Norfolk State exits NCAA tournament, but not without a fight

Norfolk State fell to Florida in Friday night's Round of 64, but fought to the end.  (Photo:  Norfolk State Athletics)

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RALEIGH, N.C. – There’s no mistaking when Norfolk State coach Rob Jones is in a room. He commands that room.

It should come as no surprise, then, that he started his press conference after his team’s Round of 64 loss to Florida with a shot – even if a playful one – at the gathered media.

“I told you we weren’t a 30-point underdog,” Jones said with a smile, before – again, playfully – chiding those in the room for not laughing.

As much of a presence as Jones is, though, so too are his players. Jones’s team takes on his personality – always commanding respect, representing each other and their university, and fighting like hell for every possession.

The first 15 minutes Friday went decidedly against Norfolk. From there, though…

“They had a tremendous first half of the first half,” Jones said. “We didn’t take that punch well, but I think we showed after that punch the team that we really are – the team that we should have been the whole game.”

“The second half was a five-point half. Unfortunately, that was the second half and not the first half. If we had played that way in the first half, this might be a totally different (conversation) right now. We played the name (on the front of the jersey) too much instead of actually playing the player. We didn’t start playing the player until the final four minutes of that first half.”

The Spartans, fresh off their first MEAC tournament championship in three years, were in no mood for charity or disappointment after the game.

“I’m happy for these guys. They walk out of here as champions,” Jones said. “Out of 27 one-bid conferences, we were able to get a bid and be one of the last 68 teams standing for the national championship. Credit to these guys.”

Guard Jaylani Darden, who had to take on a bigger role with star Brian Moore in foul trouble, turned in 15 points on 7-of-10 shooting. He, too, shared the team’s connection.

“We just bought in,” Darden said. “We believe in each other. We just looked at (Florida) as regular people. They are just like us. We just tightened our screws up and played more aggressively.”

The final five minutes of the first half – to Jones’s point – displayed the group Jones knew he had. The Spartans closed the stanza on an 11-0 burst, knifing what was a 32-point advantage down to 21 at the interval.

“We knew what time it was,” guard Christian Ings said. “We only had 20 minutes left in the basketball game, and I was in the locker room trying to tell my guys we only had 20 guaranteed minutes. If we wanted anything more, if we wanted to stay together as a group, we had to pick it up. Coming out of halftime, we knew that we didn’t start the game the way we wanted to, but we were damn sure going to finish the way we wanted.”

The game marked the final contest for Ings, Darden, and many other Spartans. Ings reflected on his feelings as he left the floor for the final time.

“It was a really surreal feeling,” Ings said. “I got overcome with a lot of emotions. It’s been a long journey. I spent four years in Norfolk. They were probably my favorite four years I’ve had playing basketball in a while. It was just a lot. I got overwhelmed a little bit. I’m glad that my coaches and players embraced me at that point so I could stay strong.”

The Spartan players had one last piece of business before leaving the Lenovo Center floor. Every player, coach, and member of the traveling party walked over to the 350 Spartan fans who were allotted tickets through the school and gave hugs, flashed their hands in the shape of hearts, and paid a bit of appreciation to the group so dedicated to their success.

“They’re part of the program, just as much as we are,” Ings said. “The fans go everywhere they can be. They come to the MEAC tournament. They come to the away games they can get to. You know they’re at the home games. They’re just as vital to the program as we are. We want to make sure that they know they’re appreciated for all the things they do for us.”

Moore’s absence played a significant role. The fouls limited the Spartan guard to 18 minutes.

“The pain that we were missing from his being in foul trouble was visible the whole game,” Ings said. “We were just missing one piece the whole time, the whole game. It was like we were missing our right arm on the court. It clearly came at a disadvantage for us.”

Jones laid out the impact of Moore’s absence from his standpoint.

“It changed the play-calling. It changed the overall flow of the game,” Jones said. “I’m used to having Brian Moore on the floor. I’m used to having 19 points over there on the right wing. When you take away 19 points from the right wing against a team like Florida when you’re trying to manufacture points, it’s tough.”

Jones commanded the room one final time before he left. When prompted about the Spartans’ being a 16-seed and what it would take to get Norfolk State to a higher seed, he minced no words.

“I don’t think we should even be playing Florida, to be honest with you. People are going to say we lost by 26 – yeah, most of the 16s have lost by 26. That could be anybody in the country. We shouldn’t have been on that (seed) line.”

“I’ll say it once again, and maybe it’ll stick home this time. Out of all the 15s and 16s, we were the only one with a top-100 win. We beat (13-seed) High Point at their place. We beat Alabama State. We beat James Madison, who won their league. We played Tennessee close as hell.”

“We should have played somebody else. I’ll stand by that to the death. As far as moving the needle (to a 15 seed), it should have been moved already. Every time (the needle) moves, the goalposts get a little further.”