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Quotes: Duke 74, Clemson 53
1/3/2010 10:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Opening Statement:
“I'm proud of our guys. I thought we played very well. It's tough to single out one guy. We played very well defensively and then they missed some open shots too. It's always a case of you have to play well and if they hit them then at least you're playing well, but they missed some open ones. I thought we kept our poise very well at the start of the second half. They got run outs and we missed a couple of open shots, two open threes, that led to them scoring. When we called the timeout we just said, 'We have to keep shooting and keep playing because it's not like we're making a lot of mistakes'. It's just we're missing shots and they're a quick team and [Demontez] Stitt can really take that ball down the court. We regained our composure and every conference game is a big win. It's especially nice with so many of our former players back to be honored and to have Coach [Vic] Bubas here. He was writing down something so I wonder if he was rating me. If he was I'll take all the advice he has because he's one of the great coaches. He's the one who first of all showed that you could win big at Duke. I've always considered him a very close friend and mentor for me. So to have him and his wife here tonight makes that even more special.”
On what made Duke's defense so effective in the first half:
“One, we made them a half court team. [Demontez] Stitt is explosive in the full court and gets them shots and gets you on your heels and they weren't able to do that in the first half. In the second half they did and they scored 41 points doing it. And our turnovers in the first half were not live ball turnovers. There ended up being a few walks, but it wasn't like they got the ball and got a run. We must have had about seven or eight turnovers in the first half, but they didn't turn out to be points for [Clemson]. I think the fact that they were always in the half court helped us a lot.”
On handling Clemson's press:
“We had good poise. We've practiced like crazy against it. I thought Kyle [Singler's] look tonight was the best one he's had all year. I just felt he really looked strong tonight. And obviously Jon [Scheyer] and Nolan [Smith] to alternate ball handling, but Kyle had to handle the ball a lot tonight. When you talk about beating a press, how you inbound the ball is big. I thought Lance [Thomas] did a great job of that and Mason [Plumlee] did too. Nolan on the long pass was great because when you get a layup in this game and score as a coach you feel pretty good.”
On Trevor Booker not being a factor:
“Well [Trevor] Booker was a factor, he just wasn't as big of a factor. Booker is one of the best players in America and he didn't have as much room to roam tonight. I think the fact that we didn't give live ball turnovers was important. Because Trevor is just the complete player and he wasn't able to have where he was passing the ball and driving. It was just a little bit more settled. The nature of the game probably had an impact on him maybe more than our defense. He's terrific. If you're picking a team you want Trevor Booker on your side.”
On the emotion of ACC games and Jon Scheyer's steal and three-pointer:
“One, it was such a big play, but also it is something I call a bird play. Where you get it and you punish someone right away. We've had kids throughout the years that we try to tell them that if they get something like that then go for it. But telling them and them doing it are two different things and Jon did it right on the spur of the moment. It's like a five-point play because we just got two and then you get the three. It was 10-0 at the start of the second half and if you get five points like that you'd be very excited too.”
On whether the team learned from last year's game at Clemson:
“Last year is a long time ago. I think we learned more from practicing really hard for the last three days and watching who Clemson is now. There are so many games in basketball, it's not like football where you can remember. I thought we had weak faces last year and we had strong faces today. Maybe that's the biggest lesson learned.”
On Nolan Smith's play tonight:
“I think Nolan's played well all year. He and Jon [Scheyer] together, they really have a nice thing going. They alternate handling the ball. Nolan's on the ball defensively and he doesn't get worn out by bringing it up and being on the ball. When you're a point and you're doing that it's tough to score. Nolan's just a natural scorer. He's the one guy on our team that can get in between buckets. He Jon and Kyle [Singler] are just a very good perimeter.”
Senior Jon Scheyer
“It's a new season. It's the first game of the ACC season – that's what it was about for us. It was a good win for us. We knew it was a big win. You need to take care of your home court, and it's a great step, a great first step.
“I thought we did a great job [on defense]. We had great preparation for this game. They missed some shots, but also our big guys, all those bodies we were throwing at them, they did a great job. I thought [Clemson's big men] were tired by the end of the game. Our big guys were physical and did a great job with them.”
On Clemson's strong opening to the second half:
“We knew they were going to come out and try to be aggressive with their press and get back into it. They're a really good team and they were down. For us, I thought we had some really good shots. It wasn't about coming out and not being ready to play. We just didn't hit our shots, and then from that, we didn't get back on defense. That was the biggest thing, and we'll learn from that.”
On holding Clemson to 12 points in the first half:
“You're not really going out in a game trying to do that. They really had a tough time scoring and when they did score, it was mostly in transition. That's when, in the second half, they got those first 10 points and none of them were really in the halfcourt. We need to make teams go against our halfcourt defense, and we did a really good job of that throughout the game.”
