Could you speak to the environment in tonight's game? I mean 13,000 fans, in the first-half the BJC was rocking harder than I've ever heard it before. So could you just give me some insight on that?
A: I can't thank the fans enough for coming out for this game for our seniors - what it meant to our seniors, what it meant to our team. The students were awesome, they were so loud. You just wished for Lamar [Stevens] and Mike [Watkins] that they go out with a W, it's unfortunate. But we had great success all year long with attendance, so I really want to thank everyone out there. Thank the students, season ticket holders, for showing up and supporting us. Not just this year, they've supported me throughout, especially the last four or five years, and that means a lot to me, the staff, and the players.
Q. Could you explain your decision to start Mike and Myeron?
A: For Mike, he's been here five years. I thought he deserved to hear his name one more time, and I also thought he was playing pretty well. There's nothing wrong with a little change. My mindset on MJ, we need him down the stretch here, so let's get him back where he belongs and let's get the substitution pattern. Let's get that down, let's prepare ourselves for a great couple of weeks.
Q. You mentioned Tillman before, the ability to basically put him in single coverage on every team's best guy. As an opposing coach when it's your best player, how much of a bind does it put you in?
A: Yeah it's massive because we get a lot of easy buckets when Lamar commands that double team, then we have them chasing. That's the goal on offense, you want the other team on defense to chase. With the way they played, they were jamming some screens, they were going under some screens, but Tillman was velcroed to Lamar all night long. He's long, he's big, he's strong, he did a heck of a job.
Q. Coach you had a couple emotional motions, the hugs at the end of the game, at the ceremony with Lamar [Stevens] and Mike [Watkins]. Anything you could possibly share what you had to say? Or is it just too personal to share with us?
A: In a nutshell gratitude and love. So thankful and so appreciative of their loyalty and commitment to me and the staff, this program, this university. That's pretty much the gist.