Oklahoma & Niagara Tournament Quotes

TUCSON, Ariz. -- The following are quotes from Oklahoma and Niagara coaches and players prior to the NCAA Tournament first round game slated for Thursday, March 17.

OU Head Coach Kelvin Sampson
On facing a 'small school' in the first round:
"That is kind of archaic thinking. (Niagara forward) Juan Mendez could start for any team in our conference. We just played a fast, I mean fast, point guard in Jarrius Jackson (of Texas Tech), and (Niagara point guard)Alvin Cruz is every bit as fast.

"Wake Forest and Duke have about 5,000 students, but they have great players. I don't know how many students go to Niagara, but they have three players who could play just about anywhere, and they've got good players around them.

Oklahoma Game Notes | OU-Niagara Matchup | Wednesday Photos

"When you're competing in a sport that only has five players, weight rooms and budgets don't matter that much. It comes down to the players you have and the way they play on the floor."

On getting respect for winning the Big 12 regular season title:
"In our part of the country, the two teams that were picked to be the best were Oklahoma State and Kansas. They had senior-dominated teams, they dominated the headlines, and rightfully so. We were coming off of the NIT.

"Most people from a national perspective have appreciated Oklahoma basketball. Whether or not we're getting enough respect, you have to earn that on the court."

On missing out on the NCAA Tournament last year:
"I was proud of my team last year for what they accomplished. When we lost Kevin Bookout and Jason Detrick and those guys for almost three months of injuries, for that team to go 8-8 in the league and win 20 games, they accomplished as much as this team did.

"I've always been proud of our program. You might hit a rebuilding year now and then, but we went to the Final Four and the Elite Eight back to back (2002-03) and won the conference tournament both years. But those kids left. We played brand new kids last year.

"Last year was last year. When you look at this year we won the Big 12 regular season championship, we were co-champs with Kansas. So I'm proud of our program."

On being placed in the Tucson pod to open NCAA Tournament play:
"I'm a little disappointed in the weather. Where's the 80 degrees? Thirty-seven degrees in Tucson last night, what is up with that?

"I'm just glad to be anywhere. After last year, it wouldn't have mattered to me if we were in Siberia. I'm just glad to be in the tournament. We were gathered together watching the selection show the other day and I think we were the 62nd or 63rd team mentioned. I was a little spooked after last year, I turned to Joe Castiglione, our athletic director and said 'Joe, we're going to get in, aren't we?'"

OU Foward Kevin Bookout
On being favored in the game against Niagara:
"We have to look at it like any other game. If we don't come out and play the way we are capable of playing, then anyone can beat us. We have showed that in the past couple of games. But if we come out and play Sooner basketball then we can beat anyone."

On missing the tournament last year:
"I had injured my shoulder last year. I felt the pain from off the court, but it's completely different when you're playing every game and putting your heart and soul on the court. It was hard to watch from the sidelines knowing that I could have gotten an extra basket or an extra rebound that could have helped us get into the tournament last year. It did hurt and that's what made this summer so motivating. Getting up early in the morning and running and shooting, that's the reason we are here right now."

On the midseason slump and the effect of the team's energy level on the outcome of the games:
"If we don't bring energy we don't even give ourselves a chance to win. We can't come out and play lackadaisical. We don't have enough superstars to do that. If we don't show up, we're going to be in trouble."

On Niagara's offense:
"We can't let them dictate the game. We have to defend and rebound. If we get in a running match, that's going to favor them because that's how they're used to playing. If we slow it down and play transition defense, we'll have a great chance to win."

On the tough team practices before the tournament:
"We really needed it after our performance last weekend. We are willing to work hard and we still want to be playing for a couple of weeks."

OU Forward Johnnie Gilbert
On being favored in the game against Niagara:
"We have to be ready for anything. Whether it's Niagara, UTEP, or Utah we just have to be ready to play. At this point in time we just want to get better as a team. Even though we might be favored, we feel like it's our responsibility to advance, just like anyone else."

On missing the tournament last year:
"Last year was very difficult for us as a team. We were so disappointed. We play to be a part of the NCAA Tournament. We're glad to be back in it, but at the same time you have to prepare yourself to play the game."

On the midseason slump and the effect of the team's energy level on the outcome of the games:
"As a team I think we took a step back from the energy standpoint. We use our energy to help us play defense the way that we know we can. We didn't do things like that in the Big-12 Tournament. We've worked hard the last couple of days and I think we have started to put that stuff behind us."

