Postgame Quote Sheet:
Wichita, Kan./ Charles Koch Arena
Jan. 28, 2018
17/16 Wichita State 90, Tulsa 71
 

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WSU HEAD COACH GREGG MARSHALL ON...

... opening statement:
"I thought it was a great basketball game. Both teams had their moments. [Tulsa] started out hot and built a little lead, then we came back and Austin Reaves caught fire. We come out the second half and we start hot and get it to 19, then they come back to four, and it was nip and tuck there for awhile. In the end, we get a 19-point win over a good ball club."

... what got into Austin Reaves:
"He was on a tremendous run, and everyone was excited for him. We've seen it before in practice, but never in a game, so that was great to see. He made his first seven and then a couple went in and out, so he ends up 7-11."

... depth:
"[It helps] when you can bring in a guy that goes 8-of-12 from the field, 7-of-11 from three, four assists and one turnover off the bench. And you've got Machine Gun Willis coming in after he fought foul trouble in the first half; then he just fills it up in the end. I thought Rauno played very well and Zach Brown had a big three -- one in the first half and one in the second half -- five assists and only one turnover. We go 27 assists and nine turnovers, that's 3:1. That's incredible for a point guard, much less an entire team. That should rack up some money for our Fight for Literacy, which is now every assist for the next couple of games."

"He was tremendous. He and Rashard, primarily, but also Darral and Rauno just pounded them on the glass. Shaq was getting follow up dunks, Rashard had six offensive rebounds, 11 total, eight assists, zero turnovers as, I guess, a 'point-forward' we can call him with those type of numbers. Shaq was just tremendous, he was scoring and getting good position. When he sits in he's hard to get around. Brown made a great pass to him over the top in one of our sets coming out of a time-out and we were able to get him in some good situations offensively."

... Shamet:
"I thought he had some really good looks. That's probably the least of my worries. When we win by 19 and he doesn't shoot well, I say ok we would've won a lot more if he shot well. He's going to continue to shoot. I think he'll snap out of it real quick. He's in the gym, it's just a little mental right now and he's letting it bother him. He's got to get beyond that, and he's a great shooter."

... Kelly:
"He's a facilitator, he's gonna do the dirty work and he's gonna get the offensive rebounds. He's a pass-first guy, he likes to set ball screens, likes to set fade screens and down screens for those shooters. He knows he's not the most pretty jump shooter out there but he's still a very effective player and helps us win in many ways."

... perimeter defense:
"We weren't great, early on. I was not happy. We weren't contesting, weren't leaving the floor, hand on the shooter's pocket, and we were just watching them make three's. We were guarding them, but we weren't standing on their toes. That was the key to the game for Coach Isaac Brown's scouting report, was to take away the three-point line. They really like to shoot the three, and they're really good at it. Tonight we didn't do a great job at that, but in the end we win by 19."

... Shaq's shot blocking:
"He's got a lot of experience, a lot of strength, athleticism and explosion off the floor. He's got good timing and he's always been able to do it. I heard today we won our 700th game in this building, other than Mike Kennedy and me, maybe he's been around for the most of them. He's been around for a long time, so he's got that experience. He's a very explosive and well-timed shot blocker at this point in his career."

... his shoes for coaches vs. cancer:
"I picked them out, Coaches vs. Cancer. This is the first year that we are actually signing our shoes and the tie, then they will auction them off. Now who would want a pair of worn tennis shoes, a tie maybe but it's going to have my signature on it -- so I don't know who could wear it. That's what is going to happen. Hopefully we raise a lot of money. When we talked about it after our video today, before our pre-game meal, we talked about cancer. We said raise your hand if it's been involved in your life in some point or fashion, and it was 100 percent. We're all battling it, fighting it in some way or have fought it, dealt with it or are dealing with it. One or the other, and if you haven't done those two things then you're gonna deal with it. It's just awful, and there are a lot of people we named that are dealing with it right now. I've got several friends close to me that are dealing with it. I've lost family members and anything that we can do to bring awareness..."
 

