University of Connecticut Athletics
UCONN-BINGHAMTON POSTGAME QUOTES
11/20/2021 4:07:00 PM | Men's Basketball
UCONN-BINGHAMTON POSTGAME QUOTES
UConn Head Coach Dan Hurley
Opening Statement:
         "I'm just happy that's over with. An incredibly painful game to watch if you are a UConn fan or a coach. Just a flat and really poor performance on both ends of the court. Finishing at the rim was bad. We were at all the wrong spots defensively. In situations with that we have seen with these guys that we have dealt for years, with such an older team and to not be able to play better quality basketball at both ends. It was really disappointing. Positive notes for us, probably only three. Tyrese, evolution-wise, didn't force anything and didn't settle for three's today. He just did a little bit of everything today. He just played mature. Unlike a number of other guys. I liked what Andre did. The second half turnover which led to a basket that unnerved me. It is the stat line that get through it with him, pretty consistently. 9, 8, 3. Should have had one turnover. Should have had two steals, two blocks. And Jordan, obviously he continues to build his role. The way he held out defensively, I thought it was okay. You can see he brings a different element, particular firepower."
On the starters' slow start and having to turn to then bench for players:
  "They've done that for the last few games. I got a couple of our starters, Isaiah because he is hurt and Adama hasn't been locked in for the last two games. R.J. is an All-Big East level performer, and we need him for this league."
On Tyrese Martin's 11 rebounds and its importance to the team as a whole:
         "Yeah, he understands his identity. He could have finished a couple more things in the paint, but he understands his identity, he understands who he is and he has been consistent through these past few games. His competition level is going to increase significantly, here, but you love to see a guy who knows who he is and then plays within that framework."
On how the ball movement has improved this season:
         "Yeah, the ball moved better. Definitely has moved better and more places we go with the ball. We couldn't get the transition game which was disappointing. We didn't force anywhere near the turnovers that we should have forced in this game with our athleticism. Isaiah rebounded his positions in the front court play, 10 rebounds, 17 minutes, 6 defensives [rebounds]. The front court players didn't defensive rebound the ball cleanly so we couldn't get out in transition with pace, outlet and move. So I was disappointed in our transition game. Akok can't play 15 minutes and get one defensive rebound as a front court player. Adama didn't defensively rebound the ball at all. The defensive rebounds today were an absolute adventure. And if they were an adventure today what will they be like on Wednesday."
Binghamton Head Coach Levell Sanders
On his team's play:
"One the main messages for us was that we wanted our guys to come out and compete for forty minutes. Even the situation where we get the intentional foul, I'd rather us foul than have guys dunking all over us. That's part of competing, I'm proud of the way we came out and competed. I thought it was going to be tough for us to keep them off the offensive rebounds just because of their size, their stronger than us and bigger than us. I thought that would overwhelm us a little bit. We haven't played zone all year, we aren't a zone team, but we put in a little soft press, back to zone which I thought didn't allow them to just throw the ball inside all the time. To beat a team like this you have to play perfect, you have to shoot the lights out. But I'm happy with the way we competed."
On second half performance:
"We thought that they wouldn't be satisfied, and their coaching staff wouldn't be satisfied with not being up by twenty or thirty at halftime against a team like us. So, we figured they would come out and pressure us a little bit, or be more aggressive but we had eleven turnovers for the game, that was another key factor for us. We didn't want to have twenty plus turnovers because if you do that then it turns into a dunk contest. You see almost every live ball turnover we had led to Jackson hanging on the rim. We didn't want to do that and I'm happy we didn't give them the opportunity to get out and get easy baskets."
On coaching against former college teammate Dan Hurley:
"It's weird because it's the second time I've gone up against a Seton Hall guy, but it's different when it's a guy you played with and are friends with. Danny is doing a great job, hopefully we can be on the other end of some of these games."
UCONN PLAYERS ANDRE JACKSON, TYRESE MARTIN
What was your impression of the flagrant fouls called in the second half?
"I wasn't a fan of the flagrant, but I think that got me going. It made me get into the game more, made me be more competitive on both ends and really just take it personally. After that happened, I approached the game with a different sense of passion. I started to bring more energy, so it was a good thing and a bad thing."
What were your thoughts on the bench's play today?
"I think they do a lot for us. We've got a lot of good players on our team, it's a really deep team. A lot of guys can come off the bench and put the ball in the basket and also defend. They gave us a huge lift in the first half, they had the majority of our points. So going into the half, that was a big focus that the bench gave us a lift, and they did the same thing in the second [half]. (Jalen) Gaffney always does a good job, (Akok) Akok always does a good job, and today, Jordan (Hawkins) really stepped up and gave a good boost to both sides of the floor"
Is the team ready for better competition?
"I feel like we're ready, honestly. Not to look ahead of games, but I feel like a lot of players tonight had the Bahamas in the back of their heads, just looking forward to that trip. It showed in most of the guys' performances tonight. Guys have to grow from that and just take it one game at a time. Hopefully we'll get some momentum in practice, but we're looking forward to the Bahamas"
How do you come in with the mentality to help the team however they need it game in and game out?
"It's not just pertaining to certain things I'm going to do in a certain game. I'm the type of guy that looks at the game coming to me anyways while I'm out there. As you're out there playing, you see where different things were lacking. Always, my first mindset is to get rebounds as soon as I'm out there. That gets me going, it gets the team going, and today I did a good job with that. On the offensive end, in the first couple minutes, I had a lot of offensive rebounds. That's just the things I stuck to, and I ended up with 11 rebounds. It just shows I let it come to me and whatever the team needs, I'm just there to try to give forth the effort."
What is your biggest takeaway from the first four games this season?
"We are way more mature than last year, and we're more of an unselfish team than last year. I feel like we pass up good shots to get great shots a lot of times. We shoot the ball better this year."
