Kevin Keatts: "We're Excited To Move On"

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts, junior guard Markell Johnson, and senior guard Torin Dorn met with the media after the NIT win over Hofstra.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the press conference.

NC State Head Coach Kevin Keatts

“I’d like to congratulate Hofstra on a great year.”

“Joe has done a tremendous job with their program.”

“They obviously pushed us to the limit.”

I knew coming in that any champion out of that league would be really good.  They obviously pushed us to the limit. It’s a great program.”

“We put so much emphasis on making the Big Dance, so when you don’t make it, it’s a tough thing, especially when you’re talking about 19, 20, 21-year old guys.”

“They gave me a honest, hard work day of practice.”

“We’re excited to move on.. we’re playing for a championship and that’s what we want.”

“We had 19 offensive rebounds. I said in order for us to be successful we had to have at least 12 offensive rebounds... I thought we did a good job of rebounding against [the zone].”

“It didn’t seem to bother them, the three-point line. They were on fire for a while.”

“I’ve been playing against that young man for three years. He’s tremendous. He’s an elite scorer. He’s a tough guard... what makes him really tough is he doesn’t miss his free throws.”

“He’s another one who has a chance to play for money one day.”

“If we go two or three possessions I’ll call a play, but Markell was feeling it... I thought he made some great plays down the stretch.”

“When you have a veteran point guard, sometimes as a coach the smartest thing you can do is get out of the way and let him make plays.”

“This is the first time I’ve probably ever been favored too, just so you know. This team has done a tremendous job and our fanbase is tremendous.  When you look at the excitement... without them, I don’t know that we get the win.”

“When it comes to March it’s more about our players than our coaching staff... it’s more about making sure these guys feel good.”

“Not really. It’s not about me, it’s about us.” 

Senior Guard Torin Dorn

“We have some of the best fans in the country, anytime we get to play in front of them it’s big for us, big for our team, big for the fans and the city of Raleigh. It’s definitely fun to play in Reynolds.”

“You never want your career or any season to end on a loss so that’s what we’re trying to do... go out on a high note.”

“I’m feeling great now.”

Junior Guard Markell Johnson

“I just want to do whatever I can for my team to win. That’s from the beginning of the game, coming out and playing defense.”

“I was just taking what the defense gave me... I just wanted to get the ball moving and get to the rack.”

“I wasn’t surprised. I knew it was coming [on the technical].”