Alabama, Michigan players recap Sweet 16 game in Chicago

CHICAGO — Players for both Alabama and Michigan spoke to reporters at the United Center on Friday after the Wolverines’ 90-77 win in the Sweet 16. Here’s everything Alabama’s Labaron Philon, Houston Mallette and Latrell Wrightsell and Michigan’s Trey McKenney, Roddy Gayle Jr. and Yaxel Lendeborg said following the second-weekend March Madness matchup.

*** ALABAMA PLAYERS

Q. For any one of you guys, Nate just talked about this a little bit. What did you guys feel went wrong at the start of the second half?

LATRELL WRIGHTSELL: I mean, I think what went wrong was our energy and effort. I think we started the game off with the utmost energy. We had an edge to us. Coach Oats talks about blue collar points, and that’s just all hard work things, basically tips, deflections, offensive rebounding, loose balls, stuff like that.

In the first half we were on top of it. We hit the post, got trapped, kind of got deflections and stuff like that. In the second half they did the exact same thing we did to them in the first half to us in the second half, and we didn’t respond.

I mean, it got a little bit away from us and we just couldn’t get back into it. I feel like just the edge from them was really good at the start of the second half, and our edge well, didn’t start on with an edge for the second half.

Q. Labaron, if this is your last game, college game, 35 points, 39 minutes, how do you feel like you left things?

LABARON PHILON JR.: You know, I just have been trying to focus on just Alabama basketball just for the run we’ve been on. I think that was way more important than, you know, just focusing on anything on the outside really. Just being able to play with these guys every day, practice with the guys and with these guys, you know, be with the coaches. It’s a real feeling.

Just trying to take that in right now. Just trying to just build on that. I really just haven’t thought about it really. Just been trying to play basketball with Alabama for this little run.

Got to give credit to Michigan. You know, a lot of big bodies inside, and I feel like we could have did a better job in the second half of just, like, starting out, getting those balls and rebounds. I feel like we would have got those, that probably would have turned a possession or two in the game, we probably could have went on a better run, so…

Q. Latrell, Houston, how have you guys seen Labaron grow as a player, a person, a teammate since he got on campus last year?

LATRELL WRIGHTSELL: I seen him grow in multiple ways. Just on the court and off the court, just maturity-wise. You know, taking things more serious with treatment, showing up every single day practicing every single day. Not missing a practice. He never misses practices. He never misses a workout. He always shows up on time, never late.

He’s more vocal this year than he was last year. He took a leadership role. You know, he leads with example, too. He’s telling people in practice how to lead and how to just do stuff by example and stuff like that.

Then also just his grit and his energy that brings a lot of the younger guys and a lot of people on our team on with him when he’s on and when he’s off. No matter what, he’s just continuing to lead with his examples and his grit and his effort.

HOUSTON MALLETTE: Yeah, I would say we room together. We’ve been rooming together for almost the past two years on the road. I’m going to miss that. He’s made tremendous growth both offensively and defensively. Like, his affect on the game, he had 35 tonight. He gave it his all. Seven rebounds. He led us in rebounding, and also led us in assists.

Man, I mean, hats off to this guy. His approach every day in practice, like Latrell said, in the weight room, treatment, his nutrition, all of the above. He’s taken tremendous growth. Sky is the limit for this guy. You guys see it. I think he’s the best guard in the country by far and away in my opinion. I mean, what he’s been able to do.

I love him. He’s amazing.

Q. For Houston and Latrell, Coach Oats just said this is the most — one of the most enjoyable groups he’s ever been a part of. Do you feel the same way? Kind of what was the season like being your last season of college basketball with this group?

LATRELL WRIGHTSELL: Yeah, I mean, it was super enjoyable. We went through, like — I mean, we continue to talk about it. We went through a lot of adversity, but I think the adversity was triumphed by just our faith in everything we did with how we connected with each other.

We literally talked about Mudita, and Mudita is just having vicarious joy for each other, for our teammates, and stuff like that. I think we embraced that a lot.

Also, just with the Bible studies with getting closer to God, with praying before the games, with just our team bonding throughout the season from early on to now. It just grew all along.

I mean, I think we grew a brotherhood that can’t be broken, and I feel like it’s deeper than basketball. I think we have a faith-based relationship, and I think that goes further than basketball and just the relationship in general. I feel like we can connect on multiple different levels and sources of how we interact with each other. I feel like we’re going to hang out and talk about this team for a long time.

HOUSTON MALLETTE: Yeah, this team, we’re incredibly close. There’s a word that I kind of live my life by, and it’s tattooed on my arm. It means agape, and agape is God’s love, his unconditional love for us as his children. That’s kind of — not kind of. That is the example that I feel like we all in the locker room portrayed.

We all love each other. From the retreat you could just see how connected this group was. I mean, all the adversity, like Trell said, throughout the entire season, 14 different lineups. Shoot, guys saying they don’t care. I mean, Baron after the Tennessee game said bring me off the bench. He don’t care. We just had a culture of that.

