March 3, 2006

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POST-GAME QUOTESHEET

Seton Hall at Pitt

March 3, 2006

 

Quoting Pitt Head Coach Jamie Dixon

 

Opening Statement:

 

"I'd like to congratulate Seton Hall. I thought they deserved to win and definitely outplayed us. Kelly Whitney and Donald Copeland made huge plays throughout, especially at the end of the game. I thought we executed very well on offense at points, but the defense, even when we had that big lead, was never where we wanted it. It's also very tough to win when you turn the ball over as much as we did."

 

On Aaron Gray missing two free-throws at the end:

 

"He came in here and stepped up afterwards. I told him it's over and we're moving on. I have no doubt Aaron will do what he's always done and continue to work hard. We're eventually going to see him hit a couple free-throws to win a game."

 

On Seton Hall slowing down Pitt's offense:

 

"We came out hot, but we're not going to shoot 75% for the whole game. I thought aside from a couple points we didn't move the ball well enough. The turnovers really stick out. I think we forced a lot of passes, and that shows a lack of patience."

 

On Pitt's defense:

 

"I was unhappy with our defensive execution. Whitney was able to post -up, and Copeland was able to hit some shots without any ball pressure. We let Seton Hall get comfortable in their offense too easily and didn't make them work hard enough for their points."

 

On where Pitt stands as a team:

 

"What can you say to these guys? We grew a lot as the year went on, and youth is not an excuse. It's a disappointing loss, but everyone is 0-0 right now and that's the way you have to look at it. All that matters right now is how we respond to it."

 

Quoting Seton Hall Head Coach Louis Orr

 

Opening Statements

 

"The scripture says good and perfect gifts come from God. This was an awesome gift from God, I give him the praise."

 

On the impact of this win and his team's performance:

 

"This was truly a team win for our guys. They played with perseverance and endurance. We say that we need to stay on the grind and we did that, Pitt is a stay on the grind team too."

 

On the play of Seton Hall's two seniors Donald Copeland and Kelly Whitney:

 

"Whitney and Copeland make a coach's job easy. The second half they did a good job defending [Aaron] Gray. Whitney is a warrior he plays with a lot of will. He's very unselfish. I think he's the best low post scorer in the Big East. He's just tough."

 

On winning at the Petersen Events Center where Pitt was 16-0 this season:

 

"My hat is off to Pitt.  Going undefeated at home is a tough thing to do.  Loosing just one game at home is a great record. Our guys came in here and played fearlessly."

 

On Pitt's guarding of Donald Copeland:

 

"It helped us when we got to the three-throw line with when you have a guy like Copeland. Late in the game we thought if we kept the court spread we'd have a chance to win. He did a great job in helping. He and Whitney are one of the best inside outside combos in our league."

 

On the game plan for Pitt's depth coming off the bench:

 

"We have a lot of respect for Pitt's depth. Any one of their 10 guys is capable of having a big game. We wanted to use our bench because we didn't want to get worn down either. I give out bench credit for stepping up. We had to keep their guards and perimeter people out of the lane. In the second half we did a good job with rebounding the ball. It was a great team in on our part and I give the guys all the credit."

 

On the prospects of playing in the NCAA Tournament:

 

"We go into the Big East Tournament and we want to keep on the grind. This is a great win for us; it's got to be a plus for us to get into the NCAA Tournament. Our resume shows that we've done a lot of good things. We feel good about what we've done."

 

Quoting Pitt's Carl Krauser:

 

On how concerned he is after the loss:

 

"I'm not concerned because this team doesn't quit. We have confidence that we're going to go out and win the next game. We'll get back to work, fix our mistakes and be successful."

 

On how Seton Hall slowed down Pitt's offense:

 

"There were turnovers in several parts of the game when we could have made a run. Not only did they stop us, but a lot of times it led to them scoring in transition. That hurt our momentum a lot."

 

On how concerned he is with Pitt's defense:

 

"I'm not too worried. We have a couple of days to correct our mistakes. We have to play better team defense, and get key stops at big moments in the game. If we do that then I think we'll be just fine."

 

On how far this Pitt team can go:

 

"There's absolutely another level, several levels actually that this team can acheive. We haven't played our best game yet by far. I'm sure that it's still to come; there's still some time and a lot of season left."

 

On playing his last home game at Pitt:

 

"The crowd was great. I really appreciate the crowd, the fans, and the university. We're sorry it ended this way, but we'll remember how much it hurts to lose when we go to New York City next week. It's bittersweet for me, really. I love competing and playing college ball, I love the fans, and I love the environment. But at the same time, I'm ready to move on to new challenges."

 

Quoting Pitt's Aaron Gray:

 

On missing potential game-tying free throws:

 

"I felt confident when I stepped to the line. Everyday after practice I work on them with my coaches.  Aside from those two at the end, I missed many others throughout the game. It's the weakest part of my game right now, but it's something I'm going to work hard on improving."

 

On seeing teams double team him more often:

 

"In the beginning of the season teams schemed around Carl [Krauser] which gave me opportunities. Now they're putting extra guys on both of us. It means I have to recognize which of my teammates they're leaving open, and do a better job finding them than I did tonight."

 

On how teams specifically defend him:

 

"They just try to go big on me. They want to limit my vision and my ability to get to the basket. I have to make better decisions and not try to force a play when I see that it's not there."

 

Quoting Pitt's Levon Kendall:

 

On getting a lot of open shots tonight:

 

"It's something we've done all year, having me on the receiving end of a lot of kick-outs. With teams focusing on Aaron [Gray], it's going to give me more open looks that I have to knock down."

 

On defending Kelly Whitney:

 

"Whitney's very tough, and he plays hard for 40 minutes. We did well, I thought, for most of the time. However, he's a great player and you have to stay with him for the whole game. I thought he got way too many easy baskets.

 

On Seton Hall having more at stake:

 

"We talked about it in pre-game, how much this game meant to their season. I guess we were a little flat in countering their intensity. We just couldn't match for the whole game."