Men's Basketball vs. Florida State Post-game Quotes
2/14/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 14, 2009
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Wake Forest Head Coach Dino Gaudio
On the game overall...
"I thought our kids played really hard. We really guarded, holding them to 37 and 18. The big thing was I think we pushed the ball well. We went inside so often and there are a lot of ways to score inside; it's in transition, it's throwing the ball to the post, it's second shots. We have been shooting free throws well in practice and that was a big statistic in the game. Good win for us against a team that was very hot and playing well. I am really happy with the win."
On your team's character...
"I am telling you that every day this group has terrific character. There are hard nosed guys in that locker room. We practiced really hard on Thursday and yesterday. We have the youngest starting line up in the ACC. They are learning and growing. Because of that we are going to have some growing pains. We all want them to be 16-0 and perfect, but that is just not reality. Everybody is having their ups and downs. I thought it was a really good win for us."
On why your defense was better tonight than it has been in the past few games...
"I think what we did over the last two days; we literally went back and did the drills we did at the beginning of the season. We guarded the ball one on one full, we did what we call our three pack station drills, and we went back to the fundamentals. I think maybe what we were maybe getting away from that a little bit before."
On Ishmael Smith...
"He has been terrific for us; the Duke game and the Boston College game. Despite the naysayer's, when he and Jeff are in together, it's good."
Wake Forest Players
Junior L.D. Williams
On practice this week...
"Practice was a lot like the beginning of the season when we first started and just trying to reiterate what got us the 16-0 start to the season."
On schedule...
"It's the ACC and guys every night are going to need to give it their best game, especially because of who we are now. We've kind of built the reputation that when we play hard and when we play smart we can beat anybody, but teams are really going to challenge that."
Sophomore Jeff Teague
On the style of play in today's game...
"They're a physical team; they're really physical. They play hard and we play hard so it gets scrappy in there."
On if the losing four-of-six game streak is over...
"I hope it's over. If not, we're in trouble. We've got to get wins and we've got to keep winning on the road. We haven't beaten Georgia Tech since I've been here. It's going to be a big game for us."
Junior Ishmael Smith
On how much ACC basketball he tries to consume...
"I watch all basketball. The one thing I don't do is expect one team to lose and another team to beat another team. I know since I've gotten here as a freshman, that you've got to take care of your own business. You can't hope another team loses. You've just got to go out there and win. But I'm going to watch all those games. I'm a huge college basketball fan."
On today's game...
"It got a little chippy out there, but whenever you're in the ACC it gets like that so we expect that every game, but it was still a good game and a big win. Now, it's on to Georgia Tech."
Florida State Head Coach Leonard Hamilton
Opening statement...
"I guess we ran into a buzz saw today. I thought Wake Forest was extremely ready to play. I thought they were much more aggressive than we were. We turned the ball over 12 times in the first half. For whatever reason, we were somewhat tentative on the offensive end. We were reluctant to attack and they took advantage of our tentativeness. They got some easy baskets and some run outs in transition. I thought (James) Johnson got them started early with 4-of-4 in the first half. Overall, I think we got beat by a team that was a little hungrier than we were. I thought they did a very good job defending us. This wasn't one of our better games. We have to look at this and learn from it like they have. They got emotionally ready. They came out and played a complete game. Hopefully, we can learn from how they responded when they hit some adversity. One thing about the ACC is you can't allow yourself to get too excited when things are going well for you. You can't get down when things aren't going well for you because the next opponent will be just as good and competitive. How we get back up from this will probably make a difference in how we finish the season off."
On the Wake Forest defense...
"We were our own worst enemy in the first half. I thought the ball stuck and didn't move. Our cuts were slow and our screens were slow. I thought Wake Forest was energized. We got the ball inside five times and turned it over. We had 12 turnovers in the first half. I'm going to give Wake Forest credit. I think their defense had something to do with that. They're big, strong and physical. They're probably the biggest, strongest and most physical team we've played this year. That's their style and I compliment them for that. I don't think we adjusted to the physicality of the game and they did. I think you have to give them credit. I thought their defensive game plan was more effective against us than our offensive game plan was against their defense."
On Solomon Alabi's flagrant foul...
"I don't think it had anything to do with the game. I think the game was physical. You've seen kids play physical and I'm sure there was some physical play going on. Solomon is not the kind of kid that responds that way. I'm not sure I've had any kids ejected from a game for retaliating since I've been at Florida State. I'm not going to say he was provoked. I have to go back and watch the film. That's the nature of the game. Sometimes a well-natured youngster can become emotional. We're going to put that behind us. I think (Chas) McFarland is a great player. He's a mature player. Solomon is still adjusting. I think mentally he got the better of Solomon today. I'm sure he'll learn from it. As far as the game is concerned, I think it had very little effect on the game. We were not as sharp as we have been."
On the number of fouls called in the game...
"I could be concerned about the officiating, but we did a lot of reaching. I thought we did a lot of slapping. I thought we came down with our hands instead of making them make plays. I didn't think we were as sharp defensively with our concentration. We've been playing good, solid defense. We're one of the better defensive teams in the country and we've been able to avoid fouls. Today, we had a lot of fouls. It was a physical game. They had quite a few fouls too. I thought our fouls were more reaching and grabbing as opposed to being physical. I don't think we had physical type fouls. You put yourself at risk when you're reaching. That's not the way we play."
