Nov. 12, 2006

Recap |  Box Score |  Notes

Maryland Head Coach Gary Williams
Opening Statement:
"We finished with 24 assists which says a lot about the way we played offensively tonight. We were very unselfish. The ball really moved. When you play against zone, there's a tendency for your offense to slow down, but I thought we kept the intensity level up. We had some guys who are starting to shoot the ball well. We're still not shooting great, but it's coming, so we have to keep working on that. I'm still not happy with our rebounding. We have the size and the quickness to be a good rebounding team, so I expect that to come along."

On the team's defense:
"Defensively, we were a good team tonight. We helped each other out. We recovered after we made some mistakes. You're not going to play a perfect game, so that's what you need on the defensive end of the court, everyone helping each other out. I thought we did a good job of that tonight."

On senior D.J. Strawberry's defense:
"He's capable of covering a lot of different sizes out there on the court and he's really quick. He's also long so he gets his hands on a lot of balls. The thing I like about D.J. the most is his leadership and intensity level. With him playing that hard on defense it's hard for the other guys not to do the same thing. I think that's really what he contributes to our team the most. His leadership makes us a much better defensive team."

On team's depth:
"I think our two walk-ons went in there tonight and played really well. Jason [McAlpin] and Gini [Chukura] both give that effort everyday in practice. They like to play basketball so they enjoy their role, and it's great to get them on the court. There will come times this year with injuries or foul problems where a guy like Gini Chukura will be out there in critical situations. I think these guys are playing hard and when they get a chance to play, they do a great job."

On the play of sophomore Dave Neal:
"Dave Neal has certainly played well in the last couple of games. He gives you more depth on the bench. He's a very good shooter and he knows the offense very well. He's a little undersized, but he makes up for it with good positioning. He's come on pretty well."

On the play of senior Parrish Brown:
"Parish Brown played very well tonight. He's aggressive and he's a great shooter. He's an undersized shooting guard, but he can really shoot the ball."

On Maryland's fans:
"We've talked a lot about that from the end of last season until now; about how lucky we are to have the opportunity to play this game, in this place. We've got to show our fans that we appreciate them being here and I think we've done a pretty good job of that this year."

Maryland Guard Mike Jones
On the game:
"Coach Williams told us coming in that they would be trying to get on the boards and grab some rebounds even though we had a size advantage, so we just wanted to take advantage of that and work to get them ourselves."

On finding his shot:
"That is definitely something I've worked on in practice. You can always work on three-point shooting, but if that's all you can do, the other team will take that away. I've been working on everything from getting offensive rebounds to being able to put up the mid-range jumper. Coach [Williams] has been telling me not to rely on just the three-point shot."

On team's progress after three games:
"We're working. It's definitely a process that we can become great. We're working hard on defense and like everyone says, defense makes offense. We have everyone knocking down shots and passing the ball really well, and that's something we love to see."

Maryland Guard D.J. Strawberry
On the game:
"We're playing better basketball, and we're getting used to going and being ready to play every night. Our defense is getting better every time we step on the court. We're passing the ball well, and we're playing like a team with a lot of energy and a lot of passion."

On the first half:
"We were just trying to make them do things that they don't want to do. We wanted to get in passing lanes and make sure they were not comfortable. They got a little overwhelmed and we were able to take advantage."

Maryland Forward Ekene Ibekwe
On starting fast:
"It was big that we came out so strong. We want teams to know that we are here to play, and we have guys out on the floor who are playing strong defense and making good passes and giving us a chance every night."

On preparing for the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic semifinals:
"I'm definitely ready to play up there, and I know my teammates are as well. We just have to come in the next couple of days and get ready to play on the road."

Maryland Forward Dave Neal
On his role:
"I just want to be that team player that can come off the bench and give us a spark. I feel like I've been a lot calmer out there, which is huge. The more minutes I get, the calmer I am out there. I just need to keep working hard."

On preparing for the 2K Sports College Hoops Classic semifinals:
"We're definitely looking forward to going up there and making a statement early in the season. Hopefully we can go up there and win it so we can come back here 5-0 and getting a little bit closer to ACC play."

Florida A&M Head Coach Mike Gillespie
Opening Statement:
"I was impressed with Maryland. I think Coach Gary Williams has a great group of guys. It looks like he's having fun coaching them this year, and they look like they're having a lot of fun playing for him. I thought they played exceptionally well. Our goal was to make them shoot the three. We forced 26 threes, and they made 12. A couple of their guys stepped up. Parrish Brown had two, and Greivis Vasquez had two. We were very concerned about Mike Jones. I thought we did a good job guarding D.J. Strawberry, and that was one of our goals to keep him under control. I was proud of the way our guys played. We have two starters back at home injured. All in all, it was a positive game for us. We were happy to come up here and play, and I think Maryland has a chance to be a very good team."

On Florida A&M's mistakes:
"We can't turn the ball over 23 times. We made some silly mistakes. We are an inside team, and Maryland had ten blocks. We kept throwing the ball in there, which is the way we are going to play in our league. In our league, we are not going to see a team that is going to block ten shots. We also need to value the ball better. We were 2-for-10 on free throws in the first half, then in the second half we went 8-for-8."

On Maryland's play:
"Maryland shared the ball exceptionally well. They made the extra pass. They are a very unselfish team. They've got a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things. I really think their four post men are very good inside, especially Gist and Ibekwe. Maryland has a nice balance between their inside and outside game."

On Florida A&M's play:
"I thought we rebounded the ball well. We also forced seventeen turnovers. On the whole, we played as hard as we could. For it being our first game and us being shorthanded, I thought we played well and had a lot of trust in each other."