University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Post Game Quotesheet
11/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 1, 2006
POST-GAME QUOTESHEET
Pitt vs. Carnegie Mellon Exhibition Game
November 1, 2006
Quoting Pitt Head Coach Jamie Dixon
On what he expected out of this game:
"We have a lot of respect for Carnegie Mellon. Obviously, we have a size advantage and I was happy we were able to take advantage of that. They're a good program but I thought we won the battle on the boards in the first half, and really showed off our passing in the second half. We also got everyone a good amount of minutes which was one of our goals coming in."
On the starting lineup:
"It's something that always changes throughout the season, but we feel comfortable starting any one of 10 guys. At this point it's very early and it isn't something I would place too much emphasis on."
On his rotation:
"Again, it's not something I would place too much emphasis on at this point. Depending on the situation we might have sometimes where bench guys will see more minutes than starters. The key to tonight was getting everyone some playing time."
On Tyrell Biggs and Sam Young switching positions:
"Tyrell [Biggs] dropped 20 lbs. and had a really great off-season. Both he and Sam have continued to adjust and improve throughout their careers, which gives us a lot of options. I think versatility is one of the keys and strengths of this team."
On the development of Antonio Graves:
"Antonio had a great summer both on the court and in the classroom. People talk about `becoming a senior,' and I think that's what Antonio's done. He's demonstrated to everyone that he's ready to be a leader on this team.
On the play of Austin Wallace:
"We were very fortunate to get him some playing time against other competition. He's a very active, physical player with great aggressiveness. He's already improved tremendously just in the short time he's been here."
Quoting Pitt's Mike Cook
On playing in his first game for Pitt:
"It felt really good to just get out there. I was a little nervous at first, being my first start in a new place, with a new group of guys, but I got comfortable very fast. It was great just to get out there and be a part of this team."
Quoting Pitt's Antonio Graves
On his development as a player:
"I've really tried to focus myself both on and off the court. I really want to be a leader on this team no matter what it takes. It's important to me, but it's also good to know that there are a lot of other guys like Aaron [Gray], Levon [Kendall] and even Mike [Cook] who can share in the leadership role."
Quoting Pitt's Tyrell Biggs
On switching positions:
"I felt ready last year to come in and compete at whatever position they wanted me to play. There isn't too much of a difference between center and power forward, really. The coaches and other players have helped me make a few little adjustments and improvements, but it hasn't been that tough."
Quoting Carnegie Mellon Head Coach Tony Wingen
Opening remarks:
"Pitt was certainly as good as we thought they were going to be and they played as well as their ranking. Coming into this environment against a team of this caliber was a tall order for us. We were not as consistent as we would have liked to be. That is partly due to our inexperience. We're a young team and haven't played much together but we're trying to get better, and we will."
On what Carnegie Mellon did to prepare:
"Doing what we do and playing our game was our main focus. A game like this is out of the ordinary for us so there wasn't much extra focus on this game in particular. We just wanted to come in and focus on doing what we do."
Quoting Carnegie Mellon senior Brad Matta
On the experience of playing Pitt:
"Tonight's game was a great experience for us. I have a lot of family members that went to Pitt or friends at Pitt and a lot of people were asking me for tickets. It's a great way to start off the season with the high energy on campus. We're new together so the more we play together, the better we will play and be able to learn each other's tendencies."
