March 6, 2010
– Georgia Tech head coach Paul Hewitt
“We didn’t do a great job today defensively. But at the same time, Virginia Tech deserves credit for coming in and they made some big shots. We had some opportunities, played really hard, and just didn’t convert. But again, give Virginia Tech credit – they played very well.”
“We missed some chippies there. Guys were trying pretty hard. A couple of turnovers in the open court that we didn’t convert, but again, they shot the ball very well. They shot 52% from three.”
On making the late run
“Iman (Shumpert) made some great shots. He took some threes, knocked them down, got the ball inside and converted. At the end, we were trying to put them on the foul line. They missed maybe one in that stretch to close the game out.”
On Virginia Tech’s offense
“(Malcolm) Delaney does a really good job of penetrating and getting into the paint. A couple of times on the press we got beat on the back end of the press for layups. But obviously a lot of the offense centers around him. He had nine assists and 32 points – a big game for him.”
On Delaney
“He does a great job of drawing fouls. The constant dialogue is that you have to put good pressure on him, and when he gets the ball out of his hands then try to deny him. He’s talented. He can make plays.”
On the physical nature of the game
“That’s the type of game this time of the year. That’s what you have this time of the year.”
On Delaney getting to the free throw line
“In their best games of the year, he’s gone to the foul line a lot. Against Wake, he had 223 attempts. Against Clemson, he had 24 attempts. He does a good job of that.”
On Georgia Tech getting into the NCAA Tournament
“I’m not sure what everybody else did today. I still think that we have a very good shot, but obviously we’ve got to go to Greensboro and play well. We have to get a couple of wins and see where it falls from there. Thankfully we have a chance to improve it. They’re not handing out the bids tomorrow and that’s how we have to look at it.”
On preparation for the ACC Tournament
“We’re going to do the same thing. We will take a couple of days and get our legs back, get ready to practice Tuesday and Wednesday, and play on Thursday.”
On Georgia Tech’s defense
“When I looked at the tape, I thought we contested them at Clemson and they just made them. I didn’t think we were as good today in terms of contesting shots. But I’d like to look at the tape. In the second half, we did a better job.”
On the ACC Tournament being wide open
“If you’re asking does it mean that the tournament is wide open because all the games have been close, then yes I guess so. Right now I’m not even sure who we play. Right now we are focused on getting ourselves back together mentally and physically.”
Virginia Tech head coach Seth Greenberg
“I’m just so proud of our guys. They are the most resilient group I’ve ever been around. I told them before the game the old cliché TEAM – together everyone achieves more. That’s who they are.”
“That team we just played is young and talented, and that team could go deep into the NCAA Tournament. They are really a good team. We made shots.”
“Malcolm was magnificent. He was really, really good.”
“It was a hard played game between two teams that compete really hard. People might say it was chippy. You know what? A lot’s at stake, and these kids are prideful, they care and they want to win. It’s emotional. You can’t turn on the TV without someone having an opinion about your team. The kids are human, and this is a hard time of the year for players, coaches, fans.”
“That team is really good. They play really hard, but they are really young. Our team has a little more maturity, and we have great team chemistry. We have a great trust for each other. That’s why we win games.”
On getting a bye in the ACC Tournament:
“To win 10 games in the ACC is really hard. I don’t care what schedule you play. Everyone talks about the schedule. We played the schedule we’re given. It’s really hard to win in the league. And 10 wins? I don’t care what schedule you’re given, it’s extremely difficult. You have to be lucky. You have to be tough. You have to have good players. You’ve got to deal with the highs and lows, like losing three games in a row and staying focused. To have a bye is incredible.”
On VT’s shooting:
“It’s a make-and-miss game. We made shots. We shoot 9-of-17 from the three-point line, you’re going to win. It’s a make-and-miss game. It’s not like I’m smart and Coach Hewitt is not smart. We made shots today.
On Dorenzo Hudson:
“I spoke to him this morning. I had a feeling. We were prepared to play without him. He’s given us so much….[On Wednesday], I knew he was in a lot of pain.”
“We’re going to shut him down until Wednesday.”
On Malcolm Delaney:
“We screened for him today. We got him freed up. He was really good. He was more explosive getting into his shot, and he knew how big the game was for us. Our guys were locked in.”
