Rayshaun McGrew scored the first points in Island Federal Credit Union Arena history, but it was his put-back layup with less than 10 seconds remaining that made history as he lifted the Stony Brook men's basketball team to a 57-56 win over Columbia. He was named America East Player of the Week for his efforts, and he shared his thoughts with StonyBrookAthletics.com. 

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Q: What was the moment when you felt that the arena opening had finally come?
RM: "It started at the national anthem when I saw all the fans and all the lights. It all hit us, and everyone realized it's the start of a long, long journey."

Q: Down 16 points in the first half, you helped the team come back with six points during a 13-3 run. Were you concerned with that deficit or did you and the team know you had it in you to come back?
RM: "Coach told us the best way to come back was to get free points when the clock is stopped. That meant getting to the free throw line. So he told us to be aggressive, so that's what I was trying to do."

Q: What was the mindset in the huddle when the team was down five points late in the game and Bryan Sekunda hit that big three-pointer?
RM: "We made that play that day in shootaround. I told Bryan 'When you are coming off my downscreen, pop out as far as you can, so it would give you space and set you the backscreen for the drift.' He had great space in the game, set a great screen for him and he made a great shot."

Q: Bryan hit that shot and the arena went absolutely nuts. At that point were you really feeding off that energy?
RM: "When he hit that shot, the fans really brought more energy than I had ever seen. After Bryan hit that shot, the game was for us. We had the momentum going our way. We went on a little run, and the game was far from over."

Q: Then the final plays of the game ensued and you made a great rebound off of Jameel's miss. What were you thinking when that happened?
RM: "I always have confidence in my teammates in everything they do, so in my head I thought Jameel was going to make his shots, but I also knew that anything could happen, so if he missed, I had to get the rebound, or someone on my team had to get the rebound to give us another chance to score and win the game."

Q: When was the last time you made a game-winning shot near the end of a game?
RM: "It was the end of my senior year at an AAU nationals tournament in Florida. We were playing the CP3 All-Stars. It was crazy because I shot the shot to try to win it, and I missed and got the rebound and finished it for the game-winner right at the buzzer."

Q: So it was the same scenario? A put-back?
RM: "It was more exciting here because of the fans. When I hit the one in Orlando, it was just my teammates and me. Here we had everybody."

Q: You guys are playing an NBA-like schedule right now with six games in 12 days. How do you attack the adversity of this situation?
RM: "You have to have toughness. You have to be tough to get through a stretch that we're going through now. I feel like Coach Pikiell is doing a great job preparing us for this. Even when you're tired and you're mind thinks you're tired, you have to push through it to get the win for your team. Everyone knows it's going to be hard, but that's what we're here for. You want to win so you have to be tough to win."