NCAA Press Conference Quotes and Notes

NCAA Press Conference Quotes and Notes

3/25/2004

NCAA Press Conference Quotes and Notes
Quotes from Wednesday in Phoenix

The following Vanderbilt and Connecticut quotes are from Wednesday’s press conferences at America West Arena in Phoenix, Ariz. Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings and student-athletes Matt Freije, Scott Hundley and Mario Moore. Connecticut head coach Jim Calhoun and student-athletes Emeka Okafor, Taliek Brown and Ben Gordon.

Vanderbilt Quotes

Head coach Kevin Stallings
On Vanderbilt’s rally against NC State in the Second Round:
“We got down, and there was some adversity there. We kept our poise and we made some awfully big shots.”

On being an underdog:
“Our guys hear that and we came out as a sixth seed playing an 11, we’re one of only two teams to come out and beat a No. 1 and a No. 2 seed in the field of 65. We’re coming off an upset of (Florida) and we’re still not generating any respect. Our players felt that.”

We are an extreme underdog,” Vanderbilt coach Kevin Stallings said. “There is not much belief or thought out there that we can win. Connecticut is a great basketball team. Probably the most talented in the NCAA Tournament.”

On Vanderbilt’s turnaround from last season:
“We had a bad season a year ago, and going into the year we thought our team may be capable of making the NCAA Tournament. I think that we had a lot of those years that got started poorly and we never seemed to get any better. To make a comeback and recover from that and get to this point is very significant for our program and certainly gratifying.”

“I’ve always been kind and gentle. If you don’t believe it, you can ask any of my ex-players. We were an 11-18 team last year and we are 23-9 this year. I have enjoyed this year a lot more. It is easy to be nicer and calmer when your team is winning games and even more importantly, the team is doing everything you ask for in practice.”

On UConn’s speed:
“If the game is a track meet, we are going to be in trouble. They’re the fastest team from the defensive boards to the offensive end that I have seen in college basketball. If we can control some of that transition, that is key.”

On recruiting Matt Freije after being an assistant at Kansas:
“It’s not a call I just make to anybody. But I could because I worked with Roy for five years.”

On his relationship with head coach Mario Moore:
“My relationship with him is unique. There are certain things about my personality that rubbed him wrong, and there were certain things about his personality that rubbed me wrong. But we both really like each other and we both really care about each other. It’s a constant work in progress to support each other and make sure that we have each other’s back.”

“There’s been a lot of, ‘Oh no. Oh yes!’ shots that he’s taken. But he’s capable of making shots so you worry about that less with him.”

On recruiting Emeka Okafor out of high school:
“We tried very hard to recruit him. He has turned into an outstanding player and he has the chance to be player of the year in the country and a chance to be the first pick in the NBA draft.”

Senior Matt Freije
On being an underdog:
“I think we have kind of embraced that (underdog) role since the end of last season. Going into this season, we were really big underdogs and deservedly so with how we played last year (11-18). We have just kind of embraced that, worked hard and focused on things we needed to do.

“As soon as we got told we were playing Western Michigan and everybody on TV said Western Michigan was going to beat us — we embraced that. We know we can play and we just go out and show everybody that.”

On being recruited out of high school:
“Kansas never really recruited me. My family really would have liked that because it’s by my house, but luckily it didn’t because I ended up at Vanderbilt, and I wouldn’t trade the four years I have had here for anything. It all worked out for the best.”

On his inability to sleep before the NC State game and if he will sleep Wednesday night:
“We’ll see. The closer I get to the game, the more excited I’m getting, especially coming out of here and being able to shoot in the gym. This is a really nice gym. Hopefully I’ll like it [Thursday] as much as I did [Wednesday].”

On the UConn game being the biggest of his career:
“By far. My four years of college has built up to this and I’m not going to come in and just lay down. I’m going to play hard and hopefully I play with as much focus and energy as I did in the N.C. State game.”

Sophomore Mario Moore
On his relationship with head coach Kevin Stallings:
“It’s kind of funny because he’ll get frustrated with me, and I’ll know it, and I’ll kind of get down on myself. But we’ll talk afterward and he reassures me that everything is going to be fine. We’ll talk about better shot selection and things like that. He’s worked with me a lot this year to make me a better player.”

Connecticut Quotes

Head coach Jim Calhoun
On the game with Vanderbilt:
“It should be a contrast of styles in a way. We are really looking forward to the game. I don’t think Vanderbilt wants to get up and down the floor with us. We, in turn, want to accelerate the game. We have to protect against the three. They shoot roughly 23 per game. They shot 37 percent against Florida. That is a healthy number.”

On Emeka Okafor:
“We have something unusual. We have a 30-second spot we show all the time. It starts, ‘Hi, I am Emeka Okafor, academic All-American.’ In the commercial, it does not mention basketball at all. If the university has seen fit for him to be the post person for our university as a student-athlete, that tells you what the university thinks of it. He is one of the most coachable kids I’ve ever had. I don’t know if I have had anyone quite like him in a sense of his drive in the classroom, on the basketball court, and in the weight room.”

On Vanderbilt’s underdog status:
“Any game you can give me, I’ll say [tonight’s] game will be as tough as [can be]. They’re kids, and you never know what’s gonna happen. All you need is to be good for 40 minutes — one night, one occasion, two hours, 40 minutes of basketball.”

On Vanderbilt’s big men playing out on the perimeter:
“I don’t like teams that bring us away from the basket. Emeka is going to have to play one of them and they will bring you away. We have our work cut out for us.”

On playing in America West Arena before (UConn was here for the 1999 West Regional):
“We have been in this arena before, a couple of years ago, and actually we are in the same locker room.”

Junior Emeka Okafor
On his back injury:
“I have no pain in my back since I came back. With the recovery time and the physical therapy, I was able to get back into things and get back into the system. My back feels great.”

On guarding Matt Freije:
“(Freije) has the ability to take the open shot or take you on the dribble. That is what makes him the player he is. I have to be aware of where he is on the court at all times. He reminds me of a [Vermont’s Taylor] Coppenrath or a Ryan Gomes [of Providence]. I guess I’ll be guarding him at certain times, various points in the game. I guess the strategy will be the same as when I guarded (Vermont’s Taylor) Coppenrath. They’re similar players. Matt might be a little bit stronger, but I still have to be aware of him shooting the ball and taking me off the dribble.””

On his parents moving from Nigeria to Houston:
“They have shaped every aspect of my life … because of them I am the person I am today. They are hard workers, have always worked for everything we have. I grew up seeing the way they worked 14-hour days and supported my sister and I. All they asked of us is that we get good grades and have fun. As I got older, I realized how that was for them. I was able to draw from that … draw from their influence.” 

On being recruiting by Vanderbilt:
“If I had signed during the early period (in November), I might have gone there. Vanderbilt was my favorite for a while. The whole recruiting process was crazy, and I liked Vanderbilt but I still wasn’t sure. My coaches said to wait it out and see what happens”

Senior Taliek Brown
On the Uconn fans:
“I think they love me right now. We are winning and have a good chance of winning so people love me. Things can change with a win. Things can change with a loss.”

Junior Ben Gordon
On being a big favorite:
“We’re used to people saying good things about us. We don’t really buy into that. People have been jumping on and off our bandwagon all year, so we can’t be paying attention to what people are saying about us or our opponents.”

On Vanderbilt controlling the tempo of the game:
“That might be a bit of an advantage to them if they want to slow us down. But even if we’re not getting layups, if we just keep running, sooner or later we’ll have an advantage with our running game.”