Chattanooga at Tennessee State
Tuesday, Dec. 22, 2020
Nashville, Tenn. - Gentry Center
Postgame Quotes

Lamont Paris, Head Coach
On the young guys stepping up in big moments.
"We try to do a lot to instill confidence to whoever is on the floor. If you're on the floor, you're out there for a reason. Know who you are, know what your game is and what your strengths are. If an opportunity presents itself, we need to play and make a play. Secretly as it was coming to him and I saw his face, I was hoping he would shoot it. It was a good look, we needed something, it was in rhythm. If guys are in rhythm, and they are ready and prepared to shoot, then we have some guys who can make shots and that makes it a much better shot than what it might appear on the surface. It's nice to have a couple young guys to do some things. It's a fun story for all those guys and this whole team is a fun story. There's been a lot of hurdles and bumps in the road and all they've done is continued to morph in a way that they need to in order to have a chance to win a game and tonight was no different."
 
On the team soaking in a 9-0 start.
"Sometimes it's like you get to a certain spot and then you have a game two days later and then you lose that, and you don't get to bask in the glory. It's good for these guys to have that time, and their buddies from other schools calling them, they'll be talking to their folks. It's great for them and I know they're excited. Some guys on this team haven't had anything like this happen to them. What better way to just reaffirm what you're doing than having your friends and families across the country acknowledging what you're doing on the basketball court. I'm happy there's going to be a few days before we play again for these guys to relish in the aftermath of what they have accomplished."
 
On the team's continued toughness.
"It's extremely gratifying. From a basketball performance, we did not perform in a way that you're going to win very often as far as basketball is concerned. But we did perform as winners. We made some tough plays, got some stops when we needed to, and had a couple good active big guys in there. We did what we needed to do. There's a level of toughness, not only physical toughness, but the mental fortitude to be able to execute, to not only believe in yourself but in one another, and to what we draw up. That kind of toughness is what it takes to be real, real winners. This was a good example of that. I hope we don't get in that situation a lot, but for these guys to do what they did, it took a lot of mental toughness."

Jamaal Walker, RS-Fr.-G
On knocking down crucial three late in the second half.
"I honestly don't know why I shot it. I just think he went under the screen. I didn't know I was as far back until people told me. I thought it was going to be short and I couldn't really see it because I had a big man in front of me. I saw the reaction and I guess it must have been good."
 
On converting in clutch moments down the stretch.
"I don't think about it. I know it's a clutch moment and all that, but I'm just taking it and leaving with the results. I can always learn from mistakes."
 
On what was the turning point amongst the team.
"Someone said that we aren't playing for the next eight days, and I was surprised because we play so frequently. Someone said that and said we have to end on a good note heading into the break and we knew we had to pick it up. Malachi and the coaches do a great job at that. The team picks each other up and tries to create our own energy."
 
On tough road win at TSU.
"It was big. Coming back and just keep fighting. That was the biggest part, we all fight. We were going to keep shooting and playing until the last horn."

Malachi Smith, RS-So.-G
On taking over late in the game.
"It was just doing whatever it takes to win. That doesn't always mean scoring, it's just being confident in myself and seeing that I could get to the rim whenever I wanted to. I knew that we were in the bonus early and I'm a good free throw shooter so I knew that would put us in a good position to come back."
 
On avoiding a slip up heading into a long break.
"It's a lot of that. It's knowing what's on the line. We know we have a target on our back and know it looks good to say, 'oh we beat Chattanooga.' I think Jamaal [Walker] stepping up in the second half and proving he's capable of being on the court and doing multiple things for us. We didn't want to go into the break knowing we let a game slip away where it shouldn't have."
 
On what contributed to slow start, fast finish.
"It was a little bit of everything. The defense wasn't good, we weren't talking, we weren't communicating, shots weren't falling. What led to the comeback was that we all looked at each other said we've been in this position before with Tennessee Tech, Asheville, Bellarmine, so there's no need to change anything. We didn't even look at the clock and kept doing what we were doing and then the next media we're only down four. Once we got within four, we had all the momentum and we're going to keep doing what we're supposed to do. It's great experience for us because any time we get in these moments, we can look back and say we've been here before. There's no need to press, no need to worry, and just have each other's backs."