Saturday, March 19, 2022

Kevin Willard quote book: TCU

On Jared Rhoden’s foul trouble:
We didn't have much room for error, and watching them play and seeing what they went through the last 10 games and who they played and how they played — I mean, I think they won four of six, but Kansas three times, Texas twice, I knew they were going to be battle-tested, and I just thought (Damion) Baugh and (Mike) Miles, they were difference-makers. They remind me a lot of (Collin) Gillespie and (Justin) Moore, two really, really strong guards. And we're just so thin on the guard front. I thought they were the difference makers.”

On Seton Hall’s inability to respond:
You've got to give TCU credit. I thought they were much more physical than us. I thought they got into us really early in the game and kind of shook us, to be honest with you, and then they did a great job of when Jamir — when Kooks was out and Jamir was in — of really turning up the heat in the half-court defense, and I thought that really we hadn't seen that defensive pressure all year. UConn gave it to us a little bit. But they're able to switch, get up into us. And I'm a huge fan of Emanuel Miller. I think he's just a difference-maker, watching him reminds me of Ismael Sanogo, but a little more physical, a little tougher. I thought they were a lot tougher than us, took us out of what we wanted to do.”

On TCU:
For them? I love Emanuel Miller. I think he's phenomenal. I might not be getting his first name right. I go by numbers, No. 2. I love that dude. He was calling out play calls, he was calling out, he was switching, he was taking our four man out. You could tell he was at Texas Tech because he plays defense on their level. And I thought their guards, I thought Miles and Baugh really looked refreshed from the last 10 games, they really did, they looked refreshed, and playing like they played earlier in the year. They just outplayed us.”

On his message to Seton Hall fans:
All I can say is I'm really proud of what this team did this year, overcoming some of the things we had to overcome, really bouncing back when times got hard. I'm proud of this group. Again, this is not the way you want to end anything. It's a really bad way to end it. That's not going to stop me from looking back and saying all the things that we've got accomplished and all the things these kids did and overcame. So you lose by one or 27, it's the same thing.”

On what could have been had Bryce Aiken been available:
 I don't know, Jerry. I don't know. We could be talking about the same thing last year if he didn't get hurt last year. We won seven out of eight before he got hurt last year and we lost our last four. I feel bad for Bryce. We're definitely a totally different team with him out there. But unfortunately, it's just hard to say.”

On Shaheen Holloway and Saint Peter’s:
I’ll tell you what, I think that's the happiest I've been. I've never watched a game so closely and so intently. Me and my son were in my room eating pizza, and I've never been so happy for a young man who, when I hired him at Iona, he was assistant for St. Pat's, and he has an unbelievable knowledge of the game, unbelievable thirst for the game. And he's a tremendous person, he’s a tremendous teacher, and he’s going to be a tremendous leader for many, many years to come. It was one of my best days as a head coach.”

On rumors of his filling the head coaching vacancy at the University of Maryland:
I’ll give you exactly what I can tell you. I have an agent who I haven't talked to yet. I don't know who he's talking to. I have absolutely no idea, but when I get home, I'll talk to my agent and discuss things with my agent. I have no idea. I literally have not — I've had three different agents in the last month, my original agent I've had for 12 years went to TV broadcasting. I'll be honest with you. If I'm not here next year, I'd love, if Shaheen Holloway is here, that would be the happiest thing to happen to me.”

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