University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes - UCLA 77, Washington State 68
POSTGAME QUOTES
UCLA 77, Washington State 68
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion)
March 4, 2017
UCLA head coach Steve Alford
opening statement
โReally proud of my guys. They just battled all year long. We had 28 regular-season wins. Itโs pretty difficult at a place like this to do something that hasnโt been done or tie something thatโs been doneโa milestone. Twenty-eight regular-season wins. Thatโs the most ever. This has been a special team already, through the regular season, that Iโm awful proud of. It was a lot of emotion in this game. Iโve been a part of 26 Senior Days and any time youโre part of the emotionโI told the guys, it just means youโre invested. If thereโs no emotion, youโre not very invested, and I think you saw a lot of that today. Iโve just got a group of guys that, even though thereโs three seniors that weโre awfully proud of, and two senior managers, itโs really a team. That team isnโt going to play in Pauley again, so they can see these endings of things. When youโve got a team thatโs so invested like this team, that emotion comes out. Iโm obviously very, very proud of our seniors. Theyโve been tremendous throughout their careers.โ
on Jerrold Smith
"Jerrold has gone from practicing on the womenโs team, to walking on to our team, to earning a scholarship this year. Really gave him a scholarship to say โThank youโ for what heโs done in the classroom because heโs just been excellent in the classroom since joining our team.โ"
on Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton
โBryce and everything heโs been able to accomplish and not waver. Thatโs been the thing Iโm probably most proud of is, no matter whatโs been thrown at him, heโs never wavered from doing what he does best and thatโs be a great leader, be a great teammate, do everything he can to help his team. Both he and Isaac. Isaac has been phenomenal. Had to give up a year to come here. Both Isaac and Bryce were really, a couple of our first guys on campus when we took over here. Isaacโs 98 or 99 games and all starts speaks volumes of his consistency and what heโs been able to do in his career. Bryce and Isaac have meant a great deal to our program. Not just what theyโve done on the court, but what theyโve done off the court, how theyโve handled themselves. Tremendous Christian young men that get it and serve others and do what they do very humbly. So very appreciative of what our seniors have done and very appreciative of what this team has done. Itโs not easy in this era to go 28-3 and do the things that this teamโs done.โ
on the teamโs style of play heading into the postseason
โWell, I love it. We got a little stagnant tonight, I thought, for the first time in a long time. We havenโt been without TJ (Leaf) all year. I thought G.G. (Goloman) did a lot of good things for us tonight. He competed like crazy. I thought everybody had a lot of good minutes tonight. It was just different. We havenโt had to play that way for a while. Defensively, I thought we were really good. I thought we defended them a lot better than we did up in Pullman. [The game in Pullman] was really when the streak started, so that was a positive. Offensively, we havenโt shot 44% much this year, so we didnโt make a lot of shots. Again, 22 assists on 27 made field goalsโthatโs who we areโand another game where we have less than 10 turnovers. I obviously love where we are offensively. We get TJ back, that gives us, obviously, a huge weapon. Then defensively, weโve grown a lot. Our efficiency defensively was like 96 at the half and Iโm guessing that we made our defensive efficiency tonight, of 95. Itโs getting better and weโre going to need that as now we get into postseason. Feel very, very good where weโre at. Got to get TJ healthy. Iโll feel a lot better when heโs healthy, but we get a healthy TJ back and weโre feeling pretty good about things.โ
on TJ Leafโs status
โI think he needed the rest. It was too big of a risk for us when weโve got postseason looming. Shane and our doctors have been tremendous, but if this was the National Tournament, he probably wouldโve been hurrying back. I think he would have wanted to do that. Weโve got a big picture weโve got to think about as we got to the end of this season and I think that rest is the best for him because we can get him as close to 100% as possible, that helps moving forward with any other tweaking of it, because ankles are about getting stronger again once youโve sprained it. Hopefully itโll be eight-nine days before he plays in a game from the time that he did it. Hopefully thatโll be enough heal time. I know that heโs done very well in the last three days, so things are going very well.โ
UCLA guard Aaron Holiday
On upcoming post-season play
โI think we are [ready]. Our defense is only thing that had to get better. I feel like itโs getting better every time so I think weโre ready.โ
On Coach Alfordโs performance this season
โHe did a great job. He brought our team together. He brought in some new pieces, which obviously helped a lot. He just helped us get ready for this season. Last year, we didnโt have the season that we wanted, but he helped us get ready and prepare and this is what happened.โ
On team confidence level
โWe are very confident. Obviously on the offensive end, we can score with the best of them. Now that our defense is getting better it just helps us get even more confident.โ