I mean, it starts from the top down, like Coach Oats and the staff. They get on our tails, but there’s no back talk. It’s all love. So this was the best year of my life, the most enjoyable year of my life, and I’m sad because I never want to take off this Crimson Tide jersey. I’m sure these guys don’t either. We’re going to be talking for a while. We really love each other.

*** MICHIGAN PLAYERS

Q. Yax, just six years ago, about this time, you were playing your first serious minutes of organized basketball. Today you had this game in the Sweet 16. Just what are you feeling right now?

YAXEL LENDEBORG: Overwhelmed with joy. This is pretty much a dream come true. I didn’t think I would be this far in life in general, enjoying myself with a bunch of random guys that I met for the first time this year.

So, I mean, I feel really blessed. Sometimes I’m at a loss for words when I think about where I am right now. I owe it all to my mom. She really drug me out of the hole that I was in. I continue to get blessed. We kept our faith strong, and we’re moving on for the better.

Q. Roddy, you and Trey outscored their bench tonight 33-6. Can you talk about the kind of lift you felt you guys gave coming off the bench?

RODDY GAYLE JR.: I just feel like me and Trey’s responsibility to come in the game and give those starting guys some energy, some juice. That’s just kind of what I try to bring to the game every game.

It just happened to be offensively it was just kind of going for me. I just tried to make winning plays, and at the end of the day, if the ball falls, the ball falls, but I just try to give it my all.

Q. For any or all of the players, from the first half to the second half, what did you guys — what switch did you flip? Did you get more — it looked more physical, more inside, more rebounding. What was the difference?

TREY McKENNY: I felt like in the first half we let them, you know, get a lot of open three-pointers. I think in the second half we were early in the gap and then we got out, and we made them shoot tougher shots. I think that was why the result was at the end of the game.

YAXEL LENDEBORG: To add on to that, I would say we tried to pretty much get into an offensive match with those guys. You know, we’re not that kind of team. They’re a way better offensive team than we are. Once we started slowing the game down, being a lot more physical, and trying to dominate the paint, we started finding more success.

Our defense started coming alive, and that really helped us out. It helped our confidence.

RODDY GAYLE JR.: Yeah, I say that our personality is really on the defensive side, so we really got to that. Also, playing the first half we kind of understood what kind of game it was going to be, so I’m really proud of how our guys adapted to the circumstances.

Q. Roddy, when you see Yax go off like he did — I think, Yax, you had 10 points in the first eight minutes, two steals, a bunch of assists. When you see him doing things like that, what goes through your guys’ mind?

RODDY GAYLE JR.: I mean, you got Yax playing like that, just the kind of competitiveness he had today, like, I think he’s the best player in the country without a doubt. He’s like that, we’re the best team.

I feel like we need that Yax. We need that from him. I know that he’s going to be able to provide for us.

Q. Yaxel, can you just talk about Trey a little bit and the spark that he gave you and what he’s done as a freshman in this tournament?

YAXEL LENDEBORG: Man, I’ve been hearing a lot about like a freshman wall, you know, that some guys run into. Guys that are pro like Trey McKenny, there’s no wall for this guy.

He’s developed so much this year. He’s always been mature, but just his, you know — the way he can read the game. The game has slowed down for him a lot more, today especially.

He came and provided big-time minutes. Since LJ went down, he took that responsibility to be the second point guard on the team and run the show. He did a tremendous job today, man.

I wish he would stop going up soft with some layups sometimes, but other than that, he’s doing a really, really good job, man.

Q. Yaxel, the start of the second half you had a step-back three and held the pose for a moment. Was that a message? Were you lost in the moment? Was that a message to your teammates, what you talked about at halftime? Was that a message to Alabama? All of it maybe?

YAXEL LENDEBORG: Honestly, I kind of felt a little disrespected having a freshman guarding me. Yeah, so it was just keep attacking the guy. I kind of had the hot hand at that moment, so I just kept trying to be aggressive and continue to try to find shots either for myself or my team, the team to create.

I think that’s the first time I made somebody fall since, like, middle school or when we were playing in the park. I just had to take that moment in and I was just super happy. I don’t know if I showed it enough, but super happy that that happened.

Q. Yaxel, you mentioned your mom. What’s it meant to have her be able to watch you play throughout this tournament run?

YAXEL LENDEBORG: It means the world to me. None of this would be possible if it wasn’t for her helping me out and believing in me more than I believed in myself.

The majority of the times when she’s here and she’s in the stands, like, I get a lot more aggressive. She has this certain calling that she does whenever I get the ball. I can hear nobody else in the stadium but her. It puts me in attack mode, honestly.

There was many times today where I was looking past the ball. I hear the noise, and it’s, like, I must have an opening that I don’t see, so I just go. If something happens, something happens.

The majority of the time something good happened today, and I’m going to continue to keep playing hard whenever she’s here and continue to make sure that she gets to watch me play in college as long as she can.

Not a member, Alabama fans? Join BOL today!

Have you subscribed to BamaOnLine.com yet? You can sign up for ONE MONTH of premium access to our Alabama coverage for just $11.99! Be able to read all of BOL’s premium articles and nuggets covering Alabama sports and recruiting, and also join thousands of other Crimson Tide fans around the globe on the BOL Round Table message board! CLICK HERE!