CU v Xavier Quotes
Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle
General
“Obviously it was a great win for our program, and certainly for our league. We beat a great Xavier team. I don’t think either team were their sharpest tonight. Early in that first half we both missed a lot of wide open shots, shots they normally make and shots that I think we should normally make because they were wide open looks. We knew it was going to be a hell of a game. They battled and scratched and showed their toughness, I’ve got a lot of respect for Xavier. That’s why this win is a big win for our program and league. Our guys battled and we talked a lot during the week about players having to make plays. Tonight our players made plays. Down the stretch Derrick White was great, and that’s the White that I’ve been talking about and who our fans have been expecting to see. He was terrific down the stretch. Xavier [Johnson] made some big plays for us and Wesley [Gordon] made some big passes. George [King] made a big three that put us up one and got the momentum going. It was a great win.”
On Play Down the Stretch
“There was one timeout down the stretch were coach Sean Kearney said that they had scored six straight times. So it went from getting multiple stops, to us not being able to get away and its why they hung around and kept shrinking the lead. We were able to execute offensively and make some plays on the offensive end that makes things a lot easier on your defense. In the past we’ve been missing those opportunities on offense and then not being able to get stops. For us to be as good as we can get we need to be able to get stops down the stretch when they’re driving the ball. I thought that our guys tried to do the right things in terms of going up vertical. We overcame some things tonight at home that usually you don’t have to overcome.”
On Derrick White’s Late Block
“It was a big time block. This was a tough game to officiate with a lot of contact in the lane. They didn’t call a foul on that one, they were calling fouls on every trip before that but on that one they didn’t. But we’ve got to finish better with contact on our end.”
On Derrick White’s Game
“That’s absolutely what I was envisioning with him coming here. You have to have that at the highest level of college basketball. If you don’t have players who can make plays down the stretch you’re not going to win games like this and tonight, we made the plays. As frustrated as I’ve been in the past about that not happening, I’m just proud tonight for them doing it. One of the things that we stressed before the game tonight was to play loose and confident offensively. We still have some guys who are capable of playing better then they played tonight. We didn’t have a full team, we’ve got to get some guys back healthy and get some guy playing better then they played tonight.”
On Being Proved Wrong on Xavier Prediction Earlier in the Season
“I had said that they could beat us by 20 points if we’re not ready to play. This team can come in and take your heart. You saw it with the last possession of the game; they got the rebound off their three. Those guys are good and are going to win a lot of games. What drives me crazy about players is that they want to play in the big games, but they don’t want to play in the non-big games. But they’re all big games; every game we play is a big game. I was in my house six years ago when we got snubbed by the tournament committee. This is a big game in that context. We have to understand that every time we step on the floor it isn’t about playing up or down to your competition it’s about playing Colorado basketball. And when we do that we will take the results, but when we don’t I get frustrated.”
On What Was Learned About the Team
“We beat a good team when we didn’t play our best. We were in foul trouble even though we tried to zone in the first half; even though it wasn’t completely effective it got us through. I learned that we can bounce back from adversity. We were up five with two minutes to go and we go into the locker down three, that wasn’t a good stretch. Then they come out and score five straight to start the second half. We didn’t fold our tent or get our heads down. That’s the thing we didn’t have bad body language tonight, like we did on Wednesday.”
On Xavier Johnson’s Role
“He made some big shots for us tonight and he’s the emotionally leader on this team. He’s playing unselfishly right now and I can’t say enough good things about what he’s doing. I think that he’s playing emotionally under control, which is a great stride for him. That’s something that he’s struggled with in the past, but now you’re seeing that when things get tight he might have unraveled mentally in the past. I’m really pleased with what he’s bringing to the team.”
On George King
“He was talking about rebounding in the huddle and he made a great effort on the boards and it showed in his numbers. He can be as good a rebounder as he wants to be.”
On Non-Conference Stretch of Games
“I wanted to go 4-0, but if we get a win at BYU I’ll take it. It’s not going to be easy. We’re going to have to be mentally tough and fight that road crowd. BYU is a tough team that’s well coached. They like to play fast and we’re not going to have the altitude advantage against BYU like we did tonight against Xavier. We’re going to need a great team effort on Saturday night to beat the Cougars.”
On Rebounding
“It was a five rebound differential and they had five more offensive rebounds then us. I thought that they rebounded the ball offensively better than we did. And that’s where we have to get better. But that’s what Xavier does and that’s what we do and they beat us in that category. I’m sure they feel that they didn’t shoot the ball well tonight shooting only 18 percent from behind the three-point line in the second half. I like it when the other team does that other than the Buffaloes. Sometimes wins and losses is a fine line. We beat a good team even if they weren’t playing as well as they are capable of, we still beat a good team and we’ve got to take that and run.”
On Atmosphere in the Stands
“I said on the radio the students that were here were great and the communities been great. But the rest of the students that weren’t here missed a great game and I was disappointed in that turnout.”
On Lucas Siewart
“This was a learning experience for Lucas with how fast and physical the game is and he’s one guy who’s struggling right now. But I believe in him and he’s going to be a good player here. He was thrown into a tough situation and a tough environment. We’d like to have Tory Miller back but if we don’t Lucas is going to get those backup minutes. The thing I love about our team is that Xavier [Johnson] was trying to be positive with Lucas when he was in the game. XJ was talking to him in the huddles encouraging Lucas and being really vocal. And that’s the one thing that Xavier has done as good as anyone I’ve had in a while. When Xavier is positive with his motions it helps everybody and he was positive with Lucas tonight which I thought was a good sign.”
