University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Pitt-Maine Post-Game Quotes
11/26/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 26, 2005
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Pitt vs.
November 26, 2005
Quoting Pitt Head Coach Jamie Dixon
Opening remarks:
"
On Pitt's guards shooting 5-25 from the floor:
"We took good shots, had good looks."
On his playing rotation:
"We had good production out of guys and good things out of everybody. We could have played better but we did a lot of good things. This was not our best shooting night and still we came away with a 13 point win."
On the play of Keith Benjamin:
"I thought Keith played very well, I think his defense was very good. His shooting was good, his passing was good. I thought he played very well. He gave us good minutes and he's been consistent throughout. He was one guy that actually did shoot well as far as percentage."
On Keith Benjamin making the adjustment from a 2 to 3:
"In our system, there's not a lot of difference. It's not a big adjustment. He likes being around the basket and has the ability to guard guys of different sizes, that's a strength of his. He played very well tonight. He's been working hard."
On Aaron Gray staying out of foul trouble:
"He was very good on the defensive end. He had 4 blocks at the right time. He got to the spots earlier than he has been and that's a big part of it. When you're covering late it causes the fouls. The way he played defense tonight helped him stay out of foul trouble. He did a very good job in a lot of areas."
On Aaron Gray registering a double-double:
"He's playing well, 15 points and 13 rebounds. I think he feels he could have knocked down a few more shots. He's already showed improvement."
Quoting Pitt's Carl Krauser
On being up 27-7 and
" We made a couple bad decisions. They did a great job coming out and pressuring the ball."
On the guys getting comfortable with the rotation?
"A lot of guys are trying to get used to our rotation. We can't miss open shots like that and allow a team like that to come back. Next game well correct it, come back and have a great game."
Quoting Pitt's Aaron Gray
On Pitt's performance tonight:
"I feel like our defense didn't have a lot of energy at some points in the game. We held them to 31% shooting but we missed a lot of wide open looks. They did a good job coming down and making shots."
On playing well in non-conference games:
"The biggest thing I wanted to do tonight was stay out of foul trouble. That was the number one thing on my mind. Playing against these teams, it's great we don't play against
On staying out of foul trouble:
"Actually tonight I was a little less aggressive because there was times I seem like I get my fouls in bunches. I realize my team needs me out there eon the floor. I bring something to the game that a lot of guys don't because I'm 7'. Like I said, they need me out there on the court and I'm just going to keep doing that."
Quoting Pitt's Keith Benjamin:
On his performance tonight:
"Everything was really different. Coaches told me I needed to be a little bit more aggressive so I felt that I should get out there and be more aggressive. I got open I just felt that I should put the ball in the air and hope for the best. They left me open a couple times, I knocked down a couple shots and I got in a rhythm.
On playing the 3-spot:
" I try to go out there and bring something that the other guys don't bring. John is a great rebounder and a great, strong physical person and Antonio (Graves) is a great shooter so I figured if I get out there and run the lanes, then I'll go out there and contribute to what we've already got started.
Quoting Maine Head Coach Ted Woodward
Opening Comments:
"I certainly think Pitt was athletic and well-coached. Their team had a lot to do with our rough start. I think we responded well though, especially in regards to shooting the ball after the first 10 minutes of play."
On his team's performance tonight:
"We didn't really make any adjustments in terms of strategy. I think it was more changing our mental focus. We played
