Kevin Keatts: "Our Guys Responded"

NC State head coach Kevin Keatts met with the media following the Wolfpack's 90-81 win over Louisiana Tech Saturday afternoon.

NOTE: Click on the video in the player above to watch Keatts’ press conference.

Opening Statement

Well, I thought we played a really good game against a very good basketball team. When you think about Louisiana Tech, we knew when we scheduled these guys that they were going to be tough. They won 28 games last year, in the postseason [they were in the] NIT Final Four, and they had four starters returning. Some of the teams that we’re playing in the non-conference don’t have name recognition for the fans, but those who are basketball people know how good they are. I thought our guys responded. You never know what you’re going to get from a team until you take a week off. We worked on some stuff, and we got better. Our bigs got better in a week, and they’re going to continue to grow. Jericole Hellems was tremendous. He played as a senior, and give credit to his teammates for finding him and making sure that he got the basketball. Cam Hayes was great down the stretch. He was 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. When you look at what Ebe Dowuona did, I think he watched a bunch of Manny Bates highlights. He had 10 points and six [blocks]. If we can get that production from him inside, this team is growing, and we’ve got a chance to be a good team.

What was the game plan against Kenneth Lofton, Jr.?

Man, I don’t know we had a game plan. He was tremendous. When you look at him, I think he had 36 [points] and 18 [rebounds]. He was over there on the sideline telling me when he was trying to check in, “I need to get two more rebounds.” I was like, “No, we’re not giving you two more.” Give credit to him. He’s tough. He’s one of the best players in the country. He’s one of the best post players in the country. He played USA Basketball and was really good with that. He did a tremendous job. What can you say?

Did you see an extra fire with Hellems after fouling out in the last game?

I just thought he let the game come to him. In our early season, you look at the six games we’ve played, and sometimes when you become a senior, you stop pressing because you’re trying to figure out what’s your next step. He and I talked about letting the game come to him. I thought he did. He took great shots tonight. He didn’t force anything. He played like a veteran guy.

Dowuona got early offensive touches and had six of his 10 points before the first media timeout. How important is that continued development for him?

It’s very important. When you look at our team, we lost one of the best posts in the country, so it makes it so tough on our guards if we don’t get any baskets inside. I thought, today, he was great. He was able to run, we hit him, and he did a great job catching the ball in the post, slowing down, and making some shots. He’s getting better, and so is Jaylon [Gibson]. Jaylon didn’t have a great game, but trust me. The more practice time they get and the opportunity to play, they’ll get better.

It seems Louisiana Tech just wouldn’t go away, but any time the Bulldogs managed to chip away at the deficit, someone on your team made big shots to turn the tide back. What does that say about your team?

[La. Tech] is a good team, and every time we scored and got the lead, they answered and made plays. Our guys live for this moment. They did a tremendous job. Terquavion [Smith] made a big shot in the corner. Casey [Morsell] made a couple of shots. We just answered, and more importantly, I didn’t like the way we shot at the free-throw line against Texas Southern because we’re a really good free-throw shooting team, and I thought we stepped up tonight.

Does the team have to learn what to do to play against big scoring centers without Bates?

We have to learn anyway. Lofton is talented. Is he ’36 and 18’ talented? Maybe not, but when they throw him the basketball, it puts a lot of pressure on your defense. What’s happened now is they put three other guys that can shoot the basketball in the game, so we weren’t able to come off that much and be able to help. We wanted to play one-on-one in the post, and our game plan worked. Obviously, when you pick up the stat sheet, you’re going to say, “Lofton destroyed NC State,” but I’m going to say, “We won the game.”