On Duke's defense against Clemson's Trevor Booker:
“We did a great job on him as a team, but especially our big guys. They deserve all the credit for that. He missed some shots too, but we always had a body on him and were always trying to make it hard for him. They did a great job guarding him.”
Junior Nolan Smith
“They're definitely a very talented team. They have good guards and they have bigs, and they have a player like [Trevor] Booker who is all-everything. He can score the ball. They definitely stack up as one of the tops teams we've played this year.
“It was a great way [to start the ACC regular season]. And we started with defense. We came out from the jump ball and played great defense as a team.
“We did a great job on [Trevor] Booker, and, as a team, we just played great defense. We were talking and together and connected for 40 minutes.”
On holding Clemson to 12 points in the first half:
“Against a great team like Clemson, you wouldn't expect that. To do that against a great team shows that we can defend against some of the best teams in the country.”
Junior Kyle Singler
On Clemson's strong opening to the second half:
“I think how they did it was off of our missed shots. They just got transition buckets. Our half court defense was very solid, and they couldn't really do much against it. Once we gave them those easy transition buckets, they got confidence and got a rhythm. Coach told us we were getting good shots and we were just missing them. As long as we don't take bad shots and rush shots, our stuff is going to go and we're going to get momentum from that. I think that's what happened – we got into the paint and Nolan [Smith] and Jon [Scheyer] had a great second half.”
On facing Clemson again after last year's 27-point defeat:
“I guess you could say it was in the back of our heads, but it is a new year, different games, different teams. I think we did want to send a message. It was our first ACC [regular season] game, so we were very excited to play, and it was kind of ironic that it was against Clemson. We wanted to get out to a good start. Our first half, even though we were kind of sloppy and turning the ball over, I thought we played very well.”
Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell
Opening Statement:
“You've got to play more than one half in this building, because Duke's a pretty good basketball team. We obviously stunk it up offensively in the first half, unforced turnovers, non-execution stuff, we showed our youth, and even our veterans didn't play well offensively. We weren't patient enough to get the ball inside, and when I say that, even though we had several situations where we ended up taking a shot at the end of the shot clock, we did that to ourselves. They played defense a little bit differently than maybe we've seen in the past. They were walling it back in there, so if you made one pass and drive, they were standing there with their size, we needed to move them from side to side. We weren't making the initial pass, grabbing it, holding it, dribbling it. We finally got that going in the second half, we were able to score some, get into our pressure, play our game a little bit better, and give ourselves a chance, but they're good, and we made a couple critical errors, and turnovers, and that kind of thing, that led to them not allowing us to get any closer. The bottom line is if you shoot 16 percent in the first half and score 12 points, you're not going to win.”
On Trevor Booker in the second half:
“Obviously they know who Trevor is, and they know where Trevor is, so one pass, you throw it in there, you not going to get it in there, you've got to move it from side to side and give yourself a chance to throw it in there. We did that in the second half, not only to Trevor, but to Jerai (Grant), and we were able to establish our inside out game, which is how we half to play in our half court execution to be good. We don't do that, you're going to see an atrocious half like the one we had. We don't have a bunch of guys that can get a shot off the dribble.”
On only having three players with significant experience in Cameron:
“It obviously affected us, none of the young guys played well. We need those guys in there. As I've said many times before, I'm not so concerned with who starts for our team, I'm worried about us getting seven or eight guys playing well; that's when we're good. If we don't have seven or eight guys playing well, you're not going to say at the end of the night that we played well. Tonight, obviously we got not a whole lot of our young kids, just from the standpoint of running plays, defending, and some turnovers that really hurt.”
On Duke being more ready for press:
“They are a good team. They understand who they are, they understand who the three scorers are. They play catch. Those guys play catch, the other guys know their roles, they set screens, and rebound, defend, and toughness. Those three play catch, and they're good offensive players. It's clear, there's no concern on their team about anybody else scoring. They're a good team, an unselfish team. They understand what they have to do to be good offensively, and they do a number of things defensively to maybe make up for some other weaknesses.”
On Cameron being a tough place to play:
“They've got an unbelievable crowd; they're into it all time. At least since I can remember, they've had great teams and great coaches, and they have tradition. It's a small building, it can get hot in here, it can get loud.”
On a lesson they can take from tonight:
“12 points and 16 percent, we've got to go back and look in the mirror. I've already talked to them about it, but we've got to go back, and watch tape, and show them that it doesn't work against good teams, especially on the road in the ACC. We've got to be an inside out team, and push the ball. If we don't get anything we've got to reverse the ball, work quickly, and go inside out. We got nice touches for Trevor (Booker) in the second half, and Jerai (Grant), and we didn't get that in the second half.”
