UCF Head Coach Johnny Dawkins
Opening Statement
"I was just amazed at (CFE Arena) today, how incredible our environment was. The student section was off the charts. Our community – everyone came out – and we couldn't have done it without them. That energy they gave us was amazing. I could see our players feeding off it. What a special atmosphere; what a special night for our entire Orlando community, and UCF. I was really, really happy."
On how this team compares to his NIT championship teams…
"I hadn't thought about it, but probably the biggest comparison is that they are all hungry to win. If you've watched us play this entire season, winning has meant a lot to them. They really want to go out there and represent our community, represent UCF. I love that about them. These kids are playing for the name on the front of their jersey, not the name on the back. To do anything special, that's what you have to play for. You can't play for yourself; you have to play for others. It's a team sport. This team's had some similarities that I was able to take to the NIT Championship before, with regard to that quality."
On Tacko Falls's presence…
"We needed him to show up. (Illinois) center (Maverick Morgan) is really good. He's a versatile center who can step outside and shoot the basketball, but he also can score on the low post. I thought Tacko did a great job of neutralizing him, which was huge for us because he's one of their focal points, but also, he controlled the paint. I thought especially in the first half – I'm not sure that they got a layup in the first half. I thought he did a great job. They hit some threes, but he kept everything out of the paint, which allowed us to be more aggressive on the perimeter and set the tone defensively in the first half that we were able to carry over into the second."
On the postgame moment on the court…
"That was a great moment. Having a chance to talk to our students is always great. I love that. That's what it's about. I look back at my college days and think about the experiences I had as a student athlete. They're some of the best days of your life. This is a memory they're going to have for the rest of their life, storming the court, interacting with the players and coaches after a win like that. Are you kidding me? It's doesn't get any better than that. I wanted to share in it too. I had an opportunity to speak to our students and speak to our community. I wanted to just share my thoughts and things that I think we can do going forward in the future, but also enjoy the moment that we were in."
On B.J. Taylor, Matt Williams and the Orlando connection…
"When I was hired – and I thank our athletic director Danny White for giving me this opportunity – we talked to both of these kids about wanting to recruit Orlando and Florida kids. It was important; this is a great area for terrific talent. Why not keep them in our area so that the fans who have watched them grow up, watched them play in middle school and high school can continue to come out and support them in college? That's what you saw tonight. That's what makes these areas special, when you can get everybody in your community rallying behind what you want to do. Understand that it's theirs. It's not just mine, not just our university's; it's Orlando's. Once we can get that, and everyone understands that you all have ownership in this and a responsibility, then it becomes special. That's what you saw tonight. Everyone was all in tonight. I looked around and I don't think I saw an empty seat, did you? It's amazing right. That's what you want to have. Because of that, our guys played terrific. They made big plays. Some plays they wouldn't have made, maybe, if the crowd wasn't like that. That energy they provided – a couple of free throws were probably missed because of the crowd. All those things play a part in you being successful as a team."
On how his team came together…
"We had that stretch of games where we lost four games in a row. Everyone had to take a look in the mirror; we had to take a look at ourselves and determine which way we wanted to go. Up to that point, we'd had a very good season. We had a really successful non-conference, started off 5-1 in conference, and then that stretch of road games, SMU here, and you get knocked back. You only have two ways to go; you're either going to fold or you're going to fight through it and try to turn it. Our guys did the latter; they fought through the adversity. I always tell you that adversity doesn't define who you are; it reveals who you are. What you're seeing is these young people's true nature. They were able to come through this and you see where they are: they're winners. They were able to fight back. I'm not sure how many games that we've won, but we've won a lot more than we've lost from that point."
A.J. Davis, RJr., G
On advancing to the NIT semifinals in New York…
"It's really surreal. You know it is great to be in Madison Square Garden. I have seen the Garden since I was a kid. It was a dream come true for me. It's just unreal to see where this team has come in one year from where we started. Nobody thought we'd be here, but we believed in us And now we are in the final four of the NIT. It is just a dream come true."
On when he knew they would win…
"I am always confident from the time it starts. When we do what we are supposed to do – especially on the defensive end – we have a chance to win the game. I thought that we were solid defensively all night. With a guy like [Tacko Fall] in the game, I don't really ever worry and force everything to him and we will be successful."
