Dec. 21, 2015

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University of Notre Dame Men’s Basketball

Notre Dame vs. Youngstown State – Notre Dame, Indiana – Dec. 21 2015

Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey

On the gameââ’¬¦
“It was good that we got to play against the 2-3 zone because we struggled against it in Indianapolis. I thought we were better. We moved some guys around to different spots and I love how we shared the ball. We still have to improve defensively but the great thing about when we come back on the night of the 26th is you can get into a bit of a training camp atmosphere and work on some things.”

On his teamââ’¬¦
“I love our group; they love each other, they’ve got each other’s backs. I’m excited about going through this ACC regular season with them. It’s going to be really hard but I think they just get it and can hang together as we start ACC play on January 2.”

On getting Demetrius and Zach going againââ’¬¦
“That was a key. I’m really proud of Zach from the foul line. What great progress for him tonight. I actually ran a full court out of bounds to get him the ball to get fouled because I felt so good about how he was making free throws. With Demetrius, he moved around to different spots in the zone. We’ve got to remember, I didn’t do as good a job on Saturday helping him with that so I’ve got to be better getting him to spots where he can help us. It was good to see them both play well.”

Notre Dame Player Quotes
Demetrius Jackson ââ’¬” Junior ââ’¬” Guard

On bouncing back after a lossââ’¬¦
“We’ll take that win, we have to finish stronger and play a complete game but we did a lot of good things and we are going to continue to grow and continue to get better.”

On playing against a zone todayââ’¬¦
“I think that was good for us, playing against a zone that gave us some struggles previously, so to get some zone work and to continue to grow in that aspect, we definitely got better.”

On bouncing back after a poor performance last gameââ’¬¦
“Just keep doing what I do. I just had a day where my shots weren’t falling; we all have those days. I just wanted to come out and continue to play my game, continue to step up and take shots confidently and take good efficient shots and I think I did a good job of that today, getting in different spots.”

On finishing the gameââ’¬¦
“We just have to stay sharp. That starts with me, as a point guard I think I have to do a better job. I have a couple of turnovers later that were very unnecessary. So I have to set the tone so that the second group can come in and continue it. We just have to be sharp for a full complete game.”

V.J. Beachem ââ’¬” Junior ââ’¬” Forward

On the last two days with Coach Brey after his father passedââ’¬¦
“We have just been trying to uplift him and be there for him, and play as hard as we could today. We couldn’t let him down. We had to come out and be ready to play no matter who it was.”

Zach Auguste ââ’¬” Senior ââ’¬” Center

On what he is focusing on in practiceââ’¬¦
“Just being good with the ball. Not doing too much, because in the past I used to play too fast and make mistakes. But being able to be patient in the post and make great plays in the post.”

On limiting his turnovers this gameââ’¬¦
“Just being patient, wait and find the open guys, and don’t try to do too much. Play within myself and trust my teammates.”

On the upcoming breakââ’¬¦
“Coach told us not to go home and play pickup. I know a lot of us are going to work out in the gym, stay sharp and keep our cardio going and be ready to come back.”

Youngstown State Head Coach
Jerry Slocum

On Notre Dame’s playââ’¬¦
“They made some big shots and had good rebounds but I thought our kids battled for 40 minutes.”

On what it was like playing against a team with athletic guys like Demetrius Jackson and Zach Auguste
“Just came off of playing against two Big Ten teams, he(Demetrius) is a really great player.”

On what he found out about his team after the stretch of games against the Big Ten teamsââ’¬¦
“I thought we showed some what I call some basketball integrity tonight, by playing very hard. Obviously we are a very young team. At one point we had three freshmen and a sophomore. They showed themselves very well and never gave up.”

Youngstown State Player Quotes
Cameron Morse – Sophomore – Guard

On performance during gameââ’¬¦
“Coach said I was needed and had to step up, protect the basket, make shots, and get rebounds in order to get the win.”

On playing an opponent like Notre Dameââ’¬¦
“They’re a fundamental and old fashioned team and couldn’t get them off of that pace. They knocked down key shots when they were open”

On taking away from this game on improving for the nextââ’¬¦
“We need to be aggressive and eliminate turnoversââ’¬¦ do all the extra things right in order to get a victory.”

On why Notre Dame’s game presents a challengeââ’¬¦
“Having played two Big Ten teams and now playing an ACC team, we had to give it our all. I think we did pretty good at doing that.”