No .11 Arizona State Men’s Basketball Postgame Quotes – vs. No. 11 Nevada (2023 First Four)
Speaking:
Arizona State Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bobby Hurley
Arizona State Men’s Basketball Guard Desmond Cambridge jr.
Arizona State Men’s Basketball Guard DJ Horne
Opening Statement…
BOBBY HURLEY: It was a complete performance for us. You want to be playing this way at this time of year. That's what it's all about. I truly believe that our schedule and the games we've been in, especially late in the season, prepares you for these type of games. And it was across the board, just everyone contributed. Our defense was outstanding in the first half.
Our bench was really good. Alonzo Gaffney, Jamiya Neal, and Luther Muhammad, all -- we had some foul issues on the perimeter dealing with multiple guys with two fouls, so needed those guys to perform that way, and they did.
But again, we wanted to attack the paint, and we had really good effort in the first half, points in the paint, fast break points, points off turnovers. I don't know what else I could say.
Great job, congrats to Nevada, great season. They still were making shots out there and hitting threes, and they stayed in it, and they never gave in, so credit to them for that.
On playing against his former team…
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: It was cool. You know, but at the end of the day, I didn't care who we were playing today. I'm just out here to play basketball. Yeah, that's all I have to say on that.
On the momentum gained by hitting first couple shots on a big stage…
DJ HORNE: It means everything. Especially for this to be my first NCAA Tournament, to go out there and play a game like that, it's definitely going to have a lasting memory. But yeah, I think when we get off to starts like that, it just feeds on to everybody on the team and builds energy, and I feel like it showed tonight.
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Yeah, I just feel like we're very -- we're a very deep team. Everyone on the team can score. Everyone on the team can do a lot of things. When we're clicking like that, we're hard to stop. We already play good defense, so that's what we hang our hats on, but when our offense is clicking like that, we're a hard team to stop, and I think that's why we got out to that big lead at the start.
On mentality playing in Dayton…
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Personally I definitely had a chip on my shoulder, but at the end of the day, that's just the mentality that I have. I try to find things to keep me motivated. But I'm just happy to be here, so I'm not going to say I'm not grateful for the opportunity. But yeah, I did kind of feel disrespected that we're in this First Four. But at the end of the day, I'm grateful, and we came and did what we were supposed to do, so next game.
DJ HORNE: Yeah, like Des said, I kind of felt like it was a little disrespect, but just happy to be here, happy for our opportunity, and I'm just glad that we won the game. Ready for the next one.
On how Warren’s high-level passing impacts the game…
DJ HORNE: Yeah, Warren is definitely a big presence in the post, and when we need the ball inside, it definitely draws a lot of attention from the defense. We have a lot of shooters, so he really has a lot of options to pick from, and we were just hitting tonight.
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Yeah, W has always been a great passer. He's seven-foot. He's great offensively himself. So with all the attention that he gets and for him to be able to see the floor and pass like that is great for our team, and he's been doing that since I played at Nevada. Yeah, he's -- what do you call it, a point forward? If he had a chance he would be a point forward. He would bring the ball up, a little Magic Johnson, but yeah, he's great.
On playing so well in the first half…
DJ HORNE: Like right off the top of my head, I would have to say the Arizona game. We came out with a win in that one, too. Like I said, when we get off to starts like that, I feel like we're a pretty tough team to beat.
On quick turnaround from Pac-12 Tournament…
DJ HORNE: No, not really worried. Especially when you're on this stage, I feel like you have to get up for every game, and if you're not, what kind of basketball player are you? But we're going to do a good job at resting and everything and get on the flight after this, so we'll be ready to play next game.
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Especially compared to the Pac-12 tournament, the games were back to back. And now we have that one day, and I think that's all we need. We just need that one day, and we're definitely going to maximize that time off and get ready for the next one.
On Nevada making shots…
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: I would definitely say yeah, they definitely had -- I don't know if it was in their game plan to do all that or if they were trying to get under our skin. But I feel like at the end of the day, that's a part of the game. I've been that guy to get into other people and talk to them. But we were the more poised team I felt like and just were rolling with the punches. I felt like they were trying to get us out of our game, and the coaching staff did a great job of keeping our head cool and making sure we stay focused on winning the game, so yeah.
