OU-Washburn Postgame Quotes

Return to Recap

Head Coach Lon Kruger
Opening Statement:
“It was a good opportunity to play against someone else, as you might expect in the first opportunity like that. There were a lot of things we liked and a lot of things we still need to work on. They worked hard and I know they will continue to do that. We will get that under our belt, watch some film and get better.”

On if they had to make adjustments with the start of game delay:
“No, not at all. It was tougher on Washburn, of course, getting here late. We appreciate them jumping out there and going as quickly as they did. They said they were ready to go, so we appreciated that.”

On Buddy Hield's game offensively:
“I thought he did a really good job of getting us off to a good start. I thought the guys moved the ball well. He hit shots in rhythm, jumped up and knocked them down. At other times, he was aggressive getting to the rim and got some free throws. Buddy has worked hard in the offseason and practiced well. What he did tonight was no surprise.”

On Khadeem Lattin giving the team energy:
“He did. Not only did he rebound the ball well but I thought he got rid of the ball quickly on the outlet pass and made the right play. He gave us, like you said, good energy on the defensive boards especially. Overall, I thought he did a really good job. The exciting thing about that, of course, is that it will be fun to watch him get better each week. It's good to know that he will work at it and keep improving.”

On what he liked:
“At times we had good flow. We moved the ball. Conversely, other times we didn't have much flow and had a little trouble getting things going. For the most part, I liked the good stretches. They are good stretches that we can replicate and we will do it a little bit more frequently.”

On the defensive performance:
“Defense has been a focus point, for sure. I thought our guys for the most part had good concentration there and did some good things. Obviously, we will look at some other parts that we need to do better. Twenty-four points in the first half and 31 percent shooting, those things are things that you like. Obviously, as you might expect, there are a lot of areas we are going to work at to get better.”

Junior Guard Buddy Hield
On playing with confidence:
“My teammates — Jordan (Woodard) and Isaiah (Cousins) — found me and gave me open shots. We ran up and down in transition and my teammates made great plays for me. We just drive and kick, and I was one that got hot. They found me in open spots and without my teammates I don't get those open shots. I just wanted to step up and make shots for them.”

Sophomore Guard Jordan Woodard
On the team's defensive performance:
“We had good focus. Coach Lon (Kruger) wanted us to focus on the defensive end of the floor. We started off pretty solid at the beginning. We fell off a bit in the middle, but as a team I feel like we had a good start. Obviously we can improve.”

On getting credit from his teammates for giving them open looks:
“I should be thanking them for all the makes. That's just my job to get the ball to the right guys, and make sure that everyone is in the right spot. It just goes back to practice. We have such good chemistry, and that is going to take us a long way.”

Freshman Forward Khadeem Lattin
On adjusting to collegiate basketball:
“It has been a great adjustment. Especially with leaders like Buddy (Hield), Isaiah (Cousins), Ryan (Spangler) and Jordan (Woodard). Those guys let you know what is going on. They never stop talking to you. That is what I really needed today. They were always in my ear with what play to run, what position to be in. It's great having them as leaders. So I'm just following them.”

On his first basket:
“It was cool. I will remember that forever. Jordan (Woodard) just found me in the right spot and I just let nature take its course, I guess. It was great. It took me to a whole other world. I just told Jordan, 'Thank you.'”

Washburn Head Coach Bob Chipman
Opening comment:
“Tougher than trying to get through Oklahoma City traffic was trying to guard some of coach (Lon) Kruger's guys off the dribble. In the first half I thought we did a really good job – we were looking good. And then in the second half, really struggled with them. They are really talented and a lot of those guys can really penetrate. I can't thank coach (Kruger) enough. He's obviously a great friend but playing against him is so helpful in every way. He'll talk to the team and also evaluate this game for me and kind of tell me what he thinks. It was a little ugly out there; I don't know if he'll have much to say about that one. But I can't thank Coach enough. Hey, Oklahoma is off to a very – they're going to be great. They've got some quickness around the perimeter and guys on the inside – (Ryan) Spangler – they're a good group. They missed a lot of shots that I think they'll make. We missed a whole lot of shots and it's not exactly a confidence builder with KU, Oklahoma and Kansas State (on the exhibition schedule). Our shooting was less and we can't even hit a free throw now so we have to make sure that this little tour here doesn't bust our confidence.

“Defensively, I thought we fought them pretty good, were stepping in people's way, were trying to guard them. I like that improvement with our team. But obviously offensively we throw it away too much and when we get our shot we just can't get it down, so it's kind of a tough game when that happens.”

On if he talked to the team on the bus when they were running late:
“Yeah, I told them to start stretching out. We weren't that far away. I mean, we were in Edmond two hours before the game and our scheduled arrival time was 5:30 and there were a couple of accidents and traffic was really unbelievable. Of course, I'm from small Topeka so I didn't have a heads up on rush hour. But yeah, I thought we got off to a great start. I mean, that sure wasn't anything. We probably played better – and Coach was nice enough to give us another 10 minutes. If he does it again, we're definitely coming down a day early. I mean, one of the greatest coaches in the country can't be waiting on Washburn to play an exhibition game – that just doesn't sound right. He's a class guy – great guy, great coach – and I think they are headed for another great year. I just love to watch their team. They are so athletic and so much fun to watch.

On if he worries that it is difficult to readjust after playing these types of opponents:
“I said to our group, 'Hey, this is not a confidence tour here. We're not looking to score 100 points and getting everybody's stats up. I mean, you've got to understand, don't let this wear on you. We start playing for real here in a week and we've got to get our mojo back and start seeing that ball go through the baskets. So yeah, it can be. It's not easy to play some of the top Division I teams in the country – three in six days. So, that's tough. I thought our guys fought pretty hard defensively. There were a lot of good things about our guys. We're playing a lot of guys and trying to give everybody a chance right now. We're not really in our own as a unit but we will get there. These three games will really help us get there.”