Pregame Quotes: UNC At Maryland
2/26/2005 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 26, 2005
Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams
On assistant coach Mike Lonergan being named the head coach at Vermont:
"I am very happy for [Mike]. Sometimes it is very tough when you are a Division II or Division III head coach to get a Division I head coaching job. Hopefully coming here helped him get a little bit more exposure. I think they [Vermont] are getting a very good head coach. We appreciate what Mike has done for our program. He has been successful before as a head coach and there is no reason why he can't do it up there."
On Mike Grinnon:
"He has been a part of some great teams. When you look at the makeup of a team, everybody sees stats or what goes on during the games on the floor. Practices are really important to the success of a team. No matter how many minutes Mike has played in games he has always given a tremendous effort in practice. It is great to see him in what he has done with his college career. He is graduating in four years, and he is probably one of the most popular players I have coached in my years here at Maryland."
On Darien Henry:
"Darien has been tremendous for us. I felt bad for him because he had to go through a knee operation at the beginning of the season and he is still not 100 percent. He is still out there practicing and that is the type of kid he is. It is hard to measure what they give a program but you don't have good teams without having guys like both Darien and Mike."
On North Carolina:
"I think our rivalry with North Carolina has been good over the years. It should be another great game. They are certainly a very good basketball team. You see what experience can do for a team, with Roy Williams coaching them last year and those guys coming back this year as a unit has helped them. You add a Marvin Williams and some other guys and all of a sudden you have good depth to go with the first five. They are really good and they certainly deserve to be No. 2 in the country."
On the first meeting versus North Carolina:
"You have to play well when you are playing a good team. We didn't play well enough to win that game. That is what you get from that. You can talk about X's and O's, but you have to come out and play. You are going to make mistakes and not play perfectly, but every loose ball has to be competitive and every rebound also, and then you start from there."
On having more practice time:
"We were able to go back and work on some things. It seemed like for the last two weeks we were just getting ready for the next game, rather than be able to work on some of our things. This is what that time gives you plus everybody gets rested both mentally and physically, which is important during this time of year."
On the confidence level of the team:
"I think it is pretty good because we have beaten a second ranked team on the road before. You point to that because that means you are capable of winning the game. I think we can come out and have a great effort and I would be surprised if we don't."
Maryland Forward Mike Grinnon
On his four years at Maryland:
"I learned a lot of things from Coach [Williams] over the past four years. Being competitive, working hard, having a good work ethic, it has been a great career, a lot of fun and I just can't believe it's gone already."
On senior night:
"I actually remember when Juan Dixon, Lonny Baxter, and Steve Blake had their senior nights. I was a part of that and I can't believe my time is here now."
On having a National title and an ACC title:
"It still hasn't sunk in yet. I am sure a couple of years from I will start thinking about it and the significance of it. As of now I am trying to get another one -- that is the way I feel right now. We have a great team and we have a good opportunity."
On the team:
"We are in a good position. A lot of people have been doubting us for awhile. If we win one of these coming up we have a chance to finish fourth in the league. Going into the league we were ranked sixth in the preseason in the league. We are in a good position right now and we are optimistic about it."
On playing against North Carolina:
"We will have no problem getting up for this game, especially since our game against Clemson. Our guys really came in and worked hard during the last couple days of practice. We all know the importance of this game and our team has done a good job of getting up for big games. This is another test for us and we will definitely be ready."
Maryland Forward Darien Henry
On his best memory at Maryland:
"I would say going down to Atlanta for the final four and being a part of the national championship team. That was a lot of fun and a great experience for me also."
On coming back from his knee injury:
"It took a lot of perseverance, toughness, and hard work. I feel I have done a lot in my life so far and I wasn't going to let another knee injury set me back to much. I was only out for a month so I just had to rehab pretty hard and just go from there."
On balancing basketball and computer engineering:
"It has definitely been pretty tiring. It has been a tough journey the past couple of years between playing basketball and trying to get my degree, but I made it to the finish line."
On playing for Maryland:
"It has been a good experience. I have become a better basketball player from it and also a better person also. It is definitely something I can look back on for the rest of my life."
