Gary Williams' Pregame Quotes
1/25/2005 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 25, 2005
Head coach Gary Williams:
On Duke:
"They certainly have three great players. J.J. Redick is the best shooter in the country, I don't think that's going out on a limb. Daniel Ewing has become a great scoring point guard. He's got the ability to handle the ball and run the offense plus put the ball in the basket. Shelden Williams has stepped up his game. We played Duke three times last year and got to know all its players really well. They complement each other and play well together."
On the recent rivalry between Duke and Maryland:
"If you list the guys going into the Hall of Fame, I've coached against all those guys. I've always enjoyed that. Like this game, we're playing the No. 2 team in the country on national television. I feel lucky to be able to be in games like this throughout my coaching career."
On the big screen broadcast at Cole Field House of the game from Durham, N.C.:
"Hopefully Cole will bring us a little magic. That building was special, there's no doubt about it. That building saw some great Maryland-Duke games. I hope the students enjoy it; especially the freshmen and sophomores who were never at a Cole game."
On different players stepping up their play:
"Teams are interesting because any team sport is made up of individual players. Not everybody is always going to be 100 percent mentally and physically. But if you have enough guys to pull that guy along, then you're okay. The next game, that guy that you had to pull along might have to pick somebody else up. That's what teams do. We have to depend on each other. When you go down to Cameron Indoor Stadium, no one is going to be down there to help us or give us sympathy. It's up to us to be strong. Duke's a great team, but we've also played the No. 3 and No. 4 teams in the country. You have to be ready to play at this level. I personally like the challenge."
On Sunday's game vs. NC State:
"It's one thing to practice well, it's another to take the practice and put it into the game. We didn't do that against NC State. But you're going to have games where you don't shoot the ball well, but if you're playing hard that really doesn't matter. The shots will eventually go in if you're a decent team."
