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Coach Scott Nagy's quotes vs. Centenary
1/4/2010 1:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Nagy opening statement vs. Centenary
"My concern coming into the game coming off the Oral Roberts was being flat, just kind of assuming that this was a game that we could be flat and walk through and win. Our players did a really, really good job of paying attention to us and following the game plan. Defensively we were just really locked in, particularly in the first half when that was the difference for us."
"My concern coming into the game coming off the Oral Roberts was being flat, just kind of assuming that this was a game that we could be flat and walk through and win. Our players did a really, really good job of paying attention to us and following the game plan. Defensively we were just really locked in, particularly in the first half when that was the difference for us."
Change in the defense
"Nothing has changed on my part in terms of what we preach. Maybe the players have just changed and are starting to see what it takes to win. That way we have always done it here when we have really been good is defense and rebounding. Obviously that's what we did this entire weekend. I think that they are starting to get a feel for that and you can tell that it's giving them confidence on the offensive end. You can just see it in their body language. When you are able to do that to somebody else and take away what they want to do and be physical and all the things that we have tried to build our program around, it starts to give you confidence in every other area."
Energy and effort
"That was the concern. You see patterns from kids and teams and hopefully we are starting to coming out of that pattern and understand that with our team we have enough talent that if we play at a high level, we can beat anybody. We are also at that level that if we are flat, anybody can beat us. We could have assumed tonight that we could have come out flat and the crowd would have carried us through, but we didn't. We didn't pay any attention to that and the kids followed the game plan and played with energy. You could tell right away. The first three shots we miss and we get tip-ins. That kind of energy level and effort is how we are going to win games, because offensively we struggled a little bit. When you are as good as we were defensively tonight, it helps."
Home sweep fell different?
"Yeah, it does for me. I think our fans appreciated it and enjoyed watching us. I have heard a lot of comments from people. I don't ever want to go back to that, it feels like it used to, because these are different times and this is a different team. It feels good. The key is now, like I told the guys after the game, the people that are walking around patting you on the back are not your friends. The people kicking you in the tail are your friends. So, I'm their best friend right now and they need to listen to me. We need to enjoy it, but we just won a couple of basketball games. There's a lot left, so let's stay grounded and get ready to go on the road and do what we are capable of doing."
Dominance in the paint
"It one of the few teams that we are going to play this year that we are bigger than. One of the focuses obviously is that we get Anthony (Cordova) going again. In the leagues last year, he was getting about 12 a game for us and he has really been no where near that and one of the reasons that we haven't been shooting a very good percentage is that we don't have any inside game. So, we really need to get Anthony going again. Playing 21 minutes tonight and almost getting a double-double. He's starting to get his confidence back and playing with a little bit of swagger again."
Individuals stepping up
"Kai has always been pretty consistent. He's such an efficient player and always has been. I feel that people have always knocked him for his energy and stuff like that. He's a thousand point scorer and has a chance to be our second leading rebounder all-time. If you look at his stats, he always has good stats. He doesn't take a lot of shots."
"A guy like Mark (Engen) who has waited and waited and waited and waited. We are starting to gain some confidence in him. Mark offensively is a really good player. Our offensive really works well when he is in there because not only is he a good shooter, be he has a good understanding of who to screen and get open. If his man helps, he is going to make shots. Mark might be the best shooter on our basketball team. We are just trying to figure out a way to utilize him because he's our biggest player and defensively he can help us in their sometimes."
Garrett Callahan coming off the bench for the second game in a row.
We are not picking Garrett out, but we went with the lineup that we did in Oral Roberts and we played well, so you just stay with that. There's no reason to change it. Garrett is going to play as many minutes or more than everybody else, we all know that. If you take the starting lineup that we had against Wyoming, every single one of those guys we have sat down at one point or another just to get the message across that we want you to do this and this. Particularly defensive with all of them. Garrett is no different then those other guys. But the key is in those tight games, like the Oral Roberts game, look who's in there and you know Garrett is in there."
Upcoming road trip to UMKC and Southern Utah
"Obviously the next step for our program is to actually go on the road and win two games. We have already gotten over the hump of winning a road game, but we have just not played well on the road so that needs to be the next focus. We have a chance here to really put the pressure on some people. Starting with our first five out of seven on the road, I think there is only one other team in the league that is doing that. It's an opportunity for us to really lock down. There are still some humps that we have to get over on the road. We've got to play better and get off to better starts. These are places that in terms of fans are not real difficult places to play. We have just not proven over the past few years that we have been a great road team so that's the next step that we are trying to take. I think a weekend like this is going to help our confidence. The key is to stay humble and come back Monday and get ready to work."
Thought on the season half way through
"We are about a game off of where I thought we would be in terms of our record. Realistically understanding the schedule that we played, obviously the Cal Poly game is the one that still stings. Really it doesn't matter what happened then. What we have been doing here lately is what we should be doing and that's the key."
Players Mentioned
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