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Quotes: Duke 96, UNCG 62
11/13/2009 9:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski
On team's performance:
“I was really pleased with our effort. I thought our guys played really hard and they had to. [UNC] Greensboro played very hard. We're a little bit under-manned right now with Nolan [Smith] and Mason [Plumlee] being out and Jordan [Davidson] not being here today. Not that Jordan would have played significant minutes but he would have played a few minutes at different times to take Jon [Scheyer's] place. I thought we played well. Lance [Thomas] on the ball was good. Until Nolan gets back and when Nolan's not in the game, Lance will be on the ball so he had a chance to be on the ball the whole game. Jon, playing those minutes and not having a turnover was really good. The veterans played really hard and I thought our young guys were really good. Olek [Czyz] was good. He didn't take an outside shot, had six points, six rebounds, played good defense, three assists, and one turnover. He gave a lot of energy and did well what he's supposed to do, so I was really happy for him. He played more minutes tonight than he did all of last year or close to it. Andre [Dawkins] and Ryan [Kelly] gave us a lift. They hit those two threes when [UNC Greensboro] got it down to 17. Those were big plays for freshmen to make.
On the crowd and atmosphere:
“I was really pleased with our crowd. The students were great. It is Nov. 13 and they were fantastic. It was a lot of fun in here tonight and we're looking forward to Monday and Tuesday to having that same type of action. That was as good as the students have been early in a long time. They gave the team a big boost I thought.”
On Jordan Davidson missing the game:
“Jordan's grandmother passed away. She helped raise him and she was buried today so he was there to give the eulogy. He'll be available on Monday.”
On Mason Plumlee's injury:
“On Wednesday they'll take another look at Mason's wrist. Not that he'll be ready to play at that time, that won't happen. But we hope that it's weeks and not months. I don't want to put a timetable on it. But the fact that he's not in a cast we can take a look at it next week. It's a non-displaced fracture and the thing that hurts the most is the tissue. It's like a sprain.”
On Olek Czyz playing with poise:
“In looking back we probably should have redshirted him, because he had so much to learn. Not just basketball, but language and academics. He was making a really big step forward in a lot of areas. He's made it, he's a really good kid and he's an outstanding athlete. Today he didn't try to do anything that he wasn't that good at. He's practiced that way and Jon, Kyle, and Lance they give him energy.”
On the play of Kyle Singler:
“He's in great shape. He's such a good shooter. The thing we have to do is get him to the line. I'm not complaining, I'm only saying he's got to get free throws in addition to shooting a high percentage. He's just a really good player. He's in exquisite shape. He can handle, shoot and he doesn't get tired. The thing he can't do is—he got that foul two minutes into the game he grabbed a guy's jersey and that comes from practice. He can't commit a foul like that, because he gets another one and we have eight players and everyone calls it the biggest upset. It doesn't take that much. He has to be really smart about that.”
On preparing to play games on back-to-back days:
“Well Nolan will play on Tuesday. We'll be fine. Because we don't have as many guys then tomorrow when we practice we'll come in for tape, stretch and get some shots up and walk through. Especially early on because no matter how hard you practice you're not accustomed to the adrenaline and how hard you play in a game. I have nobody to put in, but I'm going to play those guys so they get accustomed to playing that many minutes. There is no middle relief, there's no [Mariano] Rivera or any set-up guys so they have to be able to play like that.”
On the freshmen players' transition to defense:
“I thought our zone was pretty good. We covered shooters and it's wide. Having Lance on top there and if he was out, Kyle would be on top. The biggest thing is identifying shooters. I thought the freshmen picked up things pretty well and did a good job tonight.”
On playing zone defense:
“When I was concerned about Kyle getting a second foul and they were already in the one-and-one. They had developed a little bit of a rhythm against our man-to-man. I was really just concerned about Kyle. We played really well though in that period.”
Junior Kyle Singler
“I thought in the first half we got into a flow. We didn't play as we could've, but I thought we played confidently. It was a good first game performance. One thing we could take away from the game – I thought we let up a bit in the second half a little bit and gave them buckets that we shouldn't give them. We've just got to focus for 40 minutes, and I think as the season goes on, that will come.”
“I saw a couple of buckets go in and got my confidence going. Not forcing shots, but I took some questionable shots. I was just playing out there and having fun. That's the one thing I want to do this season – have fun and make sure these guys are competing and playing hard.”
“I've worked on my range in the offseason a little bit. If I'm in rhythm and have my feet underneath me and it's not a contested shot, Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] is fine with really anyone taking those types of shots. As long as they're in rhythm, it's a good shot and it's not a forced shot, he'll let you shoot it.”
“I thought Jon [Scheyer] and I did a good job of making sure guys weren't out of control. We weren't hectic out there. I thought we were calm, collected and confident as a group, and I thought we handled pressure pretty well. Jon handled the ball, for the whole game basically, very well, and I thought the guys were supportive and making sure that he took care of the ball. That was the main key for the game – controlling the ball and not having too many turnovers.”
