Wake Forest University
Virginia
Post-Game Quotes
2/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2003
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Wake Forest Postgame Quotes
February 23, 2003 / vs. Virginia
Wake Forest's Skip Prosser...
"First of all, I want to praise Virginia. I thought they played very well. I thought Coach (Gillen)'s gameplan was excellent. In the first half we were unable to slow down Billet, Smith and Watson. There's no question in my mind Virginia can play in the NCAA Tournament. I know they've now lost four in a row, but in this league, that can just happen. Every time you go out, you're playing a tournament team."
"Secondarily, I want to praise our kids. We've had a lot of games and a lot of travel, and we've played three games this week. This game might not have been as well played as we liked, but our kids possessed the necessary grit we needed to win the game. A lot of guys contributed and we were very fortunate to walk out with a win."
On Justin Gray's three-point shot near the end of the game:
"We were trying to run a play that we call 'hale'. But if you can believe it, it's not for "Hail Mary'. It's named after Steve Hale, and I've been running it since I was a high school coach. We copied from you-know-who (UNC). I thought we had Josh in a good mis-match position underneath, but Justin chose to shoot and it was fortuitous that the thing banked in."
On Virginia:
"They're good. They have great balance with Watson and Brown inside, and guys like Billet and Smith on the outside. When they have that balance, they're hard to guard. We went bigger for a while and we asked Jamaal Levy to guard their point guard. All I can say is, thank goodness was pointing our way on that tie-up. I'm real proud of our players and what they've done this year. They've been hanging in, battling and finding a way."
On playing against the zone:
"It was not unlike the NC State game. We were very unaggressive against the zone; we keep saying that we want to see the zone as a green light, not as a red light. But again you have to give Virginia credit. It's not like we weren't trying to make plays. They just played great defense."
Wake Forest's Josh Howard...
On the end of the game:
"We just decided that we were going to put our foot and finish things off. When it came down to winning time, I guess we just wanted it more. We stayed focused, kept concentrating; we were able to get it done."
Wake Forest's Justin Gray...
On his three-point shot:
"I knew we only had three ticks to get a shot, but I guess that's why you pray at night. I knew I got it off in time, but I wasn't sure it was going in. And I didn't even call glass."
Virginia's Pete Gillen.... "I'm very disappointed we did not win tonight. You have to give Wake Forest a lot of credit. Their team is undefeated at home. Josh Howard had two big plays to tie the game up by jumping over our guards. We don't play for moral victories, but I'm proud of our team and the way we played."
"Travis (Watson) didn't start because he missed a class and another committment. At UVa, we have rules and standards. Other schools may not have the same, but it's our policy. Our kids did what they had to do. They did a good job in a tough situation."
"Josh Howard made two huge plays at the end. He's a 6-6 All-American. He's the top player in the ACC and definitely in the top 3-4 in the nation."
On Justin Gray's three-point shot near the end of the game:
"That was a huge play at the end of the game with the score tied. His bank shot was one hell of a shot. It's a tough shot and it's just part of the game. We our best defender on him and he still banked it in from about 23 feet."
