PC: Wes Moore, Diamond Johnson discuss win over Wash. State
NC State head coach Wes Moore and guard Diamond Johnson discussed the Wolfpack's win over Washington State with the media.
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DIAMOND JOHNSON
On the team’s defense in the win
We just really locked in, watched a lot of film, tried to lock in on the scout. We know we got offense but we need defense in order to go as far as we want to go. We’re trying to win championships, so defense is gonna be a big part of our offense, so defense created offense for us tonight.
On if this is what she envisioned when she transferred to NC State
Most definitely. I knew what they had, I knew the coaches could coach. I knew this was a great fit from the start. They had recruited me out of high school. I knew it was gonna be a good fit to be surrounded by good basketball players, good people and good coaches. So I think it’s going as well as I envisioned, probably even better.
On her hot streak on offense
I just needed to adjust and the coaches put me in a good position for me to score, assist, still rebound, whatever I need to do. My teammates also have a lot of confidence to, as they cheer me on, to shoot well and they just bring me up and bring a lot of energy to the table.
WES MOORE
Opening statement
Really proud of our defensive effort. Washington State has so many great shooters and they’re very well coached. They do a lot of things on offense that are hard to guard. I just thought that we had great urgency and energy, we communicated well, especially the veterans did a great job of handing people off to each other and helping, and then still being able to close out and recover. The Walker sisters, they do an unbelievable job of finding their teammates when you do help on to them, so I was really proud of the job we did. We were fortunate, we maybe made them rush shots a little bit, but we didn’t have normal days so hopefully part of that was our defense. Offensively, we’re still turning the ball over too much. Gotta do a better job there, but just got so many people that contribute and make us a better team. We’re excited about the depth we have, and hopefully we can continue to get better. That’s what it’s about.
On the team’s defense during the trip
I think it’s been a great trip. Maryland was shorthanded, I get that, and Brenda [Freese] does a great job. But I thought even that game, you hold Maryland to 60 points, that’s pretty impressive because they’re probably averaging 90. I thought both games we really got a great job from everyone defensively. It just takes urgency and not relaxing. This Washington State team, they’ll go set you up down in the paint or at the elbow and come up off a screen, and if you relax for a split second, they’re gonna knock down the shot. So I thought Kai Crutchfielda and Jakia Brown-Turner did a great job on the two guards, and Raina Perez did a pretty good job getting to the other shooter. And then Elissa Cunane and Camille Hobby on the block did a nice job as well. I’m really pleased with how our defense is, but you can always get better and clean things up. But it was a good weekend for that defensive end of the court.
On Diamond Johnson
Raina Perez is a great player, Diamond’s a great player. Diamond, when she comes in, we just take off. So we know when we’re gonna get her into the game probably four minutes or so in, and she’s putting them in another gear and taking off. Very fortunate to have her here. Love our depth and we’re able to swap them in and out some, and got so many people that can get it done on a given night. If somebody’s having an off night, we’ll give somebody else an opportunity, and it seems like when we do, they step up.
On so many top teams playing each other
Yeah I think everybody understands the way, it used to be the RPI, now it’s the NET, the way it works, so in a way, you don’t have too much to lose. Obviously, nobody likes losing, but if you’re playing one of the top teams in the country, I just don’t think it’s gonna hurt you that bad at the end of the day. I’m fortunate, I’ve got a lot of talent, a lot of depth, so you can step out there and schedule a little differently when you have that situation. Every team’s different, everybody has a different need. For some teams, they may be young, they may need to get off to a good start and build some confidence. That’s the tough thing, too. It’s hard to play some of your young players when all these games could come down to a possession or two. You’re a little more hesitant to be rotating people in and out, so you go with who you trust. But you want to be able to get those young players experience so you can trust them too. It’s a juggling act. We’ve played a great schedule and now we have to go to Indiana [on] Thursday, which I’m not looking forward to. That’s gonna be like having a root canal. They’re just so talented and so tough. That’s what impresses me so much. I just think they’re so well coached and fundamental, and they’re not gonna take a play off. So that’s gonna be a big challenge coming up for us as well. But it is fun seeing all these teams and I think it’s great exposure for our sport and I think we’re getting more parity. There obviously are still some elite teams but I think we’re getting some parity and it’s gonna continue to make it more fun for the fans and players. Maybe not the coaches, but everybody else will have fun.