Postgame Quotes
February 07, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 7, 2009
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Coach Mack McCarthy UCF Post-Game Quotes
East Carolina Players UCF Post-Game Quotes
East Carolina Head Coach Mack McCarthy
On The Win
"This is kind of a culmination of rededicating ourselves after our trip to Houston. In practice we have been focusing on what we have to do to get better and playing with more energy on a consistent basis. The practices are carrying over to the games.
"This is about as good as we can play, with the exception of defensive rebounding. We continue to struggle with that.
On UCF
"That's our best performance in quite a while. You don't beat Central Florida unless you play really well because Kirk does a great job. They've got great players and Jermaine Taylor is just a man out there. We probably did as good as we could and he still had 24 points and eight rebounds."
On ECU's Offense
"On offense we were extremely efficient, having 23 assists on 29 field goals. At this level, that's quite a stat. It's very impressive that they're that unselfish. They truly don't care who gets the shots or the points. They really just want to win at this point.
"They're really starting to understand how to play. They still pound the ball a little bit too much in some situations. We're settling for jump shots a little less. I know that sounds crazy when you take 24 three-pointers out of 46 shots, but almost all of those come after the ball was penetrated either on the dribble or the pass. I can live with all those that we can get. We're starting to understand where to get those and when to shoot them."
On Jamar Abrams
"We're really experiencing something pretty special right now; we're watching him grow up right before our eyes. He literally has gotten more consistent as the season has gone on. At the very beginning he was really struggling. He didn't put up any numbers early in the year despite the fact that he's a really good player.
"But he's starting to understand how to play, when to play hard and he's doing a better job defensively. He makes up for his errors defensively now just by hustling. He is an exceptional athlete. He had a couple of dunks tonight that were incredible. He also has enough finesse to step outside and go 5-of-6 from three-point range."
UCF Head Coach Kirk Speraw
On ECU's Team
"Well, obviously, you have to give Mack a lot of credit. He's got these boys playing well and efficiently. You can see their growth and togetherness, which is a credit to the coaching staff and what they're doing.
"It was a tremendous effort by their team. Obviously they shot the lights out. It didn't matter what we were doing on the defensive end, they were making plays. They were good players making good basketball plays."
On ECU's Offense
"The bottom line is they played well. They executed and got 23 assists on 29 baskets so they're moving, sharing and passing the basketball well. They put defenses at risk. You have to help on Brock [Young], but then Brock is going to kick it out to somebody. They're a hard team to guard."
On How ECU Compares To The Rest Of Conference USA
"They're right there. I really don't think there's a whole lot of difference between any of us quite honestly. There are some scores that maybe get out of line because of shooting percentages, but I think on any given night there's not a whole lot of difference in any of us."
Senior Sam Hinnant
On Guarding Jermaine Taylor
"He's tough, strong and fast. He can do it all. He got hot for a little bit and I tried my best to defend him. He hit a couple tough shots in my face. He's a great player.
"It was an all-team effort. Coach Mack just told me to get into him because he's a great shooter. I tried my best to do that."
On The Win
"For me personally it's a big win. I've never beaten UCF since I've been here, and beating them today was great. It gives us a lot of confidence going on the road this week and gives us two in a row at home. It gets us one step closer to our goal of having a winning season."
Sophomore Jamar Abrams
On His Strong Offensive Performance
"This is my first time [being in the zone in college]. It felt good just to get a win, but the 25 points were also good. I would just say that I was happy to get the win."
On The Balanced Scoring
"I think it's just our defense. Our defense is helping us get other people open on fast breaks and in executing our offense, running our sets well. We're playing with confidence and playing at home. Our fans are great."
