Honest Carry, Malique Jacobs, Miryne Thomas and Rob Senderoff addressed the media on Thursday afternoon prematurely of Friday’s NCAA event first spherical matchup towards Indiana.
Watch their pregame feedback under:
Transcript by way of ASAP Sports activities:
THE MODERATOR: We thank the Kent State student-athletes for becoming a member of us. We’ve redshirt senior guard Honest Carry, redshirt senior guard Malique Jacobs, and redshirt senior ahead Miryne Thomas. We’ll open it as much as any questions.
Q. We have been speaking to Indiana. They stored speaking about your protection and the way impressed they have been with it. What’s it about your protection that makes it so good? And simply how a lot do you guys pleasure your self on actually doing effectively with out the ball? Any of you possibly can reply it.
SINCERE CARRY: I believe we simply play laborious and play by means of a whole lot of errors. If anyone will get beat on a dribble or we mess up a ball display, we are able to decide up for anyone else’s mistake. However simply talk and play laborious. Enjoying laborious is the recipe to our nice protection.
MIRYNE THOMAS: I’d add to that that the tenacity of our protection and masking for one another, that basically retains us collectively. It retains us as one.
Q. How a lot confidence do you guys get out of your shut losses earlier within the yr to Gonzaga and Houston? Do you’re feeling you’re higher ready now having gone by means of the convention schedule to face an even bigger crew like Indiana?
MALIQUE JACOBS: I believe the shut wins that we obtained and the shut losses, the shut video games, it helped us out to remain composed over the last three minutes of the sport. It’s a giant a part of us being right here proper now.
Q. Honest, you’ve been by means of quite a bit together with your transferring and your accidents and every little thing else. Had been there moments that you just thought you may not see this form of a stage?
SINCERE CARRY: Sure, ma’am. There was a whole lot of instances the place I simply questioned myself simply taking part in basketball. I wasn’t positive if I used to be going to proceed to comply with my desires. My help system, my household, my shut associates, and my teammates, my brothers, they’re all the time there for me checking on me and ensuring I’m good mentally earlier than basketball.
And simply going on the market each evening, it’s simply enjoyable. So I’m having fun with each second whereas we’re right here.
Q. To that, are you able to simply discuss somewhat bit about how these guys have embraced you? You’ve solely been there for a few years, and it looks as if you all have a extremely tight bond.
SINCERE CARRY: My two years at Kent has in all probability been one of the best crew I’ve ever been on. Not with basketball, however simply with the friendship and the brotherhood we’ve got. I really feel like Coach Sendy does a superb job and his employees and the college itself does a superb job of constructing a household tradition there. We’ve a whole lot of alumni who come house.
It’s simply a whole lot of love there. It’s laborious to be down while you’re round love. It’s simpler to unfold it when it’s given out each day.
Q. Going again to Honest’s days at Solon, he was by no means one to actually discuss himself. What do you two see in him? What makes him such a superb basketball participant?
MALIQUE JACOBS: His work ethic. He’s a tough employee. Simply the way in which how he works. Coach, I don’t know if he informed you all this story, we got here again from an extended, lengthy recreation. I believe it was at Ball State. We obtained again at 2:00 within the morning, and he’s again within the fitness center at 7:00, 8:00 within the morning.
Simply his work ethic, after which it simply rubs off. Once you see one in every of our greatest gamers simply working like that, you haven’t any selection however to comply with his footsteps.
MIRYNE THOMAS: I’d say from a guard, he has a fast reminiscence. If one thing dangerous goes on, he’s fast to, hey, subsequent play. He’s fast to tug guys in, hold guys into the group.
Q. Are you able to simply discuss somewhat bit about simply — no matter what occurs, whether or not it’s this weekend or not, sooner or later the season goes to be over. Are you able to simply discuss your profession and the way you’re feeling about it?
