University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Basketball Quotes vs CBU
Nov 12, 2014 | Men's Basketball
Recap |
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
Head Coach Josh Pastner
Opening Comments
"First off, full credit goes to Christian Brothers. Mike (Nienaber) does a great job. They play great, so full credit goes to Christian Brothers. Secondly, there are a lot of things we got to continue to get better, but we're going to be a good team. I know we're going to be a good team. It's going to take some time, there's going to be some highs and lows through it. We've got some things we need to clean up, and we will clean up.
I felt for St. Louis we were, for the most part, we were pretty good, and tonight we weren't real good, but Christian Brothers deserves full credit for that. I felt there were some times where we were experimenting on a couple of things, but it didn't work on the things we were looking at, but that's part of playing these games is you get a chance to see some things.
Everyone here knows me. I'm not a guy who plays nine, 10 guys. I usually play seven to eight. I like to keep a group that's on a run, keep them in. Then also, I left some guys in to see if they can snap out of some stuff. There is no good news out of it (tonight's game), other than it doesn't go on the record books. We're still 0-0."
On guard play...
"Well, we had over 20 turnovers against St. Louis, and we had 21 turnovers tonight. Neither team is a pressing team. They were just unforced errors.
"In my six years here, this is the slowest I've ever seen our team play. The slowest pace we have ever played, and I can't stand playing slow. Our pace was very, very slow. It may be the slowest in all my times since I've ever been a coach. That is something that we cannot be. We cannot be a slow team. We just can't. Because we're so effective with Shaq and Austin, it's too easy for teams to pack it inside if we're playing slow because there is a question mark with our shooting. So, for us to get the looks that we need, we have to play with pace, even after a made basket. To push it up, to put pressure on the defense, to get the ball reversed, so we can get the ball inside."
On the loss...
"We lost. They beat us. They outplayed us. It was unexpected of the team and me. They just came out and outplayed us pretty much throughout regulation and overtime."
On getting ready for Wichita State...
"We go back to practice on Friday morning and we'll watch film and go over all of our mistakes. We will fix what we have to, and then we're back at it on Tuesday."
On the teams energy level...
"To me we looked a bit exhausted, but I think for the most part we stayed together. We didn't splinter. They just outplayed us when it came down to it and made those 50-50 plays. They got the key rebounds and key stops that helped them win the game."
On newcomers understanding game speed...
"Coach came to the locker room and said we need to pick up our sense of urgency. I think now the team sees how important it is to come out with that energy the whole game and not at the end. I think we see that now so we'll be fine."
Junior Guard Kedren Johnson
On the loss...
"Personally, I wouldn't say it's much of a shock factor. I'd say we have to be much better. Credit to Christian Brothers. They played a good game and better than we did tonight. That's the bottom line."
On personal performance...
"I played terrible tonight and that's uncharacteristic of me. I have to be better and there are a lot of things we need to get better at as a team. I'm sure we'll go back at it tomorrow and watch film and keep getting better."
On Tiger Nation's concern...
"No offense at all, but my focus is in the huddle. My head in is in the huddle. I'm focused on getting better and getting this team as good as we can possibly be. We just have to keep our heads down and keep getting better and not pay attention to what others are saying."
On newcomers knowing what to expect at this level...
"It's definitely a learning experience and I would say that we will be better than we were tonight. I can promise you that."
On being ready for Wichita State...
"Well just like anything else in life, it's preparation. We have to go back, watch film, look at our mistakes and try our best to correct those. We will study Wichita State and go there, and we'll see what we can do."
Christian Brothers Head Coach Mike Nienaber
Overall thoughts on the win... "It's a special thing. I told the guys that they should enjoy it and bask in it. It's special. At the end of the day, it's not going to get us any points getting into an NCAA Regional. Everybody in Memphis knows what a big thing this is for us. The reality is, when we wake up tomorrow morning, Harding is going to be sitting there licking their chops. We have a really tough game Saturday night. We haven't won there in quite a while on the road. We're going to have to come back down to Earth quick. We showed that we can be pretty good, but we still have a lot of improving to do. There are a lot of things that aren't happening. There are a lot of things we can still get better at.
This happens. They're (Memphis) a young team. Everybody in Memphis is going to be freaking out, but this happens two or three times a year. It's happened to Syracuse, Ohio State and Dayton; it occasionally happens. Those programs don't come unraveled because they lost an exhibition game. Memphis won't unravel either. They're going to have their attention more in practice the next week. Josh will bring them on. They're a young team playing their first game.
As it stayed close, that was a big advantage for us. We have guys that are in their third or fourth year. Drew (Hildreth) is in his third year. Ryan (Fleming) and Trey (Casey) have been out in this game before. Those kids were taking some tough shots as the game wound down in front of their home crowd."
On coming back from being down nine...
"It seemed like a lot of times when we've been here and they've made a run like that, it's been a knockout punch. Tonight we were able to get up off the mat. That's the most encouraging thing. Memphis is hard to keep off the boards. We're still working on our new defensive zone. We stepped up and made plays. That's what it's always about. Drew made a big three and we finally hit a couple of big free throws down the stretch. The shots they were taking late in the game and in overtime were high-pressure shots. We talked about that during timeouts. If the game was close, the pressure was going to be on them. If we just rebound those shots, we can win."
