Nov. 11, 2014
Head coach Kevin Stallings
Opening Statement
“It was an ok performance for not shooting the ball worth a darn. We didn’t shoot it at all really from the foul line or from the three. We defended and rebounded particularly towards the end of the game. Towards the end I thought we started getting more aggressive on the offence. I thought Jeff Roberson in the second half gave us some good minutes, and he gave us ten rebounds. We also have to keep him out of foul trouble, he cant foul unnecessarily. I thought we did a good job on their guard Jordan Williams. He had 34 points the other night with eight threes. And the only three he made against us was the one after they got a loose ball. This game presented some problems that we’re familiar with. I say problems, but they weren’t that big of problems. We had seven-foot guys guarding 6’4 guys, and while that sounds to be to our advantage it can be very much of a problem defensively when you’re playing man and guarding a man much quicker than you are. Like I said we didn’t shoot it well, and that made us look kind of pedestrian. “
On freshman guard Shelton Mitchell
“We know what Shelton (Mitchell) is and I think we can count on him. He doesn’t take many bad shots. He makes open threes, and very good about finding people. He would have made ten assists tonight if guys had made shots. We just didn’t make a shots when he threw us the ball.”
On freshman performance
“Usually that’s what happens with freshman, they can go all over the map. Riley (LaChance) goes 6-9 in threes the other night… he’s not going to go 6-9 every night. He’s 8-16 overall now, it just so happened that now was the correction to put him back 50%, but he’s a very good shooter. I’m disappointed with our foul shooting, but again we want to defend in the second half like we did in the first so that was a little disappointing.”
On sophomore center Damian Jones’ presence
“Is he capable of more? Yes I think he is, but he can’t be just another spoke in the wheel. He can’t be that guy. He’s got to be the reason the wheel turns. And part of that’s him and part of it is our ability to get it to him, and we’ve got to work on getting the ball to him. Offence opens up when things go well for him.”
On preparedness for season opener
“Is the team ready? I hope so. I think it’s obvious that we need James (Siakam), he’s going to be an important part of our team tonight and we missed some of the energy he brings. I hope we’re ready on Sunday because we have no choice but to be.”
Sophomore Center Damian Jones
On needing to be a dominant player
“I definitely think so. Coach Stalling has been telling me time and time again that I need to play harder and just be our best player. I’m just trying to live up to the role.”
On the youngness of the team
“We just need to get ready quicker, because the season is starting and we can’t start off slow. We’ve got to start off with some pace.”
On what the strengths of the team are
“We’re good at our perimeter shooting. We’ve been knocking down shots in practice, and it’s really our upside.”
On what they have to do to get points on the board
“We have to continue to stay in the gym, get our shots up, and eventually they will fall.”
On his outlook for SEC play
“I think we will have a lot more experience defensively, learning what to do and when to do it. It’s all going to come together.”
Freshman Guard Shelton Mitchell
On whether rebounding is a part of his game
“It’s been part of my game. My coaches since I was younger always said I needed to rebound, just because it starts to break faster, so hopefully I can keep on rebounding like I am, so we can start the break quicker. “
On his offensive responsibility
“I know if I start the offense with pace, throughout the offense we will have pace. Basically just playing fast and keeping the defense on their heels at all times.”
On whether he can keep up his momentum
“I hope I can. I am expected to. I am expected to play well every night, so hopefully I can keep the pace running and keep going fast.”
On the strengths of the team
“All of our players are smart at making reads and doing the right thing, making extra passes, and also being unselfish.”
