University of Memphis Athletics
Memphis Postgame Quotes vs Stephen F. Austin
Dec 02, 2014 | Men's Basketball
Recap |
Box Score |
Notes |
Joe Murphy Photo Gallery 
 |
Memphis Head Coach Josh Pastner |
"We just had trouble scoring. That is for sure an issue with us, but I thought we were going to get an opportunity there. We were up 44-41 and that technical foul caused us to lose some momentum. I give Stephen F. Austin credit. They are a great team. It's going to take a little time and we are going to have to get back to the drawing board. That's what we're going to have to do is just get better. A lot can happen. Right now we are sitting at 2-3 and that's not fun. It wasn't a pretty game. We had too many turnovers at the guard position, but I still believe we are going to turn this game around. We are playing a tough schedule to prepare us for conference play."
On turnovers being the biggest issue to correct at the guard position...
"I think our season is going to depend on getting that point guard play. That's going to be the whole season. We have to get a point guard to actually run the point. We're going to get there. It's going to work out. Eventually, it will happen. You look at the stat line, 27 points they got off second chance points and turnovers. That hurts us. Tiger Nation I know you are upset. You have every right to be upset. Any criticism is on me and we need to play better. You've earned the right for us to play better and we will get and play better. We're not going to hide from anything. We are going to embrace our challenge in front of us. We will find a way to improve and continue and right the ship."
|
#0 Guard/Forward Trahson Burrell |
The shots aren't dropping, things aren't going your way right now
"We got a lot of things going through our minds that we're trying to do at once. I feel like we're trying to do too much at one time. I wouldn't say that we're not relaxed. We're just thinking too much out there."
Did the crowd help early on?
"Oh yeah. The crowd definitely helped boost momentum. Every time we make a play, we hear them. The crowd definitely helps."
You took a three point lead, but just couldn't hang on to it
"There are some games where you put them away, and then there are some games where you have a tough time. It's been a drought lately. We're really young, so we'll pick it back up."
How do you get out of these droughts?
"I think it's just about getting experience. Half of our team this is our first college games. Every other team we've played has seen guys, so it's just experience level
|
#5 Forward/Guard Nick King |
You guys took a three-point lead, but couldn't get around the corner
"We just have to learn how to stay mentally strong throughout the whole game. We have to always out work the other team. We fell asleep on a couple of possessions and they just took advantage of it."
On not being able to build on a lead
"They just got a lot of second chance opportunities. They outworked us on the glass. They worked hard. They wanted it more than us, and they got the win."
|
Stephen F. Austin Head Coach Brad Underwood |
Opening Statement...
"It was a hard fought win. It wasn't a thing of beauty by any stretch, but I thought it was two teams that played extremely hard and competed at a very high level. It had a great intensity about it, and I thought that they were very well prepared. I thought our staff did a great job of preparing our guys in a fairly quick turnaround, coming back from Vegas and then having to make a long trip here by bus. I was really happy with our bench production. We made that run and Tanner Clayton, who's a starting senior, had a layup and then the rest were new guys. It was Clide Geffrard with a three pointer and then an and one. Then it was a freshman Ty Charles, who hit a big three and that's when we expanded that lead on from about the eight-minute mark. I felt like the technical foul got us going and gave us some energy at that time. We made some plays and that was nice to see."
Thoughts on Josh Pastner and the Tiger basketball program...
"It's one of the elite programs in college basketball. Obviously Josh is in a building mode. They've got some new faces and they are looking for some continuity. They have a true superstar in my opinion, Shaq Goodwin. Their guard play will continue to get better. Kedren Johnson, who is a proven player, just needs to get himself comfortable in the new system. Pookie Powell is a highly talented kid. It's a process. It just doesn't happen over night. He's a very good coach and does a heck of a job. He did a great job preparing for us and this team will be a much different team come January in conference play than they were tonight."