Opening Statement:
“I'm proud of our guys. I thought we played very well. It's tough to single out one guy. We played very well defensively and then they missed some open shots too. It's always a case of you have to play well and if they hit them then at least you're playing well, but they missed some open ones. I thought we kept our poise very well at the start of the second half. They got run outs and we missed a couple of open shots, two open threes, that led to them scoring. When we called the timeout we just said, 'We have to keep shooting and keep playing because it's not like we're making a lot of mistakes'. It's just we're missing shots and they're a quick team and [Demontez] Stitt can really take that ball down the court. We regained our composure and every conference game is a big win. It's especially nice with so many of our former players back to be honored and to have Coach [Vic] Bubas here. He was writing down something so I wonder if he was rating me. If he was I'll take all the advice he has because he's one of the great coaches. He's the one who first of all showed that you could win big at Duke. I've always considered him a very close friend and mentor for me. So to have him and his wife here tonight makes that even more special.”
On what made Duke's defense so effective in the first half:
“One, we made them a half court team. [Demontez] Stitt is explosive in the full court and gets them shots and gets you on your heels and they weren't able to do that in the first half. In the second half they did and they scored 41 points doing it. And our turnovers in the first half were not live ball turnovers. There ended up being a few walks, but it wasn't like they got the ball and got a run. We must have had about seven or eight turnovers in the first half, but they didn't turn out to be points for [Clemson]. I think the fact that they were always in the half court helped us a lot.”
On handling Clemson's press:
“We had good poise. We've practiced like crazy against it. I thought Kyle [Singler's] look tonight was the best one he's had all year. I just felt he really looked strong tonight. And obviously Jon [Scheyer] and Nolan [Smith] to alternate ball handling, but Kyle had to handle the ball a lot tonight. When you talk about beating a press, how you inbound the ball is big. I thought Lance [Thomas] did a great job of that and Mason [Plumlee] did too. Nolan on the long pass was great because when you get a layup in this game and score as a coach you feel pretty good.”
On Trevor Booker not being a factor:
“Well [Trevor] Booker was a factor, he just wasn't as big of a factor. Booker is one of the best players in America and he didn't have as much room to roam tonight. I think the fact that we didn't give live ball turnovers was important. Because Trevor is just the complete player and he wasn't able to have where he was passing the ball and driving. It was just a little bit more settled. The nature of the game probably had an impact on him maybe more than our defense. He's terrific. If you're picking a team you want Trevor Booker on your side.”
On the emotion of ACC games and Jon Scheyer's steal and three-pointer:
“One, it was such a big play, but also it is something I call a bird play. Where you get it and you punish someone right away. We've had kids throughout the years that we try to tell them that if they get something like that then go for it. But telling them and them doing it are two different things and Jon did it right on the spur of the moment. It's like a five-point play because we just got two and then you get the three. It was 10-0 at the start of the second half and if you get five points like that you'd be very excited too.”
On whether the team learned from last year's game at Clemson:
“Last year is a long time ago. I think we learned more from practicing really hard for the last three days and watching who Clemson is now. There are so many games in basketball, it's not like football where you can remember. I thought we had weak faces last year and we had strong faces today. Maybe that's the biggest lesson learned.”
On Nolan Smith's play tonight:
“I think Nolan's played well all year. He and Jon [Scheyer] together, they really have a nice thing going. They alternate handling the ball. Nolan's on the ball defensively and he doesn't get worn out by bringing it up and being on the ball. When you're a point and you're doing that it's tough to score. Nolan's just a natural scorer. He's the one guy on our team that can get in between buckets. He Jon and Kyle [Singler] are just a very good perimeter.”
Senior Jon Scheyer
“It's a new season. It's the first game of the ACC season – that's what it was about for us. It was a good win for us. We knew it was a big win. You need to take care of your home court, and it's a great step, a great first step.
“I thought we did a great job [on defense]. We had great preparation for this game. They missed some shots, but also our big guys, all those bodies we were throwing at them, they did a great job. I thought [Clemson's big men] were tired by the end of the game. Our big guys were physical and did a great job with them.”
On Clemson's strong opening to the second half:
“We knew they were going to come out and try to be aggressive with their press and get back into it. They're a really good team and they were down. For us, I thought we had some really good shots. It wasn't about coming out and not being ready to play. We just didn't hit our shots, and then from that, we didn't get back on defense. That was the biggest thing, and we'll learn from that.”
On holding Clemson to 12 points in the first half:
“You're not really going out in a game trying to do that. They really had a tough time scoring and when they did score, it was mostly in transition. That's when, in the second half, they got those first 10 points and none of them were really in the halfcourt. We need to make teams go against our halfcourt defense, and we did a really good job of that throughout the game.”