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WSU SOPHOMORE GUARD AUSTIN REAVES ON…
 
… teammates' roles in his success:
"My first one was an easy catch-and-shoot. From there on out, my teammates found me in transition and in the offense. I have to give all the credit to them, because if it wasn't for them, it wouldn't have happened. It was a good team win tonight."
 
… Shamet and Frankamp's shooting woes:
"It's important because we need to shoot the ball well to win. We know those guys are going to start shooting it well. They have struggled tonight and the last couple of games, but they will get it going soon. We want them to take as many shots as they can if they are open, because we believe in them as a team."
 
… his emotions after hitting three-pointer No. 7, forcing a Tulsa timeout:
"I honestly couldn't explain it. It's one of those adrenaline rushes that you get.  I'm blessed to play on a team like this. A group of guys that are so close, and that love each other like we do. You don't see it very much. I'm just blessed to be a part of this team."
 
… growing from adversity:
"It's a blast. You just have to thank God everyday, because if it wasn't for Him, nobody would have what they have. When you are surrounded with a group of guys like this, if you are hit with adversity like we did last week and the week before, it's still a joy to be around these guys. It's something that when you hit adversity, you have to find the little things that are positives and grow from it. But like I said, it's amazing to be a part of this team and be around this team and playing the game you love everyday. So that just makes it even better."
 
… if it felt like he was playing high school ball in Arkansas again:
"I don't think I ever had a crowd like that, so no. But it kind of felt like that for a little bit. The atmosphere was amazing tonight. The fans don't get enough credit, and we appreciate them a lot."
 

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WSU SENIOR RASHARD KELLY ON…
 
… X's and O's:
"It was a grind. We knew they are a great three-point shooting team, and that was one of our keys coming into the game. We wanted to make more 3s than 2s, because it makes the score evaporate quickly. We also focused on getting stops, and not getting complacent going up-and-down because if it turned into a high-scoring game, it would have gone in their favor. So it was just a grind."
 
… Reaves' night:
"That's what he does. Everyday. That's what Austin Reaves does everyday. I'm an everyday glue kind of guy, and he is an everyday shooter. So I'm not surprised by it. I loved it when he hit a three and they called a timeout, then our bench stormed the court. It just shows our togetherness and us being a family."
 

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WSU SENIOR CENTER SHAQ MORRIS ON…
 
… protecting the paint:
"All my life I have been a rim protector. I'm 6'8, but my wingspan is 7'2. When our guards get beat off the dribble, I'm just the insurance—there to clean up a little and do what I am supposed to do by protecting the rim."
 
… why these Shockers are special:
"It's really important for all of us to come out and pick each other up. It seemed like everything was going for these guys today. For Rashard, I need him to get this triple double. When you get Austin Reaves shooting how he was shooting, I just want to get back on defense. We all are really close and really deep, so we just pick each other up and go with it."
 
… the importance of starting another win streak:
"It was really huge. We needed to get back to feeling confident in what we do. The grind is not going to stop, and practice is going to be what it is. No matter what, we always need to keep getting better. These two bounce back games were much needed for all of us."
 

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TULSA HEAD COACH FRANK HAITH ON…
 
… Austin Reaves and rebounding:
"In the first half we did a good job on Landry and Conner, but we lost awareness of Austin. They got separation, and against these guys, we have to rebound. They hurt us on the glass. Those two things: losing Austin in the first half and our inability to get defensive rebounds really hurt us. Give them credit that they are a terrific team. They played like one of the best teams in the country today."
 
… Wichita State's depth:
"They have great depth. They have great depth inside. They send post players in and just keep running guys at you. Austin is good, and Willis made a bunch of shots late. Austin is very capable. We wanted to have awareness of him going into the game. Obviously he made some big shots and made seven threes in the first half."