On going into the post-season
โRight now it feels great. We are going at a great pace right now. Thatโs all we can really ask for right now.โ
On being an offensive-minded team
โYou have to do what youโre best at. Our best asset right now is scoring. Weโre going to try to keep that up as well as improving on the defensive end. Weโre very comfortable going into the NCAA and Pac-12 Tournaments. โ
UCLA guard Isaac Hamilton
on Senior Night
โThe emotions were very high. It got us out of sync. I think we fought back and settled down. In the second half, we were back to our old self. This is a great team. We had a lot of ups and downs through this career but this is a special team. We hope to go deep in March and continue playing great basketball.โ
on what he'll miss
โIโll miss the atmosphere, being in LA, and being home. My family is here, and itโs convenient for them to drive 20 minutes to get here. Itโs an honor being here at UCLA, itโs a great institution. Youโre part of the Bruin family, which goes beyond basketball.โ
on coming from a basketball family
โItโs very important. It helped set up todayโs game. My brothers helped prepare me professionally, collegiately, every step of my way. Itโs a blessing.โ
UCLA guard Bryce Alford
on Senior Night
โNobody really warned me it was going to be like that, to be honest. I was not ready for that at all. It kind of got me out of rhythm. The amount of emotion drains you a little bit before the game and it is hard to refocus. It was good for us to stay in it during the first half until we could get the wind under our sails.โ
on leaving Pauley Pavilion
โItโs the way that we wanted to end our careers. I think itโs what Isaac and I deserve for all we had to go through here. Itโs something that I know Iโll never forget. We have a lot of work left to do.โ
on being offense-oriented
โIt makes it fun for us to be able to go out there and showcase what we can do. We try to put a show on; itโs what weโve tried to do all year. The brand of basketball that we play is fun for people to watch and even more fun for us to play.โ
on coming from a basketball family
โItโs been a blessing. I had the privilege to play for my dad. That will never happen again after this year and itโs something that Iโve cherished a ton. To be able to have my family with me out here, thatโs been awesome too. It definitely helps being a coachโs kid. My four years here have been awesome.โ
on the upcoming conference tournament
โItโs a tune-up for the NCAA Tournament. You get into the rhythm of a tournament atmosphere. You play in a neutral site and play back-to-back days. Itโs a chance to win a championship. We did it in with the pre-season tournament this year and weโre undefeated on neutral courts. For a team like us, who has won nine straight games, itโs good to stay hot. Weโre a hot basketball team right now and weโre playing well. If you can continue a winning streak into the NCAA Tournament, thatโs huge.โ
On Coach Alfordโs performance this season
โI think heโs done an unbelievable job. I donโt think thereโs a whole lot of people who could have gone through what heโs done and been able to bounce back the way he has this year and stayed positive through it all. It just shows the character of who he is as a man, more than anything. Heโs never wavered on his guys. Heโs never wavered from loving us and showing us that he cares about us, trusts us, and has confidence in us. As players that was reassuring coming into this year. Itโs just been a blessing playing for him.โ
UCLA guard Lonzo Ball
on breaking conference freshman assist record
โItโs a credit to my teammates. You canโt get an assist without them catching it and making it.โ
on potentially playing last game at Pauley Pavilion
โI just felt for the seniors. Theyโve been here for four years, and Iโve only been here one year. The emotion wasnโt the same for me. Iโm thankful for all the fans and Iโm a Bruin for life.โ
on season performance
โIโm happy and my teammates are happy. Coach is happy, too. We tied the school record for wins.โ
on team defense
โItโs getting better and better every day. We have a lot of guys who can play and guard different positions. That helps.โ
on unselfishness
โIf youโre a point guard, you should get your teammates involved before you. Thatโs just how Iโve been playing my whole life.โ
Washington State Head Coach Ernie Kent
overall statement
โWeโre not really in this for moral victories. Our defense was outstanding to open up the game and for about three-fourths of the game. They had about twenty open shots. We just missed a lot of our shots. If we were to have made half of them, thatโs the difference in the game. They made their shots. The crowd really got into it at the eight-minute mark and at that point, they took control of the game. At that point we just let it go and as I said, we missed some shots.โ
On the upcoming PAC-12 Conference Tournament
โWe just have to realize that the conference season is over. We are definitely a different team now than when we opened up the season again the University of Washington. I really wish we could have a re-do. Everybody now is zero and zero, so we have to come out fresh out of the gate for the first game. We just have to get our mental right. We just have to really re-group because weโve been on the road since Monday. So now we have to go back home, re-group and be prepared to fly out to Vegas for our game on Wednesday.
