Colorado University Athletics
Colorado-Iona Quotes
vs
Providence
Nov 14 (Fri)
7 p.m.
Colorado Head Coach Tad Boyle
Opening Statement“Yeah, what a, what a feel good win. We finished no- conference play and we go into conference play. You know I don't think we got Iona’s best shot, they hadn't played for 12 days and I think there's a little rust on them, you know, going into this game I was, I was nervous. They've got good players on that team that they're going to win some games in their league I really believe as the season progresses. They're without their head coach. It's a good win, we'll take it and anytime you have 26 assists and nine different guys make threes, I think we made 17 of them on the night, when the ball goes in the basket it makes everybody feel good. I love the unselfishness that our team played with offensively and I thought, for the most part, we got a little soft defensively there in the second half. We kept talking about trying to play the possession at timeouts not the scoreboard. But overall, a great win, good to get the guys in at the end, you know, Ben (Ersek) and AJ (Martinka) and Aiden (McQuade), Frank (Ryder), and Jacob (Dombek). Those guys work so hard practice every day to help prepare and our guys to go out and do what they do. It was great to have our bench really into it. This is a tight group of guys and this is this is a great way to go into conference play, but we know on Thursday it's going to be a little different animal in here. We got to get ready for it.”
On looking ahead to this week
“You're always concerned. Pat, you and I talked about it I think earlier in the week that you are, especially after northern Iowa. Again, I don't think we were looking over northern Iowa, I really don't. It's just they came in here and played well and beat us on our home floor. I think our team really buys into the respect everybody fear nobody mantra that we talked about, and I think this team has played that way. We always haven't played well, but I don't think it's a result of the immaturity of looking forward. Does it concern you, do you that fear as a coach? you always have that fear to some degree, but the long arm around this group of guys is that I know their competitive spirit is intact, we learned that in Chicago and they're really starting to come together as a group.”
On if the rotation is working
“Yeah we feel like it is. We went with Shane, we knew they were going to play a lot of zone tonight, so we had a guy out there that that really is a guy that spaces the floor. I think we've got our rotation kind of where we want it, but I keep saying look, sometimes people get tired of hearing me talk about it, Alex Strating. I talk about him all the time not in the rotation. You see the minutes he gave us tonight. I don't know how many Alex played, five and a half minutes. They were unbelievable minutes. That kid just makes us better, and he's not in the rotation. So that's what I want every one of our players to understand is that you got to be ready. There might be a time we're going to need Alex, there's going to be night we need Eli (Parquet), there’s going to be times where we need Maddox (Daniels) to play well. It was nice to see him make some shots today. So this team. You know, I think one of the strengths is our depth and our quality depth. We're going to need that from time to time as this 18 game schedule that we're getting ready to embark on plays out.”
On Mckinley playing well lately
“I see this kid in practice every day. I see the stats at practice, I see how he shoots it, I see how hard he works on his jump shot, so I kept telling him in the first half to be aggressive, when you're open shoot it. I want him to be an aggressive shooter and scorer. I thought he did a great job tonight of finding the balance between doing that, but yet distributing the ball and getting good shots. Obviously with 10 assists, that's a great number. He's a special player. He's kind of that engine that makes us go and Evan Battey just keeps getting better and better as well.”
On Shane Gatling getting the bulk of minutes
“Yeah, I think Shane, we talked about it when we recruited him, he's got the ability to be more than just a shooter. He can be a playmaker at times, not that he's going to have the ball in his hands the majority of the time, but when McKinley (Wright) is out we need him to make plays for us. We need Daylen Kountz to make plays for us. We need to make shots as well. But, Shane has that ability. He's a capable defender, something we continually challenge him with. Game in and game out, we're going to need him to defend. He's a senior, he's kind of been through it before. He's played in big games he's not afraid of the moment. I thought Shane is doing some good things for us, but we need him to play like a senior, and if he does that, and Lucas (Siewert) the same thing. Lucas is a senior coming off the bench. We need Lucas to play like a senior. I thought for the most part they did that tonight.”