DJ HORNE: I agree with Des. I feel like they tried to come out in the beginning and definitely tried to get in our head and everything. There was a lot of energy going into the game, big crowd and everything. So those are the type of games you get up for as a basketball player. But like Des said, coaches and everybody did a good job of keeping our heads level.
On what it’s like facing Steve Alford…
BOBBY HURLEY: Yeah, the first part, I know he's a competitor, like you said, and he's a winner and he's been a winner his whole life, so you know you're going to get his best shot. His team is going to be ready and prepared. I don't think it was a matter of them not playing well, I think it was us playing exceptional. I thought that was the story, especially early in the game.
On having his son play in the game…
BOBBY HURLEY: As far as my son goes, it's such a joy to watch him out there. I'm thankful that the guys played this well because those are the behind-the-scenes guys. It's not only my son, it's Micah Burno, John Olmsted, Enoch Boakye, the guys who were in at the end of that game, they're just as valuable for what they bring in practice in supporting the team. So it was cool that they got the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament tonight.
On how impactful it was to see his team perform well on the big stage…
BOBBY HURLEY: I mean, it's your goal as a coach to get your team ready for big moments and ready for big games. I think Michele mentioned about how many games we had to play last week, and we've been on the road every week for almost a month now. So you're concerned about just making sure they had the appropriate energy. I thought we handled them well coming into this to make sure that we were prepared and the guys got their reps, but with them having a full tank of gas. They had it early. Their activity on defense was outstanding, and then offensively they were moving the ball and sharing the ball and executing. For us to finish with 21 assists and seven turnovers is what you hope for as a coach, that your team is playing that unselfishly.
On TCU…
BOBBY HURLEY: Yeah, a lot of respect for them and the season they've had. And like you touched on, the league was rated one of the best in the country this year. I talked about us being battle tested. Well, so were they. I think they play elite competition. So the coaches will dive into TCU and put together a game plan and try and get out the door here and get to the flight. And it's going to be more mental than physical tomorrow with the guys, but we'll do everything that we can to get them ready. I'm appreciative that the NCAA allows the game to take place at the very end of the night on Friday because the last time we were in here and won, it was I believe an afternoon game, and just wasn't enough time really for us to physically bounce back. Every hour counts, and that'll be the focus the next 36 hours.
On preparing for the big moments…
BOBBY HURLEY: Well, we had a lot of talk, a lot of meetings, a lot of talking about -- they let us in, and that's wonderful and celebrate the moment. And so many teams -- you can look at a number of blue blood programs that just didn't have enough wins to get into this tournament, so it is extremely difficult to even be invited here. The fact that these guys did that is pretty special. We celebrated that, all right, let's move on and focus on winning games. You know, I watched our team yesterday, and we went through the paces here in 40-minute workout, and they were dialed in. Man, every drill, every shot, there was focus, there wasn't no distractions, and I had a sense just based off that alone that we would be ready to play. You would never imagine that they could perform this well on offense. We scored the most points we've scored all season tonight. But it was the quality of play and the whole team doing it. I can't say I put a guy in the game that didn't contribute tonight.
On playing in Denver…
BOBBY HURLEY: I think everyone has to deal with it. I don't know what elevation Dallas, Texas is, but I wouldn't imagine they could simulate those conditions between now and the game. It's something that we've had in the past, too. We've had to go play at Colorado and Utah and higher elevation places. So I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and we'll see how we adjust to it, but we were okay this year at Colorado.
On why ASU plays well away from home…
BOBBY HURLEY: It's hard to really say. It's a good question. I mean, I touched on how we'd handled our preseason, going on the road and playing scrimmages on the road and all the road games that we had early in the season, neutrals and roads. We knew we had to be good at winning on the road. I've said the team likes each other. If you have a group of people that don't like each other and then you have to go spend a few days together, it's not good, and maybe you're not going to have good results. But I think the team has come together both on and off the court, and they love playing basketball and have a lot of experience, too, guys that have played in a lot of big games. Des and Warren are both older. Devan played in Lexington against Kentucky with that crowd, so I don't think he's going to be that fazed by neutrals or big crowds. Frankie was in the Big Ten at Michigan for a year so a lot of the guys that played key minutes for us were all in these type of environments.
