They Said It: Samford 80-61 Over VMI
Samford Scoop got the chance to sit down with Samford head coach Lennie Acuff along with players Dylan Faulkner and Zion Wilburn. Dylan Faulkner led Samford with 22 points and 11 rebounds while Zion Wilburn finished with 12 points
Q: 12 points from Zion after he had 18 last week against The Citadel, how is the growth of his offensive game taken your team to another level on those nights?
Lennie Acuff: “Yeah I mean he’s just super talented, and, you know, I'm really, really, really proud of him, because there's been some bumps in the road but he just keeps coming back, and you can just see his physicality and athleticism moves the needle. You know when he's out there with Dylan, we got two really physical, athletic guys at the 4 and the 5 and I mean, Zion can make threes. You know, he's a really, really physical driver, but what he can do, he can really impact the game on that defensive end. I mean, he's a playmaker on that end but he's just a really, really high character young man. He had his family here tonight so that was good to have them here tonight in California, happy for him to do that.
Q: You got 29 combined points from Keaton Norris and Cade Norris but also 11 combined rebounds, what does it say to have that toughness ingrained in them?”
Acuff: “Those dudes are just, I mean, I'm going in a foxhole with those guys. I'm telling you, they're just tough guys and basketball's a big part of their life, and you want to have guys that love basketball, and those two kids love basketball. That's how they've been raised. I mean, they're just stick their nose in there and go get it. And you know what? I think I'm really proud of their growth and our team's growth. I mean, who would have thought a month ago we'd be sitting here with a chance to finish second or third in the league and that gets it to 17 wins. I mean it didn't look too good a month ago, but our guys had a really strong chin, a lot of good character, and I think that wins out in the end.”
Q: Coach mentioned your family from California is in town what was it like to see them and then play so well with them here?
Zion Wilburn: “Yeah well with them being in California it’s a pretty good challenge for them to come out pretty consistently. So being able to get them here is always a great time, especially just giving that time in with them.”
Q: For both of you, where have you seen this team grow over the course of the last month, winning six out of seven?
Wilburn: “Yeah, honestly, just being able to stay consistent. We’re never looking to fall back or just always looking to keep going and keep progressing, always, honestly.”
Dylan Faulkner: “Yeah I had a teammate last year, Joe Anderson, and he always said, never too high, never too low, right? Just got to stay consistent and Coach Acuff has preached that, you know? We know that with all these new guys, it's gonna take some time to figure out, but I think we're starting to gel and figure out each other's games and stuff, and I think it’s showing on the court.”
Samford is back home for the regular season finale against UNCG on Saturday. The game will tip at 5pm central time on ESPN+