Senior Jon Scheyer
“It was a unique situation for our team. We were out there in warm-ups and we were warming up with 10 guys, which was pretty weird looking around. That gave us something, an extra chip on our shoulder – we knew we had to play for those guys and for ourselves. We were really together today. I thought we did a good job overall. It was a really good first step, and it's good to get our first game out of the way and have it be a positive one.”
On the team's size:
“That's the strength of our team you'll see throughout the whole year. Tonight, Andre [Dawkins] and I were the smallest guys, by far, that played, and we're big guards for the most part. That's definitely a strength for our team. We didn't finish as well as we could've, but that's something we can keep working on – those tip-ins and get some more finishes and we'll become a lot better team.”
“I think we're in a good place right now. Tonight was a big step for us, playing without Nolan [Smith], without Mason [Plumlee], and without Jordan [Davidson]. I thought we did a good job, but obviously we've got a lot to go still.”
Senior Brian Zoubek
“We're getting a little bit more comfortable as a team. Obviously it's a little hard, considering all the changes we've had to make in the lineup. It's going to take a little adjusting each week. The starting lineup did a great job, with Olek [Czyz] coming in there and really playing with a lot of energy.”
UNC Greensboro Head Coach Mike Dement
On team's performance:
“They're big. They caused us problems because of their size. I thought that our guys battled. They got a lot of offensive rebounds and we got a lot of offensive rebounds. We got in there and battled, it's just when we try and finish them against really big guys. They're finishing theirs against smaller guys. They were able to stick theirs in a lot better than we did, but I liked the way we battled. Our guards made some good plays in penetration. They made some passes and did some good things. Ben Stywall came alive in the second half and was the Ben Stywall that we know. We need to get him for 40 minutes. He was very aggressive the second half and I think we were winning that stretch when he was being very aggressive. If we can get him to do that all the time, that will help a lot”
On the freshmen's performances:
“Pretty good. A couple of the turnovers by Kyle [Randall], they were more my turnovers than his turnovers. I'm telling him to look for this and he's trying to do what I tell him, so he forced a couple of turnovers. Other than that, I thought he played pretty well. He was aggressive, he's talking, he's leading. In this environment, that's not an easy thing to do.”
On preparing team for environment in Cameron:
“It was fun. This is fun. The final score is not fun. It's fun to come out and experience that. Now we get to do it again at Virginia Tech and next week we open up our place with Clemson. The kids are having fun getting ready for it. It's not easy, but that doesn't change that it's fun. I think on the videotape, we can show positive things. We played with them and I think we'll grow with that.”
On team's performance:
“I was really pleased with our effort. I thought our guys played really hard and they had to. [UNC] Greensboro played very hard. We're a little bit under-manned right now with Nolan [Smith] and Mason [Plumlee] being out and Jordan [Davidson] not being here today. Not that Jordan would have played significant minutes but he would have played a few minutes at different times to take Jon [Scheyer's] place. I thought we played well. Lance [Thomas] on the ball was good. Until Nolan gets back and when Nolan's not in the game, Lance will be on the ball so he had a chance to be on the ball the whole game. Jon, playing those minutes and not having a turnover was really good. The veterans played really hard and I thought our young guys were really good. Olek [Czyz] was good. He didn't take an outside shot, had six points, six rebounds, played good defense, three assists, and one turnover. He gave a lot of energy and did well what he's supposed to do, so I was really happy for him. He played more minutes tonight than he did all of last year or close to it. Andre [Dawkins] and Ryan [Kelly] gave us a lift. They hit those two threes when [UNC Greensboro] got it down to 17. Those were big plays for freshmen to make.
On the crowd and atmosphere:
“I was really pleased with our crowd. The students were great. It is Nov. 13 and they were fantastic. It was a lot of fun in here tonight and we're looking forward to Monday and Tuesday to having that same type of action. That was as good as the students have been early in a long time. They gave the team a big boost I thought.”
On Jordan Davidson missing the game:
“Jordan's grandmother passed away. She helped raise him and she was buried today so he was there to give the eulogy. He'll be available on Monday.”
On Mason Plumlee's injury:
“On Wednesday they'll take another look at Mason's wrist. Not that he'll be ready to play at that time, that won't happen. But we hope that it's weeks and not months. I don't want to put a timetable on it. But the fact that he's not in a cast we can take a look at it next week. It's a non-displaced fracture and the thing that hurts the most is the tissue. It's like a sprain.”
On Olek Czyz playing with poise:
“In looking back we probably should have redshirted him, because he had so much to learn. Not just basketball, but language and academics. He was making a really big step forward in a lot of areas. He's made it, he's a really good kid and he's an outstanding athlete. Today he didn't try to do anything that he wasn't that good at. He's practiced that way and Jon, Kyle, and Lance they give him energy.”
