Terps Prepare To Take On ACC Foe Florida State Jan. 26
1/25/2002 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 25, 2002
On his shooting success in the Wake Forest game:
"I didn't go into the game saying I'm going to shoot more than I usually do. The way they were playing and screening low was leaving me wide open at the top of the key so I was shooting the ball and knocking them down. My shot started feeling real good and I knew if I kept shooting then I would continue to make them so I kept shooting."
On last year's loss to Florida State at home:
"I remember how crazy they went when they beat us here, it was probably their biggest win of the year. It was one of our worst losses. It stays on our minds how they went crazy on our home court."
"Different people on the team talk about last year's loss a little bit, it's still on our minds. We felt like we didn't know what else could go wrong. After losing that game and the games before that, it was really disappointing. It was five or six straight losses and it was tough. Now, we're playing for this year. We don't want that to happen again, because of how bad it felt and we know that we're too good for that. We don't think about it too much, we just want to keep winning this year."
On Florida State:
"They can get hot from the perimeter and that makes them dangerous because then they start making their shots. They are very athletic. They can play and if they start playing well then they can be tough to stop."
On the team's mentality following the loss to Duke on Jan. 17:
"After we lost to Duke this year we knew it was time to move on, we can't dwell on that. We're going to play them again here. One loss is just one loss. You can't take it for more than that. We focused on the next game after that, which was Clemson, and now we're moving on one game at a time."
On playing in Cole Field House:
"It's awesome and full of energy. You feel like everyone is behind you and they are screaming and yelling before the game starts. There is a lot of intensity, it's a good feeling."
On last year's Florida State game:
"Last year, Florida State was jumping on the tables and celebrating. That reaction has stayed on everybody's minds. It broke our hearts to lose, especially on our home court."
On the match-up with Nigel Dixon:
"You have to use your quickness and use other skills instead of trying to muscle him around. No one wants to get into a shoving with someone as big as he is, that's when you have to use your quickness and do other things to beat him down the court. You want to keep it clean and beat him off the dribble."
On playing in Cole Field House:
"I think it's definitely time to move on. I love Cole Field House, I'm glad I get to finish out my career in Cole. I played my high school championship here, it's just a great place to play and it will be missed. Our fans here are great."
On Florida State:
"They are very athletic. If you look at their team, they have good players at every position and they can really get up and down the court. When they shoot the ball well, they can play with anybody. They have the size, they have the quickness, they have the guys who can shoot the ball and they have the experience.
"(Delvon) Arrington, he's special because of his quickness. Last night he didn't have a particularly great game but he kind of won the game at the end when he hit a big shot, a tough shot. Nigel Dixon is in a lot better shape this year. They have a lot of familiar faces and I'm sure we do. Both teams know each other very well."
On Florida State's Nigel Dixon:
"He makes our inside guys who are pretty big look small. He did not start last night, but he gives them a different look when he's in the game. He gives them a wide body. When he's not in the game, they are a very quick and athletic team. When he is in there, he gives them an anchor, a big strong guy in the middle that they can throw the ball to. So he changes their team quite a bit when he's in there."
On the team's turnaround following last season's loss to Florida State at home:
"We split with them last year and they beat us here, so we want to win at home this year so that's our goal tomorrow."
"I'm not sure if it was that night (of the loss to Florida State) or the practices the next day and the day after before we played Wake Forest. You could tell from the players that they did not think the season was over. Most of the people around here did, but they didn't and that's all that counts."
On Drew Nicholas:
"He has really played well. His versatility has helped us because we can run him through three positions. He is very capable of playing 25 minutes a game without any problem. He has the endurance now to do that. He's a lot more confident. Drew is a junior now, he knows what is going on. I think he enjoys playing with Juan and Steve and Byron in that rotation. It makes us deeper in the backcourt, probably deeper than people thought we would be. So he helps us."
