Feb. 17, 2010
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery
– Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt
Opening Statement:
“It’s good to get the win. I thought our guys played really well in the first half and pretty good at times, especially at times in the second half. I thought our big guys did a good job around the basket. Obviously [North] Carolina is missing some of their big guys, so we thought we had an advantage there. I liked the patience we showed for about 18 minutes there in the first half of getting the ball inside and playing through those big guys. “
On going 3-1 against North Carolina and Duke on the year:
“Well, when the ACC schedule comes out, you realize how difficult the ACC is. If you can get that [going 3-1 against North Carolina and Duke], obviously you take it. For our team, we have to really start looking to that next game. It’s another one of those games that we kind of built up and it’s another one of those big games. We’re going to need longer stretches of execution and concentration.”
On if any thoughts of North Carolina’s comeback in their first game with Tech on Jan. 16 came into his mind at any point when the Jackets had a comfortable lead in the second half:
“No. You know what, if that happens, it happens in the game. But, I was more concerned with there was a couple of times where we started to get a little slack and not execute the things we wanted to execute; simple stuff. It honestly didn’t cross my mind. “
On the importance of getting Derrick Favors off to a quick start in the win:
“It’s always important to get him off to a good start. Obviously he is a guy that can have an impact on a game.”
On how the rotation at guard went on the night:
“Well, obviously Iman [Shumpert] got into foul trouble, so it was important to have both Mfon [Udofia] and Moe [Miller]. Moe did a great job,again coming in. Glenn [Rice Jr.] we think came in and provided some defensive energy and he’s a good player maker who can create some momentum plays for you.”
On the balanced scoring across the board for Tech on the night:
“That’s the way the game should be played. You should move the ball and take good shots and there were some times where we forced some things. “
On Favors’ continued troubles with fouls:
“It’s still a mystery to me. I compare the fouls that he gets called and the guys [referees] are doing a great job. I just look around and look at some of the calls that are called and then the ones when he is involved. Like the one at Wake [Forest] the other night where I thought it was a clean block and it was his second or third foul. It’s really tough. I give the young man a lot of credit. He has not acted out, shown any frustration on the court. Maybe sometimes in the locker room more after games or when he comes out of games he might mumble something. For an 18 year-old kid, I know I would be pulling my hair out because he watches the game like all of us and asks “how can that be a foul?”
North Carolina Coach Roy Williams
Opening Statement
“There’s not a whole lot to say. I am totally shocked, totally stunned by our performance in the first half. Mentally and physically we were somewhere, but it wasn’t here for the basketball game. I told Paul [Hewitt], `I’m sorry, I think we dragged your team down to a bad level in the second half.’ I am at a loss. I have no idea how we can be so…15 turnovers in the first half, and one turnover against the press, and the rest were turnovers in the half court. We had a turnover when someone was handing off the ball to another player. Someway, somehow I have got to get this team to be more positive about the game. You have to play basketball. Someway, somehow I have to get us going better than we were tonight. We had a nice win this Saturday, I thought we would come out and play well but we didn’t.”
On Desperation
“I don’t know that it was a desperation game, I try to play everyday, in practice, and play every game. I didn’t say in the locker room that we have to win this or we aren’t going to do that. I don’t believe in that. I believe in doing your best everyday. If I am desperate, I am going to dive on the dadgum floor for the ball. If I am desperate, I am not going to turn it over in a handoff. If I am desperate, I am going to sprint back. If I am desperate, I am going to know who I am guarding.”
On Point Guard Play
“I think it is unfair to single out. We haven’t handled it well, we have turned it over, we haven’t shot the ball well, we haven’t rebounded well. Second chance points, they had 14 to 5. I mean, Gani [Lawal] goes to the free throw line and misses two free throws and they get the ball on a rebound and make a three. It’s not just the point guard. The point guard position gets a lot of attention, but we have a lot of holes.” “It’s the inconsistency at the position. It’s not just Larry [Drew II]. Dexter [Strickland] plays there minutes in the first half, and has three fouls. That doesn’t give us very many options. We are thin at a couple of places, and we have some guys sitting over there with us. If you have the option of taking a point guard out and putting another one in, that’s something to live by. Our second point guard is Dexter and our third point guard is Marcus [Ginyard]. Marcus sprained his ankle, and Dexter had three fouls in three minutes, and there is not a lot of options there.”
On Poor Shooting in First Half
“If I knew, I would have fixed it. We are not a good shooting team, but we missed a lot two- and three-footers. If you go back and look at the tape, I don’t have the points per possession chart in front of me, but I would bet we missed 12 to 15 baskets from three feet. Georgia Tech is good defensively, I really believe they are, but they are not shot blockers. They aren’t going to block 12 of our shots or something like that.”
On Corrections
“The one thing you can correct, hopefully, is playing harder and playing more intelligently. I mean, we dribbled it down the court and kicked it off our foot out of bounds in the second half in a fast break situation. We had three shots from two feet in a fast break situation. The one thing I did tell them is that we have dug ourselves in a hole a couple of times this year pretty big like that. I know that the last time we played Tech we were down 20 and came back and had the ball and a one point lead, we never had the ball and a two point lead. I was hoping that we would turn around, turn 180 degrees. I have played nine holes of golf before, and been great and then stunk it up on the back nine, or I have stunk it up and then been great on the back. That was what I was hoping for. The first time you go to the free throw line in the second half, what did we do, we missed both free throws. We were 10 for 24 from the free throw line. We have several holes and several problems we need to get fixed. Some of it will be helped a little bit if we get Travis [Wear] back, and get [Tyler] Zeller back but 10 for 24 from the free throw line and 15 turnovers in the first half is not going to be cured by that. Everybody has got to play better and I have to coach better.”
On Starting to Win
“I didn’t feel like we were going to play like this tonight. I thought we would play really well, I honestly did. I told the guys, we can get this done. We have to play every possession, possession by possession. I am a guy that always feels like the glass is half full. I think we can win. We can’t win against anybody with that kind of effort intellectually and physically. That just didn’t get it done tonight. I am totally shocked, flabbergasted. It’s not fair to say embarrassed, because I am embarrassed in myself too. When you step out on the court, you have to be a competitive person and I didn’t think we were very competitive tonight and that’s without a doubt the most frustrating thing I have ever gone through.”
