Louisville vs. Kentucky
December 14, 2008 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 14, 2008
Louisville Head Coach Jeff Walz
"We did do a very good job of taking care of the ball. This could be the second game Angel has had more assists than turnovers. I thought she did a good job of not trying to force things and Deseree' Byrd is really developing into a good point guard for us."
(On Deseree' Byrd's playing time)
"Des does a lot of good things. I thought she played well. I thought physically she looked good and I don't think she looked tired the entire game. Des does a lot of good things. She made some big shots for us. When the shot clock is running down she drove and made two or three big ones. That's what she can do, when you have a point guard that understands the game like Des is starting to understand the game and has the ability to take someone off the dribble and score it really helps your offense.
(On the crowd support)
"I don't know what more you can ask for if you're a first time fan. If it's the first game you have seen, I don't know what else she (Angel) has to do, or even our team. I am very impressed with all of them and I thought we all played hard."
(On the defensive job against UK's point guard)
"We did a good job on her (Amber Smith) and they definitely miss Carly Ormerod. There is no question about that. That's just part of the game but we did a very good job. We forced them into unforced turnovers at times, some errand passes that went over somebody's head when we weren't even trapping. I thought we did a very good job of rattling them. I thought Candyce Bingham did a very good on the top of our mad dog press at getting her hands up and caused a lot of bad passes."
(On Monique Reid)
"Mo is doing a really good job. She is a typical freshman and there are times out there when she looks as good as I've seen. Then there are times when she just stands around and looks dead. We did a really good job of trapping the ball in front of our bench during the second half. Mo can score offensively. She is shooting 50 percent from the 3-point line and she is smart enough to shoot the first one and after that if she misses she is done. If she can continue to make the outside shots for us it really opens things up."
Kentucky Head Coach Matthew Mitchell
"Well, I thought it was a real tough game, a hard fought game. I think both teams played real hard. I just really admire the way Angel McCoughtry plays basketball; I think she just makes her team so much better in so many ways. You see a lot of good players as you coach but you don't see many that can impact the game in so many ways, scoring, rebounding and defensively like she does. I thought she was clearly the difference in the game. She is just a first rate player, but I was very proud of the effort our team gave. We certainly didn't execute the way we wanted to. I thought we fought today and that's progress for our team right now."
(On being without Carly Ormerod)
"Well its always hard to say, but speculating on that I would say she would've helped us. I think it was awful tough on Amber Smith out there tonight, 38 minutes under that pressure. They do such a good job, it was a very difficult with one day of preparation to get ready for all of their different looks, and that's a credit to their team to be able to play that many multiple defenses. For one player of her size to have to go 38 minutes, Carly definitely would've helped us. Who knows if the outcome would've been different I certainly can't stand here and say that, that would be taking credit away from Louisville. I definitely think we are a better team when Carly Ormerod is playing. We look forward to getting her back after Christmas."
(On Lydia Watkins)
"She's healthier. I admire that kid for coming out and fighting today. She literally has not practiced in weeks. The last time she was out on the basketball court was the Western Kentucky game and for her to come out and play the way she did, I really appreciate her effort today. We are a better team when Lydia Watkins is on the court."
(On large crowds in women's basketball )
"I think it's tremendous. I think when you have a player like Angel McCoughtry it just energizes your fan base. She is so dynamic. I would pay to watch her play, she is just a good player, and then they have a very good team. I think that her presence is such a boost to the profile of women's basketball around the country. If she's not the best, there's not maybe one or two better than her and when she's on her game I think she is the best player in the country."
