Wake Forest Athletics
Post-Game Quotes: Wake Forest vs. High Point
11/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 18, 2009
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Wake Forest Head Coach Dino Gaudio
On the game against High Point...
"I thought that was a really hard-played basketball game. Both teams played really hard, and we played really well in the second half. Our defense, as we know, is predicated to being in help position. In the first half, they were dribble-driving, kicking out for threes and we had to make adjustments for half time. We said 'listen let's just lock on to the driver and let's stay attached to our wings so they can't drive and kick.' It's tough to switch gears in the first twenty minutes, but I thought we did a great job of adjusting in the second half. Deacs did a great job at the foul line tonight, and I told the kids there was a big difference in the game tonight. Once again we didn't shoot many three's which is who we are."
On the team's performance against High Point...
"Those kids from High Point played very hard. They pushed the ball very well. They were smaller so it was a challenge for some of our bigger guys and at times as you saw, we had a smaller lineup out there and that really helped us in guarding. Holding them to twenty-one points in a half was pretty good."
On facing adversity early on in the game...
"I tell those guys, I don't care who we are playing, when we are playing, there is going to be adversity in every game. Whether it's IUP, before that the scrimmage against South Carolina, it's going to happen and every game is going to rear its head. Whether we're up by ten and they cut it to four, or we are down like we were, and I just tell them here it is boys, let's see how we handle it. They did a pretty good job coming out in the first half and an even better job in the second. We did a really good job guarding in the second. I think good teams are able to make adjustments."
High Point Head Coach Scott Cherry
Opening statement...
"I'm really proud of my guys. They gave me tremendous effort tonight. I thought the first half we came out and executed our game plan to the best of our ability. Down three going into the half, we knew it was going to be hard in the second half with their size. I give Wake a lot of credit. They're a tremendous basketball team. They have some guys that can really score the ball. They get it up on the rim and if they don't score, they get it a second or third time. I'm extremely excited for my guys. I feel like they came out here and gave their hearts and played as hard as they possibly could. When you're in foul difficulty and the other team shoots a lot of free throws, it puts you in a bind. I don't have a deep bench, but I'm really excited about our guys and we can take a lot from this game and move forward."
On when he thought the game turned in Wake's favor...
"I don't think it was in the first half. Nick Barbour got his second foul early in the first half. For us to be down three with a guy that is offensively gifted as he is, I was excited about that. I had another post player in Corey Law in foul trouble. Cruz Daniels was in foul trouble. To have to go to the bench and have David Campbell, David Singleton and Earnest Bridges step up the way they did, I'm excited about that because it's going to take all 10 scholarship guys I have this year. They did a tremendous job tonight. We hit a lull in the second half where we didn't make any shots. We had some good looks. We took some tough ones. We turned it over a few times and gave them some easy baskets. I thought the first half we were excited. We did some good things. We had some balls go in and out. We had a two-for-one right before half. Eugene Harris took a great three and it went down in the hole and popped back out. If the ball goes down a few times, you never know what's going to happen. For my guys, we have to focus in on the defensive end of the floor because you're going to have games on the road where you're just not making shots and you have to fall back on your defense."
On playing an up-tempo game against Wake Forest...
"That was our game plan. That's our philosophy and that's the way we play. We like to get out and run in transition. We try to attack and get some easy ones. Going to look at the tape, I don't think we did as good a job in the second half. They were scoring and making baskets, so it's a little bit harder to run in transition on made baskets. Make or miss, we try to run. I think I have great guards in (Eugene) Harris, Nick Barbour and Tehran Cox and guys that come off the bench that can get out in transition and make plays and my bigs can run. We're not the biggest team as you saw tonight, but I think we're fast and athletic. We can really get out and run with people. Over the course of the non-conference schedule, it's going to be to our advantage. Hopefully when we get into conference play, we can utilize that."
