WICHITA, Kan.—
Wichita State ventures north to meet Kansas State on Saturday. As Isaac Brown told local media Thursday afternoon, the Shockers fate may ultimately rest on their ability to handle pressure – both physical and mental. Read on for the full transcript.
HEAD COACH ISAAC BROWN ON…
Opening statement:
Kansas State. Good basketball team. 6-1 right now. They've got some good wins versus Rhode Island, Nevada and LSU. Coach (Jerome) Tang is doing a tremendous job. They've got a couple of transfers in there that can really play. The Sills kid from Arkansas State and Keyontae Johnson, who we brought on a visit four or five years ago. I'm so excited for that kid. Glad to him back playing again. Great family – Mr. and Mrs. Johnson. Great kid. So excited for him to be playing college basketball. Again, Coach Tang, he's doing a tremendous job. They have a good basketball team at 6-1 and we're just excited for the challenge.
… Extra motivation on both sides coming off tough losses:
"Both teams are coming off a loss. That was a tough game for us against Missouri, a tough game for them against Butler. Both of us will be ready to go for that game. It's an in-state rivalry, so both teams will be super-excited to play again. We'll be ready to go. I know they'll be ready. I'm sure they had a tough practice today. We'll have a tough one, and both teams will be ready to go."
… Confidence gained from a tough road win at Richmond two weeks ago:
"We played great on the road at Richmond. That was a good win for our team. It gave them a lot of confidence. We've just have to go on the road and try to play for 40 minutes. You can't play for 30, 35. In order to win on the road, you can't turn the basketball over, you've got to defend at a high level, and you've got to play for 40 minutes. So that's what we need to do."
… Florida transfer Keyontae Johnson's impact at K-State:
"He was the preseason player to year in the SEC, so obviously he was already a talented player. Like I said, we brought him in on a visit. One of my former players, a guy by the name of Stefan Welch, played for me at Arkansas, coached him. We got him on a visit. He wound up going to Florida. He's one of those guys that can score the basketball. He finishes well around the basket. He's got a big, strong body. He can shoot the three-ball, and he plays with a lot of confidence. I know he's excited to be back on the floor and we've got to do a good job against him. He's one of the best players in college basketball."
… Facing a big K-State front line after several games against smaller lineups:
"We play the guys that we think can help us win every game. Everybody will get an opportunity. It just depends on matchups and what we're doing in a game situation. They definitely have size. We've got size. So we're going to go out and try to match up exactly how we're supposed to be in each game – our system versus their system -- and try to play inside-out."
… K-State's Markquis Nowell:
"He's really good. He can pressure the basketball. Last game we turned it over a lot. We've got to make sure we really value the basketball. He's one of the best guards in the country at
putting pressure on the basketball. So we've got to do a good job of taking care, being able to get in our offense, not let him speed us up. He played really well down here last year and that was a big reason they won the game. He made a big three late in the game. He came up with a big steal. So we've got to do a good job on him. He's a good player.
… A fun point guard matchup between Porter and Nowell:
"Two really good guards. Craig Porter is all-conference guard. We need him to do a little bit of everything. He leads us in almost every category: rebounding, blocked shots, scoring, all that stuff. Nowell is a really good point guard that can really pressure the basketball. We've just got to do a good job, like I said, of taking care of it. Our guards have to have their hand over the ball, be sure they're making the right passes and doing a good job of just running offense versus all that pressure that he can put on."
… The potential for Shocker fans to even out some of the numbers in Bramlage Coliseum with K-State's football team playing in the Big 12 title game in Dallas:
"I hope so. In order to be a good road team, you need your fans to come out and support. And our fans have done a good job of that over the years, following us on the road. And with this game being so close, only two and a half hours away, I expect a good crowd."