Dec. 30, 2006
– Georgia Tech Head Coach Paul Hewitt
On Tech’s deflection stats – “Anytime we take a charge, block a shot, get a steal, tip a pass – anything we do to disrupt the other team’s offense, we give the guys credit for a deflection. Our goal every game is to try to get 35 or more. In the first half tonight, led by Mario and Mouhammad Faye, we had 38 at halftime. That’s why defensively we were so active. We were focused on taking charges, blocking shots, tipping passes, being active with our hands and our feet. I’ve said all along with this team, if we’re going to score, it’s going to be because we’re able to disrupt people, make them take bad shots and turn long rebounds and steals into scores.”
On inserting Faye into the starting lineup and energizing the team – “Absolutely. At the end of the game the other night (Troy), he did such a good job getting his hands on a lot of balls. He’s a very good passer, he’s an excellent rebounder, he’s a competent shooter from three. And as he gets more comfortable I think he’ll shoot the ball better. But what he brings to us defensively is another dimension.”
On tonight’s game – “Obviously physically we had these guys overmatched. But I like the way our level of concentration has gone up. We’re making the conversions from one play to the next without much down time. Again, physically, we had these guys at every position. But I like the fact that we were very thorough, especially on the defensive end of the floor.”
On total team effectiveness – “It’s the story of the season unfolding. Mario West came off the bench and gave us that lift. I thought the first four or five minutes we were a little flat defensively. I thought Faye did a good job, but nobody else. Then Mario comes off the bench and gets us going at the 16-minute mark.”
