Tennessee basketball ended Wofford’s season on Thursday night, knocking off the Terriers 77-62in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Vols took control of the game with a 12-0 run midway through the first half and while Wofford never went away, the Terriers never truly threatened again.
Following the game, Wofford head coach Dwight Perry discussed how Wofford builds off making the tournament, Chaz Lanier’s success and much more. Here’s everything Perry said.
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Opening statement
“Yeah, obviously first off, congratulations to Tennessee. They’re a really good team. They played really well. They’re a 2 seed for a reason. They did a great job, I thought, executing their game plan on both ends. They’re a tough and physical team, and obviously Chaz Lanier really got going, which obviously helped them.
More than anything really proud of these guys. We talked in the locker room. There is not going to be one game that’s going to define what this team accomplished, and at the end of the day, there is only six teams in Wofford basketball history that can say they played on this stage. In a program that is rich in history and tradition for this group, for these guys up here, and the guys in the locker room to be able to etch their name in Wofford basketball history is something that nobody can take away.
So really proud of this group. We shot the ball relatively well. There were definitely times where we had some errors that probably cost us being able to go on more runs and shorten the gap.
But overall couldn’t be more proud of this group’s effort. We fought until the end and obviously we lost to a really good team. Really happy for our group of what we accomplished overall this year.”
On coaching in the NCAA Tournament at Rupp Arena after being a walk on at Kentucky
“I think a big part, a huge amount of gratitude, fortunate to be able to experience a moment like this with a special group of players, special group of coaches, and obviously a lot of family and friends that were here as well.
To be able to experience that anywhere, I think, is something that I don’t take for granted. To be able to experience it at a place as special as Rupp Arena in Lexington, Kentucky, that I was able to grow and mature from a young man into a man, is something that I can’t even really fully put into words.
Really, really appreciative and just have a high level of gratitude to be able to experience such a special event at a special place.”
On what his team’s mindset was entering the game
“Yeah, there is no hiding. Obviously, we’ve had some ups and downs, but a lot of that comes from us playing really good teams and it starts in the nonconference. We play one of the 40 toughest nonconference schedules in the country. So there are definitely games we wish we had back that I thought and our whole program thinks we could have won, but we didn’t.
But we challenged and pushed ourselves and you can apply that same philosophy and logic to the conference. The Southern Conference is the one of the five best mid-major leagues in the entire country. And this year is really not an anomaly. The last five or six years, it’s been one of the best mid-major leagues in the country. Analytically, we were one of the three best teams.
Again, similar to the nonconference, we definitely dropped games that we wish we didn’t and we wish we could have back, but we were a really good basketball team. And obviously our record may not have indicated that, but we were still playing really good ball.
There wasn’t a lot I had to say. Our team knew we were a great offensive team and we were putting things together and playing hard and well defensively. And we went into the conference late. The three teams we played, we had already beaten, and obviously they’re really good teams. And the reality is, in order to win three games in three days in Asheville, you’re going to have to beat three really good teams.
And to our credit, the guys had the confidence because they have beaten those teams or we have been in a position to have really good success against those teams. So credit to our guys for staying with it, for believing. I think a lot of guys, a lot of teams would have let that adversity shut ’em down, but our guys kept fighting and staying true to our overall message. And I thought credit to them, and it’s a big reason why we were cutting down the nets on Monday night.”
On the challenge of defending Chaz Lanier off ball
“First and foremost, he’s a great player, right? It’s the reason why he was able to have the success he had at North Florida. And similar to what Dalton Knecht last year has been able to transfer and have similar success, if not more, at Tennessee.
He’s a really good player. I thought we did a pretty descent job. A lot of times — he took 22 shots and I bet two-thirds of those were contested shots. He elevates on his jumper, he has a high release. So even if you’re there, he’s still going to be able to get those shots off, so credit to him.
He does a really good job. No matter if you’re in front of him or not, he can get a shot off against anybody and he’s not a guy that can just catch and shoot. He’s quick. I think he does a really great job of utilizing screens, they do a great job with their physicality setting screens for him.
So I think anytime you face really good players and really good teams, right, to your point, there is no secrets, and you’re not going to be able to pitch a shutout. You’re going to have to live with certain shots. I think the shots he took in the mid-range, those are shots for the most part we would live with as a team.
I think the biggest part for us going into halftime, they had a 50% offensive rebound rate. So when we were getting good, quality looks, they were getting back half of those. We did a better job in the second half. But with a team like Tennessee, to spot them a 9-point lead at halftime — and obviously large credit goes to them for getting that lead — it’s going to be really hard to make up ground.
I thought we did a better job in the second half to be able to score, but we weren’t able to generate enough stops. And obviously credit goes to their ball screening, and their shot making.”
On what his program can take from getting back to the NCAA Tournament
“Yeah, we have a great group of guys. And to your point, this is a rich history and tradition. One thing we talk about and — obviously a large — I’ll be honest a large credit goes to Mike Young. The foundation that has been laid and what we stand on right now as a program, a large part of that is due to him. The foundation and the culture that he really helped cultivate here, starting with their first championship in 2010.
So for us, we talk about it. We’re open and honest with it. I thought our guys, they did a great job today us just being here. For a lot of teams just getting to the NCAA Tournament is more than enough, and there is nothing wrong with that. Everyone’s situation, every program is different. And for us, we talk about it in recruiting. It’s not about just making it to the NCAA Tournament. Be open and honest, our goal is to be a Sweet 16 team.
And there’s probably people that will look at that and say that’s delusional or too unrealistic, but to be honest, nobody in that locker room — coaches, players — no one cares whether it’s unrealistic or not. We know it’s realistic. It’s going to take a lot of hard work, to your point, in the off season. It’s going to take us getting back to working and getting mentally and physically stronger, but we have the ability to do it. We have the guys in that locker room to be able to push this thing forward.
We’ve done a great job over the last 15 years of being a staple in March Madness in the NCAA Tournament, and moving forward, our goal is going to be to continue to push that forward and go above and beyond. We have done a really good job so far, and so far our guys in the locker room, their objective is going to be the same next year, to get to this platform, and to be able to go above and beyond this first weekend.”
On if there player retention makes him believe they can make a run to the Sweet 16 going forward
“Yeah, to Corey’s point, there are a lot of good players across the board, low, mid, high, east coast, west coast, northeast, southeast. There’s good players across this country and across the world. For us, when the year starts with the group we have, we can’t worry about what other teams are doing, how good other teams are.
All we can focus in on is how Wofford basketball can be the best we can be. So the group we have, that’s going to be our singular focus. It was this year. Our goal is to be the best possible team we can be at the end of the season in March. We wanted to be playing our best basketball. Our guys did that.
We came up short tonight, but I tell you what, there wasn’t a group I’ve went around that’s been able to maximize and reach their fullest potential more than the group that I was able to coach this year. I couldn’t be more proud. So I think it starts with that.
When you have a group of four seniors that, again, laid the foundation for what’s to come moving forward, I think when you have guys that come in behind them, it only helps elevate and push what we’re trying to do forward more and more.
So when the off season starts, we gotta get to work. The work starts really quickly. We’re going to obviously give guys some time off, but starting this spring and summer, it’s time to get back to work, and I think our guys are up for the challenge.”
