Quotes from Mark Turgeon
1/7/2012 7:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2012
COLLEGE PARK, Md. - Quotes from head coach Mark Turgeon in advance of Maryland's road game at NC State Sunday at 6 p.m.
On what he expects in Maryland's first true road game:
"I don't know what to expect to be honest with you. I know how we're trying to practice to get ready for it. To win on the road, it's a simple formula, you have to defend and rebound. You have to have great execution and you have to play with poise... To beat North Carolina State our shot selection has to be a lot better, and we have to take care of the basketball because they run as well as anybody in our league. [North] Carolina might run the best but [North] Carolina State can really run. Those are things we've been talking about.
"We've been able to get by with turnovers and [quick shots] and still win games, games have been a little closer because of that. So we've really worked on changing sides with the basketball, being more patient and knowing that we can get this shot late in the shot clock just like we can early in the shot clock but we try to do something better and get to the foul line. So we'll see."
On what percentage of Alex Len's potential fans have seen thus far and how he has helped the team:
"I don't know for sure because big guys just get better and better and better. He's 18 years old so I don't think we've scratched the surface with this kid, at least I hope not. How has he helped us? I think we're getting to the point when James [Padgett] is playing well, Ashton [Pankey] is playing well and Nick [Faust] is playing well, we have five guys you have to guard on the floor. We can space better, our assists have gotten better, I can coach them differently and better... He helps us defensively, he helps us rebounding. Teams can't score around the rim very well especially when he and Berend [Weijs] are playing. He's helped us in a lot of ways... I can't imagine a full year of weight lifting and being around. The kid has a big upside."
On reigning in Pe'Shon Howard without taking away his natural abilities:
"The thing about Pe'Shon is you can see him make the easy play and make the right choice; he'll do it a lot. Then he guards so well, he's trying so hard for me. His problem is it happens in packages; he'll have two of three turnovers in about five possessions. We're not good enough to overcome that, especially against good teams. We have been [able to] against our schedule we've played right now. The kid was out six weeks, and he gets better. Two days ago he was great in practice, probably 10 assists to two turnovers. It's a more controlled environment obviously. We tell him all the time he doesn't always have to have ketchup or mustard on that hot dog. Coach Bino [Ranson] says it all the time: `It's ok to eat a plain hot dog.' So we'll see. Its maturation."
On what has enabled James Padgett to be so successful in offensive rebounding:
"It's like he goes into a different gear when the shot goes up. It always looks like James isn't always playing hard, but he is. There are guys that can follow the shot and look at the shot and think about where it might go off, and I think he does that. Then he's in another gear going after it. He'll go up real soft on layups but he'll go really hard for an offensive rebound. We're trying to be just as aggressive trying to dunk everything. It's just something he does and does well. I know every scouting report says `keep James Padgett off the boards, make sure you box James Padgett out,' because he's done it every game this year when he's had the chance to play significant minutes. So it's just an innate ability by him. He does it in practice too, almost every day."
On Larry Brown continuing to have a presence around the program:
"...I think it's just good for me because when things aren't going well as a coach, the first thing you do is start doubting yourself. So to have him come in and say `you're doing the right things, just make sure you keep doing it and keep a positive attitude,' is huge for me. When guys that you really believe in and trust in this business tell you that then you stick with it."