Washington State forward Josh Hawkinson
(Note: Tonight Josh Hawkinson set the Washington State career record for rebounds with 1,003 rebounds. He is also the 13th Pac-12 player to grab 1,000 rebounds in his career.)
overall statement
โWe hung with them for three-fourths of the game and we just ran out of energy the last eight minutes. We just let down our guard and I think that helped them win the ball game.โ
on preparing for the Pac-12 Tournament
โThis is one of the toughest venues to play in, especially on Senior Night. They are a Top-5 team. We knew they would come out and be emotional and we felt like we could stay with them. It was all about finishing the ball game.โ
on his personal growth over his career
โRight now we really want to focus on the conference tournament and go as far as we can go. I really want to set an example for the young guys to show how a program should be run. Coach has really turned this program into the right direction. We really want to get as many wins as we can in the tournament.โ
UCLA 77, Washington State 68
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion)
March 4, 2017
UCLA head coach Steve Alford
opening statement
โReally proud of my guys. They just battled all year long. We had 28 regular-season wins. Itโs pretty difficult at a place like this to do something that hasnโt been done or tie something thatโs been doneโa milestone. Twenty-eight regular-season wins. Thatโs the most ever. This has been a special team already, through the regular season, that Iโm awful proud of. It was a lot of emotion in this game. Iโve been a part of 26 Senior Days and any time youโre part of the emotionโI told the guys, it just means youโre invested. If thereโs no emotion, youโre not very invested, and I think you saw a lot of that today. Iโve just got a group of guys that, even though thereโs three seniors that weโre awfully proud of, and two senior managers, itโs really a team. That team isnโt going to play in Pauley again, so they can see these endings of things. When youโve got a team thatโs so invested like this team, that emotion comes out. Iโm obviously very, very proud of our seniors. Theyโve been tremendous throughout their careers.โ
on Jerrold Smith
"Jerrold has gone from practicing on the womenโs team, to walking on to our team, to earning a scholarship this year. Really gave him a scholarship to say โThank youโ for what heโs done in the classroom because heโs just been excellent in the classroom since joining our team.โ"
on Bryce Alford and Isaac Hamilton
โBryce and everything heโs been able to accomplish and not waver. Thatโs been the thing Iโm probably most proud of is, no matter whatโs been thrown at him, heโs never wavered from doing what he does best and thatโs be a great leader, be a great teammate, do everything he can to help his team. Both he and Isaac. Isaac has been phenomenal. Had to give up a year to come here. Both Isaac and Bryce were really, a couple of our first guys on campus when we took over here. Isaacโs 98 or 99 games and all starts speaks volumes of his consistency and what heโs been able to do in his career. Bryce and Isaac have meant a great deal to our program. Not just what theyโve done on the court, but what theyโve done off the court, how theyโve handled themselves. Tremendous Christian young men that get it and serve others and do what they do very humbly. So very appreciative of what our seniors have done and very appreciative of what this team has done. Itโs not easy in this era to go 28-3 and do the things that this teamโs done.โ
on the teamโs style of play heading into the postseason
โWell, I love it. We got a little stagnant tonight, I thought, for the first time in a long time. We havenโt been without TJ (Leaf) all year. I thought G.G. (Goloman) did a lot of good things for us tonight. He competed like crazy. I thought everybody had a lot of good minutes tonight. It was just different. We havenโt had to play that way for a while. Defensively, I thought we were really good. I thought we defended them a lot better than we did up in Pullman. [The game in Pullman] was really when the streak started, so that was a positive. Offensively, we havenโt shot 44% much this year, so we didnโt make a lot of shots. Again, 22 assists on 27 made field goalsโthatโs who we areโand another game where we have less than 10 turnovers. I obviously love where we are offensively. We get TJ back, that gives us, obviously, a huge weapon. Then defensively, weโve grown a lot. Our efficiency defensively was like 96 at the half and Iโm guessing that we made our defensive efficiency tonight, of 95. Itโs getting better and weโre going to need that as now we get into postseason. Feel very, very good where weโre at. Got to get TJ healthy. Iโll feel a lot better when heโs healthy, but we get a healthy TJ back and weโre feeling pretty good about things.โ
