Kevin Keatts on Reynolds Coliseum: "It's an Electric Place"
NC State head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media following the Wolfpack's 66-56 win over Coppin State in its annual Heritage Game.
NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Keatts’ press conference. An abbreviated transcript is provided below.
Opening Statement
Reynolds is a great place, and we enjoy it. I thought Coppin State was really scrappy and played aggressive basketball tonight. They did a really good job. I thought they had a great game plan and came in not wanting to play fast, instead using the shot clock and slowing the game down. Unfortunately for us, we did a terrible job at the end of the shot clock when they were going to take a bunch of bad shots, and we fouled. I didn’t think this was one of our better games. That being said, you can learn a lot from a win instead of a loss. I just didn’t think we played like we needed to. I don’t think we played down to the level of competition. I just think they controlled the tempo, and we fell behind a little bit. I thought Ben Middlebrooks was really good, I thought Marcus Hill was really good, Dontrez Styles was okay. I thought Dennis Parker, Jr. came in and gave us a tremendous lift.
On Styles hitting shots in the second half...
I thought it was good just for him to see that ball go in the hole. I thought he had some great looks, but it just didn’t go in. One thing about him I like is his mentality; he’s not hanging his head, and he’s still being aggressive. Early on in the year when he would miss those shots, he would hang his head, and you know I have coached the likes of Terquavion Smith and Jarkel Joiner, and they don’t think they are ever going to miss, even if they miss 10 straight. I want Dontrez to get to that mode. I just want him to stay confident.
On the importance of energy within the team...
I’m an energy guy; guys who have covered me know this. You can miss every shot — well, not every shot — but you have to play with great energy. I think having a guy like Dennis Parker, Jr., back, as a guy who’s been in the program a couple of years and who knows how to play, is huge. Some of these guys are new and still learning how to play for NC State. We compete hard every day. Our energy is always high, and it's going to take some time for every guy to get to that point.