University of Connecticut Athletics
Connecticut Men's Basketball Post Game Quotes
11/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2010
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Connecticut Head Coach Jim Calhoun
Overall, who knows what's ahead, but we're better than we were the first two exhibition games, because tonight is the first time we had resistance. And we reacted to that with pretty good defense. I don't care who you're playing - and I have a lot of respect for what Steve's done at Stony Brook, and will continue to do at Stony Brook - we did it the way the way a lot of times we have done it historically, and that's play defense.
We're going to have to be better on offense than we were tonight.
We could have taken 25 threes. I thought we took three or four that were ill-advised. And that's what we're trying to work out with the kids. Because we are a better team than we showed tonight.
Early, we waited for Kemba to get going, and it took him a while to get going. We can't put that kind of pressure on him. We have to have other people step up.
First half
We played OK defensively, but we couldn't find the door. We were awful, awful on offense. We rebounded like crazy, but we couldn't make a layup. Bottom line, we weren't very good.
Second half
I looked up and we held them to 15 percent in the half. We did our job, for a young team, defensively much better than, maybe, our team last year could have.
On Alex Oriakhi
Obviously, Alex stepped up big time on the glass, and owned it….If he continues to have these kind of nights - if he's a double-double guy, which I believe he can be - and that's putting pressure on him, but that's the pressure I think all of us would like on us - then we're a different team.
On Jamaal Coombs McDaniel
Jamaal Coombs became that kind of junkyard dog that you put in there to get a couple of rebounds, hit a big three for us.
On Niels Giffey
Niels had just the worst night a guy could possibly have in every imaginable way.
On Roscoe Smith
Roscoe did a nice job defensively. He's a terrific defensive player. We just have to find a better niche for him, because he's very offensively.
It was a rough shooting night for me. I just want to continue to shoot and stay aggressive. It's going to fall… If I'm not hitting shots, I'm going to do something else - rebounds, play some aggressive defense, and stay with my team. I can't let not making shots frustrate me.
On the play of the freshmen
We need them to be aggressive… Guys have to step up and that's what they did tonight. Guys like Shabazz stepped up big time and hit some shots for us.
On the better defensive play in the 2nd half
We stayed tight, came together, and just followed the scouting report. We just stepped up our level of intensity.
Jamaal Coombs-McDaniel
Can you tell us about your defense in the 2nd half?
Coach got on us a lot at half. He talked about defense is hard work, transition defense, and that we're going to get a lot of easy baskets if we play defense. And that's what ended up happening. They shot 15% in the second half. And that's good defense.
We didn't want to see coach like he was at halftime. We didn't want to see him like that again.
On Alex Oriakhi
His work ethic this summer was ridiculous. He put in a lot of extra work and I'm happy it's paying off for him.
We definitely didn't shoot well but we worked hard. We played good "D".
On his shooting tonight
Today I was a little off. I've been putting in the work but some days the shoots don't fall…
My team, my brothers, just constantly lift me up and tell me to keep shooting.
On Shabazz Napier's game
Shabazz shot real well.
At halftime we just said "pick it up." Guys really dug in and locked down especially Shabazz and Kemba.
On Rebounding
I wanted every rebound. There were a few rebounds I saw the guards go after and I just ripped it away.
Every rebound that goes up there I want it. I don't care if my teammates are in the way. I'm going to take it.
On Freshmen
Coming into the game, we had jitters. We were nervous a little bit. The second half we knew we were going to step up.
On not being afraid to shoot
They gave me a scholarship to shoot the ball. That's what I'm here for. I make tough shots.
On team defense
We work really hard on defense, and in the second half it really showed.
Stony Brook Head Coach Steve Pikiell
It's great to be back here. It was great until the ball went up in the air. I saw a lot of great people. This is a great university. [It's] an opportunity for our team to come and play.
I'm a little disappointed. I thought the first half we had our tempo. We had a chance to be a two possession game.
Second half we got cracked on the glass. We kind of missed a few things up front. But again it's a tough opener. Coach Calhoun always has his guys prepared. He's a great coach. And Kemba Walker, we knew would be a pain in the neck for us. Oriakhi looked like a pro tonight.
They're bigger, a little bit quicker in spots. We really started forcing stuff [in the second half].
We kind of got caught up in a pick-up game. That's not how we play. And against Connecticut, they're always going to be better in a pick-up game.
