Nov. 14, 2012
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Georgia Tech Head Coach Brian Gregory
“I said at the beginning of the season that there would be games where we were going to have to win on our defense and on the glass, and that was the case tonight.”
“I have to give coach Nibert and Presbyterian credit, they did a good job in their zone and we didn’t do a good job of attacking it. We did a much better job in the second half. I thought in the first half we let our frustration on offense affect our defense and we can’t let that happen.”
“We’ve got six days before we play again so we can just work on us, which is good. That’s something we really need right now.”
“These guys have to understand that we have to play Georgia Tech basketball. It doesn’t matter who you’re playing or where you’re at. You have to remember who you are and you have got to play a certain way. I thought some guys did that tonight, but collectively we didn’t.”
“Mfon didn’t shoot the ball especially well tonight, but I’ll take his assists and lack of turnovers. He also made a great defensive effort.”
Presbyterian Head Coach Gregg Nibert
Opening Statement –
I thought it was a heck of a game for 36 minutes. I thought the key of the game was how Tech came out the first four minutes in the second half. They did some different things against our zone and really hurt us. They got the ball down inside and did a tremendous job there. They got some second shots. Their offensive rebounding and their size hurt us. They did the things that you got to do to come out the second half. We had the lead and then they beat us 28-13. They did some really good things on offense, but they definitely picked up their defense, as they held us to 13 points in the second half. I give them credit for the defensive job they did in the second half. The major reason why we lost is because we have 18 turnovers and they have seven. ”
On Tech’s 18-0 run…
“What happened there was, obviously they stopped us from scoring, but I do think we had some decent looks at it. Shots that have to go, wide open threes, didn’t go. We didn’t score and, conversely, they did a heck of a job. We had a couple turnover and they had a couple run outs. Because of the turnovers and their defensive intensity, they got a couple run outs and got some easy baskets.
On Tech’s depth being an issue in the second half…
“They’ve got depth and they also have great size. We’ve got freshmen coming in there right now and they are learning. Their depth and their size contributed to that second half run.”
On Khalid Mutakabbir…
“This guy is the hardest worker and the most mentally tough player I’ve ever coached. He’s in there 5 or 6 o’clock in the morning shooting and if he does something poorly, then he wants to see it on tape and go out there and work on it. He’s the guy you want to have the ball because he out works and out hustles people. I thought he was one of the best guards in the gym tonight. He’s a leader and he’s a winner.
Senior Guard Khalid Mutakabbir
On Tech zeroing in on him in the second half…
“They really zeroed in on me. I felt like I didn’t take advantage of what they were giving me. I probably should have drove more and dished more to my teammates there at the end. They focused on me more in the second half.”
On Tech’s athleticism…
“From playing Clemson two nights ago to playing Georgia Tech; the ACC is pretty stacked with athletes. I could really feel it. We made some crucial mistakes, especially turnovers, that we could have stayed in the game.”
