University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Post-Game Quotesheet
11/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2007
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POST-GAME QUOTESHEET
Pitt vs.
Quoting Pitt Head Coach Jamie Dixon:
Opening Statement:
"What really stood out to me tonight was our unselfishness. Throughout the whole game, even at the end, we were making the extra pass, trying to hit the open man and just do what we could to make sure we got the best shot possible. I think
On Pitt's trapping defense:
"When we played them last year, I didn't think we guarded them as well as we could have. This defense was something we've played before, but we worked on it a lot this week in practice. Given their sets, and what we knew we liked to run it seemed like something that could be very effective. It takes good quickness to play defense like that, and that's something we have this year."
On Pitt getting 16 steals:
"That comes strictly from playing good, solid, fundamental defense. Keith Benjamin in particular got a couple steals that didn't come from being aggressive, but rather from staying in good position and reading the play."
On the play of Sam Young:
"I keep saying it because it's true, but I'm more impressed with his leadership on the court than I am with any numbers he puts on the stat sheet. Sam may be somewhat quiet, but he's been very vocal on the defensive end, directing traffic and getting other players where they need to be. That demonstrates not only his understanding of our defense, but also his maturity and willingness to be a leader."
On the play of Keith Benjamin:
"We want to get him in the game as quickly as possible and he understands that. Keith is a guy we look to as an example for doing things the right way, and for what you can accomplish when you go about your business like that. We have six guys on this team who we look to for leadership and Keith is definitely one of them."
Quoting Pitt's Keith Benjamin:
On Pitt's defensive approach:
"We are taking a new approach this season. We've worked a lot on denying the pass, making sure our man has trouble catching the pass. Coach Dixon has given us a lot of freedom where if you feel like you can get to the ball then you go after it. It's good because if you look at it, the teams that are aggressive are usually the ones that go far in the tournament."
On the difference between last year's game against
"That game was very memorable to us because of how close it was. Anytime you experience something like that, you want to make sure you get after them if you get another chance. Coming in, we really didn't know how this game was going to go, but we knew that we wanted to come after them as hard as we could."
On Pitt's offensive approach:
"When I first got here, we were much more of a patient team on offense. Now, we're looking to be aggressive. The onus is really on us guards to use our athleticism and ability to create for our bigger guys like Sam Young and DeJuan Blair. I think it's really a style of play that suits my abilities well."
On Sam Young's play this year:
"There's a tremendous difference in his play. The biggest thing for me is how he's seeing the floor this year. His vision and ability to see the floor when he has the ball is so much better than it was before. Teams have to respect how well he can pass, and that opens up a lot of other things for him."
Quoting Pitt's Sam Young:
On his play this year:
"There's no real difference in my approach. I'm just out there playing as hard as I can, trying to have fun. I'm more confident now in my shooting and in my ball handling ability so if one of those opportunities presents themselves, I can take it."
On defending
"We watched a lot of film on them, and we saw how dangerous they can be. They've scheduled three Big East teams this year, and they even beat one, so we know they have some guys who can play. Our goal was just to make sure we stayed after them, and took our shots at getting after the ball when we could. Everything just flowed from that."
On the play of Keith Benjamin:
"I'm not surprised by how well Keith is playing right now. A lot of times late at night, I'll come into the gym thinking I'll be the only one there and instead Keith's there working on his ball handling or shooting. He's a very skilled player who only wants to make himself better, which is the kind of work ethic this whole team has."
Quoting the
Opening Statements:
"I thought Pitt did an outstanding job. They are much quicker than they were before. They were great defensively and the combination of [Ronald] Ramon and [Levance] Fields being out there at the same time caused their [Pitt's] on-court decision making to be very sound."
On Pitt's Aggressive Style of Play in the Game:
"With Ramon and Fields playing together and Sam Young playing at the 4, I was not surprised at their [Pitt's] aggressiveness. They are such a quick team that even if they are not trying to be aggressive, they still will be."
On the play of Jawaan Alston:
"I think he [Alston] has a really bright future. He hurt his ankle earlier in the season and missed a lot of practice but was very anxious to get back to playing. Like I said, he has a bright future."
