On adjusting to the college level:
The college game is a lot different, it’s a lot more physical, it’s a lot faster. So I just had to adjust to that once I got in the game but in practice just playing in the guys and the leaders that we have they pretty much got us ready for that, all the freshmen ready for the game speed and the physicality that was gonna be in the games in practice.
On Michigan State’s experienced backcourt:
Michigan State, they have a really good coaching staff and a great team. They’re experienced, we’re young but we can’t play young we have to be ready for anything, ready for the physicality we have to go out there and play advanced and be ready to play.
On how he felt his rhythm was during the game:
I just felt like my teammates they set me up and I was just in the right place at the right time, just moving off the ball. Then my teammates found me: Jeremy Roach, Jordan Goldwire and Jalen Johnson on a couple of plays, they just found me in the right spots and I was just ready to knock the shots down and just being in the right spots to finish.
On if in practice he’s been working on-the-ball at all since he played off-the-ball in the Coppin State game:
I’ve been on the ball a lot as well it was just in the flow of the game playing off the ball is just what I did in that game.
On playing without a crowd and making mistakes:
This is my first year, I haven’t been able to experience the Cameron Crazies but I know that its very different, and for me its different Im used to playing with a crowd there, the crowd gets you going and you forget those mistakes because you get lost in the game but it’s definitely a different atmosphere, I say its kind of like an open gym really with no fans being there and you really have to lock in, it’s really just on us as a team to just bring our own energy and to be our own crowd.
On pulling down 9 rebounds as a guard:
In high school and in AAU I also was able to get some rebounds. I would say high school pretty much leaked out a little bit, could have probably had some more rebounds but now in college just boxing my man out, being in the right spot and just going up with two hands to grab the ball just makes it easier to get rebounds.
On Michigan State’s physicality and how to counter it:
As a whole and for me just using my quickness and our quickness as a team, we have to play faster than them and just be ready for anything and just play through it. In practice we had a pretty rough practice and tough practice where we beat up on each other and played physical so just to get ready for Michigan State so I feel like we’re pretty much ready for that.
On the benefits of coming off the bench:
I was able to see where I could pick my spots and where I could help my team at and just being in the right spot at the right time. Coming off the bench it pretty much just slowed the game down for me once I got in the game.
On cleaning up the mistakes they made versus Coppin State:
The mistakes that we made were on us its wasn’t like they were caused by Coppin State so I feel like the mistakes that we made and the turnovers we made are definitely things that we can work on and just get ready for the next game. I feel like we’re gonna clean those up and be a lot better next game with the turnovers. Just being more poised, I feel like a lot of us had a lot of jitters in the first game so I’m pretty sure we’ll get rid of those early on and be ready for the next game.
On what he’s looking forward to against Michigan State:
It’s just like another game to me, going out there into battle with my teammates. I know it’s going to fun it’s gonna be a tough game. We’re all just ready to compete, we’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time just like the first game. So for the next game, you never know when your last game will be so we’re just gonna go out there and play our best and go out there and compete.
On playing a Big 10 school being a kid from Chicago:
I really didn’t really grow up watching Michigan State and Big 10 schools, but when you think of Big 10 you think of the defense and the physically but we pretty much know about the Big 10 and what Michigan State brings and I’m really excited to see how the game will go and just to play in the game.
On his family reacting to his debut:
They were proud of me and congratulated me on a great first debut but they just told me never get too high and never get too low and just move on to that next game – just be ready.
On how he’s developed his scoring ability over his career:
My dad, he always told me to just be position-less, play on the ball and play off the ball. Being able to play on and off the ball just gives me different ways to score in a different variety of ways and then opens up the game for me and my teammates as well.
On the turnovers vs Coppin State:
I feel like we have some jitters, I feel like we could have played together a lot better handling the ball and hitting each other in the right spots but, you know, we’ve got some great guy on this team and we’re all buying in and we’re going to be able to share the ball a lot better and hit each other in the right spots. It’s really just a communication thing, just talking on the court – we didn’t do that very well in the game and were gonna he able to communicate and huddle up and tell each other where to hit each other in the right spots and just be ready.
On who turned up the intensity in the game as opposed to practice:
Jalen Johnson, he’s great in practices but in a game he really turned up and I really liked what I saw, he went in and got a Lot of rebounds, he was aggressive I just really liked what he did.
On the open looks Coppin State got from 3:
We gave up way too many 3’s, wide open 3’s at that. We just have to be in the right spot and contest. I feel like we worked on that in practice so we’re gonna be a lot better at that, contesting and not giving up open shots.
On if there is more to show in their transition offense:
There’s a lot more to show, if we don’t get stops we’re not going to be able to play in transition. We have to play better defense and once we play great defense we have to secure the rebound and then we’ll be able to get out and play aggressive, play fast and then pretty much have a great time out there. We want to run and play fast but we can’t do that without playing defense first, so we just have to do that first.
On if he was aware of where his 24pt Duke debut ranked among freshmen:
I found out after the game when I saw it. I was tagged on twitter or something, I saw it and I was like wow that’s amazing. But just have to move on to the next game just be ready for the next game.
