Postgame Quotes
February 04, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 4, 2009
Coach Mack McCarthy Southern Miss Post-Game Quotes 
East Carolina Players Southern Miss Post-Game Quotes
East Carolina Head Coach Mack McCarthy
On The Win
"In some ways, tonight's game was as good as we've played all year. We've still got a lot of work to do defensively and they can make you look bad. But if you had told me before the game that we would out-rebound them, albeit by one, shoot more free throws than them and only turn it over six times, I would have thought we probably would have won the basketball game."
On Sam Hinnant's 1,000th Point
"Congratulations to Sam Hinnant on his 1,000th point. That's a nice honor. Sam came in and he wasn't going to start as a freshman. Actually an injury allowed him to get in the starting line-up in a scrimmage, and other then a broken leg he hasn't come out of the line-up. It's a real credit to who what kind of kid he is as well as what kind of player he is. We're glad to have him here."
On The Team's Defense
"We came out of a timeout and I thought Sam's energy was contagious in the second half. I thought he looked enthused and excited about playing on that end. We had three or four consecutive stops and that may have been the key to the game. That and getting a 10-point lead in the first half toward the end."
On The Free Throw Shooting
"It was really big. It can start to be a psychological thing. I'm really proud of Darrius Morrow going 6-of-7 because he had really struggled. We had gone 18-for-40 the last two games. We've continued to shoot the ball really well in practice so it can become psychological. We nailed them down the stretch and it turned out that we needed every one of them."
On Chris Turner
"He has tried really hard in practice to do the things we're asking him to do. He has to play completely differently than he ever has in his life. He has had the green light to go one-on-one and to go play. But he has to play with a whole lot more discipline now.
"He understands that but it's a big challenge for him. He didn't have the benefit of fall camp. He didn't get to start practice until about the first game. He missed all the preseason stuff where he should have gotten a lot of that work in so he has had to learn it on the run.
"I'm really proud of the way he has kept a good attitude and been positive about it. He hasn't let it get him down. I know it's bothered him some and I know he has talked to his family, coaches and friends. But you'd never know it from seeing him in practice because he is giving the effort. Tonight he stayed on the floor longer because he was in the right places offensively and defensively. He did the right things for the most part."
Senior Sam Hinnant
On Scoring His 1,000th Point
"It was a good individual accomplishment and something that I can take out of here. It feels better that I got it with a win and that's the biggest thing. Thanks to my teammates for the win tonight and it feels good."
On The Win
"I think it gives us a lot of confidence going into the game Saturday. We're playing against the best player in the league on Saturday and it all starts with practice tomorrow. Monday we had a great practice and it showed out there on the court on the defensive end. We've got to do the same thing tomorrow."
On Free Throw Shooting
"It was big. The defense and free throw shooting were the two biggest things we worked on the last two days in practice because that's how we lost the last two games. Knocking down free throws and coming to the line confident was a big thing."
Senior James Legan
"You always want to win your home games and against them we wanted to win really badly and we pulled it out."
"As a shooter, you can't get down during a slump. You just have to come into every shot thinking you're going to make it. That's how I've been doing it. You just can't look down on yourself."
