University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Cincinnati-Pitt Post-Game Quotesheet
2/12/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2006
POST-GAME QUOTESHEET
Quoting Pitt's Jamie Dixon:
Opening Statement:
"We played very well against a very good team.
On the play of Jihad Muhammad:
"He's very good and a very dangerous player. He can penetrate or step back and make a tough shot. With us trying to stop their guards, sometimes we gave him a little too much room, and he made us pay. He's a very tough kid."
On Ronald Ramon's improvement:
"Ronald's got a lot of confidence right now. He's works hard, he's coachable, and he's very smart. When you put all those things together, guys are going to get better. He's also coming off an injury from last year, and I think the competition in practice has helped get better, too."
On going to Aaron Gray early:
"We wanted to go to Aaron early. The first play we ran was for him and we executed it perfectly for a lay-up. They made some adjustments, but we took good shots and got the ball to the right guys after they double-team Aaron."
On the improvement of Pitt's bench in conference play:
"Keith, John, Levance...every one of our guys is getting better. I think the depth we have has really helped the competition in practice. You're going against guys who see minutes all the time, so it's a great opportunity for all of our players to improve."
On Pitt's depth:
"I'm very comfortable playing all of our guys. Some of them may be young, but I'm comfortable putting almost all of them in any situation. What's really special is that they all give you something different, and they're all improving."
On Carl Krauser's play:
"Most teams tend to focus on your leading scorer. Carl's learning to do other things when teams double-team him. He's very patient, he rebounds, he looks to make passes or knock down free-throws. Carl's become very good at recognizing what needs to be done, and taking what's available."
On if he's surprised by Pitt's 19-3 record:
"I never try to put a number on expectations, but this team improves and gets better every day. I felt going into the season that we had a chance to be very good."
On the struggles of the new teams in the Big East:
"It's very tough to say.
Quoting Cincinnati Head Coach Andy Kennedy
On being worn down by Pitt:
"They dominated us in every area. I thought they played extremely well. Our team's margin for era is such that we certainly can't approach the game with a tentative mindset. I thought today we were on our heels the whole game fighting uphill..."
On what makes Aaron Gray so hard to defend:
"He's a huge man. They (Pitt) do a good job putting him in isolations."
On physical play against Pitt and the Big East in general:
"I think the Big East is a very physical league. We try to pride ourselves at
On trying to overcome Pitt's depth
"I think collectively much more so than individually is where they beat you."
On Keith Benjamin's performance:
They come off the bench with Keith Benjamin. I thought he provided the spark that really started them."
Quoting Pitt's Aaron Gray:
On matching up with a 6-foot-6-inch player:
"It's not an advantage when it's Eric Hicks. He's so physical, and he's one of the best rebounders in the country as well as a great competitor. It was a challenge, but my teammates did a good job of getting me the ball when I had position."
On how his play opens up the outside:
"When we're knocking down shots, it softens up the middle for me. We did a great job both shooting and penetrating today, and I was able to get the space to make a move to the basket or a good kick-out pass.
Quoting Pitt's Keith Benjamin:
On what he attributes to his play today:
"I've been working hard in practice on making the open shots. Today, they were falling and I hope they keep falling for the rest of my career."
On Pitt's advantage in depth off the bench:
"Our 10-man roster is a big advantage. We felt against
Quoting Pitt's Carl Krauser:
On the development of Pitt's freshman:
"When you have all these guys that can play, it makes the game easier and more fun. All these guys are rising up and becoming great Division I and Big East players. As a group I'm proud of my whole team, period."
On his play in the second-half:
"When the other team focuses on me, I have to be unselfish. I want move the ball and attack the basket in those situations. I have great teammates, and I have to allow them to make plays."
On how this teams differs from previous ones:
"I just try to focus on this team. I just try to look at where we are right now and how we can get better from there."
On Pitt's depth:
"We have such a deep bench. It's hard for our opponents to play six or seven main players against our ten guys. All of our players come off the bench with great energy. It created all kinds of match-up problems when our eighth guy could be starting for most teams."
Quoting Pitt's Ronald Ramon:
On his play today:
"When Aaron gets double-teamed, it opens up the outside for us. He does such a good job of getting us the ball when we're open. With those kinds of looks, we're going to hit most of our shots."
On struggling with
"We got away from our offense a little bit, from what had been working for us. But we called a time-out and re-grouped and played a lot better after that."
On what he attributes to his improved shooting:
"It's just concentrating on every single shot."
