• last year
Huskies sophomore guard shares his thoughts on defeating the seventh-ranked Bulldogs.
Transcript
00:00 So take me through that Spinner Rooney 360 layout that ended up being number 9 on the
00:06 SportsCenter top set.
00:07 I had a similar play versus San Diego State where I tried to like hit the foul and I like
00:12 spun kind of but they didn't call it and then I kind of just tried to get another foul because
00:16 I seen Dusty like try to slap my arm so I kind of like turned and then I just threw
00:21 it up and then I looked up when I was on the ground and it went in and everybody was cheering
00:23 so I knew it went in.
00:26 Where does that come from just that ability to kind of throw it up and see what comes
00:29 down but also trust enough in your game that you can make that kind of play?
00:33 I mean it was kind of just like an instinct I kind of just like tried to get a foul and
00:37 just throw it up there and see if I can make it.
00:40 Coach Hopp mentioned that he kept you in the game when he could have taken you out of that
00:43 second half.
00:44 What did that mean to you?
00:45 How much did that feed your result on the court against Gonzaga?
00:48 I feel like my defense was at an all time high that whole game.
00:52 I was kind of bringing more energy to the team.
00:58 I feel like I was just on defense and just everywhere so there was no way he could take
01:04 me out because I was playing too much defense and offense I was getting people in their
01:07 spots and getting assists.
01:08 What did you kind of learn from Saavir and Paul, the veteran guards on his team just
01:14 to kind of maybe add some elements to your game that you didn't have last season?
01:16 One thing I learned from Paul is slowing down.
01:19 He likes to get to his spots and he's very slow but he has a pace to him where he can
01:24 get to his spots.
01:25 And then Saavir, to learn from him, I'd say that faster because he's a faster guard so
01:33 he can teach me more how to transition plays and stuff like that.
01:38 What did it mean for you personally knowing being an NCA kid going to Washington to beat
01:41 Gonzaga for the first time since 2012?
01:46 I'll just say last year we lost to them at Gonzaga.
01:48 It kind of felt like we should have beat them but this year beating them it felt way better
01:54 and just seeing the crowd going on the court and beating the number 17 was big for us.
02:00 How did you come into the season with your mindset?
02:01 Because it seems like you've taken that next step this season.
02:05 When did that start?
02:06 Was that in the summer at the crossover?
02:07 Was that just natural next step?
02:10 I'll say my mindset started last year.
02:12 I kind of had some games where I'd get in and then I wouldn't play the second half and
02:15 I just had to man up and just take that and still cheer on the team and just become a
02:20 bigger person and not just thinking that my ego was bigger than what it was.
02:24 And then this year I kind of just rolled that into this year and my world got bigger so
02:29 I felt like I just, not like pushed into it, but I've had to grow up into the world.
02:36 When was the last time prior to last season that you had to sit on the bench?
02:39 I know throughout high school you were a guy that every game was the star of the team.
02:44 My whole college career that's the only time I sat on the bench.
02:48 There's nothing wrong with it.
02:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]