Head coach Gregg Marshall on….
…The win tonight
"Obviously, (it was a) big night. Our seniors that have meant so much to our program,
Zach Bush and J.R. Simon, were able to get some quality minutes, and both played extremely well in a win that was a little easier than I thought it would be. Evansville had been playing very, very well. I don't know if we have ever scored 109 (points) against a defense that good…We shot it extremely well, rebounded well and shared the ball; 24 assists (with only) three turnovers. We'll take it, and move on to one more game. If we can do well and win Saturday, we get at least a co-championship."
…Seniors Simon and Bush not only getting minutes but playing well
"I wanted them to get a run with the core group. You can't get a group any better than the guys that they were out there with. (Rashard) Kelly, (Zach) Brown and Shaq (Morris). They all know the system, and they executed it beautifully. The first three that J.R. hit was a great execution of one of our quick (sets). Shaq -- his buddy and part of the reason he came to Wichita State from Oklahoma City, (because) they were good friends -- he finds him beautifully on the play. It just worked out. Then, of course, he hits nothing but the bottom of the net on his three (three-point) attempts.
Zach Bush makes a great move, finishes, gets fouled. He missed his free throw and had a 3-point attempt that was blocked, (but) he still had two dimes and would have been a third dime, but someone dropped a pass. They just went in and played with the flair that they possess as young men. They are very, very dynamic, smart (and) charismatic. There is a lot to like about these guys. We are the beneficiary of having them in our program the last five years, for Zach, and four years for J.R.."
...Showcasing the team's depth when two walk-on seniors play that well
"We aren't trying to run the score up in any way. I have way too much respect for (Evansville head coach) Marty (Simmons) and his program, and the way he runs his program. Those guys are in there with five, six, seven minutes to go in the game. They have to play. I thought they played very, very well. There (are) probably programs in the country that they could be starters on -- Division I programs. They chose to come here and make us better. Every single day they are working in the weight room, they're leading, doing the right things on and off the court, because they know exactly what we want as coaches. They can obviously play, the scout team work that they put in is top rate. They push the top-five often times, and the top-ten with how well they go in practice. "
…Shamet and Frankamp's continued development
"I knew that they could both really shoot the basketball. Conner, everyone knows he can really shoot it. If you live in this city, you'd have to not be a sports fan at all to know that
Conner Frankamp was a great shooter. He's a great shooter.
Landry Shamet is an equally great shooter. He nails a couple of quick threes and then doesn't even look for another three. Between the two of them, they go 7-of-8 from three, and have eight assists (with) no turnovers. That's a pretty good line for a starting backcourt. "
…J.R. Simon lobbying for playing time after hot shooting performance
"He could definitely help us, and has helped us win games in crunch time. I have no qualms about it. He's just behind some pretty good players. That's the beauty of being deep. You've got a guy like him that's an insurance policy, because he can really play."
Zach Bush on…
…His and-one shot
"It was sweet. I couldn't really see it when I let go of (the ball). J.R. threw me the ball down on the baseline, everybody cleared out, I made a good move and put it up. I lost track of the ball for a second, then I heard the crowd go crazy so I kind of went crazy."
…Tonight
"That was special. That made every hard day I've had here absolutely worth it. There's been a lot of them. This isn't a place where it's easy. It's the hard way here, and it shows that the hard way works because of how much we've won and what we've accomplished. It made it all worth it."
…When he knew that this year's team could have a potent offense
"Pretty early on we knew that we were talented and could score the ball. It's easy to say that when it's in pickup games and in practice, but until you really see it in games, you don't really believe it. We started seeing it, guys started talking about it, and then coach (Marshall) started reminding them about the defensive end of the floor. It's just incredible how many times we've scored 80 points this year.... It's a testament to these guys' hard work and the skill level they have."
…What moment(s) during his career stand out to him
"It's hard to pick one, there's so many. The (NCAA) Tournament wins, getting a number one seed. For me, I got here before J.R. so the Final Four was really special. The win over KU. Every single (NCAA) Tournament win was so special. They're so hard to get. I don't think people realize how hard it is to get a win in the NCAA Tournament. Every team that makes the Tournament is a good team, or is hot and on a roll, so I think every one of those wins were ones that I've tried to cherish and enjoy."
John Robert Simon…
…His three three-pointers
"Golly, it still hasn't hit me. I don't really know what happened. I think God took over my body and he made a miracle out there to finish out my last home game. It was pretty special."
…Tonight
"(Zach) nailed it on the head. We've been thinking about it the past few weeks: 'it's coming up, it's almost over, last game at home.' In the past four years, I've only lost one game in this building. That's pretty special right there…That's a credit to the fans, to my teammates especially, and to the coaches, for making such a home court advantage. It's so awesome running out that tunnel every game to 10,500 (fans), and it doesn't get much better."
