Brownell, players on NIT bid

by CU Athletic Communications - Sun Mar 16 21:30:24 GMT-04:00 2014

Reactions from Coach Brad Brownell and the two team captains on the NIT bid:

Head Coach Brad BrownellBrad Brownell
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On returning to postseason after a two-year absence:

“I’m really excited about what we were able to do this year. Certainly, our guys were rewarded with an NIT berth. I don’t think casual fans realize how difficult it is to make any kind of postseason. The NIT has gotten more difficult the last few years with the addition of all the mid-major regular season champions. There are really only 15 to 18 spots open for at-large consideration. We’re excited to be hosting a game against a good Georgia State team here on Tuesday night at 9.”

On drawing a crowd on short notice:

“It’s a challenge for our marketing department to get fans out there to support our team. I think our fans have been pleasantly surprised with our team and rallied around us. They’ve gotten to enjoy our style and how hard guys are competing. It will be a great credit for our fans to show up and support the guys. Unfortunately it’s spring break and we won’t have many students, and we know it’s a late start at 9:00, but we encourage everyone to come out and support the guys, especially for what they’ve done late in the year.”

Junior forward K.J. McDaniels

On returning to postseason after a two-year absence:

“I’m excited for the team and happy we get an opportunity to keep playing. We’re looking forward to it. It’s real special for me and Rod (Hall) especially since it’s our first time, because we’ve been fighting.

“It’s big for us to get a home game. It’s big for our fans and for Clemson, and we’re happy to get to host a team here.”

Junior guard Rod Hall

On returning to postseason after a two-year absence:

“I was happy to see that we made postseason and get to continue playing. We have a special group of guys. It’s a good experience to get to the first postseason since I’ve been here, and we get to play in front of our home crowd. We’re excited for that. This group of guys has bonded a lot more than last year’s team. We all came together and decided we weren’t going to be the group we were last year. We worked harder to make it happen.”