LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- It didn't take long for Bellarmine to turn the page. Knights coach Scott Davenport and his team were hurting after Tuesday's 82-71 loss to Pepperdine in the semifinals of the CBI Tournament.
The setback ended their historic first NCAA Division I season at 14-8. But talk quickly turned to next season for a team that returns every player. And of the great run this season.
Davenport's postgame comments are below. Questions are paraphrased.
OPENING STATEMENT
You know, about the game. You've got to give them a ton of credit. They were, in the second half, just dominant on both ends of the court. In the first half, we shoot 64.5%, they shoot 61.3%. And we were up 9 points. So our halftime talk was that our defense let them shoot 61% and that's not going to be good enough. We held them to 50% in the second half, and we get five more shots than they do, and you give them credit. Their ability to take us out of offense and push us out on the floor made the difference. We couldn't go inside-out and then they were able to get out in transition and we had no answers. In the first half, we made them run offense to get ahead by 9 points. They didn't have to run very much offense the second half. At all.
But the biggest story is that locker room right now. When the emotion subsided, that locker room was immediately talking about what they needed to do to get better. That was the whole talk after the game. Their reference point was next door. It was Pepperdine. When you get knocked down, that's what you want to see. And they got knocked down, got outscored the second half by 20, and they're in there talking, instead of blaming and pointing fingers, they're encouraging and saying, 'This is what we're going to do to get better.' They took us on an unbelievable ride, and they want more. And that bodes well.
Q: What were you seeing different from Pepperdine's defense in the second half? Did they change scheme or was it just more effort?
DAVENPORT: It was more effort. We told them at halftime, they're down 9, Lorenzo Romar is a great coach, you don't think he's all over them? Our whole halftime message was, 'Don't flinch.' When they come at us, go to all our pressure releases that we practice, because he wasn't in there telling them how great they were. And again, give them credit. Fatigue? I don't know. We're down a man with Nick (Thelen). Bash (Wieland) pulled his Achilles' where he couldn't go. And, you know, back-to-back nights and not playing a game for 18 days. I don't know. But you give them credit. That Pepperdine team took UCLA to 3 overtimes and took BYU to overtime. They're very good. And they have one of the best point guards in the country, there's no doubt about it. He dominates the game.
Q: What was Nick's injury?
DAVENPORT: He has a bone bruise in his knee. It was horrible news but it was good news that it wasn't anything that will require surgery. Just Mother Nature. He'll be fine.
Q: Here it is, now that the season has ended, looking back at where you started to where you finished, when you think about the journey, how do you characterize what you all accomplished to get here?
DAVENPORT: Pride. Those players are a phenomenal representative for everything that's right in college athletics, on and off the court. The way that they represent their families, our university, our entire community, it's absolutely tremendous. I don't think any of us know how many people they touched. The stories that we get from all across the country, alumni, just basketball fans in general. I got a long e-mail today from a high school staff in New Jersey that they've been studying our offense. I couldn't even tell you the city. That's a reflection on these players. What I reflect on is that I can't wait to coach them again.
Q: What was it like in the locker room when you could clearly see them go from the emotions of a loss to flipping it over and talking about next season?
DAVENPORT: Dylan Penn stood up and addressed the locker room, and he just stood up, didn't ask to do it, or anything like that, and he stood up and said, 'I've never enjoyed playing with a group of guys any more in my life and we're all going to play together again next year.' That flipped it. And the heads started bobbing. And what do smart people do? They learn from every experience, and this team has already started doing that.
Q: You had a lot of great experiences this season, but was there any other way to replicate the value of this postseason experience without going through it?
DAVENPORT: We were talking, Stetson and Donnie Jones is a great coach and does a great job. That was the first time they've ever played in the postseason since they've been a Division I school. We did it in Year 1. I mean, the 10 straight conference wins, 6 straight on the road, playing for our conference championship on national TV, them having to turn people away in Freedom Hall (because of COVID restrictions), on and on and on. You know, going into the day ... in Division II we led the nation 6 out of the last 10 years in field goal percentage, and 2 of the other years we were in the top 6. So that's 8 out of 10. And I always said to people that I'm close to, 'I wonder if we could do this at a higher level.' You do. You ask that. Every coach does. You have aspirations. Today, Gonzaga leads the nation out of 358 teams. We're third.
Q: Do you ever think that had this season not been thrown off the rails, you'd also have played two Sweet 16 teams in Gonzaga and UCLA if the schedule had stayed in tact?
DAVENPORT: We talked to them about that. I vowed to them that I know this: This staff, I looked them right in the eye, we will do everything humanly possible to make next year even better. We had no control over Gonzaga and UCLA being canceled, but I vowed to them that everything humanly possible that can be done to make it better, we will do it. From a coaching standpoint, from every aspect of their experience. And the reason? They deserve it, because of how much they give. They give in the classroom. If you'd see them in camps with the young kids, or when the locker room is open and we're allowed to have them back in the locker room, again, it's everything that's right and what we need in college athletics.
Q: All that being said, do you already have a sense that this group of guys will be one that will be remembered at Bellarmine?
DAVENPORT: Absolutely. And what really makes it special are the former players -- and not just from my tenure -- the basketball alumni that have supported them in incredible fashion makes it even better. And you know why, all those -- Jeremy Kindle is in Australia and Brayden Hobbs -- what they would give to jump in their jersey one night and do what they're doing? And these players embrace that idea, that they are the ones that get to do it. The basketball alumni is really growing, and that's really special. Everybody talks about family, but you've got to live it to make it legitimate. And they do. I don't think they really know how many people they touch.
Q: For you personally, what was it like navigating this season, with all it entailed?
DAVENPORT: It was special beyond words. I like to talk a lot. That's well-documented. I can't put into words what it was like, because they're so special. Let's face it. I coached my whole life, and I was, two years ago January, I wasn't ever going to be a Division I head coach. Let's just be honest. And, I mean, I embraced that challenge. And the way you embrace it and get the most out of it -- put the players first. Put them first.
This staff -- nobody knows the job Brad Bluestone did as a trainer. I mean, really. He addressed the team yesterday. And think about it, Brad's been around more Bellarmine teams than me, because he's around 5 or 6 teams a year his whole career, in different sports. He told them yesterday in a meeting, 'You all are the most special, caring, together group that I've ever been around.' And he was very emotional. Again, they're hurting right now, because they care so much.
Q: Anything else? Coach needs to get to radio too.
DAVENPORT: Hey guys, I want to say this last. To all of you (media), thank you. It's impossible to put into words how much I appreciate you guys. You, no matter if it's Zoom or coming out to Knights Hall or sitting up top in Freedom Hall, I appreciate the sacrifices. I know it's not the way we want it to be. Let's hope we get it back to normal, and have you sitting courtside and continuing to tell this story. Those players are a phenomenal marketing tool for the game of basketball. Now we've got to go be Pepperdine. That's our next goal. Liberty. That's what you do. You do that from a staff standpoint, from a support standpoint, from a fanbase standpoint. That challenge never stops 24-7. But I do, I want to thank you guys, really. I appreciate you guys. You guys have been incredible. We travel. People don't realize how lucky we are in Louisville to have you guys. We know. We go to these other cities and I watch local stuff, you guys are special and we appreciate it. Thank you.
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