SINCERE CARRY: It’s form of laborious to talk on it proper now as a result of I really feel like we nonetheless obtained an extended approach to go and we’re going to be right here for some time.
Actually I’m simply blessed each day to play basketball. I all the time thank God first and I really feel like He has continued to bless me and put me in numerous conditions and opens up so many doorways for me. It’s simply enjoyable to share these moments with my brothers, my teammates, and my household. So I simply proceed to take it daily. No matter occurs occurs. I’m simply completely satisfied to play the sport of basketball.
Q. You guys really feel like you possibly can play somewhat bit looser being the underdog, like there’s rather less stress on you?
MALIQUE JACOBS: The best way we play is play unfastened, play Kent State basketball. So we play Kent State basketball, we’ll make a superb run.
MIRYNE THOMAS: I believe the statistics converse for themselves, however our monitor report, this historical past additionally speaks for itself. So we could be an underdog decrease seed coming into these video games, however we all know head to head we’re simply pretty much as good as these increased seeds. So we’re excited to get to play.
THE MODERATOR: In just a few moments we’ll have Kent State Head Coach Rob Senderoff.
We’re joined by Kent State Head Coach Rob Senderoff. Any questions, we’ll open it up.
Q. Coach, clearly the storyline, dealing with Indiana once more, for you for the primary time. Speak about going again into that problem alone. You’ve been a coach there, so you already know the challenges of being on that aspect and on this aspect now. Speak about that in itself.
ROB SENDEROFF: I imply, it’s an unbelievable program and an unbelievable crew that we’re taking part in towards tomorrow evening. I’ve an unimaginable quantity of respect for all of the gamers on that roster, Trayce Jackson-Davis being the most effective within the nation. Jalen Hood-Schifino being one of many distinctive skills within the nation.
And Coach Woodson’s executed an amazing job, him and his employees, of taking part in in the most effective conferences within the league and having as a lot success as they’ve had.
So it’s definitely a giant problem for us tomorrow evening, however one which we’re actually enthusiastic about.
Q. One of many questions Indiana followers nonetheless have out of your time at Indiana is like why did you guys do what you probably did that obtained IU placed on probation? Are you able to form of simply take the followers by means of what occurred, what the pondering was at that cut-off date?
ROB SENDEROFF: Fairly actually, I’m completely satisfied to reply that possibly at one other time. I actually suppose that the NCAA Match, it’s in regards to the three guys that have been up right here from Kent, these gamers and their tales. The youngsters from IU which have super tales as effectively and have been by means of no matter they’ve been by means of all through their careers.
I really feel like that’s what the event is about. It’s not about Rob Senderoff or what occurred 20 years in the past. As a lot because it’s about Honest Carry and the way did he make it thus far and the way has Jalen Hood-Schifino developed as a participant this yr.
Respectfully, I’d be completely satisfied to speak to you about it at one other time, however I actually really feel just like the event, losing that point on me is de facto not the place I wish to go at present.
Q. Having a few of your coaches right here, being a pupil coach beneath Doc Sauers, are you able to discuss in regards to the affect he has in your teaching profession and the way form of Albany may need been the beginning of a passionate teaching profession for you.
ROB SENDEROFF: I believe like lots of people, no matter career you get into, sooner or later there’s a spark that provides you a chance. For me, my first alternative was as a pupil at SUNY Albany 1990-something, ’91, ’92, ’93. That’s once I was there.
Doc Sauers allowed me the chance — I wasn’t a adequate participant to play on the crew, however he allowed me the chance to be across the crew and to assist, much like what a pupil supervisor does at a whole lot of completely different colleges. That gave me the chance to start out teaching.
To return to Jeff’s query, for me personally, it’s nice to be again to Albany, however I’ve stated it a pair instances, like who we play or the place we play, it didn’t matter who we have been taking part in towards or the place we have been taking part in, I used to be simply going to be ecstatic and excited to see our identify pop up on the board for our gamers, at first, and for everyone related to Kent State College, our basketball program, our supporters.
