Big East Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Friday, March 11, 2016
Kevin Willard
Khadeen Carrington
Seton Hall
Creighton - 73, Seton Hall - 81
Q. You talked a lot about the need of the pass that kind of gets overlooked because of what great year Isaiah had. Career-high 27 tonight and really was your rock.
KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, he's done this all year. He was the 12th-leading scorer in conference play this year. So nothing he does surprises me. This is what he's done all year long. This is who he's been. We've just been working with him a little bit just to be a little bit more aggressive without being too fancy. Sometimes he likes to get a little loose with the basketball. I thought tonight he was great. I thought he was aggressive. I thought he was efficient. And he made some big shots for us.
Q. Just talk about that lay-up you made like a bunny step, lefty lay-up in the paint. Kind of describe that.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: They were taking away Zeke the whole game basically. So I just tried to get in the lane. Tried to jump-stop. I jump-stopped a couple of times the first half, they called it traveling. I tried to jump-stop get set and go to my left hand, strong hand.
Q. New York City guy out there, what did it feel like?
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: I'm home playing in front of my friends and my family. I think I did a great job tonight. Team did a great job. They came back. They made their runs. We made our runs. It just happened that we made the last run at the end. Got the W.
Q. (Inaudible) gets a little overlooked at times. What was it like to have that big performance at home?
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: I don't really care about the overlooking part. We were having a great season. Everybody has been doing well. Once everybody is doing well, the team gets accolades. Coach got an accolade. Isaiah got an accolade. Angel. As long as everybody wins that's all that matters to me.
Q. On a night where Angel wasn't able to do much in the first half, how important was it to get 12 rebounds out of Zeke?
KEVIN WILLARD: Desi and Isaiah both had 6 and 8 in the first half, which really kind of got us going in the first half. And the second half I thought Ish and Angel playing the minutes he did, did a really good job. And Derrick was fantastic tonight. He got two huge deflections on the defensive end, which really helped us.
Q. Khadeen, how much did this feel like a home court tonight?
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: It felt a lot like home. We're right over the bridge. Right next to New Jersey. A lot of us are from New York. So there was a lot of Pirates fans here. A lot of friends and a lot of family.
Q. Khadeen, speaking of the home court, you played St. John's a couple of weeks ago, that familiarity, did that help you tonight?
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: Did it help us what?
Q. Previously playing St. John's just a short while ago, you've been on this court before. Did that familiarity help you guys?
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: It helped a little bit. I would say getting used to the rims and getting used to the courts. The balls were bouncy. We played with Under Armour balls last time. Tonight we played with Nike balls. It helped a lot.
KEVIN WILLARD: That's why you turned it over.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: A little bit.
Q. You play Xavier next. You just played them and beat them a week ago. Talk about that matchup in light of what you just did against them.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: I thought we played a great game that game. The first time we played them we didn't give them our best punch. Second time we played them I think everybody played well. We just got to focus on beating the 1-3-1 they play. Getting out and go. Once we get out and go I think we can beat anybody. That's when we're playing our best.
Q. Desi played just four minutes in the second half, was there any particular reason?
KEVIN WILLARD: We're still young at times, and sometimes we get a little emotional. And let's just say we have all learned the variety of emotions of our guys. His emotions was going one way. We needed to focus on something. As they get older they'll learn certain times they have to learn. It's all part of the process of growing as a team.
Q. Last year at this time you guys lost by 20 (Inaudible) ?
KEVIN WILLARD: I've answered a lot of last-year questions. We're a different basketball team. We have different personnel. These guys -- we're still young. These guys are old. Khadeen, Isaiah, Angel, Ish, we're such a different team. Every night I go out with these guys and I expect because they're such a great group, they care about winning, they want to win. It's a much different -- I can't explain it.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: I can't either.
Q. Coach, you mentioned you're still young at times. You have one senior on the roster. How big was that shot that Derrick hit down the stretch?
KEVIN WILLARD: It's great. I think he's 3 for his last 3.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: I think so.
KEVIN WILLARD: We might throw a party when we get back to the hotel.
We all have a lot of confidence in Derrick. Derrick has been trained just to catch and drive. And that's always his first instinct. It was great. He was in the corner. Isaiah -- I think it was Z threw a great pass to him. We all have confidence in him. He stepped in and knock it down.
