Compiled by Sports Editor Sophie McDonald
Q. Have you been able to process the season as a whole?
Coach Prohm: Not really. We’ve only been back a week and the guys have been on spring break and the week for me has been hectic for me in a lot of areas. I haven’t watched a lot of basketball, I haven’t watched the tournament that much – just a little bit off and on – I haven’t enjoyed the tournament as much as I have in the past. Hopefully at some point I will because it was a special year.
Q. Have any movie producers contacted you about making a movie about the season?
Coach Prohm: No, I wish. I wish they did. They need to.
Q. After the Marquette game, Zay (Jackson) said he was going to be back in the gym training as soon as they got back. Has he been in there?
Coach Prohm: They just got back, they’ve been on spring break but I think there were some guys in the gym (Monday). Zay is going to be a huge part of our team next year. He’s going to have to take the next step. He had a tremendous freshman year, I think he had a year similar to Isaiah as a freshman and the role that he played on our team this year so I’m looking for him to take the next step as a sophomore and be a huge, huge part of our team both offensively and defensively. He was big for us the second half of the year.
Q. Talk about the new recruits coming in.
Coach Prohm: They all had great senior years, they’re all different. We have two great perimeter players coming in, we have two kind of skilled four men coming in, and then one low post player coming in and they all have a chance to be very good players here, all at probably different times, you don’t know who will make an impact first because they’re all freshman. But, great kids. They’re the kind of kids we want to continue to recruit here and I’m really excited to get them on campus.
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Q. Have you been able to recuperate from the Marquette game?
Jewuan Long: I still wish we could have come out on top but it’s all over with and you can’t do nothing about it now.
Q. What did you do over Spring Break?
Jewuan Long: I just went home. It was a very long season for us and I just wanted to rest my legs for the most part, my body, and get all the kinks out.
Q. What was your emotional journey from right after the loss to now?
Jewuan Long: My immediate reaction was to realize it was all over with and then to think about everything I’ve been through throughout my career and all the people that I’ve been around. That’s when it got really hard, when I realized it’s over at Murray State for me. I took it pretty hard a little bit after the game in the locker room. I talked to the teammates and my coaches when we were in the locker room. It’s tough but now I’m just trying to figure out what my next move is going to be and try to finish out school strong.
Q. Now that the season is over, have you been able to process the season as a whole?
Jewuan Long: I have, but probably not completely yet. I think the best part of this season was that nobody looked at us at the beginning of the season and think we would have the season we did, even Murray fans. I feel like a lot of people doubted us this year so a lot of people probably felt like we. I think the biggest part of the season for us is that we pulled people on and we just maxed out on our potential I believe. Basically all the games we were supposed to win, there were only two losses and you don’t see that a lot so it’s definitely something to be proud of. I think people will remember this season years and years after it and I’m blessed to be a part of it.
Q. Is there any particular moment that stands out to you?
Jewuan Long: There are so many moments of the season I would like to highlight. I think winning the OVC regular season and then the tournament just knowing we won the regular season last year but couldn’t pull it out in the tournament and we didn’t want to get back to that point and I believe just losing one game in the OVC and in any conference that’s hard to do and just taking pride in that. Just to win the tournament again. It’s just a great way to go out.
Q. Talk about the fan support.
Jewuan Long: I got plenty of tweets and people telling me on Facebook how proud they are of me and of the team and what a great season we had and all the things we’ve done for Murray. Just thanking me and it made me and I’m pretty sure the rest of my teammates, feel proud of what we did. We didn’t get to the point we wanted to get to but we still had a great season and they just reminded us of that.
Q. Was it any surprise to you that Coach Prohm stayed at Murray State?
Jewuan Long: It was no surprise to me at all. This is a basketball-rich program, Murray is all about basketball and you know if you’re at Murray you’re going to win and he’s got a great group of kids and players coming back and they’ve got the fans.
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Q. How are your emotions since the loss?
Ivan Aska: I just think about it as a new chapter another attitude, a new mentality toward my next chapter so all I’m doing is working on stuff that I know I need to get better at and stuff that I’m good at, just polish it. My emotions are still strong, it kind of hurts to see my college career is over but I’ve still got to tap into. I’m going to do everything I can to take that next step and reach my goals.
Q. What did you do for Spring Break?
Ivan Aska: I went to Tallahassee and Panama, and just relaxed and hung out with friends and worked out to stay sharp and in shape..
Q. What does your next chapter hold for you?
Ivan Aska: I’m talking to some agents and taking that next step of playing professional ball. (This summer) playing on the Virgin Islands national team in Puerto Rico and it will be better competition than last year.
Q. Is there a particular moment that stands out to you now that the season has ended?
Ivan Aska: I’ve been reminiscing with my teammates and what we did, but when I came back during the Eastern Illinois game and senior night were big moments for me. I’m glad I came here and I’m going to make sure I come back and visit always.
Q. Talk about the fan support.
Ivan Aska: To this day we still have fan support, people who still want to meet us and still support me and, as a whole, Murray State basketball, and will come up to me and talk to me and tell me to keep my head up, wishing me the best of luck in my future. They’ve seen me do great things, not because I’m a great basketball player but because of the type of person I am.