Nov. 20, 2007
Vanderbilt Head Coach Kevin Stallings:
Opening statement:
“I thought we had a lot of bright spots tonight and we had a lot of not so bright spots. You have to give credit to Valparaiso. They shot well tonight and we knew they would coming into the game. Fortunately for us, their best three-point shooter didn’t have a very good night. We have a ways to go. I was disappointed to have a lead dwindle away.”
On Vanderbilt’s play:
“I thought Andre Walker was really good. Ross Neltner played exceptional in the first half. Andrew was exceptional in the second half. George Drake was solid and I thought for the most part our bench was solid.”
On Vanderbilt’s goals coming into the game:
“Our goals coming into the game were to defend the three-point shot, sustain our defensive effort for a full 40 minutes, and pound the glass and be aggressive on the boards. We were 0-3 tonight, but that’s coaching.”
On Andrew Ogilvy:
“Andrew Ogilvy is obviously a very good player. Alan Metcalfe was terrific when A.J. was in foul trouble. If Alan can keep us in there when Andrew has problems, we’ll be a better team from it.”
Vanderbilt Players:
Forward Ross Neltner:
On Andrew Ogilvy’s play:
“In the first half, Andrew was frustrated. We all appreciated the way he bounced back in the second half and his effort down low. That wasn’t a strength of our team last year. Whenever our opponent has a run, we have to stop their momentum and we can get it inside now. As long as Andrew stays out of foul trouble, he’ll be good for us.”
On Vanderbilt’s defensive effort:
“We still have a long way to go. We started out well and jumped out to a lead, but then lost our defensive intensity. That’s something the coaches have harped on us for. We’re letting down defensively and it’s something we need to improve on.”
Center Andrew Ogilvy:
Opening statement:
“I gave it my best effort and got the team what they wanted in the second half.”
On playing with emotion:
“When I get a good shot or dunk the ball, I play more emotionally.”
On taking shots down low:
“I’m not demanding the ball. If there’s a shot there, though, I’ll take it. If there’s an opportunity for someone else to make a shot, they can take it. If there’s a layup, I’ll take it.”
Valparaiso Head Coach Homer Drew:
Opening statement:
“I’m proud of our team’s second half. We didn’t execute like we should have in the first half. We made a good run in the second half, and you’ve got to compliment Vanderbilt for coming back. I was really proud of our effort, but the free throw discrepancy was a big factor.”
On what he thought was the game changing play:
“We missed a three with three minutes to go and it changed the momentum of the game.”
On Andrew Ogilvy:
“The people we had that fouled out would have helped guard him, but we had to guard him with smaller guys. Andrew is really good and I wouldn’t be surprised if we see him playing at the next level.”
On Vanderbilt’s offense:
“They moved the ball well, and Kevin does a good job coaching them up.”
