Quotes vs. Dayton
Head Coach Dr. John Giannini
Opening Statement:
“We beat a tremendous team. You look at their ranking and its there for a reason. A 30 point win against Alabama, beating a tremendous Iowa team, Arkansas, and at Vanderbilt. We beat a really good team so we are thrilled. We are also thrilled because it has been a long time coming. This has really been a struggle for all of us, more so the players because playing is a lot harder than coaching. I am thrilled for these guys. We are going to keep competing and getting better. I think we will get some more good wins. I think for as much as we have struggled the long term future here is just terrific. With kids like this and adding talent I am really excited. It feels good to get the win.”
On Jordan Price:
“You look at Jordan’s game; he can always do better because he is really talented. Eight rebounds and six assists that is a big deal. That’s a really big deal. That’s how you win games.”
On returning slowing the pace of play down:
“We have gotten more players healthy and we thought we didn’t have to. We weren’t as good and have lost players again so we are back to doing it. In hindsight, if you are 4-0 doing something just keep doing it. It’s just how we should play with this particular group.”
On Karl Harris:
“A stat line that no one outside of a coach will understand is how good Karl Harris played. To be a freshman on that kid of stage against that kind of opponent and to help your team win, it doesn’t show in terms of shots or rebounds or assists, it also shows that he was solid. To be out there and not get beat on defense and compete, and make good decisions on offense on that stage against that opponent as a freshman, it’s an extremely impressive performance without it being obvious.”
On the tempo affecting Dayton:
“Very few people play that way so it is unusual. People like to be comfortable. Not a lot of people want to play against that. Playing that way is good for us but I am not sure it’s enjoyable for opposition. There is a coaching thing that I really believe in, the most comfortable team win the game. If we are comfortable doing something and they’re not, you have the advantage. Whenever you are comfortable and the opponent isn’t you have the advantage.”
Sophomore Guard Amar Stukes
On the excitement about the win:
“It was a good feeling out there. It was a good win, 25th in the country and we upset them. I was pretty excited about the win.”
On seeing the benefits on defense from slowing the game down:
“We definitely have a lot more energy on defense. We were able to keep the ball in front of us this game and get some good stops towards the end. The energy we had from the rest on offense really helped us out this game.”
Junior Guard Jordan Price
On slowing the play down:
“I understood. We only have six bodies. It’s our game plan and it has worked. If we listen to Coach G. we are going to win.”
On reaching 1,000 career points:
“It’s a great accomplishment. I am just happy to get the win. It’s a great accomplishment. My teammates find me, I have to hit those shots for them.
Dayton Coach Archie Miller
On the pace of play affecting Dayton:
"You can do a couple of different things; you can trap and try to speed them up a little bit, or at the end of the day you can just do what you do every day. That is play man-to-man defense which worked towards the end of the clock. If you guard for 10 seconds, you do a good job. I would say at one point and time, with about eight minutes to go I think they had three field goals in the entire second half. When you have three field goals in the second half I am not sure if there offense is working. It was just taking us a little longer to get going."
On the pace effecting Dayton's offense:
"I think it was a funny felling during the game. They change defenses a lot. From an offensive perspective, yes I definitely think the game felt different. When you have a seven point lead with eight minutes to go you have to get the job done. I am looking for our older guys to step it up and get going. Those guys have to be more vocal and bring more energy to the plate right now. A guy like Scoochie (Smith) we need him to get back on his horse right now and start leading us. We are in conference play and this is how it works. You have to find a way. We have to dust ourselves off and get up and be ready on Tuesday against a very good Davidson team."
