University of Pittsburgh Athletics
Post-Game Quotesheet
2/27/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 27, 2007
POST-GAME QUOTESHEET
Pitt vs.
Quoting Pitt's Head Coach Jamie Dixon:
Opening Statement:
"Obviously that was a great second half. The numbers really say it all; you can't do much better than that. On the season, we're right where we wanted to be as well, with a great RPI and playing for first place in the conference. I also want to say that I think this is what senior night is supposed to be like, particularly when you're honoring four great kids in Aaron Gray, Levon Kendall, Antonio Graves and Doyle Hudson. All of them are graduating and are great representatives of this university."
On the leadership of Aaron Gray:
"I thought it's a role that he's really grown into and taken in, particularly this season. It's the kind of thing that comes at different points for different people, and with Aaron not playing a lot his first two years, he's just beginning to find his voice right now. But it's a very strong voice, and his teammates listen and respond to what he has to stay."
On the play of Tyrell Biggs:
"When I spoke with the team right after the game, Tyrell was the first player I brought up. Not only because of the way he sparked us on offense, but also because of the attitude he had while sitting on the bench in the first half. He has a tremendous respect for his teammates and that comes through both in his play and in his mind-set on and off the court."
On the success of Pitt's power forwards against the 1-3-1 defense:
"Some of it is our very skilled players having good games. However, some of the sets we run to counter that defense mean the power forward gets the ball in a position to score. It's a very tough defense to play against if you don't attack, and so we stress being aggressive. So part of it is game plan, but our players still have to perform and knock down their shots."
On Aaron Gray's free-throw shooting:
"He's too good a shooter to keep missing like he is. Usually when a guy is struggling, he's missing badly or his form is off, neither of which is the case with Aaron. I have all the confidence in the world that it will turn at some point, especially when you seem him knock down 15 footers all over the court during the game."
On what helped Pitt pull away in the second half:
"We got better shots than they did. That's always the key when one team pulls away. We got some lay-ups and open threes, while they got contested shots down the stretch and weren't able to convert. We made a concerted effort at half-time to slow down their penetration, and I think it really showed down the stretch. Once we eliminated their lay-ups and penetration, the rest took care of itself."
On Pitt's senior class:
"What really sticks out to me is how much each high school player improved throughout his tenure here. All of them worked so hard day in and day out to get better, and by the end of their careers they were all starters on a team that's challenging for first place in the Big East Conference. To me, that's what college basketball is all about."
Quoting Pitt's Aaron Gray:
On senior night:
"This is a great win and a senior night to remember. We lost a little bit of our intensity in the first half, but we got it back after half-time. I told the guys in the locker room that we needed to get back to what Pitt basketball was and just start playing the way we were capable of. We needed to start having fun again and we did as the game wore on."
On the play of Tyrell Biggs:
Tyrell came up huge for us tonight. Sam said his knees were bothering him and Tyrell didn't blink coming off the bench, knowing that he'd have to play at a high level. He's such a huge player for us now and especially down the road."
On making a half-time speech:
"I'm not usually the type of guy to lead vocally in the huddle or in the locker room, but I just felt like we needed it. The guys responded really well tonight; I just felt like we'd gotten away from what Pitt basketball does and we needed to make sure we remembered who we are."
On his four years at Pitt:
"It's crazy; it's been such a long road these four years. I'm in a great position now and I don't regret any decisions I've made here. These guys are my family now and they'll be my family forever."
Quoting Pitt's Tyrell Biggs:
On his play:
"I didn't play that much in the first half, but when I got off the bench my focus was on playing tough defense. I knew if I concentrated on that, the offense would flow to me. We have nine guys that can play significant minutes for us and step up at any time. Tonight was just my turn."
On Pitt's chance for the Big East title:
"It's a huge motivating factor for us, and it helped us get our heads together when we though the game was slipping away. We've played 30 games and we still have a chance, I think that says a lot about what kind of team this is."
Quoting Pitt's Mike Cook:
On Pitt's guard's shooting:
"Everybody worked together to make sure we got good shots. Aaron Gray clogged the lane, our slashers penetrated and made good passes, and then it was just a matter of knocking the shots down. We had to attack the whole time and never let them get set on defense, which we were able to do."
Quoting West Virginia Coach John Beilein
Opening Comments:
"Pitt plays so well in this building. They play well anywhere in the country, let alone here. We had to shoot a high percentage to overcome our disadvantage in strength. There are some things that you just can't hurry and experience and strength are two of them. They're good at it and we're not. If we shoot it 40% tonight, then maybe it's a closer game, but it's tough to win against a great team like Pitt with an off shooting night."
On WVU's 7-day layoff:
"We just went back to what we do and got down to business. I think they had a lot of bounces go their way- a lot of rebounds and loose balls, but they made their own breaks too. We play well when we shoot well and that just didn't happen tonight. I was very proud of our bench, though and I'm also proud that we came in here and scored 66 points against this tough
On the state of his team:
"We're getting better, but it's March now. When you have off nights in March, your season's going to end quickly."
On considering altering his rotation in the second half:
"You need to have a rotation that you feel comfortable with. I don't know if it would have made a difference, but then again maybe it could have. It's one of those things where you have to dance with the girl that brought you and we stuck with the guys that have been getting it done for us all year."
On their progress since the last time they played
"I hope we're getting better, but I'm sure
On significant NCAA wins:
"A lot of people talk about the significance of wins in December and January, but I'm not so sure about that. It would have been significant if we would have won, but our season's not over. We've got to get ready for
On his young team being ready for March:
"They know. It's not something that we even have to talk about it. Everybody's in the same situation around this time of year. Some guys, I hope not me, but some guys are playing for their jobs. That's why it's so packed here tonight and why it'll be packed at our place on Saturday and packed for the Big East tournament."
On Pitt's defense:
"I hope I didn't take it out too much on the officials, but I was just frustrated because Jamie's defense is so tough. We got some great shots tonight, probably more good shots than we've had in a while but that doesn't mean much except that we're getting better."
On bad shooting nights:
"I don't worry about bad shooting nights. Frank [Young] probably took too many shots against
