University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Post-Game Quotesheet
1/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 27, 2007
POST-GAME QUOTESHEET
Pitt vs. St. John's, January 27, 2007
Quoting Pitt's Head Coach Jamie Dixon
Opening Statement:
"We went into
On defending Lamont Hamilton:
"He's a very good player and we put four or five guys on him throughout the game, which was the plan coming in. I think the key was to deny him the ball in the low post and make sure he took tough outside shots. We were fortunately able to do that today because as he's proven before when he gets going he can really hurt us."
On the play of Levon Kendall:
"It wasn't just this game today, but every time I watch him play I notice him doing the little things out there. I actually think the whole team did those kinds of things in this game that don't necessarily show up on the stat sheet. We set good ball screens, made crisp passes and hit the floor to get after loose balls. That's a big reason why we were able to be so successful."
On Pitt having only seven turnovers:
"I think we've handled the ball pretty well all season. It was a bit of a problem the last few games, but most of them were wins so it's hard to complain. We have guys at every position that pass well for their position, especially our big men so it's not uncommon to see a turnover total that low."
On the rebounding of Pitt's guards:
"Rebounding was something Carl Krauser did very well while he was here, and it's something that Ronald [Ramon] and Levance [Fields] have worked on very hard in his absence. Not only are they very good at getting rebounds, but they've also improved at boxing out the other team's guards, especially the bigger ones, to prevent them from getting rebounds."
On Sam Young and Tyrell Biggs shooting from the outside:
"We have confidence in both of them to take those shots. Tyrell's numbers this year indicate it's a good look for him, and when Sam puts some arc under his shots, I'm very comfortable with it. We run plays for both of them to shoot from the outside, so I would definitely say it's a part of their games that we're comfortable with."
Quoting Pitt's Levon Kendall
On defending Lamont Hamilton:
"It was something I was really focused on coming into the game. It's my role to defend their best post player and I always relish and look forward to the opportunity. Overall, we brought great team defense, contested all of their shots and never allowed them to get going offensively."
On getting five defensive rebounds:
"We forced them into situations where everyone knew a shot was coming. When that happens we can all box out our guys, and it's just a matter of going after and getting the ball. The last part is something that I pride myself on doing well."
On keeping
"I just tried to make sure he caught the ball as far away from the basket as possible. I wanted to contest every move he made and just be physical with him. I wanted to make it as uncomfortable as possible for him, and I think that strategy worked."
Quoting Pitt's Mike Cook
On Pitt shooting 18 three pointers:
"We think we have the ability to take whatever teams will give us. We like to shoot threes and to score from the outside of the perimeter, but we also like to attack the rim. It's just a matter of reading what the defense is and doing what you have to do."
On Pitt having just seven turnovers:
"Holding onto the ball is something we stressed in practice all week. We wanted to stop being so nonchalant with the ball, both in passing and in driving to the rim. Coach wanted us to get back into the mentality of making the smart play and taking the extra pass when it's there."
On Pitt's effectiveness with a smaller line-up:
"It's great when we have two point guards out there. Both Ronald [Ramon] and Levance [Fields] are so versatile that they can pass and score and even make plays for the other. Again it just goes back to being able as a team to take what the other team gives you, and if the other team goes small, then we certainly have the weapons and the ability to play that way."
Quoting St. John's Head Coach Norm Roberts
Opening statement:
"I want to give
On Pitt shooting 18 three-point shots:
"We weren't aggressive enough and let them shoot too many. You have to be aggressive when you're playing a team like this [Pitt], especially when you're playing them at home."
On Pitt's ability to defend Lamont Hamilton:
"Pitt was very physical tonight. They're a physical team. We needed to do a better job of getting him [Lamont Hamilton] the ball."
On
"We couldn't have gotten a lot more open looks tonight. We were making some of the right moves to get the looks that we needed, but we were making the shots that we needed to get back in the game. We had to be tougher on defense to give ourselves a chance."
On Sam Young's play tonight:
"He played great tonight. He hadn't played like this all year. Not only did he shoot well today, but Pitt had a lot of guys that shot well. We knew Sam [Young] could play like that, though. We saw it in the tapes. You can't concentrate on any one part of this team though. Not when they have Aaron Gray. It's almost like you have to pick your poison with them [Pitt] and we decided to focus more on Aaron [Gray]. Things just didn't go our way tonight."
Quoting
On stopping Pitt:
"We were able to stop Pitt a few times, but we couldn't get the rebounds we needed. We'd contest their shots and they'd miss, but then we couldn't get the rebounds. You can't do things like that on the road and expect to win."
On Pitt's defense:
"They're [Pitt] a good defensive team. In the first half there were a lot of turnovers that we let go that we could've converted into points. I don't think their [Pitt's] defense was the reason we couldn't score. We just didn't execute our offense very well."
