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00:00 Pat, start with you.
00:02 Did you feel-- I mean, that first half,
00:04 you've been coming on the last few games.
00:07 Did it just sort of carry over, or was it
00:09 even better than in the past?
00:12 I mean, yeah, last few games, I kind of just--
00:15 like I said in our interview yesterday,
00:17 just coming in with that same mentality,
00:19 just trying to kill and make the most out of every opportunity.
00:24 Didn't really feel any different,
00:25 but I got to take advantage of them today.
00:29 Kurt, it looks like you guys were even
00:31 looking for Pat early.
00:32 I mean, there were some plays set for him.
00:35 Were you looking for him early, or was that just
00:38 how the game unfolded?
00:40 Honestly, I don't know.
00:45 If I'm a point guard, I'm just trying to find the open guy,
00:49 pretty much.
00:50 Today, they played that way that Pat happened to be more open,
00:54 and Pat did an amazing job putting the ball in the rim.
00:59 50% from free throw line, Pat knows he got to do better.
01:03 But today, right now, we take it,
01:05 and that 3-point win is pretty sweet.
01:08 Pat, that dunk early where you get the offensive rebound,
01:11 one dribble, kind of go under the rim,
01:12 what kind of spark and confidence
01:15 does that give to you and the team as a whole?
01:18 Oh, yeah.
01:19 It's just one of those moments that it's like--
01:24 it gets everybody going.
01:25 And that just has such a big momentum shift.
01:29 I play better when I see my guys excited and playing well.
01:32 So whatever I can do to get them some energy, I try to do.
01:36 Pat, the Texas coach was just in here.
01:39 I refer to you as the big fella, the one.
01:43 And then that your physical nature, style of play,
01:48 kind of spread to everyone else on your team tonight.
01:51 Do you kind of feel that you were able to do that,
01:56 take your physical play, and give it to everyone else?
01:59 Yeah.
02:00 I came here under hugs, that toughness, that physicality.
02:06 And like I said, before the season,
02:07 that's something I hope to try to inspire our guys with
02:13 and just to keep that defensive mindset up.
02:18 What's it like being called big fella?
02:21 Hey, nickname's Big Pat, so I'm all good with it.
02:25 Does it take a while to be able to play
02:27 with that amount of strength and power and explosiveness
02:30 and still be on target with your shots and everything?
02:35 It seems like sometimes people can't concentrate so much
02:38 on banging, being physical, whatever,
02:40 that it messes with your offensive game a little bit.
02:42 Has that been an adjustment for you?
02:46 I mean, honestly, I don't know what it looked like.
02:48 I didn't feel like I was even really trying
02:50 to bully them too much.
02:53 Sean does a great job with our strength training,
02:56 so I don't even feel like I was really putting all my muscle
02:59 into it or anything.
03:01 Current teams are obviously trying
03:03 to get the ball out of your hands early.
03:04 Texas's coach said they're doing that too.
03:07 I know you're still trying to set the offense and run it.
03:10 Does that change it a little bit?
03:11 Are you trying to maybe set up other guys with the hockey
03:15 assist so that you make the pass so that they can make the pass?
03:18 Yeah, I don't really mind who makes the pass.
03:21 I'm just trying to win the ball game.
03:23 And I never play for my stats.
03:26 If you do that, it's pretty hard to play in this kind of a team
03:32 where you have guys who play for stats.
03:34 We're playing to win.
03:35 Whatever, like I said, whatever I see out there,
03:39 I'm just trying to make the best read I can make.
03:44 Throughout the game, I have a lot of ball screens.
03:47 So I'm trying to--
03:49 I got three turnovers trying to--
03:51 that's not actually horrible, to be honest.
03:53 But I'm trying to get that a little bit less too.
03:56 For the two of you guys, I was just sitting up there
03:59 watching some fans.
04:00 And I mean, they were in the game maybe even more
04:03 than you guys were.
04:04 And how do you keep a level between--
04:09 with a game on the line between how deeply involved you are
04:13 and performing?
04:16 I mean, there's a difference between the entertainment
04:21 aspect of it and the business aspect of it.
04:23 And I feel like we kind of show up with a business mentality.
04:26 Like, we're here for one reason, show up and get a win.
04:31 So don't let the highs get you too high.
04:33 Don't let the lows get you too low.
