Men's Basketball Monday Press Conference Quotes

OKLAHOMA BASKETBALL
Press Conference Quotes
March 25, 2002

HEAD COACH KELVIN SAMPSON
On whether the Final Four was a goal at the start of the year:
"It's not that big of a deal back in October because every team is thinking about the Final Four and a national title. We set this goal after the Colorado game (March 2). We told the team we have a chance to play nine more games to win the national title. After we cut down the nets against Missouri there wasn't a total sense of satisfaction. Several players in the locker room afterwards said, 'Coach, we still have two games to play.'"

About the season:
"To lose only four games in four and a half months of play, that's an incredible season. But, in some people's eyes, it doesn't matter what you did from November to February. People have a tendency to judge only what you did in March. Is it fair? That doesn't matter. That's just the way it is.

"For me to truly appreciate what we've accomplished, you need to get back to me sometime well after the season ends."

On Indiana:
"Normally, when you get ready to play a team, you try to compare them to someone you've already played. In ways, Indiana is similar to Missouri and, in other ways, similar to Arizona. They are a really good three-point shooting team.

"The key is Jared Jeffries. They run their offense through him a lot. It's a tremendous advantage to run your offense through a big man. They move him around well. You can't double-team him because he's such a good passer and you can move him to the perimeter because he can shoot threes. He really makes a difference.

"In a way, they're similar to Kansas because they have three perimeter players (Tom Coverdale, Dane Fife and Kyle Hornsby) who were point guards in high school. That means they have three good decision makers and three good ball handlers."

On senior Daryan Selvy:
"Daryan (Selvy) doesn't have a true position but you can get creative with him because he can do so many different things. He can change the game and I loved how we used him better as the season progressed.

"One of the keys to this season was his willingness to accept his role. I told Daryan, 'Yes, you should start' and 'Yes, you deserve to start,' but he understood when I told him why I wasn't going to start him. Guys that can contribute off the bench will only make your team better. Daryan is a senior and for him to accept this role speaks volumes of his character. He is the most unique player I've ever coached."

On junior Quannas White:
"I knew what I was getting when I recruited Quannas. He is a true point guard. Hollis was a good guard that we tried to make into a point guard, but it wasn't his natural position.

"Quannas ties the other four players on the floor together. One of the keys to being an effective point guard is to make the other players better. They think pass first, pass second and score third. Quannas does that."

One of the things about Quannas is that the offense he ran at Midland (Junior College) is extremely similar to ours. He knew exactly how to run some of our plays when he got here and that helped us tremendously. He keeps getting better and better."

On senior Aaron McGhee
"Aaron has quite possibly been our best player over the last month or so due to the fact that he hasn't had one bad game."

JUNIOR GUARD HOLLIS PRICE
Keys to being successful:
"Basically, we're doing it with defense and rebounding. Doing those things well was one of our goals at the beginning of the year. If you're rebounding and playing defense, the scoring will take care of itself."

On senior Daryan Selvy:
"Daryan (Selvy) is one of the best sixth-men in the country. His energy coming off the bench is an advantage for us. He's really stepped up in the NCAA Tournament."

SENIOR FORWARD AARON McGHEE
On senior leadership:
"I'm one that doesn't talk too much. I usually sit back and let my teammates do the talking. I do my talking on the court."

On Daryan Selvy
"He brings tremendous energy to the team. He's the hardest worker on the team both in practice and in games. He's one of the best players on the team, bottom line."

JUNIOR GUARD QUANNAS WHITE
On running the point:
"One of the jobs of the point is to make everybody fit. The offense we ran when I was in junior college has really helped me here at the Division I level."

On going to the Final Four:
"We're still hungry. We're not satisfied with just going, we want to win the National Championship."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Men's Basketball Monday Press Conference Quotes

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