On the crowd and the atmosphere…
"I love it. We know how to communicate on the court even when it gets loud. We were just at Illinois State and that was one of the greatest crowds that I have ever seen in a long time. For us to come home and beat that, that is crazy. When you are away and you hear it get loud like that, you really have to stay poised. When you are at home and it gets loud like that, you really feed off of it. The basket gets bigger, everything slows down, everything is so fun to play in. It feels like everyone is playing in the game. It feels like everybody in the crowd is playing with you. They are sharing your energy and it is a fun atmosphere to play like that."
On the team's mindset going into the game…
"We stuck to our routine, normal practice plan and shooting routines. We came in and were successful. I think that we knew that we wanted to go out with a bang. We wanted to finish strong on our home court. We were locked in and focused."
Tacko Fall, So., C
On the crowd tonight…
"This is my second year here and that is probably the biggest crowd that we have had. At the beginning of the season, we talked about how we wanted to pack this arena. I think that Obama came here once, and it was pretty packed. We thought about it and made it happen."
On the fans rushing the court…
"It was great. I did not expect them to do the same thing that they did against Cincinnati. They did. As soon as the game was over, everybody was on the court, jumping around and was happy. It just makes us feel good to have everyone out here supporting us."
Illinois Interim Head Coach Jamall Walker
Opening Statement
"I said it out there in the radio, I feel like our guys really showed some resiliency. They really showed some toughness. The lessons of life are more important than winning and losing. I hope these guys, through all the adversity that they've been through this year, that they really learn how to continue to fight, continue to show passion for the game of basketball. In the game of life, you show grit and show resiliency. You get dealt situations that are not ideal; you can still do good things. Again, I didn't start with any comment as far as the game because the game to me at this point is irrelevant to the kind of lesson that you learned the most. I'm very proud of our guys. I feel like they laid it out there for me. They laid it out there for Illini Nation; they laid it out there for their teammates and to me. That's a dub."
On Tacko Fall…
"We didn't have intentions of shooting as many threes, but I think our inside game was off and they were trapping. Now you've got Tacko, 7-foot-6, by the basket and they are trapping Maverick Morgan around the rim. Tacko is unique. I knew that already going into the game. I watched several films; I watched SMU play and I watched Memphis play. They played him in the conference tournament, and those guys were not nearly as affected. This is because you get used to playing against him; you know his tendencies. Then you play Colorado here at CFE, and he blocks two or three shots early in the game. Those guys aren't used to seeing that type player. I knew it was going to take an adjustment for our guys. We just had to withstand the storm and we knew (the arena) was going to be sold out. We knew it was the first sellout here in six years, and we ran into an emotional, highly energetic group of people and fans. I hope the guys take note of the fun that this place can be. The environment was instrumental in how we played today."
On the UCF defense
"You may have noticed they were playing good basketball. They were charged up. If you get in front of an environment like this, you get jacked up. That's what college basketball is all about - home court advantage. When you get tough situations like this, you get fans going. You see that in the Big Ten a lot. It's hard to win on the road, but when you go to environments like this one with people in the stands, it's loud. It makes it that much more difficult. We didn't play very good basketball. Offensively, I felt we were rushing things a lot. They really took advantage of us in transition. I thought Matt Williams got loose really, really early for some shots. When you let Matt Williams see that ball go through the net, any shot for him is a good shot. Once it goes in, it's hard to guard him."
On A.J. Davis' performance…
"He's hard to cover. He made threes. Coming in, I think he was shooting like 18 percent. He bangs two threes early, and it's like, uh oh, we're in trouble. Then you throw in there that he's very skilled off the dribble - we've had trouble all year with skill guys like himself. He took advantage of it, to his credit."
On Coach Dawkins…
"I've watched Johnny Dawkins for a long time. He was one of the guys I watched back in the 80s – I'm dating myself a little bit – that was the kind of guy I wanted to play like. Having him on the sideline and with this program, you guys got a good one. I think he's going to do the right things and do it the right way. This program is going to be very successful in the American Athletic Conference."