Feb. 23, 2011
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Opening statement:
"Florida State, I think, is the No. 1 field goal percentage defensive team in the country, we're right there. We were able to shoot 52 percent, that's a great effort by our players in terms of really working hard. We didn't take many shots at the perimeter, but we contested and made the extra passes to make the open shots. In the second half, that was probably some of the best man-to-man coverage we've had in a while, it was great to see. We were really doing well in terms of signs and covering our man. Florida State showed a tremendous effort, they've got a good defense, which makes you get involved each play, especially against a team like that with that size and the quickness that they have."
On the game pressures Pe'Shon Howard endures:
"We've had a couple players handle pressure well. With Florida State's great size, we were worried about Pe'Shon [Howard] and Terrell [Stoglin] getting in there, but it worked out. They did a great job getting in there. Sean [Mosley] had a great game, he did really well. It's also really great to see Pe'Shon and Sean [Mosley] step up tonight. I'm really happy for Adrian [Bowie] and the game he played tonight; it was really great to see."
On Jordan Williams' halftime adjustments:
"I think that Jordan [Williams] learns as he plays. You have to remember he's only a sophomore and last year he didn't have to do a whole lot with the players we had. He just needed to show up at the right place and the ball would be there, now it's a little tougher. He's learning how to play with Terrell [Stoglin] and Pe'Shon [Howard] and I think that it's working pretty well."
On an in sync offense:
"I think the guys are getting comfortable with each other, and that takes time. Landon [Milbourne}, Eric [Hayes], and Greivis [Vasquez] played together for four years, and now we've got three freshmen out there. It's a little different, Jordan's only a sophomore. Dino [Gregory] definitely knows that the leadership in that position isn't easy."
On low turnovers during the second half:
"I think we had a time. I'm happy with what we did tonight. I think it was better than our NC State experience. We stopped at the halftime and got competitive. It's one thing for Florida State to fight back in the end, but why give up that lead that we worked so hard to get? We talked about that some, during the half."
On the team's defensive effort:
"It has been building. We have been giving up a lot of points the past couple of games. We wanted to stop them. We knew that if we would be able to stop them we could extend the lead. Once we extended the lead we [knew] would be okay."
On shooting a high percentage tonight:
"We knew that we could attack them at all times. We shot a great percentage. We did a good job of creating for ourselves as well as finding each other when we were open."
On the 3-point shooting tonight:
"We are good shooters, we just haven't knocked down the three consistently. Today we were able to knock it down and because of that it was easier to drive and hit jump shots."
On this game building the teams confidence:
"This definitely builds our confidence. North Carolina is a great team with a great coach. We are excited for the challenge. We are looking forward to the game and trying to come out with a victory."
On Adrian Bowie:
"He did a great job. Adrian (Bowie), Cliff (Tucker) and Dino (Gregory) are realizing that this is it. Dino said in the press conference yesterday that he wants to be remembered forever. The seniors have showed that they want to work hard and be remembered."
On Coach Williams making the team better as the year progresses:
"I think that coach is able to see things that we don't see in ourselves. He trusted us and told us in the beginning of the year that we were going to be a great team. If we keep taking it game by game we have that chance. He is great at teaching us what we don't know and putting us in the position to go far."
On his shooting in the second half:
"In the first half I was getting good looks just not hitting the shots. At half time I was able to calm myself down. In the second half I was taking the same shots except I was able to knock them down."
On the youth on the team:
"We have a lot of young guys on our teams. Our young guys are also playing a lot of minutes. I think Coach Williams and the staff does a great job of calming us down. They bring us in especially the veteran guys and make sure we are working together. The coaching staff does a great job of organizing us."
On the freshmen maturing:
"I don't think there is a particular moment. As the year goes on you see the young guys in practice working hard. You see the young guys in games stepping up and I think you can tell that they are ready."
Senior Guard Derwin Kitchen
On Maryland's play:
"They played well. Whenever you can shoot over 50 percent on your home floor, you have a good chance of winning. They took care of business tonight."
On Maryland's shooting performance:
"I don't think they got a lot of open looks, but they made a lot of contested shots, layups and free throws. They made all of the plays when they needed to."
On preparing for the ACC tournament:
"We are going to continue to do what we have been doing all year. We can't change what we have been doing now."
FSU Head Coach Leonard Hamilton
Opening statement:
"Like Gary said, they shot exceptionally well today, and I think we had a lot to do with that. I think the mere fact that they had not been shooting that many [3-pointers], I didn't think we gave them the respect from the perimeter as well as we have in the past. I didn't think we contested shots very well. We gave them the opportunity to be a little more comfortable. Of course, they hit a couple tough shots as the clock was running down, but that is to their credit. I'm sure they worked hard at that and that they have not been shooting that many threes. Some games they don't take any threes.
"Tonight, I think, we were not sharp defensively. I thought it was one of those nights where everything that hit the rim seemed like it was going in. You have to give them credit for executing and staying with confidence, being mentally ready, being hungry. That happens when you feel a sense of urgency. I thought they played with a little more for sense of urgency than we did. Obviously they shot 52 percent from the floor and we're supposed to be a pretty good defensive team. We hold most of our opponents to about 35 percent and they shot 52 percent. That speaks for itself. They executed very well and they were patient. Bowie came off the bench and had those four layups in the first half. A lot of that was because we gave Williams so much attention that we didn't want to leave his body. I think since we didn't leave him, it opened up the driving line for some of the guys so you had to pick your poison then.
"Hopefully, we can bounce back from this. We've had a tendency to bounce back. I'm hoping we will be disappointed in our outing tonight and that will really motivate us to finish the season strong."
On upcoming games:
Obviously, Miami is playing good basketball. They are hungry for a victory as well. They are fighting for their post season life. It's going to be difficult for us to win the ACC now. We're going to try to get as high of a seed as we possibly can. That would mean a lot to our program. We're looking forward to the next game and challenge, but more importantly it's going back to your family and learning and growing. In some of these environments where there are passionate and energetic fans, we have not played as well. It seems as though we have lost a little bit of something. I am a little disappointed because we didn't have the proper balance inside and outside. We have to put this behind us and learn from it. Hopefully, we will be a lot better prepared a couple Saturdays from now."
Junior Forward Bernard James
On Maryland's shooting performance:
"They shot the lights out. Our defense wasn't up to par like usual, and they hit a lot of contested shots. They did a good job of getting to the lane, and that caused a lot of problems. They came out shooting very well."
On preparing for Jordan Williams:
"We wanted to get him in foul trouble early. Part of our game plan was to try to take advantage of him on the offensive end, but that didn't work out so well. Once we got him in foul trouble, we got away from our game plan. We need to do a better job of sticking to our plan."
On preparing for the ACC tournament:
"We need to do a better job winning on the road. Every time we go on the road, we struggle. We get away from our game plan and we don't execute. We need to do a better job of communicating and executing."
