Postgame Quotes
February 23, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2011
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East Carolina Head Coach Jeff Lebo
"I am awfully proud of our group with a win against a very good UTEP team. They were coming off a loss and we knew they were going to come in and play well. When you play good teams that are used to winning and they are coming off a loss you know your going to get a good shot from them. We got some luck along the way in the game. I am really happy for our group. I thought Jamar Abrams was absolutely dynamite tonight. For the second straight game Brock Young had zero turnovers, he's as happy about that as anything. It was a great win for us. We finally beat a team in the upper echelon of our league, which is big. It gives us six Conference USA wins, which is big for our kids and our program. We did some nice things tonight; but it was an odd game. I have been around along time and just when you think you have seen it all something new happens."
On maintaining focus while technical fouls are being assessed to UTEP
"We talked about it there during the break. We were going to get some foul shots and hopefully have a lead there. We had to finish it out, we knew they were going to come back. They weren't going to lay down and die. What was a big factor was that we got into the bonus so fast. You look up and with all of the technicals, you're sitting at nine team fouls with about 16 minutes left on the clock. We did a good job then of attacking the basket, getting it inside, getting it in off the dribble, and getting to the free throw line."
On Abram's Impact
When Jamar is shooting it, it just opens up things offensively for us so much. We put an extra offensive shooter on the floor with Sherrod and Brock out there; it just makes things so much easier for us offensively when he is making them. Probably not going to get 8-of-11, 5-of-7 from 3 every night; but he has been struggling and when he struggles it seems like we struggle offensively as a unit. He made some big jump shots and some key 3s there in the second half."
UTEP Head Coach Tim Floyd
"We got a good effort from East Carolina tonight. I thought they did a great job of defending us in the first half. We had a real struggle with [Darrius] Morrow and [Jamar] Abrams in the first half. That was a big point of emphasis for us in the second half, trying to correct that part of the game, and then we paid a price with [Jontae] Sherrod in the second half. He did a great job of getting to the line; their team did a great job of getting to the line. Forty-five free throw attempts minus the eight for the technical fouls. Thirty-seven free throws are more than we have given up this year any point in the season. I think as a veteran group we didn't come out and play the way we needed to respond after a loss and that was a disappointment for us. We had played well after losses. It's the first time this year that we've had back to back losses and it comes at a bad time of the year because we've got a very difficult stretch coming up with Memphis and Marshall at home and then on the road at SMU."
"I'd like to credit ECU's effort tonight. I thought we both came out a little bit sluggish, but I thought their focus offensively was better than our focus in the first half. I am pleased that we scored six more field goals than they did tonight, but disappointed that we couldn't keep them off the line. That's a big part of the game and something we really emphasize and something that our team has been really good at this year. They did a great job of getting there tonight."
On Technical Fouls
"I was given a warning for having my foot out of the coaching box. I haven't got a technical all year long so I went back to the bench, next thing I know I have a technical and I didn't know why I got it. I was not upset with the officials at that point; I was coaching my team after the first one. It has been my experience this year that I've had a lot of men come over to me and say coach you need to get back in the box and let us work. I tend to do that. I guess I probably reacted to that first technical, not really understanding why it was given. I probably earned the second one, but that's part of the game."
On the improvement of the league
"It is a very, very competitive league and the reason its competitive is because East Carolina has gotten better and Central Florida has gotten better. Rice is a team that went to Texas and lost by three and beat Memphis; they've gotten a lot better. Tulane was playing at a high, high level for a stretch this season and became a difficult out. The bottom teams have gotten better and I feel like we've got a good club. I think Tulsa, Marshall, Memphis, Southern Miss and UAB are just terrific. I think there are five or six teams here that could represent our league very well in the NCAA tournament."