On Josh Fortune
“He didn’t shoot the ball well tonight. Josh is taking and getting good shots, he’s just got to stay with it and stay positive. We know he’s a good shooter; he just needs to get back on track. There might be some nights when somebody else has a tough night from the field and he steps up. Again the balance of this team is key, and if we get all five guys on the floor hitting on all cylinders we’ve got a chance to be really good. I thought that Josh competed defensively tonight.”
Colorado Players
Derrick White, Sr., G
On the 15-pt run“It’s all about getting stops. I think we went on a run there, where they didn’t get buckets. That’s the reason we got back into the game and that’s the reason we won, and it’s all about defense and the stops. That’s the most important part. We focus on getting three in row, obviously we did that. Offensively we moved the ball and got the best shot.”
On What This Win Says About Team
“It shows that we execute our game plan, that we stick to Colorado basketball and that we can play with anyone. We just have to keep improving and focus on that.”
On His Vision Upon Transferring
“Last year we lost a lot of close ones. So we just want to focus on finishing down the stretch and we were able to finish here, even though we didn’t get stops at the times we needed them but we were able to still win.”
Wesley Gordon, Sr., F
On Redeeming the CSU Loss“We wanted to get this one back from the Colorado State loss, so yeah this win made up for that. But it also gave our team confidence, so we’re on the rise right now. We’re on a little high right now so we got to keep going.”
On Coming Back from 1-pt Deficit to Win
“We just had to stick with it, really. We knew that we were going to get on a run, so we just knew we had to keep with it and really just keep defending and rebounding. Offense will come, so we did a good job on that end. We just made it tough, make it tough to catch. These guys did a great job guarding them, I mean they guarded them.”
On His Assists
“They packed the paint, so when I got in on the roll and the things like that, my shooters were open. So I really just was a decoy to suck their men in and get opens shots really. We executed that part.”
George King, Jr., G
On Lessons From the Game“I think we learned that we can compete at a high level, which I think we already knew but it is better going out and doing it, rather than talking about it. So, this gives us a little more confidence between ourselves so it helps us going forward.”
On His Rebounds
“I just try to go to the boards every time, and the ones that I can get, I can get. Tonight I was able to get 10, and it wasn’t just because Xavier Johnson and Wesley Gordon had foul problems. I think I fouled Wes out because an opposing player went by me and he got the help. That’s my fault…”
On three point shooting
“It was great. It feels good. That’s why we shoot every day, that’s why we stay faithful, committed and loyal to the shooting drills and stuff like that. If you continue to do that, your slump won’t last if you are in a slump. We were able to come out a slump, well me in particularly, they (x,) are able to shoot the ball pretty well and Derrick, so it’s good. This is a terrible interview on my part, it’s been a while.”
On Keeping His double-double Game consistent
“I’m going to continue to go to the boards, continue to go to the boards. It’d be nice if they didn’t come my way and I got a rebound outside of my position. So, I’m going to focus on that, and that way I can be more consistent.”
On Short Turnaround Before BYU
“We will just continue to work on what we do and get better at defending and rebounding, in that order. When you’re on the road, there’s a small window of error. We can’t have a lot of mistakes, especially against a good team like BYU. I heard they sit like 20,000. Their fans are pretty loyal; it’s going to be a hostile environment so it will be good for us. We just have to get ready for that.
Xavier Head Coach Chris Mack
On last ten minutes“Colorado was better than we were. They generated some easy opportunities that our unacceptable from our end. A guy goes down the lane on a simple ball screen from the top of the key and shoots a finger roll with no defender in the lane, I don’t know how that happens. Our team right now has to figure out a way to quit taking our foot off the gas pedal. Winning at this level requires a forty-minute effort especially when you are on the road and we aren’t able to do that right now.”
On turning point
“I thought they stepped up and made some big time plays and big time shots; we didn’t necessarily do that. Like I said I thought there was some defensive plays were if you are playing a good team, in their building, you can’t allow them to score so easily. I can think of a handful of plays were a dribble entry over the wing and they throw it right in the post and then the guys seal our guy for an easy layup. We were up nine or eight at that point. That basket should matter just as much as crunch time. We have a little ADD on our team as a whole, it starts with me. To be able to lock in and play for forty minutes with a sustained effort on the defensive end and awareness and IQ on the offensive end.”
On offensive troubles
“Well I feel that some guys are taking some shots that we need to make. We go 13 for 21 from the foul line on the road, that’s not going to win you a lot of games. Also I feel like we struggle with consistency so we will have a stretch of three or four minutes where we are generating some really good shots, whether the ball goes in or not. And then the next three or four minutes we will take absurd shots that have nothing to do with our offense and it has been addressed. But obviously I’m not doing a good enough job because talking ain’t teaching.”
On falling short the past two games
“It’s early in the season so we aren’t going to pack out tent and quit playing. We got a reality check the last couple times, we are willing to go on the road and play in games like this but you can get penalized too. Our team has to grow up from these types of experiences because they aren’t fun.”
On Rashid Gaston starting
“You know quite honestly that nobody has really separated themselves at that five position to the point where it is glaring. The one thing that Colorado really presented was incredible offensive rebounding as a program and especially at that position. Rashid is one of the best rebounders in the country, he just has to play a little more minutes and he did tonight and I think he proved that. He just needs to make free throws too.”
On J.P. Macura’s offensive struggles
“He tends to at times play out of our system. You know it is tough because you want to give some freedom because he plays so hard. But at times that freedom bites him in the tail. We are going to keep watching film and keep showing him why he has to make better decisions and what better decisions produce. But there is a difference between coming in off the bench and being that sixth man energy guy and changing the course of the game and being a silent veteran. Right now he hasn’t found that.”