Postgame Quotes
December 22, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2008
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East Carolina Head Coach Mack McCarthy
"I'm disappointed with the way we competed in the second half. This is two games in a row in which we came out of the locker room in the second half and made some mistakes offensively which led to breakdowns defensively. Maybe competitive isn't the right word but maybe it is. We have to synch up our boots and reevaluate some things. We were frayed around the edges at N.C. State and then tonight we came apart at the seams. We played hard in the first half and did the things we needed to in order to stay in the game. We played a really good basketball team and they exposed everything. They have a lot of answers and came at us in waves."
On the Second Half
"I was not prepared for the game to get out of hand as I thought we would do a better job in the second half. There some big keys to the game, including transition defense and making shots. We did not do a good job at either. They can really get after you and switch one-through-five on defense. We were able to exploit some things offensively at the end of the first half and got back in the game because we switched some things and went into a higher set that enabled us to finish near the rim. In the second half, they sagged on us more and we were relegated to shooting jump shots."
On Wake Forest's Length
"They are really long on defense. Their starting lineup was 17 inches bigger than ours. When you have that kind of size advantage, there are some things that you can do. Wake Forest isn't just big, but they are athletic too. It was a difficult situation because we would have had to play awfully well. We did that for a half, but they played well in the second half when we didn't, so that was a bad combination. We had come out and done some good things in the second half the past nine games but that hasn't happened the last two games so we have struggled defensively."
Wake Forest Head Coach Dino Gaudio
"I was proud of our kids. I thought we played really well in the second half. I thought our second half defense was outstanding. For those who have seen us, one turnover in the second half for us or anybody is terrific. I believe we scored on 25 of our 33 offensive possessions in the second half and we stopped ECU on 25-of-34, so obviously that was a very good combination. We came into the game wanting to shutdown their three-point shooting. I thought that was really important and that was a way they could have beaten us. Sam Hinnant is a terrific shooter and we saw him and James Legan on film and I thought we did a nice job on those two young men. In the second half we did our very best and keep Brock Young in front of us. I was proud of our kids in a tough environment on the road against a team that was 8-2, and I am just proud of them."
On Second Half Play
"I think the second half was our best half of the season. The first half with seven turnovers and on the way to possibly 14, I wasn't happy with that. But that is the best half we have played all year."
On Maturing As A Team With A Large Lead "We talked about that. We were up 14 at the five-minute mark of the second half on Friday night against Richmond and we just lost our concentration a little bit. When went home from Richmond on Friday, I told the kids that we got to talk about two things: respect and maturity. When I said respect I said respect for what we are trying to do. Respect for the game, respect for our preparation and finally making sure we have respect for our teammates. Those four things are really big. That's not basketball stuff because we do basketball stuff really well.
"I have great respect for East Carolina and what Mack McCarthy is doing. I wanted to make sure that when our kids were on the bench that they were happy for their teammates and conducting themselves with class and I think they did that tonight. Mack is a great coach. We watched ECU on film and I came down here and was very, very nervous and concerned if we could win the game. I mean that with all my heart."
