Colorado University Athletics
CU-UW Post Game Quotes
January 22, 2015 | Men's Basketball
University of Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle
General
"That was a heart-breaker to say the least. I'm disappointed in the loss but I'm really pleased with our effort and our fight. I thought we guarded well enough tonight; rebounded well enough tonight to win. We didn't take care of the ball well enough and obviously we didn't shoot the ball well enough. I thought this was one of those games where whoever had the ball last was going to win, and they had it last. We're being tested; our toughness is being tested; our mental fortitude is being tested. We got to come back tomorrow and practice and move forward and continue to improve."
On Facing Washington's Defense
"They played a zone; they slowed us up. We worked on zone offense the last three days in practice, so I felt we were prepared for it. We were tentative against their zone and we didn't seem comfortable stepping in and shooting shots. I don't know why. In practice, we're a good zone-offensive team. I thought we had some good looks, some wide open looks against that zone. They just didn't go in. It was frustrating."
On Encouraging The Team
"It's all about getting better tomorrow. Whether you win four in a row or lose four in a row, it's about the next day at practice or the next game at hand. You don't worry about streaks. You stay focused on improving individually as a player and certainly collectively as a team."
On Team's Play In Close Games
"There's no quit in them. They're fighting; they're scratching; they're clawing. We're just coming up a little bit short. We're a little bit snake bit right now. That's four one-possession games we've been in this year and we've come up on the short end of the stick every time. We've got to learn and we've got to improve, and that's what we've got to focus on."
On [F] Wesley Gordon's Play
"He's a beast with 17 rebounds. I thought his post-defense was terrific. He battled. When you get a 17-rebound performance from any player, you have to tip your hat to him. I was really proud of him. I was really proud of all of our guys."
On Leadership Within The Team
"I wouldn't say that the leadership on this team is great. We've got a lot of guys who are trying to figure it out on their own. That's not pointing the finger at any one guy. It's just the way it is. If it's good, it's good; if it's non-existent, it's non- existent. I like our guys. The tone in that locker room is the one you want. We got to shake it off and come to work tomorrow."
University of Colorado Student-Athletes
Jaron Hopkins, Sophomore, G
On CU's Final Offensive Possession
"We drew up a play but I just turned the ball over and it cost us a turnover. It was a big moment in the game and that pretty much lost it for us. We work on situations like that every day in practice and I just can't turn the ball over right there."
On UW's Winning Shot
"I think we guarded it pretty well. The guy [Andrew Andrews] just hit a tough shot over our hands and that's the difference in the game. That one shot is the difference in the game. If we pick it up during the game and do the extra, get the 50/50 balls, we won't be in that situation."
On Coach Boyle's Message After The Game
"We just have to get better individually and as a team. We have to come back to work and practice. We're not going to hang our heads and stuff like that. So, we just have to get better tomorrow."
On Why The Buffs Struggled Offensively
"It could have been a mixture of both [shots not flying and the presence of Robert Upshaw]. He alters shots and he blocks shots and we knew that coming in. We just have to play better around him and maneuver the ball and get the best shot that we can every time."
On How To Get Out Of This Losing Streak
"We just can't hang our heads, just like Coach Boyle said. We just have to come back to practice with a positive attitude and a lot of energy in practice. That'll get us out of this slump. We just have to stay positive."
Wesley Gordon, Sophomore, F
On Defending UW's Robert Upshaw
"I just didn't want to let him touch it, get easy looks. I tackled him offensively and stayed aggressive."
On The Effect Of Missing Shots
"It was very big. We couldn't let them get second shots. We can't give Robert Upshaw second shots. We probably would have had a 10 point lead [if we wouldn't have given up second shots]."
On How The Team Moves On
"We have to have a short term memory. We play Washington State in two days so we have to get ready. We need to have muscle memory."
University of Washington Head Coach Lorenzo Romar
General
"Resilient is what our team was tonight. When you shoot 36 percent from the field and you are able to still win a game on the road, it says a lot for us staying in there and persevering. Obviously Andrew Andrews hit huge shot to win the game, but it was a team effort. I couldn't be more proud of our guys. On the road it doesn't matter how you do it as long as you get it done you can move the chains and get out of town."
On First Time Winning at The Coors Event Center
"It was the first time we were this close. We never mentioned it one time coming into the game. We did mention, right before we went out, that we got beat 91-65 here last year. Other than that we didn't talk about the past, we dwelled on what we needed to do to come out with the victory tonight."
On What Was Said in the Last Minute Timeouts
"We wanted to make sure we were organized on both sides of the floor, basically, because we had several possessions that we coughed up due to being out of position offensively. So, we wanted to make sure we were in the right position going out there."
On Who Got to Take the Last Shot
"The play was to set a ball screen for [G] Andrew [Andrews], to clear them out to get a shot."
On Trusting G Andrew Andrews with the Last Shot
"When he was a freshman in practice he hit those shots at the buzzer all the time. When he gets opened and is on balance, in a situation when there is pressure, he is a dare devil. In those situations, I've seen him in practice, come through. With what they had going, we figured they would double team Nigel Williams-Goss. We thought he might be a great option, if they were going to collapse on him. We had [G] Mike Anderson and [F] Donaven Dorsey, our best shooters over on the right side of the floor for Andrews to flip the ball to them, but he got open. Andrew is a gamer in certain situations like that. He has done it this year where he has not hit shots and then down the stretch he hits a big three. So, we had the confidence in him that he could knock the shot down."
On Thoughts of What They Did Well
"I thought our guys did a good job of being discipline, staying organized and not getting too extended in the zone. Colorado has a lot of shooters and in the first half we were so concerned about their shooters that we kept going for their shot fakes, which made it is easy for them to get around us driving the basketball. In the second half we stayed down on the floor a lot more and made them shot for head."