Everything From Virginia Tech Forward Tobi Lawal After Notre Dame Victory

Virginia Tech forward Tobi Lawal spoke to the media after the Hokies' 89-76 victory over Notre Dame Saturday afternoon. Here's the entirety of what Lawal had to say:

On how refreshing it is to get a comfortable win:

"First of all, I'd like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for everything he's done. And yeah, feels great. We had a tough loss at SMU, so it was a good way to bounce back."

On the approach with free throws after two late misses vs. SMU:

"The same thing we always do. We always work on free throws in practice and after practice, so we just have to stay out and get better, because that's a field that's very important for us."

Q: Did you take any extra free throws in practice?

"100%, yeah."

On taking advantage of the size discrepancy:

"I was just listening to what [head coach Mike Young] told us. I won't lie, he told me and Amani [Hansberry], especially, to be ultra aggressive. So, that's what we went out there and did."

On what Lawal liked about the team's defense as a whole:

"I feel like it was okay. We had a lot of lapses where they got some easy, wide-open shots. They didn't make us pay. But we have to be better, especially me. But yeah, I mean, we did our job. We did what we were supposed to do, but I feel like there's always room for growth."

Q: So, coming off that tough loss Wednesday, what was the team's approach and mindset going into this game?

"Don't feel sorry for yourself. That's literally it. We know we're a good team and there's still many more games to play, but we can't feel sorry for ourselves over losing. You have to handle business every night."

On if there was a certain day that the team didn't have a good mindset:

"No, I feel like we're very mature as a team. So, we understand that there's no time for that. Like, we have quick turnarounds that we have to get to. So, it's not really, there's not really any time to feel sorry for ourselves."

On how the team's bond helps in regard to bouncing back from a loss like SMU:

"It's good because we were all on the same page. We all understand what we have to do and what it takes to win. We had three tough losses in conference play already, so that's a bad taste in our mouth. So, we just got to make sure we don't even get it to that point. Just go find ways to execute the plan Coach gives us and do a high level."

On whether it was a breath of fresh air not having to play a game down to the final possession:

"No, no, really, I'm not really happy with the way we won today. I won't lie, we made a lot of mistakes that obviously everyone else can't see. They're just looking at the score. Like, yeah, we're winning. Little mistakes that we can't make... Just scouting errors. It's gonna be a while if I'm over here going over specifics, but, I mean, yeah, it's always great to win, man. We celebrate winning around here, man, but just a lot of stuff to clean up."

On if he was extra determined to make more free throws after missing the front end of a one-and-one late vs. SMU:

"No, not really. I have the same mindset towards everything, which is trying to be excellent and trying to be precise in everything I do. So, I feel like I was just getting to the free throw line, because coach told me to be aggressive. I missed four, which is actually really bugging me right now."

S: Made your first 10, though.

"Still, see, I'm not even thinking about the first 10. But anyway, yeah, we just have to be better in so many ways. But I'm happy we won. Man. Great win."

On what were some of the aforementioned mistakes and whether they're recurring:

"Yes, and no. Like, with me rebounding, getting it under your chin. I'll have the rebound and I'll just lose it. That can't happen. We play at such a high level that we can't do that, like simple communication errors. Someone's telling someone to do something, and then us miscommunicating, and someone's wide open for three. We can't do that, like me helping off a strong side and then they shoot and make a three. You can't make mistakes like that. So, I just gotta be more disciplined, and we as we have to be more disciplined as a team."

Q: With Amani and yourself, how confident does that make you guys going into a game like today, where you guys are playing a team that doesn't have a ton of size?

"I'm always confident when it's me and Amani in the frontcourt. Anyone on my team in the frontcourt. I'm always confident. I always think my team's gonna win, because we have a great team, and I believe in every single player. Single player on our team. So I never have a mindset where I'm not confident."

On second-chance opportunities:

"I feel like we did a good job trying to be relentless on the glass. That's a focus [Coach David Moats] has us [on] every single day. He tells us that we have to kill the other team in the glass. At one point, it was kind of a load off, because it's having me. Tyler [Johnson], Amani, again, offensive rebound. So, it's great to watch and it's great to play with, but at the same time, yeah, that's just a focus that we have."

On the impact of Tyler Johnson being out:

"We need Tyler. Man, I love Tyler. That's my dog. But he brings so much to the team, rebounding, great defense, being able to make shots and make the right play most of the time, like 99% of the time. We need it the same way we need everyone in our team like this. It's not one-on-one out there, it's five-on-five. So, we have to be a fist, and he makes our job much easier."

On the importance of that camaraderie heading into the Syracuse game:

"On the road, it's just you. There's no fans, no one else is supporting you. So, we have to be more locked in, more dialed into the scout, and understand that we're going in there, we're going into someone else's house, and we have to take the victory. They're not gonna give it to us."

Q: Is there a part of you that likes coming in there and taking the victory, kind of being there by yourself a little bit?

"Oh yeah, I love playing on the road. I love playing on the road a lot, because it's just fun. It's just me and my brothers going out there against everyone else. I love it."

On how Lawal is feeling following an ankle injury that necessitated surgery and caused him to miss nine games:

"Oh, no, I actually feel great. I feel like my body's still settling in for a bit, just getting accustomed, because for a while, I didn't do anything. So I feel like my joints, my everything, just trying to get used to the same wear and tear that I go through. But I feel great right now."

On what the first couple games were like for Lawal when he was assimilating himself back into the lineup:

"It just felt weird, like I didn't do anything for six weeks. So, it was just like dang, like I can play basketball again. So I was just trying to take every play and be grateful that I'm even be able to step back on the court. Because some people can't play anymore after they get injured. It was great."