Sha Sounds Off: UNLV

On Seton Hall’s performance:

“I’m super impressed with these guys. It’s been a long year, right? It’s been a long year — some ups, some downs — but the way these guys came out and handled themselves and didn’t cry, didn’t worry about things, stuck to the game plan…to play like we played tonight for this to be our last game at home was unbelievable. Unbelievable. I’m super proud of these guys and the fans came out big-time, so it was a great night overall.”

On Seton Hall being locked in:

“It was tough the last couple days, right? We had Zay sick and Elijah got his injury, so we couldn’t do some things and some of the other guys were coming off being sick. So it was a tricky week, couple days, for us to try to get ready, but I think for the most part, these guys came in and understood the game plan. I think that’s when you have good senior leadership. I’ve got five guys that are older. These guys understand the mission and the goal. I thought we played well. I thought we shared the basketball, that was the biggest thing I was happy about. Having 22 assists was really big.”

On Seton Hall’s defense:

“I watched (UNLV) against Princeton, and to go down there and win at Princeton is impressive, right? Then I watched them against Boston College and the way they played defense, the way they got after it, I was like, ‘wow, this team is really good.’ They’ve got good size, they’re athletic, they get in the lanes. So we watched a lot of film but we really couldn’t do too much on the court because we had limited guys. We watched a lot of film of what was going to be open. I thought early, Kadary set the tone, came out and set the tone. The second half. I thought Al got open on those three threes, and from there, it was off to the races. But that’s a really good team, it is.”

On Tuesday’s NIT semifinal against Georgia:

“I’ll be honest with you, I’m just in the moment right now. I’m in the moment right now, happy for these guys, happy that we get to go to Indy and play in front of Dre’s hometown, get a chance to play in the final four of the NIT. Like I told these guys, basketball is basketball this time of year. You’ve gotta be real appreciative of being out there. We had a moment of silence yesterday for the stuff that’s going on in Baltimore with the bridge, and I told these guys, you can’t take nothing for granted. Anything can happen at any given time, so when you’re out there, don’t cheat the game. I think these guys came out and played tonight.”

On preparing his team since Selection Sunday:

“I just told these guys, be selfish. You’re playing in front of a different audience, ESPN, it’s a different audience than Fox. You get a chance to keep improving your individual brand, which all these guys care about, but you also get a chance to keep representing the school and keep playing basketball. And also, playing with your brothers that you’ve spent 11 months — from when we first got here to now — with, these friendships and this stuff won’t last forever. These guys understand the mission, but we’ve still got a long way to go.”

On how fans have embraced the team:

“It’s good, right? It’s funny, it’s Seton Hall. Our fans are very passionate, sometimes in a good way, sometimes not in a good way. But I think they appreciate the way this team responded all year long, starting the year off a little rough, coming back, playing well. I think they just appreciate this team and the way they play, and the way they’ve carried themselves all year long. It’s always special, man. Playing here, playing at Walsh, it’s always different than playing down in Newark at the Pru. The Pru is great, but it’s a different type of atmosphere here, right? They’re on top of you, they’re loud, they’re after it. Our fans were into it from the St. Joe’s game all the way until now, and I think our guys fed off of it. I’ll be honest with you, I’m not sure we’d be playing like this if we played at the Pru, because the Pru’s a little bigger, it’s kind of spaced out. These fans got these guys going all three games. There’s no doubt about that.”

On rumors of his interview with Louisville:

“Listen, man: What’s understood don’t need to be said, brother. That’s all I’m gonna say. I’m the coach of Seton Hall. Period.”

On his experience making postseason runs:

“I’ll be honest with you: Tonight, I’m just gonna try to enjoy this, enjoy the moment, enjoy what these young men just accomplished — it’s history for the school — and tomorrow, try to get ready for Georgia. I don’t want to talk about what I did with Saint Peter’s, because it’s not fair to these guys. This is their journey. So my thing to them is, just keep playing. Keep wanting to play. These guys built a bond. You want to go far and you want to try to win every game you play, and the goal is to win a championship. We have an opportunity to try to win a championship.”

On Al-Amir Dawes:

“Al is different, right? Me and Al have a relationship that goes back 12 years, 15 years. I’m proud of him and the way he handled himself coming back home, because it’s not easy. Going to Clemson, had a good career there for three years, started, came back here and last year was kind of rocky. He got a raw deal with a lot of fans, a lot of fans didn’t understand him and his game. I thought he came in this summer super focused, with a chip on his shoulder, with something to prove. I thought he came out and had an unbelievable senior year, so I’m super proud of him, I’m proud of the way he handled himself, I’m proud of the young man he’s becoming, and I’m proud of him because he’s a great father to his son as well.”