Speaking:
Arizona State Men’s Basketball Head Coach Bobby Hurley
Arizona State Men’s Basketball Guard Desmond Cambridge jr.
Arizona State Men’s Basketball Guard DJ Horne
Opening Statement…
BOBBY HURLEY: It was a complete performance for us. You want to be playing this way at this time of year. That's what it's all about. I truly believe that our schedule and the games we've been in, especially late in the season, prepares you for these type of games. And it was across the board, just everyone contributed. Our defense was outstanding in the first half.
Our bench was really good. Alonzo Gaffney, Jamiya Neal, and Luther Muhammad, all -- we had some foul issues on the perimeter dealing with multiple guys with two fouls, so needed those guys to perform that way, and they did.
But again, we wanted to attack the paint, and we had really good effort in the first half, points in the paint, fast break points, points off turnovers. I don't know what else I could say.
Great job, congrats to Nevada, great season. They still were making shots out there and hitting threes, and they stayed in it, and they never gave in, so credit to them for that.
On playing against his former team…
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: It was cool. You know, but at the end of the day, I didn't care who we were playing today. I'm just out here to play basketball. Yeah, that's all I have to say on that.
On the momentum gained by hitting first couple shots on a big stage…
DJ HORNE: It means everything. Especially for this to be my first NCAA Tournament, to go out there and play a game like that, it's definitely going to have a lasting memory. But yeah, I think when we get off to starts like that, it just feeds on to everybody on the team and builds energy, and I feel like it showed tonight.
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Yeah, I just feel like we're very -- we're a very deep team. Everyone on the team can score. Everyone on the team can do a lot of things. When we're clicking like that, we're hard to stop. We already play good defense, so that's what we hang our hats on, but when our offense is clicking like that, we're a hard team to stop, and I think that's why we got out to that big lead at the start.
On mentality playing in Dayton…
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Personally I definitely had a chip on my shoulder, but at the end of the day, that's just the mentality that I have. I try to find things to keep me motivated. But I'm just happy to be here, so I'm not going to say I'm not grateful for the opportunity. But yeah, I did kind of feel disrespected that we're in this First Four. But at the end of the day, I'm grateful, and we came and did what we were supposed to do, so next game.
DJ HORNE: Yeah, like Des said, I kind of felt like it was a little disrespect, but just happy to be here, happy for our opportunity, and I'm just glad that we won the game. Ready for the next one.
On how Warren’s high-level passing impacts the game…
DJ HORNE: Yeah, Warren is definitely a big presence in the post, and when we need the ball inside, it definitely draws a lot of attention from the defense. We have a lot of shooters, so he really has a lot of options to pick from, and we were just hitting tonight.
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Yeah, W has always been a great passer. He's seven-foot. He's great offensively himself. So with all the attention that he gets and for him to be able to see the floor and pass like that is great for our team, and he's been doing that since I played at Nevada. Yeah, he's -- what do you call it, a point forward? If he had a chance he would be a point forward. He would bring the ball up, a little Magic Johnson, but yeah, he's great.
On playing so well in the first half…
DJ HORNE: Like right off the top of my head, I would have to say the Arizona game. We came out with a win in that one, too. Like I said, when we get off to starts like that, I feel like we're a pretty tough team to beat.
On quick turnaround from Pac-12 Tournament…
DJ HORNE: No, not really worried. Especially when you're on this stage, I feel like you have to get up for every game, and if you're not, what kind of basketball player are you? But we're going to do a good job at resting and everything and get on the flight after this, so we'll be ready to play next game.
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: Especially compared to the Pac-12 tournament, the games were back to back. And now we have that one day, and I think that's all we need. We just need that one day, and we're definitely going to maximize that time off and get ready for the next one.
On Nevada making shots…
DESMOND CAMBRIDGE, JR.: I would definitely say yeah, they definitely had -- I don't know if it was in their game plan to do all that or if they were trying to get under our skin. But I feel like at the end of the day, that's a part of the game. I've been that guy to get into other people and talk to them. But we were the more poised team I felt like and just were rolling with the punches. I felt like they were trying to get us out of our game, and the coaching staff did a great job of keeping our head cool and making sure we stay focused on winning the game, so yeah.