on TJ Leafโs status
โI think he needed the rest. It was too big of a risk for us when weโve got postseason looming. Shane and our doctors have been tremendous, but if this was the National Tournament, he probably wouldโve been hurrying back. I think he would have wanted to do that. Weโve got a big picture weโve got to think about as we got to the end of this season and I think that rest is the best for him because we can get him as close to 100% as possible, that helps moving forward with any other tweaking of it, because ankles are about getting stronger again once youโve sprained it. Hopefully itโll be eight-nine days before he plays in a game from the time that he did it. Hopefully thatโll be enough heal time. I know that heโs done very well in the last three days, so things are going very well.โ
UCLA guard Aaron Holiday
On upcoming post-season play
โI think we are [ready]. Our defense is only thing that had to get better. I feel like itโs getting better every time so I think weโre ready.โ
On Coach Alfordโs performance this season
โHe did a great job. He brought our team together. He brought in some new pieces, which obviously helped a lot. He just helped us get ready for this season. Last year, we didnโt have the season that we wanted, but he helped us get ready and prepare and this is what happened.โ
On team confidence level
โWe are very confident. Obviously on the offensive end, we can score with the best of them. Now that our defense is getting better it just helps us get even more confident.โ
On going into the post-season
โRight now it feels great. We are going at a great pace right now. Thatโs all we can really ask for right now.โ
On being an offensive-minded team
โYou have to do what youโre best at. Our best asset right now is scoring. Weโre going to try to keep that up as well as improving on the defensive end. Weโre very comfortable going into the NCAA and Pac-12 Tournaments. โ
UCLA guard Isaac Hamilton
on Senior Night
โThe emotions were very high. It got us out of sync. I think we fought back and settled down. In the second half, we were back to our old self. This is a great team. We had a lot of ups and downs through this career but this is a special team. We hope to go deep in March and continue playing great basketball.โ
on what he'll miss
โIโll miss the atmosphere, being in LA, and being home. My family is here, and itโs convenient for them to drive 20 minutes to get here. Itโs an honor being here at UCLA, itโs a great institution. Youโre part of the Bruin family, which goes beyond basketball.โ
on coming from a basketball family
โItโs very important. It helped set up todayโs game. My brothers helped prepare me professionally, collegiately, every step of my way. Itโs a blessing.โ
UCLA guard Bryce Alford
on Senior Night
โNobody really warned me it was going to be like that, to be honest. I was not ready for that at all. It kind of got me out of rhythm. The amount of emotion drains you a little bit before the game and it is hard to refocus. It was good for us to stay in it during the first half until we could get the wind under our sails.โ
on leaving Pauley Pavilion
โItโs the way that we wanted to end our careers. I think itโs what Isaac and I deserve for all we had to go through here. Itโs something that I know Iโll never forget. We have a lot of work left to do.โ
on being offense-oriented
โIt makes it fun for us to be able to go out there and showcase what we can do. We try to put a show on; itโs what weโve tried to do all year. The brand of basketball that we play is fun for people to watch and even more fun for us to play.โ
on coming from a basketball family