04:34 And keep pushing.
04:36 Pat, still, a basketball season can turn on a dime.
04:40 And you know all about this year.
04:42 But what is the last week meant to you
04:44 as far as the enjoyment factor?
04:46 You've had your first couple of starts.
04:47 And you're just--
04:48 Oh, yeah.
04:49 Yeah.
04:50 You know, definitely with the first start, too,
04:53 it's like there's more nerves.
04:56 It's almost like your first time going out there again.
04:58 It's like, oh, wow.
04:59 But one of the things they said--
05:02 Coach Ruoff had said before the game, he's like, go have fun.
05:05 Enjoy this.
05:07 Look around.
05:08 We're playing Texas, ranked team, at home, Gold Rush.
05:12 Everybody's out here.
05:13 So just enjoy it.
05:14 So I try to come with that mentality.
05:17 Kerr, one of the keys, I think, obviously,
05:19 was the 22 turnovers you guys forced.
05:22 That hasn't been a big thing for you guys defensively.
05:25 So I mean, was this kind of a situation
05:27 where you guys just kind of manned up and just
05:29 took responsibility for more defensive play?
05:32 Yeah, I mean, we changed a lot in our defense in general.
05:36 So obviously, the previous way wasn't working for us.
05:41 And we made some adjustments.
05:43 And that was the first time we played
05:46 in that kind of defense.
05:47 But--
05:47 What was the change?
05:50 Am I allowed to ask?
05:51 I mean, if you look at the game, you'll understand.
05:58 I don't want to say here, it'll help scouting and stuff.
06:02 But we made some adjustments that needed to be made.
06:06 And first game worked out pretty good.
06:09 Was the floor still pretty out there?
06:10 Sorry?
06:11 Was the floor slippery out there?
06:14 That's what Texas players kept telling me.
06:17 That's what it looked like.
06:18 Yeah, I don't know.
06:19 Yeah, I don't know.
06:20 They maybe-- I don't know.
06:23 For us, it was all perfect, I feel like.
06:24 Maybe for them, it was just a little slippery.
06:27 You know?
06:28 When you can dribble like Kerr, they're
06:30 going to feel like the floor is slippery.
06:32 Guys, just overall, I mean, you guys have been on a struggle.
06:36 How badly did you just need this to sort of get things going
06:39 and get yourself right again mentally?
06:42 If anything, Kerr started with you, and then Pat, he was--
06:45 Yeah, I mean, we needed that win for sure.
06:47 We needed a couple of last wins already.
06:53 But we really, really mentally needed
06:56 that win to show for ourselves and for the people of West
07:02 Virginia, I'm really proud that we got that win just
07:04 for them, too.
07:05 But I'm just happy that we show what we can do.
07:10 And if everybody keeps staying on the same page,
07:14 this should be the expectation here.
07:16 This shouldn't be that we're putting water,
07:20 we go to locker, and we celebrate like crazy.
07:22 This should be the expectation of West Virginia basketball
07:25 and with the talent that we have.
07:27 But of course, right now, we celebrate that like crazy.
07:31 Yeah, it was one of the things I had said before the game.
07:35 It's like, if you look at our record,
07:38 things haven't been going the best for us.
07:40 But it's nothing that--
07:44 there's nothing that we can't change.
07:46 It's something that we just had to lock in mentally.
07:49 And I told them, I want to go out there tonight and be
07:53 the team that we know we can be.
07:55 And I think we're well on our way to that now.
07:59 Kerr, how much of it was a key for you guys
08:01 that pretty much every guy you put out on the floor
08:06 contributed in some way?
08:08 And it wasn't just one guy getting 28, 29 points.
08:13 It was four, five, six, seven guys out there.
08:15 Yeah, I mean, that's the game of basketball.
08:17 We really played to win that game.
08:20 And our bench did a huge job coming, bringing more energy,
08:26 whoever step on the floor.
08:28 Even like, you look at Noah, OK, he won for eight.
08:31 It wasn't maybe best shooting day.
08:33 But man, he got seven rebounds being the smallest guy.
08:35 And he did whatever he needed to do for the team in order
08:39 to win.
08:39 And I really think today we were really on page
08:43 and trying to win the basketball game, which we did.
08:47 Guys, thank you.
08:47 Yeah, thank you.