Dec. 18, 2010
Vanderbilt Head Coach Kevin Stallings
Opening Statement…
“I was really pleased with our defensive intensity in the first half and throughout the game. I didn’t think we played with much purpose on offense in the second half. We shot the ball well from three and that made a huge difference. Our bench came in and was productive. It’s good to give them some minutes.”
“We came out and jumped on them right away. It was a good night and was fun to watch them play.”
On Vanderbilt Forward Steve Tchiengang…
“Steve hasn’t been playing like we know he can. He got some things cleared up [tonight]. It was really fun to see.”
On Vanderbilt’s size advantage…
“We could have taken advantage of it even more… We’ll continue to work on that and try to get [Festus Ezeli] more touches.”
On the 10 days since the loss at Missouri…
“Our first two practices were good. Practices after that were suspect, so it has been kind of mixed. They had four days off [since the game] and it was hard because it’s a taxing experience with finals. It’s hard during finals to have great, consistent practices. We looked tonight like we did in practice – good for the first few days and then struggling in the end.”
On Vanderbilt Forward Andre Walker…
“He looks like he could play, but so far the doctors haven’t said he can.”
Vanderbilt Forward Steve Tchiengang
On Improvement in His Game…
“I’ve had a bad couple of weeks. I need to play with more passion. I have lacked passion and excitement during the past two games, but had it today.”
On the team cheering Jordan Smart’s Basket…
“We definitely know Jordan can hit a shot. He doesn’t miss in practice. I think it was his first college shot. It’s always refreshing and exciting to see a teammate succeed.”
Vanderbilt Guard John Jenkins
On the team’s early lead…
“It can be hard to play tough. Coach told us to keep going and not to look at the scoreboard, but to play basketball. We tried as hard as we could.”
On life since the loss to Missouri…
“Personally, it was very hard. It’s hard to lose to a team when you had the chance to beat them and then to have finals. It’s hard to stay focused.”
