March 13, 2014
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March 13, 2014 Missouri – 91 on defense. We got to study them on film tonight Texas A&M – 83 and prepare for them for tomorrow. ERNEST ROSS: I just think it's a great chance for us to go out there and just showcase AN INTERVIEW WITH: what we do and how we play. That's just play hard and give everything that we got and just leave it on COACH FRANK HAITH the floor. ERNEST ROSS Q. Jabari, I think that's the first time JOHNATHAN WILLIAMS, III you've ever fouled out. What was that feeling like? Was it kind of helpless to watch and what JABARI BROWN did you think of the way your teammates pulled it out there? THE MODERATOR: We'll get started with JABARI BROWN: Yeah. First, it's kind of an opening statement from coach and then take like a helpless feeling. But I got confidence in all questions for the student-athletes. my teammates, and I knew that we were going to COACH HAITH: Thank you. Obviously it be able to pull the win out. was a heck of a win for us. I thought that we So credit to all the young guys who obviously made some mistakes during the game, stepped in and made plays down the stretch. down the stretch there. But I will tell you this, we showed a lot of character and do what we needed Q. Johnathan, you obviously had 15 to do to find a way to win the game. rebounds. Was there any specific challenge THE MODERATOR: Take questions for issued to you before the game to get you so the student-athletes. aggressive on the glass on both ends? JOHNATHAN WILLIAMS, III: No, sir. I Q. Jabari, you saw Texas A&M roughly just came out with a mindset that I wanted to make a week ago. Did you guys maybe have a the tournament as a freshman, and so I just chance to get adjusted to them playing kind of wanted to play really hard for my teammates. I a slower game? know that's E.J., Ernest Ross last year, so I JABARI BROWN: Yeah, I feel like we wanted to help him get to the tournament, too, so I were anticipating that. We wanted to take care of just want to play hard for my teammates. the ball offensively and kind of make them guard for awhile, too, to even things out. Make them Q. This game ended up being tougher defend. than you expected as well as you played? You guys have had some trouble shooting, but as Q. Could all three you guys talk about well as you played, there was a 15-minute playing against Florida now, the number one stretch there where it seemed like you guys seed in the tournament. were playing as good on offense as you have in JABARI BROWN: It's a good opportunity. the last month or two. Just talk about why you They're the number one team. They had a real guys were able to get things kind of going good regular season, but it's post-season now. It's again offensively. a new season and we're looking forward to playing JABARI BROWN: I feel like coach has them. really emphasized and shown us certain things on JOHNATHAN WILLIAMS, III: Florida is a great team. They play hard, they play pretty good Missouri - 03 13 14.doc 1 visit our archives at asapsports.com film, and we have been trying to capitalize that on But I just think that just making plays and the game. just winning a game down the stretch is something. As far as it being a tough game, It's not so much about the minutes, it's just about everybody's fighting for their lives, so we didn't your heart and just playing hard and just finishing think they were going to roll over or anything like the game out. that. They're a really good coached team and a really good team, so we knew they would give us Q. E.J., you scored the first seven their all for 40 minutes. It ended up being 50 points for this team. How were you feeling minutes, I guess. early on? ERNEST ROSS: Good. I was just feeling Q. Earnest, when Jabari and Jordan it, so scoring was something that I guess I did in went down, you kind of seemed to have the the first few minutes. mentality like, Put this on my shoulders, let me THE MODERATOR: All right. We'll go out. Is that accurate? excuse the student-athletes, and you can return to ERNEST ROSS: I guess you could say the locker room. Take questions for coach. that, yeah. Pretty much. I was just trying to win. It wasn't so much that I got to do whatever I got to do Q. Why do you think you guys are so to put the team on my shoulders. I was trying to effective on the boards, especially on the win and just be a senior. I think that just being a offensive boards? senior on this team, I have to lead. COACH HAITH: Well, it's something we I just tried to lead the younger guys, and I have been really harping on with our guys. Last think they did a great job of just embracing the time we played these guys, I think we were plus-16 senior leadership. They made plays down the on the boards. Again we felt like that's something stretch such as Shane Rector, Wes Clark with big we could do. Obviously Johnathan was terrific, but free throws, and I just think they did a great job of all of our guys... embracing it. Torren Jones played nine minutes. He had nine rebounds. I thought that was the Q. Earnest, in looking at Florida again, I difference in the game, our second chance points mean, you guys led them at halftime down and our ability to get second shots for our guys. there. Just what do you take away from that game? Q. Last time that you guys played the ERNEST ROSS: Just playing with great Gators, they forced 12 turnovers on you. What intensity. I think we gave everything we gave in can you guys do to prepare to break out of the first half, just play with great heart. In the those traps that they put against you? second half, we came out a little slower than COACH HAITH: I got to go back and look normal. at that game. I don't know that they trapped us But I think that for us to be able to get a that much. How the game played out. 12 second chance at them again in the SEC turnovers is not a huge number, but it is a number tournament at a neutral site, I think that's a good that we want to be less than 12. chance for us to go out there and showcase what We just got to continue to do what we do. we do. Just play hard and give everything we got Share the ball, have great spacing, and hit the first and leave it on the court. open guy. What you cannot do is try to always try to dribble through it. Q. Was fatigue a factor in this game? Obviously Ernest Ross played 48 minutes and Q. Defensively you were pretty the rest of the starters did play 35-plus effective in the first half against Florida. What minutes. Did fatigue kick in at any point in the can you do to kind of carry that over into a full game and did it have a factor on the game at 40 minutes against them tomorrow? all? COACH HAITH: Again, we were really ERNEST ROSS: No, I just think that we focusing on Texas A&M. I think we did a really work hard in practice each and every day, so just good job, if I call, for the most part, the whole being able to play these type of minutes with game. There was about a three- or four-minute games like this is something that is pretty much instilled in all of us, inside of us. Missouri - 03 13 14.doc 2 visit our archives at asapsports.com stretch there where the game got away from us, COACH HAITH: Yeah, it was great to see. and Frazier made three threes, and we didn't And we spent a lot of time talking about that and score. We didn't continue to score. watching tape, breaking. The guys were telling I think we missed a couple lay-ups in the you about spacing and hitting the first open guy. I front end of a 1 and 1. If we continued to score, thought we were back on track offensively tonight we could have made it interesting. against a very good defensive team. It's one of the But I got to go back and look at it. We best defensive teams in our league, Texas A&M is, have got to have a 40-minute game plan against along with Florida. them. They're the best team in the country. We're the only team in the country that has this Q. What do you think when Jordan and opportunity tomorrow, so we got to look forward to Jabari foul out and you have to play the last it. four minutes without them? COACH HAITH: Well, I don't know if I had Q.