Wake Forest Athletics
Post-Game Quotes
2/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 9, 2008
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Wake Forest Head Coach Dino Gaudio
Opening Statement
"I was real proud of our kids. I thought it was a real good win for us. I thought they did what they had to do to win the game for us. I think a big point in the game for us was when we couldn't guard Sean [Singletary] and he kept getting to the rim and getting to the rim and we had the wear-with-all to keep him in front of us in the zone and stop his penetration and it was a real big difference maker in the game. Our defense overall was very good. 33% field goal percentage defense, 21% from 3's. We scored at .98 points per possession which is outstanding. We didn't shoot free throws great but we shot well enough down the stretch to keep us ahead in the game. It was a good win for those guys. We had three freshmen on the floor a lot of the game. It was a good win for us and I'm happy for our young guys."
On the play of Sophomore Point Guard Ishmael Smith...
"He was really aggressive. He kept driving the ball. I told him to keep his foot on the accelerator and keep pushing the ball. He had a really good basketball game for us. 6 assists, 1 turnover, another good game for him."
On the team's ability to shoot three pointers...
"We've shot the ball well the last two games at home and it's big for us. When the ball's falling, it gives you a little bit of energy on defense and it picks our kids up mentally. When the shots are falling, that's a big key for us. Harvey Hale had a good second half from behind the arc for us. As soon as he hit one, we went right back to him and he hit another one."
Virginia Head Coach Dave Leitao
Opening Statement
"I thought that especially early, we were loose enough. It's happened to us more than a couple times, that they got a lead and not just playing the scoreboard, but we're down 6, 8, or 12, and it sets a tone. It gave them enough confidence whether it was not getting back on defense or assignments in the backcourt that broke us down and gave the confidence to them. We did come back, but they made the plays. They executed very well. It was them playing with the amount of confidence that allows good players and good teams to be good."
On shaking up the lineup...
"There's only one result and that's to score more points than the other team. And when that doesn't happen, then it doesn't work. We're giving guys opportunities based on their performance in practice. And that was the decision, based on practice."
On the zone defense...
"I think it was a good call coming out of a timeout because we weren't expecting it. And it's something we haven't seen in a long time. It made us take time off and figure it out, and that time lapse was effective."
On Virginia's ineffective 3-point defending...
"It's because we make enough structural errors that allow not only those kind of errors, but it gives the other players enough confidence to make those shots."
Wake Forest Guard Ishmael Smith
On bouncing back from the loss against Georgia Tech...
"It was a big win. We're coming back from two tough losses, one at NC State that we thought we had and Georgia Tech where we thought we had it. It was huge because Virginia came back with a vengeance. They just lost against Clemson and they had a team meeting so we knew they were going to come out aggressive. It was a big win. Now we have to hit the road to Florida State and get another one."
On the importance of winning ACC games at home...
"It's huge. It's really, really huge. This is why we came here, to play in the ACC. Every game is tough. Virginia is tough. If you look back at their schedule, four or five of their ACC games are overtime or one-point losses. This is the same team that went to Arizona and beat Arizona."
Wake Forest Guard Harvey Hale
On the upcoming schedule...
"It's good going on the road and having some momentum. We just have to get a win against Florida State and keep rolling. Maybe something good will happen if we finish fourth or fifth in the ACC."
On not losing the lead in the second half...
"At the six or seven-minute mark there was a TV timeout and that's the time, in the ACC, that we've really been struggling. That was the time where we just said, `Hey, we have to get a stop.' Coach made a great decision. Sean Singletary had four straight layups in the lane and Ish kept scoring. So, we went zone and they stopped scoring but we kept scoring. I think that is what separated us today."
