Quotes From Gary Williams' Tuesday Press Conference
1/18/2005 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 18, 2005
Head coach Gary Williams:
On Virginia:
"They've played a tough schedule in the league. People rush to judgment, but you've got to wait until the first eight games or so and then you get a feel for the league."
On how well his team's reserves have been playing:
"We've needed it all year. It's good to see Will Bowers, Mike Jones and James Gist step up and play as well as they have the last couple of games. That's really important to us. We have a good bench right now, and we've needed them. Guys are really stepping up."
On the chemistry of the second team:
"I'm with the first team a lot in practice, but the second team develops the ability to play with each other and to get the ball. It's nice to see when they get on the court. And they've really helped the first team. Some of those guys have different personalities, and they help with the team's enthusiasm. I like the way Mike Jones showed emotion on Saturday when he made those shots. Will Bowers looks assertive out there and you can see the confidence coming. You like all those things with your team and it's a good sign that we'll get better as the year goes on."
On sophomores Mike Jones and Will Bowers
"It takes time. I really get a kick out of people judging Will Bowers and Mike Jones based on their freshman years. We're 14 games into their sophomore year and they are doing really well. There is a history around here of guys improving as they go through the program."
On the differences between Temple and Virginia:
"You have to adjust to certain teams. Virginia is different than Temple, tempo-wise. But, at the same time, if we don't play well none of that matters."
On Nik Caner-Medley:
"I've noticed he's gotten more aggressive. There's a tendency for all players in his size-range to be judged by how well they shoot perimeter jump shots. That's not what wins games. What wins games is being aggressive and going to the offensive boards like Nik did against Temple. He got us started when we were struggling and coming off two games where we didn't shoot the ball well. As coaches, our best teams have been when we had guys who got to the glass."
