Jan. 3, 2012
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– GEORGIA TECH HEAD COACH Brian Gregory
Opening Statement
“We were talking about a couple of keys going into this game, and unfortunately, we didn’t do those things that we needed to do. The first one was take care of the basketball. With sixteen first half turnovers really puts you in a tough position no matter how you are doing in anything else. We didn’t do a good job on the defensive glass. We just needed to keep them out of the lane. Our turnovers led to some easy baskets. We didn’t do a good job guarding the dribble either, so they are a team that is very athletic, does a good job on the glass and attacks the basket. You really need to protect the paint, and they controlled the paint today both in the post on drives in transition and on the glass. It just puts you in a difficult situation if you start off the game and you give your opponent twenty two possessions without having one, that’s the equivalent of the turnovers that make it difficult to be successful. “
On the impact of the game on Julian Royal
“I thought this will be a great game for Julian to watch with us coaches on film and hopefully get a lot out of it. He did some really good things for us, at the same time he will see the physicality he plays on the glass is lacking right now. He played against some men tonight, some veteran players that have been through some battles. I’m not sure he was quite ready for that, but this is a process we are under right now. His job is to learn from that. He has to keep working to get stronger, but it is not just strength either, some of it is some inside interior toughness. That is something that is a big jump in a transition between levels, because you can’t just stand by the rim and rebound anymore. You actually have to hit somebody. He will learn because he will see the consequences of when you don’t when you get dunked on or give up second chance points.”
On the Alabama defense’s quickness
“We did not finish some shots around the basket. Unfortunately our post players when we got the ball inside, especially early, we did not take care of the ball. We had too many turnovers from our post players. We had to be strong with the ball. They are a very athletic team. One thing you have to do is chin the ball and be strong with it.”
ALABAMA HEAD COACH ANTHONY GRANT
Opening Statement
“I am proud of our guys tonight. I thought we came out and played with great energy. Right from the start of the game, I thought we came out defensively by setting the tone. In the second half, I thought we started off a little sluggish but picked it up pretty well. A very good win for our team as our last non-conference game before SEC play. I was proud of the effort tonight.”
On whether the rotation tonight might be the same as the one used in league play
“Right now, as you head into conference play you want to get an idea of what your rotation will be. It changes from game to game. Obviously it is good to have Jamychal (Green) back. At some point, he will move back to his normal role for our team. I think for the most part I was proud of the way the guys played tonight. If we continue that based on the way we practiced and continue that from game to game, I think we have a good rotation of guys.”
On Jamychal (Green)’s play tonight
“I though Jamychal (Green) played extremely well. I think he shook off some rust early. As the game went on, he got more and more comfortable in terms of what he was doing. It was certainly good to have him back out there.”
On the lessons learned during the non-conference schedule
“It is a constant learning lesson. When you look at our team we have a lot of young guys. I think at one point four of our top seven guys were freshmen. Every game, every practice is a new experience for them. Tonight, there were a lot of good things we saw in terms of maturity. By coming in and understanding what it took to get a road win, understanding what we need to do on defense against a very dangerous offense team, and understanding what we need to do offensively against a very good defensive team. I think there were certainly strides made from early November to today. I still feel like this team has room to learn and room to grow.”
