University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn vs. Rutgers Post Game Quotes (January 11, 2011)
1/11/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 11, 2011
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Connecticut Head Coach Jim Calhoun
"One of the more important things you have to do in the Big East, particularly coming off an emotional, incredible game on Saturday, is take care of home business."
"I don't judge how we're going to play by shootarounds, but it was very spirited, very lively, led by Kemba. When the game first started, in the first 10, 12 minutes, I was wondering where all that spirit went to."
"It's one of those games where, sometimes, the score is not indicative of the play....This game played like a 20, 25 point game, where we dominated the whole second half and did a really good job....Overall, I'm very happy with our defense....We let some things happen near the end, which took away some of the stats. But I'm not worried about the stats. I'm much more concerned with the second win in the Big East."
"I kind of liked the way we played. I really did. This league is a grind league, and you get a team as well-coached as that....They run very good stuff. His team is better than his total talent right now....They run good offense, and they switch everything and keep changing defenses, match-up and so on. We started to adjust to it, and once we got into the fast break."
"I didn't like the way we started, but everything else I'm pleased with."
"These aren't easy games sometimes, but we took care of business, which I like seeing."
"That was going to be a grind game, and we were able to take a grind game and turn it into a kind of explosion game for us. Once we got that explosion, in essence, the game was over."
On Oriakhi
"I think him touching the ball gives him a boost."
On Jeremy Lamb
"He's a terrific offensive player. He's an incredible kid. He works so hard at his game. He's going to really have to work to overcome the fact that he's probably the weakest kid on our team. He can't keep getting banged on screens."
On Charles Okwandu
"Charles gets no stats, but Charles is a factor in the middle, for them. They couldn't get into the lane."
On Coombs-McDaniel
"Jamal gave us a very good lift."
UConn Players
Kemba Walker
Are you reading the defenses better to get your teammates involved more?
"Teams are playing me extremely hard and my teammates are seeing that and taking advantage of it."
Did you come out harder in the second half?
"Definitely on defense. I thought we came out with a lot of intensity and we just play hard. We play with a lot of effort. That's all it was."
On Alex's play tonight:
"If the night is not going well for him, I try and encourage him to get every rebound. I tell him he's a beast - that's what he is. We need him on a consistent basis. Hopefully, he can be a big plus like this for the rest of the season."
Alex Oriakhi
"My whole goal is to be consistent in everything I do. My father called me last night and told me this team basically needs you to win. And Kemba always reminds me to. So, I got to really start buying into that and give it my all every night."
What got the team going in the second half?
"Coach he really got on us. He said they were showing more energy than we are and they are playing full speed and we're not. We just held our own responsibility and told each that we definitely have to pick it up in the second half, at least defensively."
Did you get the feeling when they played you man-to-man that nobody could guard you down there?
"When I scored the first seven points, I told myself I don't think there's anyone that can really guard me. I just wanted the ball even more."
Shabazz Napier
"The stretch we want on [to start the second half] was terrific. Defensively we were all talking the way we should talk, and we got it going."
"They played us really tough in the first half."
"We got it going in the second half. We put the pedal to the medal."
"Coach said we need energy off the bench. I'm the type of guy who can bring energy defensively."
Jamal Coombs-McDaniel
About the second half:
"We got after it on defense, ran the floor, and got some easy baskets."
"We came in giving Rutgers a lot of respect. Coach was telling us that they had a lot of close games."
"We had a good defensive plan for them and it worked out."
