Colorado University Athletics
Colorado, Lafayette Quotes
November 25, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Colorado Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik
GENERAL ? “There was a lot of good. We shot 51% from the field, we got to the free throw line 30 times, and we had four players in double digits, so that means that we are unselfish and share the ball. Those are all great things. But I think that we need to improve our defensive rebounding and turnovers. They affect the game in a big way. We need to get better in both those areas. We defended well. When you play teams like Lafayette and Harvard, they make you cut hard. You have to be rock solid to be in the proper position. We have to culminate the defense with rebounding and get out and run, because we are a good team when we get out and run.”
ON CORY HIGGINS ? “He got the free throw line 10 times, and knocked down a couple of threes. He scored in a variety of ways. He defended well, so he played a very good all around game.”
ON ROAD TRIP ? “Ready or not here we come. I am looking forward to it. It will be a great challenge. It will give us a really good gauge to see where we are at.”
Colorado Players
Cory Higgins, So., Guard
ON TEAM EFFORT ? “I think that we did a pretty good job tonight. The one weak spot in the game today was the turnovers and the rebounds.”
ON ASSERTIVENESS ? “We need to assert ourselves every night. When we cut to the bucket, we get some easy shots, and we do not have to settle for jump shots.”
ON LEARNING EXPERIENCE ? “I think that should have passed by now. We should know what to expect of everybody, and have everyone show up to every game. The adjustment period is over by now.”
Dwight Thorne II, Jr., Guard
ON CONFIDENCE ? “I think that the young guys are starting to get confidence. I think that they are starting to learn that we need to sustain the effort for the full 40 minutes. It is working well for the whole team, and especially the young guys.”
ON ROAD TRIP ? “To consider yourself a quality basketball team, you have to play quality basketball teams. I think that Stanford is pretty good even though they lost the Lopez twins. If we can go to Palo Alto and get a win, I think it would be good for Colorado basketball.”
ON WHAT IS NECESSARY TO GET A WIN ? “We just have to play the whole game. We cannot come out slow, end slow, or slow down in the middle. We need to come out and sustain the whole 40 minutes. If we can do that, and rebound the ball we will be a pretty good team”
Lafayette Head Coach Fran O'Hanlon
ON COMING OUT STRONG IN THE SECOND HALF? “In the first half, we shot ourselves in the foot. We missed shots, we made bad passes, and we threw the ball away; we lost our poise. In the second half, we came out strong. We started seven down, we went on a run, and then we just ran out of gas. We were worn down. It's hard to maintain that kind of intensity for a long time.”
ON SEASON OUTLOOK - “We wanted to get Andrew Brown home [he is from Colorado] to play out here. We played a Big 12 team. We are a pretty good team. If we keep working, I know we can play against a team like this.”
ON PLAYING SO MANY FRESHMAN - “We had a couple players out; one with an ACL and one with a thigh [injury]. I knew we would play some [freshman], but I didn't know how many. But we gained some experience from it, and it should help us in the long run.”
Lafayette Players
Andrew Brown, Sr., Guard
ON RETURNING TO COLORADO ? “It was awesome. It would have been better if we had won, but my friends and family were here to watch me. They don't get to go back east too much, so it was good to have them here.”
ON WHAT TO TAKE FROM THE GAME - “We didn't have a lot of energy. I don't know if it was the elevation or we were just tired. The game was there for the taking, and we just couldn't get it done. We have to find a way to keep up the intensity for 40 minutes.”
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