Q. You got good minutes from Myles Carter tonight.
KEVIN WILLARD: Yes, we did.
Q. He was in foul trouble. What made you go to Myles?
KEVIN WILLARD: Braeden had to go to class today. Part of being a law student is you can't miss that many classes. We've been on the road for Tuesday, Thursdays a lot because we play. So it was important that he -- it's amazing, I've become an academic coach. I feel like I should be at Princeton. It was very important for me -- for him and for me that he didn't miss another class. He wasn't at walk-through and Myles was. So I have total confidence in Myles.
Last time I went with Sheed and he fouled out in the first half at St. John's. I didn't want that to happen again. Myles played great. He gave us great energy and great minutes.
Q. Especially in the Big East close games been tough for you guys. To win the way you did tonight, how big is that for you going forward?
KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, I mean, we lost to Nova by one. And then I think we've been on the road. On the road is where we've really struggled in close games. Our fans are great. They really came out. I thought the atmosphere was tremendous. Again, I think every win this time of the year is really important. To do it when you're up nine and they came out and they really brought it to us, and to kind of fight back. I look at it that way. We lost the lead and to come back and get it, I think that was really important.
Q. Coach, how would you describe Isaiah's will to win especially down the stretch? He's pretty much not here because of that will to win.
KEVIN WILLARD: I mean, we're still up three, right? We were still up three, right? I think all these guys -- Khadeen can answer this. I think all these guys' will to win is unbelievable. It's why they are here. It's why they came as a group. It's what they're focused on. It's why I got Co-coach of the Year, not because -- you've seen my offense; not great. I got it because of him. I got it because of these players. They have a will. Isaiah, and Khadeen will tell you, Zeke doesn't like to lose. Sometimes he goes off. There's moments you look at him and you're shaking your head. He wants to win. Khadeen, I mean, that's all we talk about in huddles. We've come a long way. We used to talk about lobsters and cheerleaders. Now we're talking about what it takes to get a stop. So this is a group that's -- again, I've used the word "special". I love them. It's been a blast, man. I've had so much fun watching these guys grow. And they're still puppies, year-old puppies, but they're still great.
Friday, March 11, 2016
Kevin Willard
Khadeen Carrington
Seton Hall
Creighton - 73, Seton Hall - 81
Q. You talked a lot about the need of the pass that kind of gets overlooked because of what great year Isaiah had. Career-high 27 tonight and really was your rock.
KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, he's done this all year. He was the 12th-leading scorer in conference play this year. So nothing he does surprises me. This is what he's done all year long. This is who he's been. We've just been working with him a little bit just to be a little bit more aggressive without being too fancy. Sometimes he likes to get a little loose with the basketball. I thought tonight he was great. I thought he was aggressive. I thought he was efficient. And he made some big shots for us.
Q. Just talk about that lay-up you made like a bunny step, lefty lay-up in the paint. Kind of describe that.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: They were taking away Zeke the whole game basically. So I just tried to get in the lane. Tried to jump-stop. I jump-stopped a couple of times the first half, they called it traveling. I tried to jump-stop get set and go to my left hand, strong hand.
Q. New York City guy out there, what did it feel like?
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: I'm home playing in front of my friends and my family. I think I did a great job tonight. Team did a great job. They came back. They made their runs. We made our runs. It just happened that we made the last run at the end. Got the W.
Q. (Inaudible) gets a little overlooked at times. What was it like to have that big performance at home?
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: I don't really care about the overlooking part. We were having a great season. Everybody has been doing well. Once everybody is doing well, the team gets accolades. Coach got an accolade. Isaiah got an accolade. Angel. As long as everybody wins that's all that matters to me.
Q. On a night where Angel wasn't able to do much in the first half, how important was it to get 12 rebounds out of Zeke?
KEVIN WILLARD: Desi and Isaiah both had 6 and 8 in the first half, which really kind of got us going in the first half. And the second half I thought Ish and Angel playing the minutes he did, did a really good job. And Derrick was fantastic tonight. He got two huge deflections on the defensive end, which really helped us.
Q. Khadeen, how much did this feel like a home court tonight?
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: It felt a lot like home. We're right over the bridge. Right next to New Jersey. A lot of us are from New York. So there was a lot of Pirates fans here. A lot of friends and a lot of family.
