Wichita State head coach Isaac Brown met with local media Tuesday for a look back at the Shockers' Las Vegas weekened and a look ahead to Friday's matchup with Missouri. Read on for the transcript.
 

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HEAD COACH ISAAC BROWN ON…
 
… What makes Tyson Etienne so good in crunch time:
"He's just confident. He's a kid that thinks he can make every shot, so putting the ball in his hand late is really good. In the Arizona game, the last minute of the game, I think we ran a play and they denied him the basketball, so this game we wanted to put it in his hand and let him make the decision down the stretch, and that's what he did. He made some big shots. He stepped up and made two huge free throws to win the game against UNLV."
 
… If Etienne has the green light to shoot those deep threes:
"He has the green light to take wide-open shots. His are a little deeper than most people's, but he makes those shots in practice. He's got a lot of confidence, and now the defense is starting to play him further out, which helps him. Now he can drive the basketball because he has more room to get to the rim."
 
… What grade he gives the Las Vegas experience and what stood out that can help over the next two games:
"I would probably say a "B". I don't think we rebounded at a high level. I don't think we executed on offense at a high level, and those are the things that we have to get better at to be able to win on the road. Going to play Missouri and Oklahoma State, we definitely have to rebound, execute on offense and take good shots. We've got to put together a good 40 minutes. We've been playing 20 minutes here, 15 there, but we have to play a good 40 minutes in order to go on the road and beat two really good basketball teams."
 
… How to get Morris Udeze going:
"We've got to start getting him some easy baskets. Right now, teams are playing him with a bigger guy. We've got to be able to penetrate and kick it to him for a dunk or an easy layup, maybe a 15-foot jump shot. He's starting to go up against some really big, physical guys inside, so we have to do a better job of trying to create wide-open opportunities for him."
 
… What has to be better to start getting cleaner shots earlier in possessions:
"(The ball is) sticking too much. We've got to do a better job in our penetration, trying to get someone else a wide-open shot. The guy that's driving the ball doesn't need to think, 'Shot.' He needs to think, 'I'm trying to get someone a wide-open shot."
 
… the importance of proper spacing on offense:
"You have to have proper spacing. Guys have to be in the right spots. We've got to have guys in the corner, one guy under the basket and two guards at the top. When we drive and kick, it gives more room for open opportunities."
 
… Another opportunity for a quality win Friday at Missouri:
"It's a big challenge going on the road to play and SEC team. Missouri is a good basketball team. They came in here last year and beat us. I think going on the road last year, that game at Ole Miss, I think that was the deciding factor in getting us in the NCAA tournament, so it's definitely a huge game. I'll bring that to the table and let the guys know what these road games mean against these Power 5 schools, and it'd be good to go on the road and get a win. Missouri is a really good team, well coached. They're a small team. They're not nearly as big as Arizona, so we have to be able to guard the bounce one through five."
 
… The value of last week's Las Vegas experience:
"It helps them a lot. Our two new guys, Joe Pleasant and Qua Grant, are veteran guys already, but to play on this level and get that experience in Las Vegas, I think, gave those guys confidence on how to execute down the stretch to win those games. The rest of the guys are really veteran guys. I thought for Kenny Pohto, this tournament gave him a lot of confidence. Coming into the tournament, I think he was 0-for-7 from the three-point line, but he's been a tremendous shooter in practice. Just to let him see the ball go through the net will give him all the confidence in the world now. He's a great defender, and now he's starting to pick it up on offense."
 
… How Pohto's three-point shooting benefits the offense:
"It opens it up a lot. It makes it really hard to guard because any time you put him at the top of the key and you bring their guard off the ball screen, that usually draws a help defender, two guys versus one, and when you throw it back to him, that stretches their defense because he can make those shots. I thought he did a great job. The three that he made was huge, but the one he threw back to Tyson and set another ball screen shows he really understands how to play. He can make wide-open jump shots, he's a good defender, and I think he's getting more and more confident."
 
… Joe Pleasant's intangibles:
"He can defend, he can execute, he can guard 1 through 5, he can play three positions, 3, 4 and 5. We have to do a better job of trying to get Joe the ball inside. He needs to stat scoring it, but we have to do a better job of breaking down the defense and trying to get him easy shots. I think we put him in a ball screen once early in the last game versus UNLV, and I think they trapped the ball screen. We threw it back to him and he made a wide-open three, so I think that helps his confidence. We have to do a better job of trying to get him some easy baskets to get him going, as well."
 
… Pleasant being a veteran:
"I trust him a lot on defense. He can guard 1 through 5. He's a great on-ball defender. He can guard on the low block. He understands exactly where to be in our defensive sets. He's always in the gaps. He does a good job of closing out on guards and taking away their jump shots."
 
… What Monzy Jackson needs to do to start being more in the rotation:
"His minutes will definitely go up. He's playing more. He's shooting the basketball well. He's giving us great energy off the bench. When he comes in the game even when we're struggling, he seems to get all the 50/50 balls and all the offensive rebounds. We've got to do a better job of trying to create wide-open shots for him. In Las Vegas in the first game, he only played 12 minutes. He just got in early foul trouble and ended up fouling out, so he just has to do a better job of guarding without fouling and he'll be on the floor."
 
… Opponents' success blocking WSU shots and how best to reverse that trend :
"We talked about that before the Arizona game about them having two big guys inside, so if you drove the basketball, your job was to try to kick it to someone or give the big inside a dunk, and I don't think we learned our lesson after that game because we still drove the basketball, and we didn't kick it as much as we should have. That's something that we have to work on watching film, letting the guys see that you have to make better decisions. You can't get in there and try to finish at the rim over the 7-footer. You have to try to create, get to the rim, draw two people, and get someone else a better look."
 
… What they need to do a good job of against Missouri:
"I watched the game when they lost to Kansas City. We have to do a job of guarding off the bounce. They basically play five guards. Brown can play the 4 and 5 spot. I thought he hurt us here last year. When they threw it to him at the top of the post, he was able to drive our bigs. We've got to do a good job of trying to dig because he'll be matched up on our bigger guys, and I'm sure he'll try to drive those guys. We have to be able to guard 1 through 5. Everybody on the team can drive the basketball.  They're very athletic. We have to do a better job of getting back in transition. I thought the first time we played them last year, we couldn't get back on defense, so that will be our number one thing, getting back in transition and keeping the ball out of the paint."
 
… How flexible the depth on the team makes the team:
"It really helps your basketball team when you know you've got four or five guys that can come off the bench and play good minutes for you. In the first game, Morris got in foul trouble and Kenny cam in early and gave us some solid minutes. In the last game, Joe Pleasant came out early and Monzy came in and gave us some solid minutes. It's good to have that depth because you've got nine guys now that are capable of scoring the basketball on any given night."
 
… Udeze's potential to impact the game against Missouri:
"We definitely need to get the ball to Morris this game. They're not as big as Arizona and UNLV, so we have to do a good job of trying to go inside, and we just need to get Morris going. He's a guy that can really score on the block. I think it's up to the guards to try to drive and create help situations and get him a couple dunks to get his confidence going again."