Players Mentioned
Colorado-Northern Colorado Quotes
November 29, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle
General
"You know anytime you win by that kind of margin at home you feel pretty good about things. Little bit of the same old for us. I really challenged our guys to hit our numbers, which we did tonight holding our guys to under 40% from the field. And we out-rebounded them significantly. We have to do a better job on the perimeter; we're still looking for that defensive stopper. I keep challenging our guys with that, telling them that's what we need. I thought Johnson (Anthony) for UNC did a good job tonight and hit his numbers; we wanted to challenge him and Wilson (Jordan) because those are two good players on the perimeter. I thought our advantage with them was on the inside and I think Josh (Scott), Wesley [Gordon] and Tory [Miller] kind of proved that. Perimeter defense is something we have to get better at, and turnovers. We had six turnovers at the half which is a good number, but 12 in the second half is a terrible number. So those two things we've got to get better at this week, because we've got some pretty good teams to play on the horizon."
On getting off to a quick start
"I think it's critical to come out and not give them any hope, you have to punch them in the mouth so to speak. And I thought we did that today. The only way you extend leads is scoring, but you also need to get stops. When we get stops in this building, we can get out into transition and we were able to get some threes early and get the ball to Josh early. Finally got Wesley going in the second half offensively, which is something we always try to do. I think it's really important in games like this to get off to a quick start and I thought we did that."
On second half defense
"I thought our defense was defiantly a little sloppy in the second half. One of the things we challenged our team with at halftime was to win the second half and we crushed them by three. So we didn't have that same kind of energy we had in the first half. This team doesn't have that killer instinct that we need to have quite yet. At this stage of this season we need to stay hungry and we can't be satisfied with were we are."
On showing emotion on the bench
"Look we talk about playing the possession not playing the scoreboard. Its human nature, these guys are young men and its human nature to play the scoreboard and soften up a little bit when you're ahead. We can't allow that to happen. And it's about how we are playing at the moment that will dictate my mood and aggressiveness, or lack thereof. When our guys are doing what they're supposed to on the court I'm a pretty mellow guy. But when we're not it's my job to make sure it happens. Again last year I didn't do that enough, and I made a vow this year to myself that it'll be different."
On coaching against Northern Colorado
"Northern Colorado will always hold a very special place in my heart. Number one they gave me my first coaching opportunity. And number two my father taught there for 14 years as an English professor. I spent a lot of time on that campus as a young boy growing up, shooting in Gunter Hall and Butler Hancock. Northern Colorado will always hold a special spot in my heart, whether we're playing them or not I always check their scores and I'm always pulling for them. They're struggling a little bit right now, but they've got some good players on the perimeter and if they counting to develop their post guys, they could have a nice time in the Big Sky Conference."
On Wesley Gordon
"I think number one, we as coaches and guard really need to be aware of him. We're obviously aware of Josh and we know how good Josh is down in the post. But Wesley is equally as good on the low post. I think we need to get him more touches early and we made an effort to do that early in the second half. That's something I want to put on our guards, guys like Thomas (Akyazili), Dom (Collier), and Xavier (Talton). If Wesley doesn't get a touch in the first half we have to make sure he gets some. Part of it's on the guards and the coaches. The other parts are Wesley, there's one thing about big guys and that's that they can be a factor on the boards. He did a great job today with 15 rebounds, and three on the offensive end. That's another way I think big guys can get going on the offensive end. I think it's a little harder for a point guard to get going on the offensive glass but the big guys can. When he's a part of our offense we're really good."
On Tory Miller
"I was really happy for him, Tory's been genuinely hurting, with a lot of remorse in terms of what happened against Air Force. And Tory's handled it like a man and owned up to what happened. He hasn't shrunk away from it, so to have him come out and have a good outing I think was much needed for him and I'm really happy. He's a terrific young man and the other night was totally out of character."Â
Colorado Players
Josh Scott, Sr. F
On Team's Overall Play
"I thought it was good; anytime you win by 30 is big time. I think we accomplished all of our defensive goals. Offensively, we shot the ball really well and moved the ball. The only thing I think we didn't do a good job of was taking care of the ball in the second half. Other than that I'm pretty pleased with the win."
On Staying Focused for the Entire Game
"I think, after last year, you learn how to value possessions more. I think this team does a pretty good job of it. At times we had lapses, but I'm pretty proud of what we did for 40 minutes."
On Being Helped by Having Good Shooters Around Him
"It helps, as post players, a lot. We need it, especially since I get a lot of attention and double teams. When people can shoot it like that, it scares people away from wanting to do that more. If they don't want to stop that – the way we're moving the ball – we're cashing out right now, so pick your poison "
Wesley Gordon, Jr., G
On Focusing on Aspects of the Game Other than the Offensive End
"I can affect the game in more ways than just scoring. I just focus on different aspects of the game. We don't really have trouble scoring too much, so it's not that big of a deal."
On Going to the Free Throw Line so Much
"I just stay aggressive and try to put the pressure on the defense."
On Missing Final Free Throw That Would Have Given Him a Double-Double
"I would have made the free throw if I would have known that."
Northern Colorado Head Coach B.J. Hill
On The Difficulties For His Team
"It's tough to get your tail kicked by your old boss. We're down more than Cameron [Michael] and you're starting to see that. We're starting to see the effects right now and it's affecting our practices and the intensity in which we can go at. Our depth just isn't there. It's showing up on game night, unfortunately. You combine that with how young we are and you add more excuses, that's what they are. We're been through this process before here and it's going to take time. I like our guys, they're just young. But they're talented and it's going to take some butt kickings like this to change their habits and what they expect of themselves."
On Improvements From Last Wednesday's Loss To University of Nebraska at Omaha
"I saw some [progress]. I saw a couple of guys talking and communicating. They didn't say a word last Wednesday but today they were dialed in to talking and communicating. Spencer [Mathis] did a good job in the second half and I thought Jordan Wilson was a completely different person this game than he was Wednesday. Those are the things that you have to look at as a coach and focus on the positives. I thought Ibrahim Sylla, even though he played limited minutes because he's in foul trouble, he had good energy and was trying to communicate. He showed that he can impact the game at our level. We just need to build on those things and continue to grow."
On Colorado's Strengths
"When you can roll the bodies in that they do, it is hard. You have to pick whether you're going to go zone or dig down with your guards and that opens up rotations. They're a well-coached team and they're going to hit the open man. I thought Dom [Collier] was extremely unselfish tonight. I think he could have taken a couple of shots but he passed it; he made the (extra) one pass and made the game easier for his teammates which is what a good point guard does."
On Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle
"He's doing a heck of a job. I really like their team. I think they're very versatile on both ends of the floor because of their length and athleticism. That allows them to do some things defensively that makes it hard to score on. Whether we're down guys or not we'd have a hard time scoring."