Q. Khadeen, speaking of the home court, you played St. John's a couple of weeks ago, that familiarity, did that help you tonight?
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: Did it help us what?
Q. Previously playing St. John's just a short while ago, you've been on this court before. Did that familiarity help you guys?
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: It helped a little bit. I would say getting used to the rims and getting used to the courts. The balls were bouncy. We played with Under Armour balls last time. Tonight we played with Nike balls. It helped a lot.
KEVIN WILLARD: That's why you turned it over.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: A little bit.
Q. You play Xavier next. You just played them and beat them a week ago. Talk about that matchup in light of what you just did against them.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: I thought we played a great game that game. The first time we played them we didn't give them our best punch. Second time we played them I think everybody played well. We just got to focus on beating the 1-3-1 they play. Getting out and go. Once we get out and go I think we can beat anybody. That's when we're playing our best.
Q. Desi played just four minutes in the second half, was there any particular reason?
KEVIN WILLARD: We're still young at times, and sometimes we get a little emotional. And let's just say we have all learned the variety of emotions of our guys. His emotions was going one way. We needed to focus on something. As they get older they'll learn certain times they have to learn. It's all part of the process of growing as a team.
Q. Last year at this time you guys lost by 20 (Inaudible) ?
KEVIN WILLARD: I've answered a lot of last-year questions. We're a different basketball team. We have different personnel. These guys -- we're still young. These guys are old. Khadeen, Isaiah, Angel, Ish, we're such a different team. Every night I go out with these guys and I expect because they're such a great group, they care about winning, they want to win. It's a much different -- I can't explain it.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: I can't either.
Q. Coach, you mentioned you're still young at times. You have one senior on the roster. How big was that shot that Derrick hit down the stretch?
KEVIN WILLARD: It's great. I think he's 3 for his last 3.
KHADEEN CARRINGTON: I think so.
KEVIN WILLARD: We might throw a party when we get back to the hotel.
We all have a lot of confidence in Derrick. Derrick has been trained just to catch and drive. And that's always his first instinct. It was great. He was in the corner. Isaiah -- I think it was Z threw a great pass to him. We all have confidence in him. He stepped in and knock it down.
Q. You got good minutes from Myles Carter tonight.
KEVIN WILLARD: Yes, we did.
Q. He was in foul trouble. What made you go to Myles?
KEVIN WILLARD: Braeden had to go to class today. Part of being a law student is you can't miss that many classes. We've been on the road for Tuesday, Thursdays a lot because we play. So it was important that he -- it's amazing, I've become an academic coach. I feel like I should be at Princeton. It was very important for me -- for him and for me that he didn't miss another class. He wasn't at walk-through and Myles was. So I have total confidence in Myles.
Last time I went with Sheed and he fouled out in the first half at St. John's. I didn't want that to happen again. Myles played great. He gave us great energy and great minutes.
Q. Especially in the Big East close games been tough for you guys. To win the way you did tonight, how big is that for you going forward?
KEVIN WILLARD: Yeah, I mean, we lost to Nova by one. And then I think we've been on the road. On the road is where we've really struggled in close games. Our fans are great. They really came out. I thought the atmosphere was tremendous. Again, I think every win this time of the year is really important. To do it when you're up nine and they came out and they really brought it to us, and to kind of fight back. I look at it that way. We lost the lead and to come back and get it, I think that was really important.
Q. Coach, how would you describe Isaiah's will to win especially down the stretch? He's pretty much not here because of that will to win.
KEVIN WILLARD: I mean, we're still up three, right? We were still up three, right? I think all these guys -- Khadeen can answer this. I think all these guys' will to win is unbelievable. It's why they are here. It's why they came as a group. It's what they're focused on. It's why I got Co-coach of the Year, not because -- you've seen my offense; not great. I got it because of him. I got it because of these players. They have a will. Isaiah, and Khadeen will tell you, Zeke doesn't like to lose. Sometimes he goes off. There's moments you look at him and you're shaking your head. He wants to win. Khadeen, I mean, that's all we talk about in huddles. We've come a long way. We used to talk about lobsters and cheerleaders. Now we're talking about what it takes to get a stop. So this is a group that's -- again, I've used the word "special". I love them. It's been a blast, man. I've had so much fun watching these guys grow. And they're still puppies, year-old puppies, but they're still great.