I’m simply thrilled for them. I suppose it’s somewhat little bit of cherry on prime, the truth that we’re right here in Albany.
Q. You guys have been — actually form of made your identify on protection. Your ball stress, your means to power turnovers. How do you steadiness not wanting to vary what you do and wanting to simply keep true to your id while you face a participant like Trayce Jackson-Davis that simply form of has the gravitational pull and the passing vary he has out of the paint?
ROB SENDEROFF: It’s a fantastic query and a heck of a problem. He’s such a superb participant that, should you simply do one factor towards him, you’re going to be in hassle as a result of he’s going to determine it out. He’s that good.
So we do must create some turnovers, as you talked about. They’ve super dimension and physicality, IU does. And we’re going to have to remain true to who we’re as a crew. We obtained right here due to how effectively we’ve defended and what number of turnovers we’ve created over the course of the season, and we’re going to must do a fantastic job of that tomorrow evening to have any probability towards the most effective groups within the nation.
Q. Two-part query. It’s form of each how they relate on the ground. Your protection, why is it so good? What’s it that basically causes groups suits? Second query is on Honest and the way his recreation interprets, particularly on a degree like this.
ROB SENDEROFF: How we defend is de facto there’s two elements to it. A few of it’s personnel based mostly. We’ve some super particular person defenders. Honest was on the All-Defensive Group. As you already know, Malique Jacobs was the Defensive Participant of the Yr. Each of these guys have been on the All-Defensive Group final yr as effectively.
So they’re distinctive skills on that aspect of the ball. Then what we’ve tried to do as a training employees is put them in place as greatest we are able to to make as many performs as they’ll on that aspect of the ball.
You will note some trapping. You’ll see some digging it out of the publish. You’ll see some full court docket man to man. You already know, nothing that I’m telling you is one thing that hasn’t occurred all yr lengthy. So that you’ll see a few of that, and hopefully that can enable us to create some turnovers over the course of the sport or pace them up and make them take faster pictures than they want to.
And as for Sin’s improvement, to me, he’s on the Mt. Rushmore of gamers that’s performed at Kent State over the past 20 years. Clearly there have been some nice ones which have come by means of, however he’s within the dialog among the many greatest. I believe successful this convention championship final week, event championship, and being right here actually solidified that for him individually. Then clearly how we play out right here might transfer him even additional up the ladder.
Q. Once more on Honest, are you able to simply discuss somewhat bit about what he — you spoke to it, however what he means to this system and simply how impactful it’s to get a man like that to switch in?
ROB SENDEROFF: He’s one of many greats. When he got here to Kent, as I believe his story is considerably effectively documented, this to me is what makes — that is the enjoyment of being up right here is with the ability to discuss somewhat bit extra about him. He was near not taking part in anymore. That’s how a lot he had misplaced the love of taking part in basketball and was contemplating simply going to highschool as a result of it was through the COVID yr and he simply wasn’t completely satisfied any longer.
So he got here to Kent. He needed to sit out the remainder of that semester as a result of he got here halfway by means of the yr. I nonetheless keep in mind getting a textual content message about 5 minutes previous to a recreation towards Western Michigan the place his adopted father informed me, would you want him to return? As a result of he’s sitting in Kent proper now, and he’s not going again to Duquesne.
To see him then blossom the way in which he has — like I stated, Participant of the Yr his junior yr, First Group All-Convention, All-Defensive Group, MAC Match MVP — to see that and to have the ability to discuss to you all about that, that’s to me what makes this event so particular.
Q. Did you schedule Charleston and Houston and Gonzaga partially in anticipation of getting your crew prepared for March?
ROB SENDEROFF: We did. Once you return, we returned Sin and Malique, we introduced in a switch from Ball State, Miryne Thomas, who we knew was a extremely good participant. We signed some new guys who we thought might assist Chris Payton, particularly, as a switch from Pittsburgh.
