They Said It: Western Carolina
Samford Scoop got the chance to talk with Samford head coach Lennie Acuff, guard Jadin Booth, and center Will Shaver following the 82-77 win over Western Carolina. Booth led Samford with 33 points and four assists while Shaver finished with 11 points and four rebounds.
Q: What is it like through the course of the second half to get Jadin looks when most of the gym knows he is getting the ball?
Lennie Acuff: “Yeah, I thought he really did a good job in the first half of driving the ball and getting some, he made some tough twos. I thought he did a good job of putting pressure, and that's the thing about Jadin he is just not a catch and shoot 3 guy. I mean, he can score different ways. And I thought our guys did a really nice job a couple of times on offensive rebounds of finding him. We have to be creative to get him shots, because even in transition, they're finding him. But for him to get 31, knowing that everybody in the gym's running at him, that's a hard ask. I also thought Zion Wilburn really helped us down the stretch. Made a couple of big blocks, and got some really physical rebounds, and, you know, we’re just really small without Dylan. And so it was a tough, tough win for us, and one we're thankful to get.”
Q: Zion (Wilburn) only played 11 minutes but he was key in getting defensive stops late. What is it like having that kind of guy to use in those situations?
Acuff: Yeah, so physical, and you know, I didn't think he played poorly the first run. It's just, you know, Will (Shaver) came in and played so well. We needed four guards out there at times, and I thought he really did a good job. I don't think Will played, like, the last eight minutes, and it went by design, but I thought Zion really gave us a lift. And so he has really helped us for sure.
Q: Jadin what does it say about this group to come back from another deficit?
Jadin Booth: “Yeah, we need to start better. I mean, that's what it say but we got a tough group, and especially, a guy like Will, who like coach says, has been waiting for this moment, came in at the right time, and helped just get that lead cut down significantly. So, it says a lot. We got a lot of older guys on this team too. So we've been through a lot of different scenarios and so I think we just try to stay connected, stay positive, and just try to get it one possession at a time. Because coach says when we were down 18 there's no 19 point shot so we just kind of got to chip away one at a time.”
Q: Will what was going through your head during that two and a half minute hot streak in the first half?
Will Shaver: “I'd say finally feeling like myself, again, you know. It's been 4 years searching for that feeling, and found it clicking tonight. Just teammates found me open and I was in the right spot. You know, made it work, and it all just kind of fell into place. I’m confident. I've been working and just really, really happy with this win, more than my performance.”
Samford is back in action at Chattanooga on Saturday. Then Samford is back home on Wednesday, January 14th against the Furman Paladins.
