What Kenny Payne, Louisville Players Said After 90-84 Win vs. New Mexico State

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Returning back to the KFC Yum! Center after going winless in the Empire Classic, the Louisville men's basketball program was able to get back on the right side of the win/loss column, rallying late to force overtime and emerge victorious with a 90-84 win over New Mexico State.

Here's what head coach Kenny Payne, guard Skyy Clark, guard Tre White and forward J.J. Traynor had to say following the win/loss:

Head Coach Kenny Payne

(Opening Statement)

“When I first started scouting this team, I saw a team that fought and played together, a team that plays with great energy and is not afraid. The more I watched them, even though they had lost some games, I could tell they were a fighting group. Then I started to do my homework and realized that they have numerous guys who have played multiple years of college basketball. We have to understand as a unit how fragile winning is. I'm proud of our guys. I’m proud of how they finished at the free-throw line late in the game. I’m proud of the fact that we won the game by being aggressive around the rim. We had multiple players attack the basket and draw fouls late in the game. I would have liked us to have been better defensively. New Mexico State shot 58% from the field. You’re not going to win many games when your opponent shoots in at such a high clip. We got lucky down the stretch.”

(On the team coming out flat after a good showing last week in New York)

“When we left New York, the buzz we were receiving from around the country was that we’re getting better as a team. The team played with energy and passion in New York. I told them today that we can’t come out and overlook anybody. You have to play together and fight each and every possession. We have to learn that the way we played in New York, even though we didn’t win, we got better. I wish I could explain it but a lot of it starts with Brandon (HuntleyHatfield). He has to give us more, that’s why I coach him so hard because I know how much he means to this team. He’s a good player who wants to do the right thing so we’re not going to give up on him. We’re going to keep pushing him to be better.”

(On what was said during the last timeout taken after Tre White tied the game)

“I thought they were doing to guard Tre (White) better from the three-point line. He caught the ball from the backcourt and brought it up and one of their big guys shifted to the paint, which gave him a wide-open look. In this game, players have to make plays. I can draw up a play but when a situation like that arises, Tre made the correct read and took what the defense gave him. I’m big on execution. I believe you must shoot every shot like it's the game-winner. It doesn't matter if you’re in practice or a game, shoot the ball with confidence and that’s what Tre did.

(On the difference Ty-Laur (Johnson) makes when he’s on the floor)

“He’s an energy bunny. I love when he plays with discipline to match his energy because he makes our team a lot better. We are hard to guard when we have Skyy (Clark), Tre (White), Mike (James), and Ty-Laur (Johnson) on the court. All those guys can drive the ball, shoot it, and make the correct play. Ty-Laur is the X-factor for our team. He still has moments where he looks at the game from a high school perspective and gets emotional. I’m proud of his growth from him in such a short amount of time. The best is yet to come.

(What was the message to the team down eight points with a minute remaining)

“I told them to keep fighting. You’re going to catch a break if you keep fighting. We hadn’t played well all game but something was going to turn so you just have to be ready. I thought they did a good job of that. New Mexico State missed some free throws down the stretch and it allowed us to come down and hit a three. We played well in overtime.”

(On playing Skyy (Clark) and Ty-Laur (Johnson) together moving forward)

“I like it, I just worry about if one of them gets in foul trouble, what does that do to the dynamic of our team? They have great chemistry. Skyy is really good off the ball at times and so is Ty-Laur. If we move the ball and it comes back to one of them they can attack the paint. When you have guys that are crafty like they are it's hard to guard. We’re six games in and we’re only getting better.

Guard Skyy Clark, Guard Tre White and Forward J.J. Traynor

(On the game-tying shot by Tre White)

Tre White: Coach trusted us and wanted us to get the three up. I was trying to create a play for one of the guys, but they took those away and gave me an open three. I walked into the shot, held it and it went in.

(On New York versus coming home and playing)

Skyy Clark: We know who we are now. We know what we have to do. We just needed to see it for ourselves and we saw that in New York. It gave us all the confidence in the world to go out there and compete, play hard, and play with confidence.

(On the slow start at home today)

Skyy Clark: Shots weren’t falling. We settled for too many threes in the beginning, even though they were good looks. We’re more of a driving team until the shots start falling. If we had hit shots in the beginning, then it would be a totally different scenario.

JJ Traynor: Our early execution was bad and that bled into our defense and offense. We came back together after their run and matched their energy. Then we exceeded their energy and we started going on runs.

(On being down eight points with 1:18 left on the clock)

Tre White: We came together more. Throughout the game we were missing the one mores and the extra team plays. Once that crunch time began, we started to come together as a team. We didn’t change anything.

JJ Traynor: Ty-Laur (Johnson) came in off the bench and got us some big steals and plays that helped spark that run at the end, including Tre’s shot at the end too.

(On the game plan coming into today)

Skyy Clark: That was something Kenny Payne harped on when we were scouting them and before the game. We knew that they were a very foul-prone team and that if we could drive and go strong, we were going to get a lot of calls.

(On New Mexico State missing their final two free throws)

Skyy Clark: No, we just prayed that he missed those free throws. The crowd is the thing that got him off his game.

(On New Mexico State ending the game with four players on the court)

JJ Traynor: No, I’ve never been a part of that. I’ve seen it happen on TV, but I’ve never experienced that. It was crazy.

(On what a win like this can do for the team)

JJ Traynor: I think it just shows our resilience and our fight. Last year, we wouldn’t stay together during times like this, and we would break and not make that play to win that game. This year, I feel like we make those plays. We have to continue to make those plays and stay together as best as we can because we have talent. We just have to be together. When we’re together, we’re really good.

(On Skyy and Ty-Laur playing together)

Skyy Clark: Me and Ty-Laur both love playing defense, and we showed a lot of that tonight. Our goal is to hold other point guards under their average. Ty-Laur is a fighter and he plays with a lot of aggressiveness and grit, and I feed off of that. He’s really fun to play with. I’m grateful to have him as a teammate.

(On playing Bellarmine next)

JJ: They’re a really good team and a good program. That’s a game we marked on our calendar, and we’re going to do our best to prepare for it and take the challenge.

(Photo of Kenny Payne: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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