LOCKER ROOM REPORT: Wolfpack Players
NC State’s Jayden Taylor, Marcus Hill, Ben Middlebrooks, and Dontrez Styles met with the media following the Wolfpack's 66-65 win over Notre Dame Wednesday evening.
NOTE: Click on each player’s respective thumbnail to watch each interview in the player above.
Jayden Taylor
“It was huge. Obviously, we wanted momentum going into a rivalry game. It’s all we could ask for. It’s a great team win.”
“Honestly, we had Marcus go to the baseline to see if he could get to the rim. If not, we had someone come back around. Then at that point, we played off of them. Breon Pass made a great play and a great pass, and Ben obviously made us the free throw, and then we made the defensive stop.”
“Losing two games like we did last week, we wanted to get this one. We had to. It was crucial.”
Marcus Hill
“We might be down, but Ben brings the fun up. He’s a positive guy. I love playing with him.”
“Everybody was talking [on the bench]. We really wanted this win.”
“It’s great. We were sick from the two games we gave up. We’ve got our confidence up, and we’re ready for Saturday.”
Ben Middlebrooks
“It feels good. I play basketball for moments like that, especially when that first one didn’t go in. I got a little tense, but obviously I’m confident. I work on those a lot, but I knew [the second free throw] was going to go in beforehand. Those are the moments I play for.”
“That’s something we do in practice every day: four-minute wars. That’s what we do. We lock in for those moments, and that’s when we need momentum to shift. Really, we looked at each other in the huddle and said, ‘Look, this is what we do. We’ve worked on this. We know how to play. If we start doing the right things, we’ll come back and win this.’ That’s what we did.”
“We knew that ball was going to go with [Markus] Burton. He’s an incredible player, a very good guard. We tried to keep him off his right hand and make him take a tough shot. We had one of the better defenders in the conference in [Taylor] guarding him.”
Dontrez Styles
“I always told my parents I was going to play at a high level, and I’m finally here. I’ve been blessed to do it for four years.”
“Saturday, it’s time to go to war. I’m ready to go out there and compete.”
“I think it’s going to be exciting. I can’t wait for it. It’s not ideal, but it’s going to be fun to experience that. Playing for both sides, it’s a very unique experience, and I can’t wait to get the job done and get the win.”