University of Memphis Athletics
Post-Game Quotes
Nov 20, 2009 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 20, 2009
Recap | Final Stats | Notes
Memphis Post-Game Quotes
Opening Statement
"Let me first say this first. Winning by 30 is hard. It doesn't matter where--junior high, highschool, AAU, college pro--winning by 30 is just hard. I thought this was going to be a tough game, and it was. I thought Tennessee Tech was really well coached. They have some really good players. Watching their tape, they're better than how they played. But, we played very well defensively and really got after it. I'm proud of our guys."
Is this team taking on that mentality of coming out and being a scrappy, effort style team?
"We talked about how our identity is to be scrappy--to get after it, to stay after it, and to be scrappy. For us to be able to have a chance to win games, we have to be scrappy. Again, the first half, we were just off. The reason we were able to make shots in the second half is because we were penetrating, kick, extra pass. We need to get paint touches, whether that's via the dribble or the pass, or a cut. We sink the defense in and then kick it out and make the extra pass. When that happens, we got our shots in rhythm. The disappointing thing is that we gave up 13 offensive rebounds, which can't happen. And, we let them shoot 52% in the second half--not good. And the last thing I'm disappointed in is that we had 14 turnovers. We have to be better than that. Overall, in terms of effort, toughness, and scrappiness, I'm proud of our guys."
Tennessee Tech Coach Mike Sutton
Post-Game Quotes
What are your thoughts on the game and the impression of the Memphis team after tonight's game? Did you attempt to change defenses after Memphis settled for three's in the first half?
"It didn't matter if they settled or not, but they did a good job. I have known Coach Pastner a long time from my time at the University of Kentucky. Coach Pastner is one of the bright stars of the game of college basketball. He is a tremendous person and an outstanding basketball coach. I think people will be overwhelmed and pleased with what he can do with this program. He has a reputation as a recruiter, but he has been a basketball coach for a long time, even back when he was a student. He may look young, but there is a great deal of knowledge. I was thoroughly impressed with their preparation and I obviously watched them play Kansas where they had a chance to win. Against us, I thought they handled things well and their schemes were really good. I think it takes a while to get into a rhythm of what their kids are going to do and how they are going to play. We tried to change defenses, but if we could have made shots early on, we could have given them some different looks. They were quick to the ball, they made threes and they penetrated and kicked and made threes. They did a good job on the offensive glass, but we just couldn't get the ball at some points and they turned us over well."
Your team doesn't usually turn the ball over as much as you did tonight. What contributed to the turnover margin tonight?
"We didn't turn the ball over much last game. I don't think people realize we played last night and got on the bus for three hours and came here. It doesn't get any easier from here, but last night's game was a scheduling issue. There was a problem and we ended up having to play there. Out of the two games, I was hoping for a split and we got that last weekend and we got the split this weekend as well."
