Georgia Tech Coach Josh Pastner
Opening statement:
“We have to give a lot of credit to Pittsburgh. I think they played hard. They are very well-coached. You can be really good in this league and play well but still end up losing. We have been there many times too. That is how good the ACC is; it is the best league in all of college basketball. I am proud of our young men. It is not easy to get the news that we gave them on Monday about the [postseason] ban. To be able to come out and play like we did with the kind of energy we had, that is who we have been this entire year. We have been that way all four years I have been here, but especially this year. These guys have played their tails off, every possession. To have won this game means that we have done things that have not been done since before our guys were born. To be able to get to 10 conference wins, with six of them at home in a row, holding teams under 60 points – these things have not been done in a long time. This has been a good way to finish the season at home. Our seniors James Banks and Shembari Phillips were excellent tonight.”
On Georgia Tech’s home court advantage the over last seven home games:
“I want to give a shout out to Gina Gonzalez and our marketing department, [they] did a great job with the student section these last [seven] home games. Our students have made a big difference in our home wins. I must give credit to the marketing department on that. The crowd was excellent and gave us a great lift. This entire stretch at home has been great. It makes a big difference; we thank our students for their energy.”
On having both seniors in the starting lineup:
“I started our seniors [James Banks III & Shembari Phillips] in our last home game, which is something I have not done before. I did that because we are not playing next week and Shembari has held himself at such a high level. I thought it was the right thing to do. I asked our guys who was going to sit and Jose [Alvarado] was the first to immediately say he wanted Shembari to take his spot. It is a testament to the type of leader Jose is and the bond this team has.”
On team’s effort despite the postseason ban:
“To see how our guys responded this week, I can not give enough accolades or words to them. They handled themselves well Monday after the decision was made, Tuesday at practice and the way they played today, they deserve every ounce of credit. My assistant coaches and staff have done an incredible job. It is not easy to continue to get better and improve. To hear what they had to hear Monday and still be able to come out with the same fight they have had this entire season is a direct accolade to these young men, our coaches and our staff. I cannot say enough about our guys.”
On the athletics department’s support throughout season:
“Everyone in the Georgia Tech athletics department has been incredible during this entire year and especially during the last week. It is a real privilege and honor to work at Tech with these people. It could be easy during tough times to go the other way. Through the highs and lows, everyone has been in the trenches with us. We have an incredible culture here. It is an honor to work with great people and it feeds off into our student-athletes.”
Pittsburgh Head Coach Jeff Capel
Opening statement:
“I think they are playing really good basketball right now, and that’s an unbelievable testament to Josh, his staff and veteran guys on the team to be playing this well with that they are going through. It’s a sign of a coaching staff that is connected with its guys, guys that love to play, love to complete and veteran leadership they have in their program.”
On Georgia Tech’s backcourt:
“Alvarado really gave them a great start. He plays with such great energy and is so competitive. I think he really understands how to play the position. Obviously, Devoe has played as well as any guard in the league this year. He has a such a unique game in his ability to score with the basketball, to do it at his pace.”
On Jose Alvarado:
“He’s always challenging. He’s good, he’s really confident. He plays with great spirit. He looks like he loves to play basketball. He looks like he loves to compete, not just play basketball. He loves to figure out how to beat you, how to get under your skin, how to motivate his team.”
On second half run:
“We were able to make a couple of shots, and we had the momentum a little bit. They are a good team, a veteran team playing well. They were able to withstand it, and they punched us back. We could never get close after that.”
