Jan. 2, 2013
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Breedon’s Photos 
| AP Photos
Vanderbilt Head Coach Kevin Stallings
Opening Comments:
“I’m proud of our effort. I’m proud of our defense. We had a lift off the bench from [Sheldon] Jeter. It wasn’t exactly a thing of beauty. We’re probably not ready for a thing of beauty yet. We did a poor job from the free throw line tonight, which is getting redundant. I thought our length around the basket was surprising to [William and Mary]. I think it bothered them around the goal and around the perimeter some.”
On Vanderbilt forward Sheldon Jeter:
“We have been talking as a coaching staff about how and where to get him more time. We played him at the four-spot tonight, he did a nice job tonight. We were planning to play him more because he has been playing well. He played well and I felt like he was one of our five best players tonight.”
On Vanderbilt’s defense:
“We didn’t allow [William and Mary] to get into a rhythm. I think they are a rhythm team. We did a nice job of trying to disrupt their rhythm. Our pressure was disruptive. Our zones, when we rebounded in them, were disruptive. Teams that want to play with flow – we need to disrupt that.”
On his end-of-game actions in the huddle:
“It was [because of] completely casual, careless ball care. There are some things that happen because you’re young and inexperienced [but those aren’t one of them]. We’re not going to be casual around here. That’s not how we play. I needed to make a point.”
On Vanderbilt’s offense:
“We were better in the second half offensively. If we were more careful with the ball and made our free throws… that’s complete carelessness. We’re not going to be careless.”
Vanderbilt forward Sheldon Jeter
On his performance tonight:
“My teammates got me great shots, so I have to thank them more than anything else. It wasn’t like I was creating for myself. I was taking advantage of the opportunities I had.”
On if it was an adjustment playing in the post:
“It wasn’t really an adjustment because we were basically running a pick-and-roll offense, so it wasn’t much of an adjustment for me.”
Vanderbilt forward Rod Odom
On what the team did defensively to slow down William & Mary:
“We really packed it in (inside) because we knew they liked to drive a lot. We did a great job of helping each other and having each other’s back. I know I got beat a couple times, but Josh (Henderson) was there once and Kyle (Fuller) was there, so things like that make it hard for a team to score when we’re playing together defensively as a unit.”
On how big a win this was going into conference play:
“It was really big for our confidence. Any time you get a win and you have a long eight-day stretch (without a game), it’s better than a loss and an eight-day stretch, so I think it does a lot for our confidence. It gives us a positive attitude heading into conference play.”
Vanderbilt guard Dai-Jon Parker
On if the team frustrated William & Mary on the perimeter as well:
“A little bit, but it was mostly inside. The inside gave us a big presence and we were able to pressure up on the perimeter. I think our perimeter guys did a good job on defense.”
On how much it helps when Sheldon Jeter can provide scoring off the bench:
“It’s a humongous boost. To see a freshman go off like that, we all just want to support him and get behind him. That makes us want to go even harder.”
William & Mary Head Coach Tony Shaver
Opening Statement:
“I don’t think we played up to our ability tonight and I give Vanderbilt a lot of credit. Their quickness bothered us a lot more than I anticipated it would. Our guards had a very difficult time handling the ball against their athleticism and quickness. We had a lot of turnovers, but I thought we made the effort plays tonight. We outrebounded them here on their home floor. I think we played hard, but our execution wasn’t very good. Part of it is our problem, but at the same time I think they took us out of our comfort zone.”
On if Vanderbilt’s length bothered his team:
“No question, we dropped balls out of bounds that should have been layups. Tim Rusthoven missed shots he usually makes. Brandon Britt and Marcus Thornton are very good at penetrating and scoring, but they couldn’t get to the rim tonight versus these guys, so it really did bother us. We shot the ball very poorly. When we did execute our offense, we just couldn’t make shots.”
On if he had prepared for Sheldon Jeter during the scouting report:
“We take all their players into account. We knew their personnel well. They shot the ball so well and they haven’t been a great shooting team, but they made some perimeter jump shots. They run good stuff that is hard to guard and I think Kevin (Stallings) is a good coach. He is really improving this team and I know their record isn’t perfect, but they are really getting better as a basketball team and I think that is a tribute to their staff.”