DJ HORNE: I agree with Des. I feel like they tried to come out in the beginning and definitely tried to get in our head and everything. There was a lot of energy going into the game, big crowd and everything. So those are the type of games you get up for as a basketball player. But like Des said, coaches and everybody did a good job of keeping our heads level.
On what it’s like facing Steve Alford…
BOBBY HURLEY: Yeah, the first part, I know he's a competitor, like you said, and he's a winner and he's been a winner his whole life, so you know you're going to get his best shot. His team is going to be ready and prepared. I don't think it was a matter of them not playing well, I think it was us playing exceptional. I thought that was the story, especially early in the game.
On having his son play in the game…
BOBBY HURLEY: As far as my son goes, it's such a joy to watch him out there. I'm thankful that the guys played this well because those are the behind-the-scenes guys. It's not only my son, it's Micah Burno, John Olmsted, Enoch Boakye, the guys who were in at the end of that game, they're just as valuable for what they bring in practice in supporting the team. So it was cool that they got the opportunity to play in the NCAA Tournament tonight.
On how impactful it was to see his team perform well on the big stage…
BOBBY HURLEY: I mean, it's your goal as a coach to get your team ready for big moments and ready for big games. I think Michele mentioned about how many games we had to play last week, and we've been on the road every week for almost a month now. So you're concerned about just making sure they had the appropriate energy. I thought we handled them well coming into this to make sure that we were prepared and the guys got their reps, but with them having a full tank of gas. They had it early. Their activity on defense was outstanding, and then offensively they were moving the ball and sharing the ball and executing. For us to finish with 21 assists and seven turnovers is what you hope for as a coach, that your team is playing that unselfishly.
On TCU…
BOBBY HURLEY: Yeah, a lot of respect for them and the season they've had. And like you touched on, the league was rated one of the best in the country this year. I talked about us being battle tested. Well, so were they. I think they play elite competition. So the coaches will dive into TCU and put together a game plan and try and get out the door here and get to the flight. And it's going to be more mental than physical tomorrow with the guys, but we'll do everything that we can to get them ready. I'm appreciative that the NCAA allows the game to take place at the very end of the night on Friday because the last time we were in here and won, it was I believe an afternoon game, and just wasn't enough time really for us to physically bounce back. Every hour counts, and that'll be the focus the next 36 hours.
On preparing for the big moments…
BOBBY HURLEY: Well, we had a lot of talk, a lot of meetings, a lot of talking about -- they let us in, and that's wonderful and celebrate the moment. And so many teams -- you can look at a number of blue blood programs that just didn't have enough wins to get into this tournament, so it is extremely difficult to even be invited here. The fact that these guys did that is pretty special. We celebrated that, all right, let's move on and focus on winning games. You know, I watched our team yesterday, and we went through the paces here in 40-minute workout, and they were dialed in. Man, every drill, every shot, there was focus, there wasn't no distractions, and I had a sense just based off that alone that we would be ready to play. You would never imagine that they could perform this well on offense. We scored the most points we've scored all season tonight. But it was the quality of play and the whole team doing it. I can't say I put a guy in the game that didn't contribute tonight.
On playing in Denver…
BOBBY HURLEY: I think everyone has to deal with it. I don't know what elevation Dallas, Texas is, but I wouldn't imagine they could simulate those conditions between now and the game. It's something that we've had in the past, too. We've had to go play at Colorado and Utah and higher elevation places. So I'm not saying it's going to be easy, and we'll see how we adjust to it, but we were okay this year at Colorado.
On why ASU plays well away from home…
BOBBY HURLEY: It's hard to really say. It's a good question. I mean, I touched on how we'd handled our preseason, going on the road and playing scrimmages on the road and all the road games that we had early in the season, neutrals and roads. We knew we had to be good at winning on the road. I've said the team likes each other. If you have a group of people that don't like each other and then you have to go spend a few days together, it's not good, and maybe you're not going to have good results. But I think the team has come together both on and off the court, and they love playing basketball and have a lot of experience, too, guys that have played in a lot of big games. Des and Warren are both older. Devan played in Lexington against Kentucky with that crowd, so I don't think he's going to be that fazed by neutrals or big crowds. Frankie was in the Big Ten at Michigan for a year so a lot of the guys that played key minutes for us were all in these type of environments.