East Carolina, Memphis Postgame Quotes
February 10, 2015 | Men's Basketball
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East Carolina Head Coach Jeff Lebo
Opening statement
"I'm really proud of my team. We showed some toughness and played well offensively in the second half after really struggling the first half. Give Memphis credit; they're why we struggled in the first half. Their defense was outstanding; they were switching a lot of screens and we had a hard time.
"I thought we would be a little lethargic against Central Florida because it was our third game in the week, but it kind of showed up in the first half of this game.
"Defense kept us in the first half and as poor as we shot it we were only down four. I thought we maintained our defensive intensity second half. We got some steals, made some hustle plays. Terry (Whisnant) made a great play, Antonio (Robinson) diving on the floor gave us energy and enthusiasm and gave us some opportunities in transition.
On his team's resiliency
"Our team didn't panic tonight and I liked that. Even though we didn't play great in the first half, we played under control. We knew it was a 40 minute game. and we had confidence that we would come out in the second half and overcome the adversity from the first half. That's what we've been trying to preach to the about being mentally tough. I thought we showed that today, especially in the second half."
On B.J. Tyson's play making abilities
"We've got set plays for him. We also got plays for him to drive it in different areas. Any time he has space we love for him to take the ball to the basket."
On playing a variety of guys inside
"We're kind of playing by committee inside. I thought Kanu (Aja) and Mike (Zangari) were the guys that played a little bit better than Marshall (Guilmette) and Ziggy. Some games it might be the other way around. We've got a lot of guys we can throw out there and see who's playing well. They're the guys who get a chance."
On the current stretch of games
"We've gone 13 consecutive days and we've had four games during that stretch. We're going to take off tomorrow. I told them not to go into the gym. They've earned a day off. We'll meet back here Thursday and get ready for Temple."
Memphis Head Coach Josh Pastner
Opening Statement
"I have to give all the credit to East Carolina. The job Jeff Lebo has done here has been absolutely terrific. He is a great coach and an even better guy, so even as much as I hate losing, out of respect for Coach Lebo I am very happy for him. This is a big win and they have being playing well. Our guards did not play real well tonight, it was one of those nights where our perimeter players didn't give us the production we needed. Nick King, Calvin Godfrey, and Shaq Goodwin combined for 31 points and 27 rebounds, but we need to be able to get more production from our perimeter guys. Nineteen turnovers does not really help either, that kicks you in the butt. Obviously in the second half, B.J. Tyson was terrific, he had zero points against us the first time, and 23 the second time.
On his guards play
"Tonight we did not guard in the second half. We did in the first half, but not in the second half of the game. Our guards are better than the way they play and in games we have to be better. Obviously they are young, but we have to be better and I believe in our guards."
On playing without Austin Nichols
"This is our first game playing without him, and the seven minutes he didn't play at the end versus Temple. Our guys will have to rise to the occasion, because without a doubt our whole offensive and defensive structure was around him. He was vying for player-of-the-year, so without him we have to adjust on some things, and we didn't against East Carolina."
Freshman guard B.J. Tyson
On his second half performance
"It started in the first half, my layups were not falling and it felt as the worst half of my life. At halftime I had to regroup and I told myself to attack, which I did. I knew when they went man, they couldn't really guard me as they were slow on their feet. I know have a quick first step, so I used that to my advantage."
On winning three of the last four games
"There is just excitement in the locker room and you can tell the guys are loving it. Everyday in practice it gets tougher to score on your teammates."
