Keatts: "We Played Extremely Hard"

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media after the Wolfpack's 100-49 win over UNC Asheville.

Opening Statement...
I thought we played extremely hard. Our team typically plays hard but when you look at tonight, I thought our guys got after it. Did we do everything right? Absolutely not. The mistakes we did make were because we played hard. I can live with those.

I am happy with where my team is at right now. I think everybody that gets in the game is giving me maximum effort. I thought we did a tremendous job of getting out in transition. We pressured them. I thought we took them out of everything that they did. They are going to be a good team in their league. They have some really good, young players. I thought our pressure really pushed them out to half court. They really didn’t have the chance to run a lot of things.

I’m very disappointed that DJ Funderburk finally missed a shot on the year, but I knew it was coming. I told him, “You know, you let me down.” I told everybody he was going to go the whole year and not miss a shot and then he did, so I was a little disappointed when he took that baseline jumper and it came up a little short.

On defensive effort...
I like where we are as a team. I think we have to get better in a lot of areas.  

That’s where we’re trying to improve game-to-game. One of the words I keep telling you guys is versatility.  We have a lot different pieces that can play a lot of different positions. At times, we had CJ Bryce playing the point guard position. You’re going to see all types of different guys playing different positions and that’s what I like to see.

I thought we were very active. When I looked at the stat sheet from the last game, I liked the deflections that we were getting, but I didn’t like the fact that we had only three or four steals.

Tonight we had 13 steals.

On limited personnel...
Every time I looked down at the bench, somebody was sitting at the edge of their chair trying to get in the game. We’ve got plenty of guys that are eager to play. I don’t know that I’ve ever had a team where everybody is almost equal. I have not had a starting five.

I know I’m starting five guys, but when I look at it, it’s hard not to get Eric Lockett and DJ Funderburk on the floor.  Jericole Hellems is playing great basketball and right now Braxton Beverly is coming off the bench.

I like where we are.

On high scoring to start the season...
It’s good, especially when you’ve got guys that are struggling. Our guys are playing very unselfish basketball. If you look around the country at minutes played, most of the guys that started are playing 30-35 minutes.

When you look at us, I don’t know if we have anyone averaging over 26 minutes. That says a lot about their character because we are keeping some guys happy and they are playing as hard as they can for the short amount of time that they are in the game. We will hit some adversity and hopefully we will handle that the right way.

On Braxton Beverly...
I thought our doctors and trainer did a tremendous job getting him back. I wasn’t surprised.

When CJ Bryce and I were at Wilmington, he had a similar surgery and he was out for three weeks. It’s amazing what doctors can do and we’re grateful for those guys. He gives us a different dimension.

Braxton’s ability to make a three-point shot is just as effective as us getting out there and transitioning and getting a dunk. He excites the crowd and brings energy to the team. I was happy for him to be able to get out there and play a little bit today.

On Ian Steere...
Just to give you some background, Ian and I met on Monday and we had a great conversation. For me, it’s about what is best for his future and what he thinks is best. We talked about the pros and cons.

I do think he would have been a good basketball player for us. If there is another opportunity for him, I’ll support him and I’ll be behind him.

He didn’t come to a decision at that time. He told me he would call me later and I was at my radio show. He sent me a text to see if we could talk and I said absolutely. I called him in between breaks. He said, “Coach, I think I’m going to end up looking at another situation,” and I said, “Man, I appreciate you. Thanks for everything and coming here for us.”

I wished him luck. At the end of the day, I think he was looking for a fresh start.

On Markell Johnson...
He will meet with the doctors tomorrow and I’ll know more. He was not diagnosed with a concussion. I can say that, but I don’t know what the end result will be. He will meet with the
doctors tomorrow.

On Devon Daniels...
He settled in. You want to play so well because you’ve sat out. I thought in the first couple games, especially in the last game, he forced a lot of things. When you look at him, you know he typically does not get charges called on him like that and I thought he relaxed. I thought he was more comfortable tonight. I thought he played off his teammates and I am happy for him.