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University of Louisville Men's Basketball Post-Game Quotes
December 16, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 16, 2006
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University of Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino
"This is kind of scary thought but this is the best we have run our offense this year. It is the most open shots we have had all year. It is the best we have run it, the best we reversed it and the best we have gone inside to out. We handled the basketball well but it is obvious we are not a good shooting team. Our guys did a terrific job spacing and moving and playing hard defensively. They lost their men in transition a few times which hurt, but give them credit for playing good defense. It is the most open we have been all year. We are not a very good basketball team right now. We just have to keep working. It is obvious, I don't have to explain it to you. There is only one answer to not being a good basketball team and that is to keep working and spending time trying to become one. There is no substitute for hard work."
(On Randolph Morris) "I told the guys before the game, I guaranteed them all. Randolph Morris, I think is great. I said I guarantee David Padgett will outplay Randolph Morris. If the rest of you guys can do a lot of good things, and that is not putting Randolph Morris down because I think Randolph Morris is one of three best centers in college basketball. I just thought David has the game to do the right things in the low post. He is coming around to hurt them and fortunately we did a good job of making the second, third, fourth pass. I knew from the beginning we weren't a good basketball team. But what we have to learn is to make easy put-backs and lay-ups and drives and two point shots. We are not going to change the outside shooting overnight. It is what it is. But the inside shooting, the two-point shots, the drives and the low bank shots, we have got to make those shots. Give UK credit they won the game. They are going to grow as a basketball team and get better."
"Offense is great. It is the best movement, player movement, best ball movement I have seen all year ... as good as the Final Four team. But Francisco Garcia, Taquan Dean and Larry O'Bannon made those shots. We don't have to change anything I have been using those sets at UK, at Boston U, at Providence and it is a lot of movement, a lot of good spacing to it. That is our forte, just right now we have to keep working. We are not going to do it from the three point line. We have to do it with a really good attack in terms of getting the easy two-point shots. We have to let our guys take the three and if it doesn't go in, we can't worry about it. You can't get stage fright about taking the three if it is there."
(On Terrence Williams' confidence) "Do you want me to blame you? (the media). How many times have you guys pointed out his shooting percentage. That is normal, he is shooting 15 percent so it is normal if you are a shooter, but you have to take the shot. He has to get in the gym and work on it. Same with Tello (Palacios) and foul shooting .. you just have to keep on working and working on it. There are 100 different theories about free throw shooting and how to do it. The only guy I have ever seen who was a great shooter but didn't shoot from the foul line is player by the name of Otis Birdsong. Shaq is going to be Shaq. This guy is going to be this guy. They have all got 100 different coaches at their disposal, shooting coaches, psychocybernetics you can use. Go in there relax and work hard at it. No other answer but keep working on your game."
(On what UK did well) "They hurt us in transition. We missed the shot we were looking for and what you have to do in transition defense is one guy has to stop the ball, one guy has to stop the post and everyone get in a triangle defense and play the nearest man. We kept trying to run to our own man and they got open shots."
"I like Jasper a lot too. But I am going to tell you something. Freshman are freshman, they are contributors and are capable of having good nights but this is not Brandon Wright. They don't have a Brandon Wright and we don't have a Brandon Wright. But what you have to understand is that we have guys who are going to be here a long time. Players who are going to develop who the fans are going to love. What has to happen is that juniors and seniors have got to make the plays and the freshmen will do their jobs. But they have got to make the plays. David Padgett made the plays but unfortunately, the rest of our guys did not."
(On his team's confidence) "I don't worry about their confidence. I worry about our guys listening. There are a couple of your favorites especially (that don't listen). I told them four points tonight, do throw scoop passes, they're very good defensively in the interior. I told them that they are going to flop if you back into them because they can't defend you. You have to block out and move your feet. He is a perfect case, if he (Derrick Caracter) can listen and absorb more he will become a better player. He's always been bigger part of growing up and maturing."
"We made a faux pas. We were supposed to be in a zone on the out of bounds play. Four guys were in man and one was in zone and we lost our guy and it was a bad three. We are both the types of team that is going to need some breaks to get better. Kentucky is better than us obviously. They won. We are not get discouraged but just keep working really hard. If you have a Richie Farmer or John Pelphrey they are a liability on defense but you still have to play them because they can make the shots. It is difficult for Will Scott to play in a game with Ramel Bradley, Joe Crawford and those guys. But what Will Scott needs to learn is that it just not all about the three. He has to learn to make the two because it isn't all about the three. He has to learn to make come off the screen and hit two point shots as well to be more of a weapon."
Kentucky Head Coach Tubby Smith
"It was a very hard fought game, obviously the team that could really sustain some momentum in any point in time. It wasn't a really pretty win but it was a good win for us. They are a quality team and program, I know they are struggling shooting the ball but we didn't shoot the ball particulary light it up either. We got some outstanding plays from some people that we needed to have play well and that's what teams do."
"Jody Meeks, Lukasz, and Sharay Thomas were showing their leadership qualities all year, even though they are coming off the bench. I can't say enough about those young men. I thought in the second half we did the things we needed to do like stepping up knocking down free throws. We had to overcome Randolph's loss and I thought our guys showed a lot of heart and courage."
"The Santa Clara game, we need to focus on them. Kids are coming off exams this week and you wonder how they are going to respond. They respond the right way hopefully because they did well in class. We haven't all gotten their grades yet but I know most of them have done extremely well. We have two tough games next week."
(On the bench play) "All of them have started at some time Lukasz and Sharay started last year and Derrick is getting better. Even though Bobby is struggling in taking the ball to the basket and Randoph was in foul trouble and Joe is having a tough time. That's the way we practice and that's the way I coach and I believe we have these guys on the team for a reason. Because they can help us win big basketball games. I think they know I have confidence in them and they stepped up and produced. It is a matter if Randolph is having a good game it is a matter of being ready when the opportunity presents themselves. I am sure it does give them a lot of confidence and they need a lot of confidence when we do do that because they can do a job. In this type of hostile environment you expect veteran seniors to be able to stay focused and not get rattled."
(On the play of Joe Crawford) "He had a chance to play and he did some things, even though he didn't make shots, he gives you some things. Even though he didn't make shots he gives you a little more energy and gives you the confidence you can do it again."
(On the play of Lukasz Obrzut) "He is the best screener we have and he really doesn't mind doing the dirty work so I appreciate when he does."
"Obviously we have to do a better job rebounding and keeping Randolph out of foul trouble. These little ticky tacky fouls that he had today, we tried to tell him to save them. But we have to take care of the ball better. It is uncharateristic of us to have 13 turnovers. But I thought we took care of the ball better and we showed a lot of patience so we have to continue to do that. Those are the things we have to do to take care of the ball better."
(On the play of Porter) "We was playing under control, he was playing smart. He is a guy that can knock down the outside shot that is one thing he can give us at the point guard spot, which he did. He is looking to get us into stuff, sometimes it forces him to go a little quicker that he wants but he is getting better each day in practice. I thought he defended well. He understands the game, he is starting to appreciate the finer points of the scouting report, and that helps. He is not trying to go be the hero, he's just taking what they give us."
