Post-Game Quotes
12/2/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 2, 2003
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Wake Forest Postgame Quotes
December 2, 2003 vs. Indiana
Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser...
"We came out tonight from the tip playing with a lot of energy and emotion. We had two really good practices after the Yale game. We really focsued and played enthusiastically. I am happy to come out with a win against a good Indiana team. We don't have a pre-season All-American or any Wooden Award candidates and our guys are aware of that. We need to play hard and have our defense help create our offense."
On Eric Williams:
"We played with good balance tonight. Our team has a good mix of perimeter and interior talent, but I believe basketball is best played inside out. Eric is a deferential young man and is reticent to shoot. He has the ability to score. He is very good both inside and in transition."
On three-guard offense:
"They (Gray, Paul and Downey) are all bright basketball players with a high IQ for the game. They are very unselfish. All three are very good friends, both on and off the court. Despite their size, they do a great job on the backboard. They constantly tell me, 'Coach, don't worry about rebounds,' but I still do. They just love to play so much that we have to kick them out of the gym."
On Chris Paul: "He's a good player and he plays with guys who help him along. He's very bright and extremely, extremely selfless. And our kids like to play with him because of that."
Wake Forest freshman Chris Paul...
"It was so much fun. I couldn't believe it was happening. I felt very overwhelmed, something like this doesn't happen every day. I took guarding Wright as a challenge and wanted to step up to the challenge of this game. I wanted to be a scoring threat. Everything is working out for me and the team."
On the ACC banner unveiling:
"Justin said, smiling, that I was a part of that, and I told him that I was too, since I came to every game last year. It shows me that the Wake Forest program is growing."
On team unity:
"I've been with the team since last year, even though I was in high school and feel that the team is a family."
Wake Forest sophomore Eric Williams...
On his mental aspect of the game:
"Last year I didn't really care about fouling, but things have changed now that we don't have a go-to guy like Josh Howard. Mentally, I feel that I have a tremendous amount of responsibility on my shoulders."
On his adjustments going into the season:
"I can't wait to see what my changes bring into ACC action. I feel that I am doing a whole lot better and improving on a daily basis."
On the tie-dye shirts and new uniforms:
"It gave the team unbelievable energy that carried out into the crowd also. It feels that sometimes we're putting on a show. The new jerseys and shirts got us pumped up as a team in the lockerroom before the game."
Indiana head coach Mike Davis...
"Tonight was another growing experience for us. We talked about taking away their passes mainly, and we still need to work on that. When Bracey (Wright) picked up his second foul, we had to play without him. Without Wright on the court, it kills us. He came back in but played timid. Even if he scores 40, we still lose. But you have to give credit to Prosser. His team played a really good game."
On WFU's three guards:
"I think Chris Paul may be the best point guard we've played against since I've been at Indiana. It is impossible to pick him up full court and it's impossible to guard him when you try and press. Watching him play is like watching poetry in motion. Justin Gray, you all know what he can do. Justin is a great player. He's just a sophomore but he has the toughness of a fifth-year senior. If they play the way they did tonight, they'll win a lot of ball games."
"It was just one loss. If you measure a loss by points, you lose your season. Look at the Patriots - they were shut out in the first week. If we realize every game we play in the preseason is a learning experience, I think we'll be all right in the Big Ten."