On Evan Battey’s defensive play
“There's no doubt that Evan is our best post defender, and interior defender, McKinley Wright is our best perimeter defender and what we need is we need the rest of guys, whether it be Tyler (Bey), Lucas (Siewert) off the bench, Shane (Gatling) D’Shawn (Schwartz) has become I think a very solid defender. Evan inside, and McKinley outside are two guys, I'm not afraid to put on anybody, and McKinley most likely will get the other team's best perimeter player, and Evan get the other team's best post player, but we're going to run into teams, and we're going to see one on Thursday in here, that's got more than just one post and one perimeter player. They’ve got multiple guys and that's where the challenge we have to meet defensively is going to present itself. It’s going to be right out the gate on Thursday.”
On how he feels about non-conference play
“I feel good. I’d love to have that Northern Iowa opportunity back, but just life doesn’t work like that. I thought our guys, for the most part, took care of business. I think that what you want to see is you want to see a team that's getting better. I think we're seeing that here, and part of that part of that is our schedule, and the schedule’s on me, okay. Our trip to China, We played well there, against a good Arizona State team, but it really forced us to condense our schedule in, late November, early December, where we did not have a lot of practices where we could work on ourselves, and get better. They were preparation practices for the next game that was coming, and it's hard to improve on yourself when you're just doing preparation practices. Over finals we had three good ones. Certainly coming out of Christmas, we had three good practices. I think you're seeing the fruition of that happening and that's why our team's getting better. We've had quality practices, and an opportunity to have that. Now we're in league play, the 18 games, we're going to have two games every week, and we're have one game a week during Utah games. Everybody's on the schedule and practices are important. And I want our players to understand that.”
On importance of Oregon game
“If we want to compete for a conference championship, we have to take care of our home floor. That's what you have to do, and this is a great opportunity. I don't think it's the biggest game of the year, I think it's a big game because it's the next game. I've got great respect for Oregon. They've got great players, they've got a great coach. It's going to be a heck of an opportunity for us, but it's no bigger than any other opportunity that's on our schedule and that's why today is a great testament to our players because again Iona is better than the way they played today. We didn't take them lightly, and whether we're playing Washington State or Cal or Oregon State or Oregon, to me, it doesn't matter. It's 18 games, the team that is most consistent is going to win this league, and it starts on Thursday. I don't want to put too much pressure on that game to our guys because do we want to win? Yeah, so does Oregon. That's what makes conference play so exciting. It's going to be a great atmosphere. We need our fans to show up in droves, we need our players to show up, our coaching staff needs do a good job getting the game plan together, and we’ll start on that tonight. We will be ready to go on Thursday, and we're going to need to be because it's a good basketball team.”
Colorado Players
McKinley Wright IV, Jr., G
General“We played really well besides our 15 turnovers. Other than that our offense was moving really well. We were sharing the ball with 26 assists. Our offense was quick and at a high level.”
On Oregon Game This Thursday
“It is big time. It is going to be a war. They are going to come in here trying to beat us. They have never won here so I’m sure their coach is telling them that. They have a talented group that can really stretch the floor. We are going to have to have our thinking caps on and stick to our principles.”
Evan Battey, So., F
On Shooting Effort“It is all work, it was no dream. That’s what we get in the gym for. For me, it is not trying to force anything and go up strong when I get the ball. Just trying to be a team player. There’s no science to it.”
On Rebounding Effort
“That’s what Colorado basketball is all about. Coach really drills that into our head. Up 23 on the boards is what we are all about.”
On the Challenge of Not Looking Ahead to Oregon
“It wasn’t a challenge. We focus on one possession at a time. I was focusing on that today and we will get to Oregon in the next couple of days.”
Starting Pac-12 Play
“It means everything that we get off to a good start as we build our resume for later in the year.”
D’Shawn Schwartz, Jr., G/F
On Shooting Effort“The guys around me know where I like the ball. They know that I can make shots when I get going. I told McKinley that I got one for you and rack-up an assist for him. He knows that I’ll hit the shot if I get the ball in a good position.”