Feb. 5, 2011
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Opening statement:
"This was a game we had to work hard to get ready for after the last game. You go through getting probably as low as you can get during the season, and then you've got to get it back to where you can play and play with a lot of energy. Coaching-wise I take a lot pride in being able to do that, but you want to make sure that the players do the same things because they're the ones that have to play, not me.
"I was really proud of them today because the effort we showed for most of the game I think was really good and that's hard to do after disappointment. Obviously, Jordan [Williams] was Jordan today. He played with a lot of energy after playing a very physical game the other night and that was great to see. Some of our young guys really stepped up. I don't want overlook Dino Gregory because with him out there it's a little harder to play Jordan and that's really a key to have somebody that's a really experienced inside player that's pretty physical in his own way. That really helps Jordan's effort, so I appreciate what Dino [Gregory] is doing for us this year. Adrian [Bowie] has just been really solid. He goes along and plays his game. He doesn't get noticed a lot, but he does some really good things, especially on the defensive end he's winding up taking probably the best perimeter guy on the other team.
"It was a good team effort. I think guys were hungry to play today. It makes a difference in our team when we're like that and I told the players after the game that we're just going to try to continue to get better as time goes by here. We've got Longwood Wednesday and seven league games left, so we'll see how many of those games we can win. This team--we can keep improving and we haven't hit the ceiling yet."
On moving on from the loss to Duke:
"Thursday was `forget Wednesday' and I'm really serious because too many people put too much on one game during the season and especially the buildup that's always there for the Duke game. You have to get your players through that because everybody walks around on campus if you lose hearing about it. That gets old quick if you're a player, so we spent a lot of time talking on Thursday about the importance of putting that game behind us and not letting that game cost us a game. I thought the players did a great job in that situation."
On his team's high energy:
"I think [Pe'Shon Howard] had something to do with it. I think that's a good point. If you bring energy in basketball it is contagious and it's a small area--it's 94 feet--so, you pick up on that. It's easy to pick up on that when you have a guy like Pe'Shon at the start of the game the way he was playing, but I also thought Adrian Bowie that type of energy. And then when Hauk [Haukur Palsson] comes into the game, he brings that level of energy from the bench and did a great job with that tonight. As long as we don't have injuries, we have pretty good depth in a way that we can rotate some guys now, so it's going to be interesting down the stretch here to see who really steps up for us."
On tying Coach John Wooden on the all-time wins list (664):
"I think he coached like 27 or 28 years and this is my 33rd, so I guess he had a few more seasons with a few more wins than me. In his era he was so dominant and it was this West Coast team [UCLA] that you never saw play because game weren't on television. I remember watching a final four that was delayed telecast--CBS put it on after the local news--and if you look at John Wooden, what he did was he glamorized the game. In addition to winning all those championships, he glamorized college basketball. It didn't become a thing to do in the winter because you couldn't go outside. It became attractive to everybody to play the game and to really get into college basketball, so he kind of set the table for the guys that followed after him."
On the importance of the win:
"It's definitely a huge win. Coach Williams said before the game that the best part about sports is that you get to come out and play again after a tough loss. That's what we did today. We got a chance to play again and we came out ahead."
On the importance of the rest of the season:
"Every game now is crucial. We have to play hard every game. Winning four out of our last five isn't bad, especially since we lost to a top five team in the country."
On Coach Williams tying John Wooden on the all-time wins list:
"That's a remarkable accomplishment. Coach Williams is an unbelievable coach, an unbelievable teacher and a leader. I am not surprised because he is in that great tier of coaches with John Wooden and all of the other coaching greats. I couldn't be more proud of him."
On scoring in bunches today:
"I am happy it happened this way. But we need to start doing this against Duke, Virginia Tech, Boston College and the teams that we lost to. I don't know why we don't do that. It's getting kind of late in the season but once we start doing that we will be alright."
On the fans support after the loss to Duke:
"The day after the game campus was dead. But they were upset. Our fans feel our pain, but they are great fans. They came to the game today and supported us even after that loss. It goes to show you how great our fans are."
On getting his teammates involved in the offense:
"I love getting my teammates involved. I want the team to do well. I don't want it to seem like the seniors do their part and Jordan (Williams) does his part but the freshman or point guards are letting us down. Terrell [Stoglin] and I put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We just want to come out and make the right plays and finish strong for the team."
On his passing game:
"I came out being aggressive, but when the defense collapses why not get my teammates involved? I don't really dunk as well as Jordan [Williams] or Dino [Gregory] so they make me look good."
On feeding off of the crowd:
"I feed off of my teammates doing well. If they are having fun then we are all having fun. Once they are doing well then the crowd gets into it. Comcast is a great place to play. I feel like Comcast is a place where people should be afraid to come and play in."
On his passing exciting the crowd:
"It might just go along with the number 21. The last guy [Greivis Vasquez] did it pretty well. It might just be the jersey, I don't know."
On Pe'Shon Howard's play tonight:
"If he plays like that it makes it easier for me and the other guards to play off of him. When he is aggressive and makes the players guard him tight it gives Cliff [Tucker], Sean [Mosley] and me more space to drive."
On the assists tonight:
"It just shows that everyone is contributing and it is a balanced scoring load. I know that Jordan [Williams] scored a lot today but I feel like everyone had at least five or six points. When you have 27 assists that means that everyone is looking for each other and we are playing team basketball. That is hard to contain."
On the run after Wake cut it to 10:
"We didn't want to let it get any closer than that. We felt like they shouldn't have been that close. We had been playing well the whole game. We didn't put them away though. They continued to make shots and get to the basket. Then the switch turned on. We started pressing and getting steals, getting the ball inside to Jordan [Williams]. Once we able to make shots its tough to stop us."
Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik
Opening statement:
"Defensively we are young and inexperienced, and we are weak in terms of getting our hands on the ball. We just we not ball strong at all. I give Maryland a lot of credit, they are much quicker and stronger with the basketball than we are."
On the rebounding issues:
"Last time we played Maryland 55 percent of their points came from turnovers and second chance opportunities. We tried very hard to address these areas when preparing for this game but obviously we didn't do a great job of that."
On how to successfully prepare for upcoming opponents:
"I hope to continue to get better. I thought we played well in certain spots but very poorly in certain spots. We just need to lengthen the time that we play well. We gave them 40 layup opportunities, and when they missed the first time they usually got the rebound back. We need to work on being more aggressive when going up for the ball."
Sophomore Guard C.J. Harris
On cutting down the lead:
"We came out and played hard. We played well in spurts. We got it within 10, but we broke down. If we were mentally stronger during that spurt, we could have cut the lead down more."
On the technical foul:
"Even if it did happen, we need to come together and find a way to get over it and respond the best way we can."
On the rebounding margin:
"We just have to understand that we are getting beat and be stronger with the ball and get the rebounds."
On the rest of the season:
"I'm optimistic. Throughout the games we show signs of what we can be. If we just put together a full game, you would be surprised as to what can happen."
On Jordan Williams:
"He worked extremely hard on the boards. He really showed how good he is."
Freshman Center Carson Desrosiers
On containing Jordan Williams:
"It's just a matter of allowing him to catch the ball deep. It's a lot easier to defend him when he catches the ball outside of the paint with his back to the basket. We struggled and picked up a couple of quick fouls. I think in the second half we did a much better job."
On his progress:
"I think I'm progressing every practice, every game. In games just getting the ball at the top and if I get shots, then I shoot."
On what they did best as a team today:
"Offensively, the numbers kind of speak for themselves. We shot the ball well. It's just playing defense. We've just got to get back on people. It just comes down to it. We've just got to get that mentality and then work together as a team."
