East Carolina, UNCG Postgame Quotes
December 28, 2014 | Men's Basketball
East Carolina Head Coach Jeff Lebo
Opening statement
"It was a good win. I thought the first half was the best we played all year. No doubt about it. I really liked offensively how we shared the ball. We shot the ball 72 percent in the first half. We defended very well. Our doubles on their inside guys were effective. We got them in foul problems and the second half and I didn't think we played near as well. When they cut the lead down to 14 we made some key plays to and it went back up to 22. It was nice to be able to coast to a win.
"I thought we did a very good job at challenging shots, nothing was open for them. I like looking down there and seeing a lot of guys with over 10 minutes playing. Terry (Whisnant) was I thought terrific. He shot it very well. Six assists with no turnover, that's a heck of a line."
On the defensive effort against UNCG's Kayel Locke and Tevon Saddler
"We did a great job on Locke. He was 1 of 7 in the game with four turnovers. We doubled him a lot on his catches in the [paint]and I thought that was effective. I thought Nzege, Paris, Zangari, Kanu and all of our guys that played inside did a great job on him and taking his inside scoring away.
"Saddler is tough to guard, especially in transition. We had a hard time and a lot of people have a hard time guarding him in transition. He comes at you full speed; he's got size and he's crafty."
On the Pirates' depth
"Well you know, it has kind of been hard for me this year maybe different then a lot of years that I have had. We haven't had a lot of separation, particularly with our back court. We have a lot of depth there. It has been different guy, different days; so it's hard for me to try to figure out who is going to play well. We have been able to utilize them and play them all double figure minutes which I think is really key, especially coming into this time of the year."
On having a healthy Paris Roberts-Campbell
"You can't put a price tag on what he does for us out there. He guards multiple positions, he is at the right place at the right time, and he doesn't make mistakes defensively. He just makes winning plays. He obviously makes us a much better basketball team when he is on the floor."
UNCG Coach Wes Miller
On the Spartans' early foul trouble
"Our depth isn't quite where I want it to be at this point in the season. Some of that is due to injury, but we're on track to be healthy again. Foul trouble affects us more than other teams, because we're not where we want to be from a depth standpoint on the bench. Having to go there a little early was a little frustrating, and it was a factor."
On the player of Diante Baldwin
"I'm really pleased with the way that Diante (Baldwin) is getting back in the flow. He was out for the first nine games of the year with a torn meniscus. Having him back has been a big emotional lift for our team, and he's starting to get his rhythm back. I think when you sit for a month and then get thrown into the fire of a game, it's tough. He's starting to get his wind and his rhythm, and that will be a positive thing for our ball club."
On East Carolina's performance
"We didn't handle them very well. I think you've got to give Jeff (Lebo) and his club the credit first. They ran their stuff very well in the first half. They attacked, but they attacked under control. They made plays, and made open shots. I'm not happy with where our defense is right now. We've got to start to establish an identity defensively. We know what we've got to get better at, and we're working to get better at those things, but we're not quite there yet. I think we gave them some opportunities, but you've got to give them credit for taking advantage of those."?
Junior guard Terry Whisnant
On the Pirates' first half performance "We wanted to get this win, so we knew we needed to execute. We came out, played our game, did what the coaches drew up for us, and we executed."
On the team's defense
"Paris (Roberts-Campbell) is a big piece. He's the leader of us. He comes in, and gives us heart. Defensively we didn't lock up. We played in the gaps, stuck to the game plan, and everything came out when we executed."
Sophomore forward Caleb White
On getting back-to-back wins for the first time this year
"I think it's really important, in terms of finding confidence for the team, and finding identity for the team. I thought we played really well in terms of our ability. Hopefully we can keep that moving forward."
On the team's confidence
"It does a lot when you hit the shots you practice every day and know you can make. You feel confident in your preparation."
On the team's unselfish play
"We were getting in the gaps a lot tonight, and spreading it out: finding a shooter, finding the lane to drive, and finishing it out. We had unselfish players and unselfish teammates."