On Duke's defense against Clemson's Trevor Booker:
“We did a great job on him as a team, but especially our big guys. They deserve all the credit for that. He missed some shots too, but we always had a body on him and were always trying to make it hard for him. They did a great job guarding him.”
Junior Nolan Smith
“They're definitely a very talented team. They have good guards and they have bigs, and they have a player like [Trevor] Booker who is all-everything. He can score the ball. They definitely stack up as one of the tops teams we've played this year.
“It was a great way [to start the ACC regular season]. And we started with defense. We came out from the jump ball and played great defense as a team.
“We did a great job on [Trevor] Booker, and, as a team, we just played great defense. We were talking and together and connected for 40 minutes.”
On holding Clemson to 12 points in the first half:
“Against a great team like Clemson, you wouldn't expect that. To do that against a great team shows that we can defend against some of the best teams in the country.”
Junior Kyle Singler
On Clemson's strong opening to the second half:
“I think how they did it was off of our missed shots. They just got transition buckets. Our half court defense was very solid, and they couldn't really do much against it. Once we gave them those easy transition buckets, they got confidence and got a rhythm. Coach told us we were getting good shots and we were just missing them. As long as we don't take bad shots and rush shots, our stuff is going to go and we're going to get momentum from that. I think that's what happened – we got into the paint and Nolan [Smith] and Jon [Scheyer] had a great second half.”
On facing Clemson again after last year's 27-point defeat:
“I guess you could say it was in the back of our heads, but it is a new year, different games, different teams. I think we did want to send a message. It was our first ACC [regular season] game, so we were very excited to play, and it was kind of ironic that it was against Clemson. We wanted to get out to a good start. Our first half, even though we were kind of sloppy and turning the ball over, I thought we played very well.”
Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell
Opening Statement:
“You've got to play more than one half in this building, because Duke's a pretty good basketball team. We obviously stunk it up offensively in the first half, unforced turnovers, non-execution stuff, we showed our youth, and even our veterans didn't play well offensively. We weren't patient enough to get the ball inside, and when I say that, even though we had several situations where we ended up taking a shot at the end of the shot clock, we did that to ourselves. They played defense a little bit differently than maybe we've seen in the past. They were walling it back in there, so if you made one pass and drive, they were standing there with their size, we needed to move them from side to side. We weren't making the initial pass, grabbing it, holding it, dribbling it. We finally got that going in the second half, we were able to score some, get into our pressure, play our game a little bit better, and give ourselves a chance, but they're good, and we made a couple critical errors, and turnovers, and that kind of thing, that led to them not allowing us to get any closer. The bottom line is if you shoot 16 percent in the first half and score 12 points, you're not going to win.”
On Trevor Booker in the second half:
“Obviously they know who Trevor is, and they know where Trevor is, so one pass, you throw it in there, you not going to get it in there, you've got to move it from side to side and give yourself a chance to throw it in there. We did that in the second half, not only to Trevor, but to Jerai (Grant), and we were able to establish our inside out game, which is how we half to play in our half court execution to be good. We don't do that, you're going to see an atrocious half like the one we had. We don't have a bunch of guys that can get a shot off the dribble.”
On only having three players with significant experience in Cameron:
“It obviously affected us, none of the young guys played well. We need those guys in there. As I've said many times before, I'm not so concerned with who starts for our team, I'm worried about us getting seven or eight guys playing well; that's when we're good. If we don't have seven or eight guys playing well, you're not going to say at the end of the night that we played well. Tonight, obviously we got not a whole lot of our young kids, just from the standpoint of running plays, defending, and some turnovers that really hurt.”
On Duke being more ready for press:
“They are a good team. They understand who they are, they understand who the three scorers are. They play catch. Those guys play catch, the other guys know their roles, they set screens, and rebound, defend, and toughness. Those three play catch, and they're good offensive players. It's clear, there's no concern on their team about anybody else scoring. They're a good team, an unselfish team. They understand what they have to do to be good offensively, and they do a number of things defensively to maybe make up for some other weaknesses.”
On Cameron being a tough place to play:
“They've got an unbelievable crowd; they're into it all time. At least since I can remember, they've had great teams and great coaches, and they have tradition. It's a small building, it can get hot in here, it can get loud.”
On a lesson they can take from tonight:
“12 points and 16 percent, we've got to go back and look in the mirror. I've already talked to them about it, but we've got to go back, and watch tape, and show them that it doesn't work against good teams, especially on the road in the ACC. We've got to be an inside out team, and push the ball. If we don't get anything we've got to reverse the ball, work quickly, and go inside out. We got nice touches for Trevor (Booker) in the second half, and Jerai (Grant), and we didn't get that in the second half.”
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