Postgame Quotes - Wake Forest vs. UNC Asheville
11/14/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
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Wake Forest Head Coach Danny Manning
On the overall game...
"Tonight's game was a long time coming. It seemed like forever since we accepted the job. I'm definitely happy the season is here. Rowsey is a great player. He is talented and fun to watch. I wish he were on our team. We won the game, but we have a lot we need to work on. First thing is turnovers. I think if you are a fan, you enjoyed sitting in the front row because you got to touch the game ball. [laughs] We have to get better at it. I thought Dinos and DT played exceptionally well on the inside. We did a good job on the glass. I am disappointed in our fast break points, but all in all it's a win but we have a long ways to go."
On excusing mistakes because it is the first game...
"No. We have to do a better job. This is Asheville's first game also, and they only had 12 turnovers."
On nine players playing double-digit minutes...
"To be honest, we need to play at least nine. Next week we play Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Play a game, practice, recover, prep. I think our rotation helped us out tonight."
On trapping Rowsey in the 2nd half...
"We actually wanted to do that the whole game, but he is clever. He creates angles and he is a good passer. He came off those ball screens and would throw the ball with one hand to a wide-open player. That is just a great play."
On Dinos' ball slip...
"Yea, Dinos is a good player. Dinos is a lot different then most of the guys here in America, and that has to do with his upbringing. They have basketball clubs over there, and so he has the chance to work with his coach 7 days a week for however long he wants. He played some high-level ball this summer playing for his national team. We are happy with where he is at, and he's going to continue to get better."
On going on the road...
"We play our first conference road game December 6th and I did not want that to be our first road game. This is going to be a tough swing. Tulane - they have three really talented guards. We need to rectify those turnovers quick."
On his first gameday...
"You are nervous up until shoot-around. It's always important to get a win...it creates some momentum. We never apologize on winning but we have a long way to go to be the team we can be."
Junior Forward Devin Thomas
On his performance...
"I turned the ball around a couple of times, which was a good thing, but there is still a lot of stuff to fix...We were stressed to get the ball inside and my teammates did a good job. We just had to do our job to finish off the game, and we did."
On the play of Konstantinos Mitoglou...
"He can play. He had a good night. He just plays hard and always knows where to go. He's always working so there are benefits to that."
On the start under new coach Danny Manning...
"There is better energy. It's a better start. It's good when your coach wants to win and works you hard."
Junior Guard Codi Miller-McIntyre
On his performance...
"I was thinking too much with the ball. [My stats] were completely unacceptable from a point guard...I was indecisive with my actions with the ball."
On working with the younger guards...
"I'm excited. Mitchell [Wilbekin] played well and Cornelius [Hudson] played pretty well. I think a lot of it comes down to defensive principles. All of the guards lacked that tonight. But I'm excited to watch them grow."
On defending UNC Asheville's Rowsey in the second half...
"I think we picked up the defensive intensity. He's a tough guard...but I think we were really lackadaisical on the defensive side in the first half."
UNC Asheville Head Coach Nick McDevitt
On the overall game...
"First I would like to congratulate Wake Forest. I thought for the most part, I was pleased with how our team battled. We talked a lot about effort stats. The stat sheet tells a lot about Devin Thomas...he is a man. We knew that coming into this game. He is a tough match-up. We threw a lot of different things at him, and he still came away with 25 and 13 and that is what good players do. I felt like there were a couple big possessions where we got it to a one-possession game, but we could never get it to that big stop and to take the lead. They just kept coming up with big plays. Again congrats to Wake, but I was still proud of our team."
On Rowsey's performance...
"He is going to face defenses like that all year long. Just like what we were trying to do with Devin, they did to Andrew. They did everything from throwing different guys on him to trapping him. That was one thing he worked on - how to pass out of those areas. I thought he made some nice plays. He was enjoying shooting it."
On preparing for Devin Thomas...
"We knew his reputation. He is a skilled post. It was an eight-point game, but as a coach I still like to feel like we were in it. That shot towards the top of the key is a shot that made the game. Thomas does not do a whole lot of work outside, but he has good ball skills. He is tough... they are a tough team."
On Wake's turnovers...
"We felt like we could pressure them a little bit. Against a team like this, live-ball turnovers are dumps on the other end. Bad shots turn into transition buckets for the other team. I was real proud of our team for having 12 turnovers and nobody had over two. Obviously I am not satisfied with playing an ACC team close. I liked the attitude in our locker room. They were disappointed when we lost and I like that."
