Oklahoma - Coppin State Post-Game Quotes

Dec. 16, 2000

Oklahoma Head Coach Kelvin Sampson
On Senior guard Kelley Newton and senior guard Nolan Johnson:
"Every time that Kelley shoots the ball, he believes that the ball is going to go in. He is playing really well right now and definitely giving our team a boost. Nolan Johnson also came out and played with a lot of intensity tonight. He is a big factor in the makeup of our team because we feed off of his play. It's good to see seniors coming out and playing up to their potential."

On junior forward Ronnie Griffin:
"Ronnie is getting better and a big part of that is the fact that he wants to get better. Coach (Ray) Lopes has done a really good job of working with him and getting his confidence where it needs to be and I think that showed tonight."

On OU's defensive effort:
"Our team came out ready to play tonight. Our defense keyed a lot of our offensive points. We tried to use our depth on the defensive side of the ball to help our overall offensive game."

On sophomore guard Hollis Price:
"The one thing I'm so impressed with is how competitive he is. He leads our team by the actions that he does on the court. Hollis is always attacking and he is a big part of our defensive pressure. It's hard to remember that he's only a sophomore sometimes and that he is going to get better."

Oklahoma Senior Guard Kelley Newton
On his team's effort:
"I thought the team played with tremendous focus and concentration. We helped each other on defense, created turnovers and grabbed rebounds. You couldn't ask for better team defense than that."

On his effort:
"The opportunity was definitely there tonight for me to shoot the ball. However, I owe a lot to Hollis Price. He presented a lot of those opportunities to me."

Oklahoma Junior Forward Ronnie Griffin
"Before the game, Coach Sampson stressed defensive pressure and toughness and I think it showed tonight. I went into this game with a defensive mindset. My thinking is if you go into a game with that frame of mind, your offense will open up for itself.

"I'm starting to feel more comfortable with my game. I'm taking each practice and game one at a time. Every time out, I look to improve even more."

Coppin State Head Coach Ron "Fang" Mitchell
On the game:
"OU put on a great performance this evening. Every time you look at OU play, Kelvin Sampson has his team prepared for any situation. He always gets his guys to play as hard as they can. In my opinion, this is the best team, by far, that OU has had under him. Tonight, these guys had the inside and outside advantage, they forced turnovers and applied defensive pressure."

On OU senior guard Kelly Newton
"Newton is an outstanding shooter, that's no secret. He had a great game tonight and we just couldn't stop him. OU made it very hard for us to find the shooter, and the result was his eight three-pointers."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Oklahoma - Coppin State Post-Game Quotes

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