At his weekly media briefing, Wichita State head coach Isaac Brown laid out the keys to defending against both ECU and COVID-19 as his Shockers prepare to open American Athletic Conference play Wednesday evening in Greenville, N.C.
 
Read on for the transcript:
 

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HEAD COACH ISAAC BROWN ON…
 
… Wednesday night's opponent, East Carolina:
"Good basketball team. They're undefeated at home right now. They've got a good group of new players. Jackson is great player. Newton is really playing well. We'll have to defend at a high level because they can really score the basketball. On offense, it's really simple for us: take care of the basketball, take good shots and keep good spacing.
 
… Tipping off the conference season:
"We've been talking to the guys about it being a new season. You've got to throw the records out the window. You've got to be able to go on the road and win basketball games. Right now, ECU is really playing well, so it'll be a big challenge for us to be able to go on the road to a place we haven't been to in (three) years.
 
… The challenge of playing a road game immediately after a holiday break:
"Going on the road is always tough, and East Carolina is playing really well. We didn't play them last year, so all we can do is go by the film. And we've seen that they're good basketball team. They're well-coached and they're (undefeated) at home, so they're going to be playing with a lot of confidence. It's going to take a good game from us."
 
… The roots of Wichita State's road success:
"Leadership. Mindset. Our guys do a good job of preparing. They're great at watching film. They know the keys to winning on the road. You've got to defend at a high level, you've got to rebound at a high level, and you've got to play with toughness. On offense, you just can't turn the basketball over, and (you have to) take good shots. We hang our hat on defending, rebounding and playing with toughness, and we were able to do that our first couple of games on the road this year."
 
… What he most wants to see out of his team in Wednesday's opener:
"Defense. I think you win championships by defending at a high level. If you defend, rebound and play with toughness, I think you always have a good chance to a win a basketball game. There are going to be games where you don't make shots, but so long as you're not turning it over and are taking good shots, you've got a chance to win."
 
… Last Wednesday's lopsided win over Prairie View A&M:
"That game gave us a lot of confidence. I think we've been defending, rebounding and playing at a high level. We've had guys out with injuries, so that was a game where (other) guys were able to play a lot of minutes… It was great seeing those guys score 100 points and being able to share the basketball, take good shots, get out and push it hard in transition. That's what we need to continue to do in order to score a lot of points.
 
… The upcoming, New Year's Day matchup with Memphis on CBS:
"Anytime you can play a team like Memphis, with a lot talent, you always get amped up. But we've got a game this week against East Carolina, and we've been preparing for that. But I'm sure our guys will be ready to go against Memphis, as well."
 
… The continued importance of staying COVID-free:
"We always talk to the guys about, any time you're out in public, wherever you're at – in the dorm room, out eating, out hanging out – make sure you're wearing your mask, because you can still get it. All of our guys have been vaccinated. We just tell them to continue to watch over themselves. Make sure you're making good decisions."
 
… The conference's decision to amend its COVID forfeit policy:
"I like when you can play teams over again (in the event of a postponement). None of us can control this. Sometimes it's just bad luck. You get hit with it and your key players are out. I don't think you need to play a team when you're not full strength. The way you determine a (true) champion is if everybody having to play each other. So, I think it was a great decision."
 
Slowing ECU's Tristen Newton:
"We have to do a good job of guarding him and not giving him any wide-open looks. He's averaging right at 18 (points) a game. He's one of the top guys in steals, (and averages) five assists. He's a really good player."
 
… How often he references last year's title when talking to the team:
We talk about. 'Last year we were able to win a conference championship, and there was a reason. We rebounded, we defended, we played at a high level... If you want to have a chance to win another championship, you've got to do those things.'"