On the play of Kyle Singler:
“He's in great shape. He's such a good shooter. The thing we have to do is get him to the line. I'm not complaining, I'm only saying he's got to get free throws in addition to shooting a high percentage. He's just a really good player. He's in exquisite shape. He can handle, shoot and he doesn't get tired. The thing he can't do is—he got that foul two minutes into the game he grabbed a guy's jersey and that comes from practice. He can't commit a foul like that, because he gets another one and we have eight players and everyone calls it the biggest upset. It doesn't take that much. He has to be really smart about that.”
On preparing to play games on back-to-back days:
“Well Nolan will play on Tuesday. We'll be fine. Because we don't have as many guys then tomorrow when we practice we'll come in for tape, stretch and get some shots up and walk through. Especially early on because no matter how hard you practice you're not accustomed to the adrenaline and how hard you play in a game. I have nobody to put in, but I'm going to play those guys so they get accustomed to playing that many minutes. There is no middle relief, there's no [Mariano] Rivera or any set-up guys so they have to be able to play like that.”
On the freshmen players' transition to defense:
“I thought our zone was pretty good. We covered shooters and it's wide. Having Lance on top there and if he was out, Kyle would be on top. The biggest thing is identifying shooters. I thought the freshmen picked up things pretty well and did a good job tonight.”
On playing zone defense:
“When I was concerned about Kyle getting a second foul and they were already in the one-and-one. They had developed a little bit of a rhythm against our man-to-man. I was really just concerned about Kyle. We played really well though in that period.”
Junior Kyle Singler
“I thought in the first half we got into a flow. We didn't play as we could've, but I thought we played confidently. It was a good first game performance. One thing we could take away from the game – I thought we let up a bit in the second half a little bit and gave them buckets that we shouldn't give them. We've just got to focus for 40 minutes, and I think as the season goes on, that will come.”
“I saw a couple of buckets go in and got my confidence going. Not forcing shots, but I took some questionable shots. I was just playing out there and having fun. That's the one thing I want to do this season – have fun and make sure these guys are competing and playing hard.”
“I've worked on my range in the offseason a little bit. If I'm in rhythm and have my feet underneath me and it's not a contested shot, Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] is fine with really anyone taking those types of shots. As long as they're in rhythm, it's a good shot and it's not a forced shot, he'll let you shoot it.”
“I thought Jon [Scheyer] and I did a good job of making sure guys weren't out of control. We weren't hectic out there. I thought we were calm, collected and confident as a group, and I thought we handled pressure pretty well. Jon handled the ball, for the whole game basically, very well, and I thought the guys were supportive and making sure that he took care of the ball. That was the main key for the game – controlling the ball and not having too many turnovers.”
Senior Jon Scheyer
“It was a unique situation for our team. We were out there in warm-ups and we were warming up with 10 guys, which was pretty weird looking around. That gave us something, an extra chip on our shoulder – we knew we had to play for those guys and for ourselves. We were really together today. I thought we did a good job overall. It was a really good first step, and it's good to get our first game out of the way and have it be a positive one.”
On the team's size:
“That's the strength of our team you'll see throughout the whole year. Tonight, Andre [Dawkins] and I were the smallest guys, by far, that played, and we're big guards for the most part. That's definitely a strength for our team. We didn't finish as well as we could've, but that's something we can keep working on – those tip-ins and get some more finishes and we'll become a lot better team.”
“I think we're in a good place right now. Tonight was a big step for us, playing without Nolan [Smith], without Mason [Plumlee], and without Jordan [Davidson]. I thought we did a good job, but obviously we've got a lot to go still.”
Senior Brian Zoubek
“We're getting a little bit more comfortable as a team. Obviously it's a little hard, considering all the changes we've had to make in the lineup. It's going to take a little adjusting each week. The starting lineup did a great job, with Olek [Czyz] coming in there and really playing with a lot of energy.”
UNC Greensboro Head Coach Mike Dement
On team's performance:
“They're big. They caused us problems because of their size. I thought that our guys battled. They got a lot of offensive rebounds and we got a lot of offensive rebounds. We got in there and battled, it's just when we try and finish them against really big guys. They're finishing theirs against smaller guys. They were able to stick theirs in a lot better than we did, but I liked the way we battled. Our guards made some good plays in penetration. They made some passes and did some good things. Ben Stywall came alive in the second half and was the Ben Stywall that we know. We need to get him for 40 minutes. He was very aggressive the second half and I think we were winning that stretch when he was being very aggressive. If we can get him to do that all the time, that will help a lot”
On the freshmen's performances:
“Pretty good. A couple of the turnovers by Kyle [Randall], they were more my turnovers than his turnovers. I'm telling him to look for this and he's trying to do what I tell him, so he forced a couple of turnovers. Other than that, I thought he played pretty well. He was aggressive, he's talking, he's leading. In this environment, that's not an easy thing to do.”
On preparing team for environment in Cameron:
“It was fun. This is fun. The final score is not fun. It's fun to come out and experience that. Now we get to do it again at Virginia Tech and next week we open up our place with Clemson. The kids are having fun getting ready for it. It's not easy, but that doesn't change that it's fun. I think on the videotape, we can show positive things. We played with them and I think we'll grow with that.”
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