Wake Forest Athletics
Quotes
3/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2006
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Wake Forest head coach Skip Prosser
On the game:
"First thing I would say is I'm really happy for our seniors. They get to really enjoy their last game at the Joel. They've had such great careers and very impactful. They've had a number of wins over the last four years. I'm very happy for our team. I'm also cognizant of the fact that with (Cameron) Bennerman out, State was missing one of their main offensive weapons. Sometimes, they'll have enough guys who can score, but he's obviously a very good offensive player for State, having said that, I'm very happy for our players and to get out with a win is gratifying."
On not taking losses personally:
"I wish I didn't take (the losses) as personally as I do. People have told me in 34 years of coaching not to take these things too seriously. Coach (Pete) Gillen tried hard to talk me out of them when I was an assistant. I've given that fight up a long, long time ago. I'm just competitive. I love winning but not as much as I abhor losing. I personalize it, I wish I didn't. I've been told by people a lot more intelligent than I am that you do take it too personalize it. I'm 55 years old now; I'm probably not going to change it. I'm just happy for our players, especially for the seniors."
On Cedric Simmons:
"Cedric Simmons is a terrific young player. He certainly as improved as any player in our league. He's really good. I thought we did a decent job contesting their leans. Most important defender is the guy on the ball to pressure the passer. I thought we did a better job of that, but he's a handful. The first half we did pretty well; they had 30 points with 16 of them at the foul line."
On starting John Buck:
"It wasn't like our lineup has been set throughout the year. A little bit of a nothing to lose act. On the other hand, I have a lot of respect for John Buck. I had a lot of respect for Scott Feather last year. We're not fighting right now for an NCAA seed. I thought it would give us a lift and Buck deserved it. Not that Scotty Feather didn't deserve it last year, but I thought this year it was the right thing to do."
NC State head coach Herb Sendek
On the game:
"I thought Wake Forest played an excellent basketball game this afternoon. I thought Eric Williams in particular was sensational. Right from the outset we had a difficult time contending with him. His numbers were awfully impressive with 22 points and 16 rebounds. I thought our guys continued to battle, scratch and claw. The biggest challenge we had today was putting the ball in the basket. Our offensive field goal percentage and three point field goal percentage numbers make it very difficult to be in a position to have a chance to win. I thought our guys continued to give great effort, and it wasn't from a lack of trying."
On shot selection:
"Some was very good. Other times we didn't execute and took some forced ones. I thought Wake Forest played some excellent defense. I thought our guys did a good job of attacking the paint both off the dribble and going inside. We got to the free throw line a number of times."
On going into the ACC Tournament without momentum:
"There is a great case history of teams that finish the season without momentum and go on to do great things. The first one that comes to mind is Villanova in their Cinderella run. They got plastered in the last game of the season at Pittsburgh. Obviously, to the extent that you can, you want to play well all the time. You want to have momentum, and you want to win every game out."
On the offensive effort:
"We've been an outstanding shooting team and have had excellent offensive numbers through the season. Today is obviously an aberration for us. You have to give Wake Forest credit. I don't think you can write the story line without recognizing the tremendous job they did. From our standpoint, we just didn't put the ball in the basket."
On Gavin Grant:
"I thought he was a real warrior. I thought he showed tremendous heart. Gave us great effort on both ends of the floor, did a good job on the glass, and showed a lot of heart, grit and determination after he broke his nose."
