Dec. 15, 2012
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
QUOTING COACH SENDEK
"Offensively, we certainly didn't play in a manner that would give us much breathing room; starting with our nine first half turnovers. Once again, we struggled at the free throw line. For the second game in a row, we struggled shooting threes. Two games in a row now we're five for twenty-nine from three, and not a whole lot better from the foul line. It puts extra pressure on your defense, especially when you're playing against a team like Dartmouth, whose team is going to play possession basketball. They're going to pass and move the ball as well as cut and screen for a good portion of the shot clock. I thought for the most part our guys played pretty good defense. They had good defensive discipline. But once again, with the way we did not convert and with our turnovers, we just didn't give ourselves a lot of breathing room this afternoon. Once again, I thought Carrick's performance was tremendous because of the energy and the effort. He comes down with a double-double; fourteen rebounds, five blocks, four steals. He's a stat sheet stuffer. I was really pleased with the way he played today. I thought Jahii was really good on the ball. It was probably his best overall effort guarding the ball out front through the course of the game. I was also pleased to be able to get Kenny Martininto the game. I still really believe he has outstanding potential for us. His body is going to go through some physical transformation. He's really busy learning all the new parts of college basketball."
ON KENNY'S (MARTIN) ENERGY
"That's Kenny's game. He's a high motor, high energy guy. I think once he's able to play and not think so much (because he really does have a lot on his plate right now in terms of learning), we'll see even a better mode. When you go back to how he played with his club teams and with his summer teams, that was the thing that caught your eye. He was relentless. I think that motor has slowed a little bit only because there's so much new in front of him. Once he's able to just play naturally, our team will really benefit from his motor."
ON CARRICK PLAYING THE OFF-GUARD
"We had a bigger lineup. I thought that group in particular had a nice stretch for us. I thought the size helped us on defense with some of the match-ups. Dartmouth had a pretty formidable size and strength team. They didn't have an aircraft carrier in the middle, but they were big, strong young men."
ON LETTING TEAMS HANG AROUND
"I think we have to play better. I really do. Things are rarely as good or as bad as they may first appear. If we shoot the ball better, even Wednesday night, at any number of intersections during the game it has a completely different feel. I don't care who you're playing, if you add up our last two games from three, and what we have shot at the free throw line, you better be really good on defense. You better be converting a very high percentage of your two point shots. Those numbers are clearly outliers. They're big numbers, and not in our favor. I keep that kind of in mind because I think we have some pretty good shooters that for whatever reason, haven't shot their best."
ON ALL THAT CARRICK BRINGS TO THE TEAM
"I think he has matured so much. He has already demonstrated this season that he can maybe not shoot his best, but still greatly impact the game. He's already demonstrated that he can weather foul trouble, stay connected, and still come back and really impact the game. He's already demonstrated that even on a night where he's not getting many shots or scoring, he still can have a significant impact on the game. He's playing both ends of the floor. There are certain things that stand out because you can look at stats sheets. There are other things that you have to watch the game or listen to conversations to know. He's done so much for our team beyond even the stat sheet. His leadership is just exemplary. His defense has been outstanding. Night in, night out, he's guarding the other team's best player; whether it's a bigger guy like McDermott or whether it's a guard. His defensive versatility has been tremendous. We've asked him to do a great deal and he's delivered. Good things happen to good people and because of his attitude and his approach, and his caring of his teammates; he's just so easy to cheer for. He's just so easy to want to do well."
ON DARTMOUTH MAKING IT A HALF COURT GAME
"It didn't limit us. I think they did a good job of playing their game. That's what they do. They do it well enough to the extent that they're not going to turn it over. They're going to reverse the ball and run action. You have to stay disciplined and focused on defense. Through this stretch of non-conference games now, we've played such a wide variety of styles. We played on one end Arkansas and DePaul. On the other end we played Hartford and Dartmouth, who run the Princeton offense. We played Creighton, who maybe has the best transition game that I've seen. Our schedule, if anything, has really given us a wide variety of styles. We've gone against pressing teams, zone teams, multiple defensive teams, and man-to-man teams. Even today, our guys had to contend with them switching between their matchup and their man-to-man. We really have had a wide variety of styles to contend with here early in the season."
QUOTES FROM CARRICK
"They definitely played a good game. Our thing was to have a lot of energy, and to compete from the beginning to the end of the game. I think we started off the game a little show, but we sped up in the second half. The whole game was a grind."