…What he thinks of the potential of the Shamet-Frankamp duo, having personally seen Ron Baker and Fred VanVleet together
"They really are (taking off). Ron and Fred, those guys were really special in everything they did. It's hard coming in here with everything they've done and the legacy they've left…Conner and Landry, those dudes are growing each day, each week, each game. They're getting better and better, and playing together. They're handling the ball really well, they're knocking down shots, they're running the team, doing those little things, playing good defense, and that's what coach (Marshall) loves. Landry's been a good defender, ever since he's been here, pretty much. We give crap to Conner, he wasn't always the best defender and people would pick on him. Lately though, he's been playing really good defense. He's becoming a true all-around player; he's not just looking to score. He checks down, he rebounds, he plays good defense. Those are the difference-makers that made Ron and Fred so good. It wasn't because they scored, it was because they were hard-nosed, played defense very (well), took care of the ball, and they rebound really well for (being) guards…They're coming along really well, and it's a big reason as to why we're playing well right now."
…What moment(s) during his career stand out to him
"The undefeated season is hard to beat honestly. That doesn't happen very often. With that being my first year, coming in and not losing a game in the regular season, being a number one seed, that's just hard to beat. Obviously that season didn't end as we planned, but it was an unbelievable year. Honestly, there's been so many memories with teammates, the guys that we're working with every single day. With all those little things, it'd be hard to pick one. Then obviously tonight, I mean that's a storybook ending. I don't know if I could do anything better than that, it was pretty special…Career high (in points) to finish on, that's pretty nice."
…If Evan Wessel, Baker and VanVleet told them anything about tonight when they visited last weekend
"They did. We talked to them while they were here, and they something like. 'Just go out and enjoy today.' Senior night's really special, it's the final game in this arena and it finishes off your career here. They kind of just said to take it all in and don't be too worried. Just go out there and be loose and enjoy it. Shoot the ball, which we did."
ZB: "I think Fred actually threatened me that if I didn't shoot the ball, he'd do something. Which I can't talk about."
…What they'll miss most about Wichita State
"The atmosphere, the amazing fans…"
ZB: "The teammates man."
JRS: "Yeah my teammates."
ZB: "Everything we've been through and all the special times we've had with them just day in and day out. I think that's what I'm going to miss the most, just being in the locker room with those guys."
JRS: "No doubt. I've never been anywhere else, but I find it hard to believe that for four years that it'd be hard to find not one player on your team that's a bad teammate, or someone that is selfish. Every single teammate I've had has been an unbelievable person on and off the court, and treated me ridiculously well. I'm just so thankful for that. I'll take that more than anything: the bonds I've created with all those guys."
Conner Frankamp on…
…J.R. Simon and Zach Bush's performance tonight
"It was awesome. That is what we wanted to do: get them in the game and get them some playing time ,and to make some shots. They have done such an amazing job here at WSU and they are great friends to me and everyone on the team, so it is going to be sad to have them go. They are great leaders and the best people you could ever ask to be around."
…When he knew this team would shoot the three-pointer well
"I could tell early this summer that we could shoot it really well. Obviously, it is tough to get that translated to the actual games. Practice is different than actual games. All 16 guys can knock down a three it pretty much seems like. It is great to have that threat for this team, especially with our big guys. We can throw it in and kick it back out for a three, pretty much whenever."
Rashard Kelly on…
...This team shooting the three so well
"Even the big guys (can). It started in the summer time, we used to always challenge the guards. It has just been a challenge, and it makes each other better. But we do have the best shooter in America in
Conner Frankamp."
…Where the confidence came from once the team pulled away
"It is just an everyday grind with us. We are always working together trying to get better. We just want to create a habit. Early on in the season, we would have good practices and bad practices, but we have grown together and became more mature. Every day you want to give it your best, so I think that just carries over to the game."
…The emotions of the last game of the year in Charles Koch Arena
"We are not done yet. We have Saturday against Missouri State. As juniors, we haven't won a championship in St. Louis yet, so that would be another chip we could put on our belt. I remember early in the season, me and
Zach Brown said that the student section was only halfway filled. We made some noise this year, and it went by fast to be completely honest. Going to Canada and now you just have to cherish every moment, so I think we just build on for next year, and I think we will be able to make some noise now."
Shaquille Morris on…
…When it became obvious that this team would be able to shoot the ball well
"I feel like we have always been good at three-point shooting. Especially when you have Frankamp on your team. When you see him get a couple going, it is easy for everybody to start going behind the arc."
…the play that was ran for J.R. Simon's first three-pointer
"It was our transition motion. We just came down and execute a quick (set), and Rashard threw me the ball and as soon as I touched it, I was looking for J.R. I saw his little head come around a couple screens, I threw it to him, and he hit the shot and got it going."