On defending Juan Mendez:
"We have been watching a lot of film on him. He is a real good player. He can go inside or outside. He is a tremendous rebounder and he hits the boards hard. We have to stop him as a team; we can't do it individually. He'll get points, but we have to contain him. We have to do our best to defend him"

On the tough team practices before the tournament:
"I love the hard practices. It just shows us that we can work hard. It got us into the right mentality for the game. We really needed it after our performance in the Big-12 Tournament."

On playing an unknown team like Niagara:
"A lot of people don't talk about them or know about them and that gives them extra motivation. They are one of the top-scoring teams in the nation. They are a good all-around team. It doesn't matter who you are, if you make it to the tournament you automatically have elite status."

Niagara Head Coach Joe Mihalich
On Niagara's five starters and possible injuries:
"I don't think we ever anticipate (injuries). With us, health is always paramount. When your starters stay healthy, it's obviously going to help you win. We're a little thin. Depth is not one of our strong suits. We basically play six guys, maybe seven."

On the team's airport delay:
"Our guys are resilient. We waited 35 years to get into the tournament, so a four-hour delay at the airport is not going to kill us."

On being underestimated:
"It is nice not to have the bullseye on our back. Even though we weren't preseason-picked to win our league, our guys knew we were the best all along. But it is nice not to be wearing the bullseye on our back."

On Niagara's seniors:
"I never dreamed any one of those three guys (Juan Mendez, Alvin Cruz, David Brooks) would ever be as good as they are. They're all very good basketball players. To say that Juan Mendez would be as good as he is, or Alvin (Cruz) or David (Brooks), they've re-written our record books.

"You hope, you pray, you sense that they're going to be good players. But you don't know until you see them every day in practice.

"I don't know if Juan (Mendez) is going to be an NBA player. He might be. He just might be."

On Oklahoma:
"This is a team that could win the national championship. They're just as good as anybody in this tournament and a lot of it's because of (Oklahoma head coach) Kelvin Sampson. He's done a great, great job. But I don't know him personally."

"Like I always say, they've got McDonald's All-Americans on their team and we've got guys that eat McDonald's."

On Juan Mendez and Alvin Cruz playing exactly four years from their recruitment:
"I wish their names were O'Mendez or O'Cruz so they'd have a little Irish luck with them. It is a bit of a quirk that they're playing on that day."

On having his mother here:
"You hate to personalize things, but we are human beings. She's fighting a fight that we know she can't win. She's an inspiration to me. She says, 'I have a lot to live for.' She's not going to win this battle. Her fight has been incredible. I hope she can inspire anyone who's gotten bad news."

On Niagara's non-senior starters (JR Duffey, James Mathis and Lorenzo Miles):
"We lost a key player last year. A 1,000-rebound, 1,000-scorer. We are getting the production out of James Mathis, (JR) Duffey and (Lorenzo) Miles that we thought we'd lost, alongside Mendez."

Niagara Guard David Brooks
On how it feels to match up with Oklahoma:
"This is a goal we had since freshman year. We saw a couple of Oklahoma's games. They're big down low. They have a couple of really athletic guards and they play good defense.

"They are big down low, but as long as we get out and run the ball in transition, we'll be okay."

On the seniors' impact on the legacy of Niagara basketball:
"I go around everywhere and people talk about Calvin Murphy and 1970. And now, people will remember us and remember 2005 when the banner goes up to honor what we have achieved."

Niagara Senior Alvin Cruz
On Juan Mendez matching up with a Big 12 opponent:
"I know (Juan) can finish as well as anyone in the nation. I know he can play against the big teams. We played Providence with Ryan Gomes and he scored 20-something (points), we played Nebraska last year in the NIT and he scored 20-something, so I know he can play against anyone."

On Niagara's chances to beat Oklahoma:
"We know we can score a lot, and I think we can run on them. But to do that, we have to play good defense, which we've struggled with all year. The key for us will be to get out and run on them."

On the MAAC style of play versus what Niagara will see in the NCAA Tournament:
"In our league we probably play faster, and teams play some zone against us because they can't match up with Juan (Mendez). I'm sure Oklahoma will play man defense against us."

Niagara Forward Juan Mendez
On arriving in Tucson from New York:
"We're still trying to settle in. We're getting accustomed to the court here a little bit and we're getting used to this weather."

On coach Joe Mihalich's struggle with his mother's terminal illness:
"He tries to do his job first and keep his personal life out of it. That is a credit to Coach. He's work first, personal life second."

University of Oklahoma Athletics

Related News

Related Videos

Sponsors