Mizzou 84, Northwestern State 60 - Postgame Quotes
11/26/2016 5:35:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Mizzou 84, Northwestern State 60 - Postgame Quotes
Mizzou Head Coach Kim Anderson
Opening Statement…
"I thought we started off slow both halves, but I was really pleased with the effort that we got going in the first half and the runs that we made in the second half. To be effective against this team, we needed to push the ball and we got a roll going. We had some guys make some shots. We didn't shoot the ball particularly well in the first half, but in the second half we got out and ran. Obviously K.J. (Walton) and Willie (Jackson) did a great job. K.J. took it to the basket and Willie did a great job today. K.J. gave us a great boost off the bench. The reason K.J. doesn't start is because he is really good off the bench. I'm proud of these guys. The one area that I wasn't really pleased with was Northwestern State's offensive rebounding. They had 15 offensive boards and it seemed like they were really dominating that particular phase of the game. It ended up even as far as second chances go. We did a great job of forcing turnovers and then taking advantage of them."
On Mitchell Smith's play in the game…
"I planned on playing him. Mitchell has practiced really well. He has done a great job in practice this past week and even leading into Orlando, so I wanted to get him in the game. I intended to play him earlier, but I thought the game wasn't flowing and that it was a little tight, not that he couldn't handle it, but I didn't want to throw him in there in a tough situation. I thought he handled it well, and he will be ready to go Monday."
On K.J. Walton coming off the bench…
"I have had teams where guys didn't like not starting. The thing I have tried to impress upon these guys is to not get too wrapped up in who's starting. It gives him the chance to evaluate how the game is being called and what his man is doing or where he can get some buckets offensively. He's doing it the perfect way. Understanding that some nights he will not be able to do that, he has improved his game a lot. He has improved his left hand too. He's shot the ball pretty well in practice and at some point he is going to have to jump up and knock down some shots."
On his feelings regarding the news about Rhyan Loos…
"It was pretty emotional for me. Brad came to me 15 years ago as a graduate assistant at Central Missouri. He met his wife, Jen, she was a soccer G.A. They got married and had three kids. I've been around them for so long, it's been hard for me to handle it. I don't handle seeing Rhyan not be good. We all just continue to pray. She's a tough girl and she'll beat it. But, it takes all of us. The guys are really emotional about it. We're all praying for her. We're hoping for the best and we know that the best will come."
Sophomore guard K.J. Walton
On the news about Rhyan Loos…
"When we heard about it, it hit us hard. We love Rhyan. We love the Loos family. So, really when we were in the locker room we were saying that this one's for Rhyan and we just went out and got it for her today."
On his strong performances in back-to-back games…
"I just try to come out here and listen to my coaches. They tell me to pick my spots a lot better. Last year, I probably would have been a lot more out of control going to the basket. I just listen to Coach A. If they corral me, I kick it out to the shooters and make the best read."
On getting a feel for the game before coming off the bench…
"To be honest, it helps me out a lot because I can read the refs, I can read how they're guarding certain players and I can read their defense. It just helps me make adjustments once I get in there."
Freshman forward Willie Jackson
On the news about Rhyan…
"To me, it really did hit us hard, because even before I came to Missouri, even before I committed, I would always check up on her when I heard she got sick the first time. So, when I heard it this time, I just prayed a lot and I checked up on her today. I just texted Coach Loos to see how she was doing now. So, I'm just keeping her in my prayers and hoping she comes back stronger."
On the slow start…
"I think we came out slow. And they came out playing hard. When you get teams like that, that's what you expect. We knew we should've came out playing way harder than them and they came in here ready to play. And second half we made up for it. We came out and made shots and got stops."
