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University of Louisville Men's Basketball Post-Game Quotes
March 04, 2009 | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2009
Recap | Box Score | Notes | AP Photo Gallery 
Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino
(Opening Statement) "Well it was a terrific way to end our guys' last game. It was a fun game for the fans and the players. They all had great nights; those that are leaving. I am really proud of them and the season. We have one game to go. We could potentially play for the BIG EAST championship on the road. We are very excited about that. We know we have a tough challenge ahead of us and we are looking forward to the remaining games."
(On tonight's three point shooting performance) "I think if we pass well, we shoot well. I wish we could pas to the foul line. There is absolutely no reason for Jerry Smith and Preston Knowles to miss free throws. We are going to have to have Terrence Jennings shoot our free throws on technical fouls."
(On Terrence Jennings's performance off the bench) "He played real well, really well. He is very active; blocks shots, rebounds, and plays the perimeter very well."
(On Earl Clark's show) "The more Earl gets inside, the more productive he is. He should keep going to the outside 20% of the time and in the inside 80% of the time. He is a tremendous force with his length, and he mixed it up tonight. He hit the turn around base-line jump shots, little runners in the lane, great offensive rebounding and played excellent defense. He did a terrific job."
(Feelings on senior Night) "They are always special. This group we will really miss because they truly want to win more than anything else. When we came off that NIT season they were really committed to winning. It was interesting because in their sophomore year there were a lot of times in the months of January and February people doubted whether they could turn it around. They always came through and responded. In very difficult ways they had to respond. We had to string some games together to get to the tournament. The last two years we have obviously been much better because we have been the best road team in the BIG EAST conference the last three years. That speaks well of the seniors' character."
(On T-Will's performance and nearly receiving a triple-double) "We tried to get it for him. Twill keeps it in his belt buckle every game. He thinks about assists and triple-doubles are tough to come by. He came close an awful lot and it is great that he fills the stat sheet. Earl and Twill were brilliant tonight, both guys played great. Terrence Jennings played terrific as well."
(On team's improvements over the past weeks) "I think this team is, we call it vital factors, and we got better with transition defense. I think two major keys to this basketball team are when we pass on an offensive rebound we are a good basketball team. When we take quick shots we are not. When we do not offensive rebound we let the other teams get into transition. We offensive rebounded and passed very well tonight. We over-passed tonight which is a good thing to see because we were trying to get our teammates the ball."
"I want to thank everyone for all the support we have received at home this season. It has been a terrific season. I will always remember an intrasquad scrimmage during a torrential downpour from a year ago when we got 12,500 people to show up for the scrimmage. This is a very unique place, very different to play in. These guys will not understand the magnitude of the people they played in front of until they leave. They will not understand what a treat it is to play here until you become my age. This is a special place with very special fans. Now it's tournament time with one more regular season game on the road and it will be a tough game. Then we go up to New York."
Seton Hall Head Coach Bobby Gonzalez
(Opening statement) "We came in here trying to make it a game and obviously we were up against a lot tonight. Freedom Hall sold out is a tough place to play. These guys are sixth in the country. We beat them last year and we figured we had their attention. They are also playing, trying to get a piece to win the league outright. We knew we were not going to catch them sleeping or get their `B' game. They got off to a good start. They are the type of team where they go on explosive runs. We got down to 11 points a couple times and kept fighting. We are going to be like that. That is what we are going to look like when we get enough players. They are right now an elite team. They have a lot of depth, one through five. I think UConn is a great team and so is Louisville. Louisville is as good as anyone I have seen in this conference this year because they can come off the bench. I guess Samardo (Samuels) did not have a great game; I am certainly not knocking him, he had nine points. I was impressed; they go on their bench and get Terrence Jennings. He had 14 points and six rebounds. That is a pretty nice guy to bring in. They have an elite team."
(On Louisville's potential in the NCAA tournament) "They have a lot of pieces. To be honest I questioned their guards - not knocking their guards Edgar Sosa or Andre McGee. I thought maybe when you look at a Lance Fields or an A.J. Price, if they had any weakness maybe in the point guard. Because they have forwards like Terrence Williams and Earl Clark, it does not matter. They are a special team. They are right up there. They are a great team."
(On Seton Hall's attempts to re-enter the game) "We could not sustain certain things because we do not have the depth inside to hang with them. The strength of their team is their inside game and the strength of our team is our guards. They did a good job with Jeremy Hazell after last year. They made him work even though he had 18 points. Coach (Pitino) is a brilliant coach, he does a great job. Usually he has his team playing good basketball this time of year. We caught these guys running on all cylinders."
(On observing Terrence Williams' growth) "The first time I saw him was in Madison Square Gardens when he was a freshman. I remember him being just a raw athlete. He was a jump, run, and press player. Now he is so much more skilled. He can make threes; he can handle the ball, and hurt you so many ways. He is their emotional leader out on the court. Obviously Earl Clark put in a special performance tonight. We have trouble with four men. Sam Young got 29 points on us last week Earl Clark got 27 points tonight. We have had trouble with athletic four men all year. But yes, Terrence Williams is a special player."
