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Quotes: Duke 70, San Jose State 51
12/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Opening Statement:
“I thought San Jose State did a really good job of staying in the game during the first half. They are a team that hasn't won much but who has good athletes and is putting in a new system and has a new guy coming [Carlton] Spencer who is in his second game. They had confidence and they started the second half like that. I thought our defense was excellent and we started sharing the ball better then; after committing 10 turnovers we only had one in the second half. We did not have a good practice yesterday, although we did have three outstanding practices before that. Greg [Paulus] has been hurt for three days and practiced some yesterday but you could tell he just wasn't in charge like he was against Gonzaga. For him, he has had such an interrupted season with injuries and that sickness. I know it's difficult but we can't just keep starting from square one every game. Lance [Thomas] is probably out for at least another game. So, there are some interruptions there. Josh [McRoberts] had a really great game with points, rebounds, assists and handling the ball with no turnovers. We just have to keep getting better but I thought we played well in the second half.”
On protecting the ball:
“We were old Duke on offense and new Duke on offense in each half. The turnovers that we committed in the first half didn't lead to fast breaks which, earlier this year a good portion, when we turned it over we usually hurt our defense. In the first half, we just didn't make enough passes. We kept trying to make a move that wasn't there. DeMarcus [Nelson] had four turnovers because he was trying to make a move that wasn't there. In the second half he made one of the prettiest plays of the game when he drove baseline and hit Gerald [Henderson] for a dunk. When it's there, it's there and when it's not, the pass is there.”
On growing as a team:
“It's part of getting to know one another. We're going to go through that for a while and we went through a lot of it with Greg [Paulus] not having those weeks of practice. Our team can still get a lot better offensively. We have to get comfortable with one another. The two guys who handle the ball the most are Greg and Josh [McRoberts] and you would like to have both of them be together from day one. We would be further along offensively if they were and that's not the case. You have to learn while you're playing games.”
On the schedule:
“Our schedule has been terrific; I think it's in the top five in the country. It's been a very good schedule for us. Temple will be a very good game for us but starting on Saturday, the world changes when you get into conference play. I think our guys have done a great job of getting to this point with the stuff that has happened. Record-wise, it's been terrific. What we need is what you need in any business ? competition and the grind of doing it twice a week, home, away, both away, whatever it is, and you see how you grow. This is the most unique season I've ever had with a team. Our guys are doing a very, very good job.”
San Jose State Head Coach George Nessman
Opening Statement:
“For us this was a real honor to play at Duke and play against their team. Obviously they are a national title contender and we're just a fledgling program trying to build something, and so we were really honored to be here. Having said that, we also were focused on competing as hard as we could and trying to stay in the game as long as we could to extend them, to get them into the last ten minutes, and then we figured who knows. We just couldn't quite do it. I thought Josh McRoberts was masterful; we just didn't have an answer for him physically. He was just too much for us. They basically entered the ball to him almost every possession in the second half. He just delivered for them like a big time player would do. In terms of our effort, I thought our guys fought from tip-off to buzzer. We're a very young and inexperienced team, and a building program. Believe it or not, I know it may sound funny, but it was a step forward for our program today. Our guys came into a tough spot and fought. We've started to play better now that Carlton (Spencer) has rejoined us and is playing and that has helped our team enormously. This is only his second game, and that's made a big difference for us. Overall, we feel very honored and privileged to be here.”
Senior guard Carlton Spencer
On his cramping and the difficulty in the second half:
“That's where we went down a little bit. They started making baskets and we didn't get any buckets to go down for us.”
Players Mentioned
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