Feb. 28, 2009

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Coach DeChellis Quotes Indiana February 28, 2009

Q: How gritty of a performance was this?

A: Well I knew it was going to be a tough game. I just felt like this was going to be tough game for two days and was really concerned about it and tried to stress that to the team. I give Indiana a lot of credit. They came in and played with a lot of heart and a lot of grit. They did a good job. I didn't think we guarded very well which was disappointing. I didn't think we shot free throws, obviously, very well tonight. I thought we made some shots, second half was a little easier. Our kids found a way to win and we've been doing that all year and I think that's the most important trait. Sometimes it just doesn't go your way but at the end of the day, you find a way to win the game..

Q: Is it frustrating that you couldn't quite pull away from Indiana?

A: I think we could have done that at the free throw line a couple times. I think we could have done that on the defensive end a couple times and we just didn't do it. We just didn't drive the ball to the basket. Coach Preston was so upset because his two keys to the game were containing the basketball and transition defense. We gave them 10 points in transition and we didn't do a good job containing the basketball, so now he knows how I live everyday. He was just beside himself when we weren't containing the ball. It just happens.

Q: On the play where Jamelle (Cornley) got the dunk late in the game, was that drawn up?

A: Well, we ran a ball screen to try and penetrate and Talor made a nice pass and Jamelle caught it. We try to set that up with two hard ball-screens and it goes either way.

Q: These guys seem to play to the competition. Is that why you were worried?

A: I just felt like Indiana had been playing better and I know the Northwestern game, they didn't play very well. I did watch the Purdue tape and I thought they played very, very well. They rebound the ball and play with a lot of spunk and energy. Sometimes you've got your gut feeling and I felt like this was going to be a close, close game. I didn't want it this close, but going into the thing, I just told the staff that this was going to be a tight close game and we'll have to make some plays to win it. And I ended up being right. I don't like being right like that.

Q: Indiana didn't have a field goal in the last five minutes. What did you have to say?

A: Well we finally guarded and I thought we did a good job with Indiana when they ran baseline and sideline plays, trying to get a good shot off. I thought we did a good job of guarding and switching and not letting them get a really clean look at the basket. That was very important so I'm proud of our guys and I think we had a good rebound there when we needed it.

Q: Did you think of fouling them?

A: I was trying to get DJ Jackson's attentions but I didn't want to burn a timeout. If they happened to bang one it, I wanted to have that timeout to run something late. We talked about it but we just couldn't get DJ's attention. We wanted to foul #20 (Nick Williams) and he was guarding him. But we couldn't get his attention to do it so it's my fault.

Q: What were the goals in the last five minutes?

A: Well we're just looking for a little bit better defense. We're trying to switch the screens. They were giving us problems, driving. I thought Drew Jones played very well offensively, very under control, and did a great job. There wasn't anything he did wrong. We were just trying to switch all the screens. I wanted one mobile guy out there in Jackson and so we could switch them and stay in front of people.

Q: When they were up four points, did you say anything to them?

A: We try to make speeches for the first 36 minutes. Our guys were confident up in the huddle, and the little guys were telling them we were going to win this thing. So those kids were confident and that's been all year. There's some games we run out of time and we got beat but these kids always thing they're going to win.

Q: In these close games, are you confident that you have guys who won't crack under pressure?

A: Yeah, I think we've got guys who are willing to step up and make plays. Especially Jamelle. Obviously he got the big shot and that's fitting for him. He makes the big basket and finishes, but I think we've got some guys who are going to shot the ball and make the shot. There's nobody backing away.

Q: Has (Danny) Morrissey's condition improved?

A: Yeah, he's improved. He's been a pretty solid force defensively. His knee has been find and he's felt good the last two days.

Q: You always talk about guys taking the shot but Talor (Battle) had a shot and passed it to Jamelle (Cornley).

A: Well, it's a drive and a layup. Not last year probably, but he drove it and was wide open and found it. It was a great play. That's what we're trying to do is make that extra pass.

Player Quotes - Jamelle Cornley and Talor Battle

Q: Was this game more of a battle than you thought?

Battle: They're a good team and they play so hard and have nothing to lose. It was such an emotional night and we didn't play well. They played great and played with a lot of energy. They're a scary team especially at this point when they're improving every game. We've got a lot of things to improve on but we're happy to just walk out of here with a win.

Q: Talor, tell us about the play where you spun and passed it to Jamelle for the dunk.

Battle: It was just cleared out and I went by, and when I had that spin, I was so happy the ref didn't call a charge. I didn't hear the whistle blow so I turned and I was kind of leaning. I was scared I'd miss and I didn't want to shoot it so when I saw Jamelle up to get the rebound, I passed it up to him and he got to dunk it.

Q: You were originally supposed to shoot on that play, weren't you?

Battle: It's just whatever is the best decision and to me, I thought the pass would be easier than for me to try and shot the basket when I'm leaning. The difficulty was too much so I dished it off.

Q: What kind of a sense do you have for where the other guy is on the floor?