So we knew we have been going to have a superb crew. We didn’t understand how good, however we additionally knew we would have liked to problem ourselves within the nonconference. As you already know, following basketball and masking it so long as you have got, colleges from the MAC generally battle to get video games.
However we labored actually laborious. We performed, such as you stated, within the nonconference, Faculty of Charleston in a house and residential, Northern Kentucky, who’s additionally within the event, we opened up the season at their place, Houston, Gonzaga. We additionally performed Cleveland State, who was within the championship recreation of their league, South Dakota State, who didn’t have fairly the season that they usually have, however nonetheless a really high quality mid-major crew coming off 30 wins. Once we performed New Mexico State and UTEP, we anticipated these to be actually troublesome video games, and so they have been.
So we did that with a objective, and I believe our gamers would believe regardless as a result of I believe that’s simply how they’re constructed, however having performed that schedule and performed a few of these video games as intently as we’ve got, I definitely suppose it provides us confidence.
And on the similar time, I believe it provides the Indiana teaching employees the power to inform their gamers such as you guys have gotten to be on level as a result of have a look at what they did on this recreation and that recreation.
So it does work each methods while you get right here, however when it comes to getting ready for this second, I believe it definitely helped us.
Q. I don’t know if it’s each man in your employees, however many of the guys in your employees have Kent State ties, plus Jim Christian is in this system. Why? Why is that necessary?
ROB SENDEROFF: I’m going to return to what makes this event so nice and what I’m so completely satisfied about being on the rostrum for, is once more to have the ability to inform that story too. Every of my assistants performed at Kent. Julian Sullinger is our Affiliate Head Coach. His nephew is on our crew, as effectively. Jalen was the Sixth Man of the Yr in our league. Randal Holt, I recruited as an assistant coach, coached him his total profession, and now he’s again on our employees. Jon Fleming was a walk-on on our 2017 crew that went to the NCAA Match. Kevin Zabo is my Director of Basketball Operations, additionally was on that 2017 crew.
As you talked about, Jim Christian, is who introduced me to Kent State again in 2002, is form of a particular assistant to the teaching employees. That’s what makes Kent State distinctive. That’s what makes Kent State particular. And to me it’s what makes Kent State completely different from a whole lot of different packages throughout the nation is that that household ambiance that lots of people discuss, we are able to present you that we’ve got it right here at Kent as a result of these guys have been all — I used to be all a part of their improvement as school athletes and now I’m a part of their lives as they’re adults and husbands and fathers and issues like that.
So it’s an enormous a part of what’s allowed us. We’ve had success for some time now, and it’s an enormous a part of what’s allowed us to take care of a degree of success is that household ambiance that you just introduced up. I actually respect the chance to speak once more about that on this stage.
Q. Simply form of piggy-backing off of that, having the expertise that you just had early on with Doc Sauers and simply talking so extremely that you just simply did about your program, do you hope or is there a selected lesson that you just may need discovered from Doc in your early days that you just hope that you just’re transferring to your teaching employees and your crew now?
ROB SENDEROFF: Perhaps at present I’ll do some fingertip push-ups on the court docket with these guys as a result of that’s what he did originally of each observe. I don’t suppose I might do them, in order that could be an issue. However he was doing fingertip push-ups earlier than each observe.
His depth, and also you simply keep in mind how targeted he was as a coach. Occasions have modified, however good coaches are good coaches. He had received over 700 video games on the Division III degree. He’s the most effective to have ever executed it. So it’s cool for me to have the ability to discuss Coach Sauers.
Individuals might not know who he’s as a result of Albany was a Division III faculty on the time. Clearly on this area individuals know who he’s, however that’s actually cool. For these causes, this has been incredible. The entire expertise for our guys and our college and program is superior.
Filed to: 2023 NCAA event, Kent State Golden Flashes, Rob Senderoff
