Michigan State University
Student-Athlete Quotes
Thursday Open Practice
#5 Adreian Payne
On the team being like a family:
“They are like my brothers. It’s like a brotherhood. We always keep in touch and we do a lot together off
the court. We are always joking around.”
On people expecting Duke to win:
“I expect that. It’s just something you have to face. Playing at Michigan State, a lot of people don’t doubt
Coach Izzo. He is a coach you can’t doubt. He always has something up his sleeve. I am thankful that I
have a coach that is always well-prepared. We are never under-prepared for another team.”
On the underdog role:
“Michigan State has always been a great team. We are just trying to continue to get better. As far as us
being the underdog, that’s just what other people think. We just have to come out, grow and get
better.”
On the dislike for Duke:
“That’s a good question. Do I like Duke? No. Do I respect Duke? Yes. They are a great organization and
have a great coaching staff. They are always successful every year and you have to respect a coach that
does things the right way. I definitely respect them, but right now we are playing against them.”
#14 Gary Harris
On the challenge Duke presents on the perimeter:
“They have four of their five players that can shoot threes. That’s just a huge threat. When they are
hitting threes and are rolling, it’s hard to stop them because they hit a lot of threes.”
Best way to defend perimeter:
“You just have to help each other out. One person can’t stop them. We have to use total team defense
to stop them.”
On walking back into the stadium:
“I definitely got a great vibe walking out there.”
On similarities with Rasheed Sulaimon:
“I know he can shoot, he can drive, he does it all. He is a phenomenal player and is definitely a good fit
for the Duke program. He’s a key part to their success.”
Michigan State University
Student-Athlete Quotes
Thursday Open Practice
On the Plumlees being from Indiana and being able to come back:
“It feels good to be able to get this opportunity. You have to cherish it and be thankful. Not everyboday
can come back and play in their hometown. You can’t take it for granted and be focused and ready to
play.”
#20 Travis Trice
On team leadership:
“We are all close. We get along. Keith and Nix have been here before and they are helping us through
this. A lot of us were freshmen last year, we have already been through this once. Now we only have the
freshman group this year that hasn’t been here, so we are just trying to help them out.”
On being close to East Lansing:
“I think it does help because now you have the crowd that can pick you up. So, say the other team is
going on a run kind of how Memphis did, our crowd got behind us and it really helped. That almost felt
like a home game with so many people there.”
On Duke and whether there is an edge to Coach Izzo:
“They are both great coaches. Losing to Coach K last year hurt us and that was his 900th win so there was
a big celebration after the game. We don’t want to feel that again. Anytime there are two big-name
coaches going at it, it is going to be a hyped game.”
On slowing down Duke:
“I guess the end of the season is wearing on them. They don’t really go too deep into their bench and
that might be affecting them. You know they are going to come out with a lot of energy.”
#25 Derrick Nix
On Duke being a different team with Ryan Kelly on the floor:
“Kelly is a great player. He has some skill. He’s a smart basketball player who makes the right plays. He
knows how to get his without having to force it.”
#45 Denzel Valentine
On the matchup with Duke:
“This is a really exciting matchup for me. Playing against Duke and the caliber team they are, they have a
lot of history. It’s two great teams going at it in the Sweet Sixteen.”