ON HIS ROLE ON MAKING WINNING PLAYS
"Yes, I believe so. I always come through in the clutch time. By me putting in the work during the summer and my teammates giving me confidence and courage to play my game. I have Jahii Carson, Evan Gordon, and Jordan Bachynskialways in my ear with this great energy. Just knowing that, I just go out there and play hard."
ON THE CONCERN OF LETTING INFERIOR TEAMS HANG AROUND
"I think it's a concern, because we always want to be ready with confidence. Every day is going to be a constant grind, as every game is going to be a battle. I think we need to be more aware that we can't start off slow, and not let the other team punch us first. They were out there grinding us on their offense, and they knew what they wanted to do. So that's when we have to come through, and have great defense."
ON PLAYING WITH Kenny Martin
"Kenny Martinis a unique person. He has great energy. That's what we need from him everyday. Coach Sendek preached to him, that he might not get as much playing time but you can tell when he gets on the court he wants to learn and do things right. Tonight, he came on and had great energy. He got us offensive and defensive rebounds, and that's what we need from him."
ON Kenny Martin BEING HELPFUL
"He's quick, can guard the perimeter and the post, which is good for us. It allows us to pressure the ball more. With his athleticism, he's able to get stops. We have better opportunities for blocks so we can get back in transition.
ON THE BIG STAT LINE IN TODAY'S GAME
"I thought it brought some physical play. Just by having all the trees out there, we kind of scared the other team. With them driving, and knowing they can't get easy shots in the board. It was a good line out that coach Sendek mixed up. Everyone on the bench has to be ready to play, because you never know what coach wants us to do.
ON GOING ON THE ROAD TO PLAY TEXAS TECH
"I think next week will be a great opportunity for us, to finally have a game on the road. We haven't played on the road for a while, since Las Vegas. Usually we have a game every three days, but now having a whole week off before we play we can go into practice and stay focused. We have to try to better each and everyday.
QUOTING JAHII
"With those teams they grind their offense. They know what they want to do, have guys to go to and like to get open shots. we have to keep picking up the ball and forcing them to make turnovers. Teams like to come here and slow us down. They don't come in with a lot of confidence. They try to slow us down, while throwing different defensives at us with the zone, and trying to get us off balance. We have to keep focus, come in and punch them in the face first. When we play teams like Texas Tech and other teams in conference, we can't have any leeway. With teams like this, we have to make a statement, so when we go into conference teams know that we weren't playing any games in our conference."
ON DARMOUTH STYLE
"Yes, it's kind of like Hartford. They worked hard, and is a good three point shooting team. They didn't really press us, they tried to get in a half set to slow us down. I think we did a pretty good job at making them play our speed, with the fast temple. Getting them tired, out of that offensive, and stop looking for three's. They started getting fatigued, getting easy buckets, and going to the basket were we have shoot blockers and guys who can make plays on the defensive end. That's what got our energy going, when they started taking fatigued shots, and that's what got us ways baskets on the fast break in."
ON HELPING EVAN GET HIS CONFIDENCE
"We just have to keep feeding him the ball. Shooters are going to have off night, but you still have to feed them the ball. There's going to be some games were he's hot, and others were he's cold. But we try to mix them in on the fast break, get to the basket, and to the free throw line, just getting him heated up. Evan Gordon is a great guy, he doesn't care if he scores 20 points or 7 points. But he definitely has a presents on defense, which helps us out. He takes pressure off of me when i'm on the ball, as well as Carrick Felixon the wings on the star players he normally guards. So, he really helps us out, and doesn't complain. Bu when he's feeling it, we will give it to him, and when he's not start getting him some touches so he can start feeling it soon."
ON FORCING IT INSIDE TO JORDAN
"We definitely want to try to isolate him. He pretty much has a mismatch every time he goes down there, nobody is over 6'8" that's guarding him. So, he definitely has a mismatch down there. We want to get his confidence going. Coming up here, with these next couple of games going into conference, we want him to start pounding it inside and getting easy buckets. Once he starts getting easy buckets, teams have to double him. That opens up for Jonathan Gilling, Carrick Felix, and Evan Gordonfor the three, as well as me being able to cut and get easy layups. So he's a key factor in our offense, and want him to get going early."
ON PREPARING FOR TEXAS TECH
"I'm trying to get mentally focused, just for every game period. Just positive energy, which my teammates bring. Getting my body ready, being well rested, and staying mentally focused is key. I'm going to go out there and play the best I can."