Cornley: We've been playing for so long so we're able to know where a person is, but also where the other four players are. We've been playing together for 2 years now so I think the chemistry and camaraderie really helps during the summer, and that allows us to understand what each other likes to do, where each other likes to be and how we like certain passes. He threw a pass earlier in the game and I thought it was a little too high but he knows how to pass to me and how to pass to certain players.

Q: You guys seem to play to your competition with this game and against Army. Then you can go to Michigan State and win or play Illinois and win. Why?

Cornley: I really can't give you a legitimate answer on that just for the simple fact that we approach every game in the same way. Whether that shows in a single-digit win or a double-digit win, it's really all the same to us. We'll take it. I just want to make sure that we go out and have the same confidence for each game.

Q: Talk about how pesky it is when a team is able to stay with you point-by-point during a game.

Cornley: We went into the game knowing that they would come out aggressive and trying to prove a point on the defensive end. We knew this entire week that they had been pushing their toughness. We knew we would have to absorb their pressure and be strong with the ball. If they made shots, then they made shots, and we were going to have to try to match that intensity and effort. They had a couple players play well today and they had a very good game, with a good amount of confidence. That's good for them. I'm glad to see that they can play with that confidence but it happens that we were able to come out with the win.

Q: Jamelle, was this game difficult because it's senior night?

Cornley: Before the game, you sit back and watch the other seniors take that walk and you don't understand that feeling until you're out there and you see the fans and the amount of people who cheer for you and the people who have been there for so long and even the new faces. I welcome everybody. To make that walk is something special. With the pain I've been through mentally and physically, and everything the team has been through in the past three years, I think it was necessary that I let my emotions be the way they were. Anytime I step on the court, I want them to understand it's a special moment because you never know when it's your last. With the program where it was, I'm just happy to see where it is now.

Q: How was it capping it with that dunk? That seemed pretty storybook.

Cornley: It is somewhat of a storybook but I saw this senior night more for the parents. It was convenient for them to come on the weekend and we had the student section here but unfortunately, it's not the official last game. I thing Thursday will really complete our legacy as a senior group because we put in a lot of time, effort, tears, and everything in it. I think I'll probably be more emotional on Thursday because I'll know that's it. I have nothing else and I think that when I leave here, I want people to know that I've given everything I can give.

Q: During the senior celebration, you and your mom embraced. What was that like?

Cornley: It was special because that's my angel. She's the one who's always been there for me, regardless if its basketball or academics. She's always there for me and she'll always be there for me. To see her and her emotion and everybody with her, it just meant so much because I remember calling them when I was frustrated my sophomore year, going through 13 loses. It was the hardest part of my life and they were the people who kept me going. I was able to continue to be confident and with their blessings and support and help from the man above, I was able to continue to play.

Q: Was the speech your idea? Did you ad-lib it?

Cornley: It was something I really wanted to do, but our director beat me to it and asked me if I wanted to speak and I said yes. I definitely wanted to speak because if I can give a minute long speech to show my appreciation to everyone who came to support everybody in the program. I'm just happy to just be here today because a lot of things happened and a lot of people would have given up.

Indiana Head Coach Tom Crean
Can you talk about the looks that you guys had in the last few seconds?
They were tough looks. They [Penn State] were switching everything, but we ran the plays that we wanted to run. You always want to have a couple-shooter options and that is what we had. They did a good job of switching That is the way we prepared, to run certain things at the end of a game. We came down with possession before the last timeout and we were playing for the best basket, whether it was a two or whether it was a three. Then at the end we had the last timeout and obviously we had to have a three and we got another look out of the side out of bounds.

How did you think you guys were going to play tonight?
I knew we would play well tonight. We have had two great practices. Lets put it this way--I would have been a lot more shocked if we didn't play extremely hard and work at execution and defend better. I would have been shocked. They [Indiana] really rebounded over the last couple of days and that is exactly what you have to have with a team. Unless you are going through it, it is unfathomable to think about what happens to your mentality, your confidence and all those different things. We just have to continue to build on that every day. Build confidence with habits, build confidence with competition and that is what we are going to try to do. Today they did battle very hard tonight. Penn State is good, they are very good. I think that they belong in the NCAA. Not many teams have three guys that can play the way those three can. They have other guys that did a great job when we were doing some different things defensively to have more shooters in the game. They have a very solid team and there is no doubt about it.

Can you talk about the way Devan [Dumes] played?
He was really locked in defensively. He had a big task tonight. He was a key component in our ability to change defenses and do things like that as well. He played very hard, played a lot of minutes and played through the fouls. When he wasn't getting to the line like maybe he should have or wanted him to, he didn't get frustrated with it, he just kept going.

There was a point when Penn State swung into the lead and you called a quick timeout and got Jones [Verdell] into the lane. Do you see your team picking things up with your coaching?
Absolutely, there is no question. That is why I don't want the coaching to end and I don't think they want to stop playing. You just have to be in it every day to get the feel. Early in the week they didn't believe when we played that way against Northwestern. Then the last two days and today, they are locked in. Confidence is such a fleeting thing. When you don't have a lot of things to look at to find natural confidence you have to find it in a lot of different ways. That is what we are trying to do, trying to make it creative, interesting, try to hold their attention, and at the same time win games while teaching them about winning efforts against losing efforts.