โItโs been a blessing. I had the privilege to play for my dad. That will never happen again after this year and itโs something that Iโve cherished a ton. To be able to have my family with me out here, thatโs been awesome too. It definitely helps being a coachโs kid. My four years here have been awesome.โ
on the upcoming conference tournament
โItโs a tune-up for the NCAA Tournament. You get into the rhythm of a tournament atmosphere. You play in a neutral site and play back-to-back days. Itโs a chance to win a championship. We did it in with the pre-season tournament this year and weโre undefeated on neutral courts. For a team like us, who has won nine straight games, itโs good to stay hot. Weโre a hot basketball team right now and weโre playing well. If you can continue a winning streak into the NCAA Tournament, thatโs huge.โ
On Coach Alfordโs performance this season
โI think heโs done an unbelievable job. I donโt think thereโs a whole lot of people who could have gone through what heโs done and been able to bounce back the way he has this year and stayed positive through it all. It just shows the character of who he is as a man, more than anything. Heโs never wavered on his guys. Heโs never wavered from loving us and showing us that he cares about us, trusts us, and has confidence in us. As players that was reassuring coming into this year. Itโs just been a blessing playing for him.โ
UCLA guard Lonzo Ball
on breaking conference freshman assist record
โItโs a credit to my teammates. You canโt get an assist without them catching it and making it.โ
on potentially playing last game at Pauley Pavilion
โI just felt for the seniors. Theyโve been here for four years, and Iโve only been here one year. The emotion wasnโt the same for me. Iโm thankful for all the fans and Iโm a Bruin for life.โ
on season performance
โIโm happy and my teammates are happy. Coach is happy, too. We tied the school record for wins.โ
on team defense
โItโs getting better and better every day. We have a lot of guys who can play and guard different positions. That helps.โ
on unselfishness
โIf youโre a point guard, you should get your teammates involved before you. Thatโs just how Iโve been playing my whole life.โ
Washington State Head Coach Ernie Kent
overall statement
โWeโre not really in this for moral victories. Our defense was outstanding to open up the game and for about three-fourths of the game. They had about twenty open shots. We just missed a lot of our shots. If we were to have made half of them, thatโs the difference in the game. They made their shots. The crowd really got into it at the eight-minute mark and at that point, they took control of the game. At that point we just let it go and as I said, we missed some shots.โ
On the upcoming PAC-12 Conference Tournament
โWe just have to realize that the conference season is over. We are definitely a different team now than when we opened up the season again the University of Washington. I really wish we could have a re-do. Everybody now is zero and zero, so we have to come out fresh out of the gate for the first game. We just have to get our mental right. We just have to really re-group because weโve been on the road since Monday. So now we have to go back home, re-group and be prepared to fly out to Vegas for our game on Wednesday.
Washington State forward Josh Hawkinson
(Note: Tonight Josh Hawkinson set the Washington State career record for rebounds with 1,003 rebounds. He is also the 13th Pac-12 player to grab 1,000 rebounds in his career.)
overall statement
โWe hung with them for three-fourths of the game and we just ran out of energy the last eight minutes. We just let down our guard and I think that helped them win the ball game.โ
on preparing for the Pac-12 Tournament
โThis is one of the toughest venues to play in, especially on Senior Night. They are a Top-5 team. We knew they would come out and be emotional and we felt like we could stay with them. It was all about finishing the ball game.โ
on his personal growth over his career
โRight now we really want to focus on the conference tournament and go as far as we can go. I really want to set an example for the young guys to show how a program should be run. Coach has really turned this program into the right direction. We really want to get as many wins as we can in the tournament.โ