Chattanooga at ETSU
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021
Johnson City, Tenn. – Freedom Hall
Postgame Quotes

Lamont Paris, Head Coach
Overall statement after 67-65 win at ETSU.
"I thought the guys competed and defended at a real high level for the entirety of the game until at the end when they got hot, and they have a good team. That's a good team for a reason. I thought our guys really competed and defended in the way that we needed to in order to have a great chance to win the game. It's hard to understate that level of competition and determination."
 
On final play of A.J. Caldwell's game-winning three.
"Exactly how we drew it up. It was a scramble. We had the ball in Malachi's [Smith] hand and set a drag ball screen at the top to spread the floor and get K.C. [Hankton] and Malachi in a good situation. We wanted to try and attack the rim if we could because they wouldn't want to foul. But that's the benefit of putting the ball in a smart player's hands. He attacked and there were two guys on him, A.J. [Caldwell] saw his man helped just a little bit and got a catch and shoot. We just wanted to get something with the flow of our offense moving to the basket and any threes that we would look at is because of an over help situation."
 
On having experienced guys in the game down the stretch.
"That was very beneficial particularly when David [Jean-Baptiste] fouled out. It's nice to have some older guys. We made some mistakes don't get me wrong and that was in conjunction with a couple plays they made. They made a step-back three, a three where they were sprinting full speed off a down screen and that's a hard shot to make. That's with a couple mistakes that we made and there you have a run. The ability to reset the moment and play the moment for what it is, that takes no long faces. That comes with older guys and it's more likely to happen with older guys."
 
On coming out with a fast start.
"I thought that was very important, and I think it's important in any game. When you have a team that has had the success that they do, and it's on their court, you have to send a message. Your chances drastically improve if you can come out and send a message and say that's what we're about today. We grinded our way to get in that situation. The only way you can get that to happen is by getting stops and that's what we were doing early on."

A.J. Caldwell, Jr.-G
On final shot.
"Malachi was supposed to get a look at the rim but then a couple fumbles happened, and I heard Tyler [Dobratz] our strength coach counting down, so I knew I had to get a shot off and maybe we could get an offensive rebound. Gladly it went in and we were able to win. I originally caught it and there was nothing there so I took a dribble to the left and got a glimmer of the rim and got the shot up quick so they couldn't block it and that probably helped me because normally my shot is usually flat. It just went in."
 
On team's confidence.
"It's huge. I think the coaches and my teammates have instilled a lot of confidence in me and I try to do that for everyone else too. We always think that shot is going to go in. They always tell me to shoot the ball and I tell everyone else to shoot the ball, we have tremendous confidence in each other and are a tight-knit group. Just being on the floor is all the confidence I need to be able to catch and shoot. For us to come in here and get a win against a really good team, and the rivalry, it's a really good win."

On 'statement' win at ETSU.
"We haven't really beaten anyone of this caliber in our league yet this year. Being able to come in here and win shows us what we're about and shows that we can compete with anyone in this league. When you're on the road and with the fans, it was one of the first bigger crowds this year, it was cool to be able to come out with a win and gives us a lot of confidence moving forward that we can play with anybody."

Darius Banks, Sr.-F
On win over ETSU and offensive success in first half.
"It's very special to get a win for these guys. It's his [Lamont Paris] first win against ETSU and it feels good to get that first win for him. I just scored on what they gave me. I just focused on getting to my spots and make plays for my team."
 
On the team's bond and moving forward with more confidence.
"It's just the leadership we have on the team. Guys are always talking to each other and encouraging to move on from the last play and that you can't hold your head. You just have to take it one game at a time and keep learning from it, and then you just move on from it. This is a good win for us, and you just have to keep building on this. We needed this one because it boosts a lot of the guys confidence up, it shows we can play with the top teams in this conference and can definitely win."