University of Memphis Athletics
Post-Game Quotes
Mar 17, 2010 | Men's Basketball
March 17, 2010
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
Postgame Quotes
March 17, 2010
You guys kept fighting to the very last minute
"That's how our team has been all year. It was a heck of a basketball game. We can say it's the NIT, but that's an NCAA game; two teams battling and two teams really wanting to win. They got the ball last and were able to make the play.
I was so happy for (Anthony) Mason (Jr.). He played terrific and did a great job for us. I was really proud of my whole team. This is one of the best atmospheres that I've been in all year, and for our guys to stay in there and battle and do what they did, I'm really proud of them."
Did you get the impression that whoever had the last possession would probably walk away with the win?
"We traded baskets. (Wesley) Witherspoon made two...the three he made in the corner, D.J. (Kennedy) was all over him. It was a really, really hard shot, and he made it. And then the last layup was really tough layup; he's stumbling and falling, but that happens those plays he made. We also made some huge plays; D.J. making the three, Paris Horne catching the lob and getting fouled. We made some plays, and it was just a great game."
What changed at half time?
"We knew they'd cool off. Nobody can stay that hot. They were really, really shooting it (in the first half), and I thought we did a better job of pressuring out on them; getting into their bodies and not letting shots come so easily. I think we made it a little bit tougher."
Memphis Coach Josh Pastner
First impressions?
"I'm so proud of the guys. Coming off of the disappointment of not making the NCAA Tournament, and playing in a great tournament with an elite field and some great teams, I'm so proud of the way the bounced back. They gave an unbelievable effort for 40 minutes. It was a great win for us. You know what, we were owed one at the buzzer. We've lost a couple at the buzzer this year, and we were owed one for that ball to bounce and stick in."
On the last shot by Wesley Witherspoon?
"I'd like to tell you that I devised an unbelievable play, but I always say that the best offense is breakdown offense when you have players. You let them play. They did a good job of taking something away, so we had to go to Plan B. That was to get it to Wesley. We knew they were going to double Wesley. They came off of him, and when they did, we said to get it right back to Wesley and told Wesley to make something happen. He did. He was phenomenal tonight. He was great."
On first-half three-point shooting (10-of-13)?
"We had a nine-point lead and the reason for that was that we made shots. When we make shots, we're tough to beat. That evens things out for us because we give up so many offensive rebounds. St. John's had 16 offensive rebounds tonight to our five. We shot more than 50 percent from the field and more than 50 percent from three-point range, which is terrific. The bottom line is that our shooting is our neutralizer. We do a good job of spacing the floor, and when we're open, we have to knock them down."
On Ole Miss matchup
"Let's get everyone to come on down to Oxford. It's about an 80-minute drive. Come on down and support us. If you can't make it, the game is at 5:30 Central Standard Time on ESPN2."
