University of Oklahoma Athletics
Oklahoma Postgame Quotes
November 17, 2008 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 17, 2008
Oklahoma Head Coach Jeff Capel
Opening comment:
“I'm proud of our guys. I thought we did some good things, especially on the defensive side of the ball. I really loved what Ray Willis gave us off the bench in the second half. I thought Willie (Warren) had his best game in a Sooner uniform, and what more can you say about Blake (Griffin), just what he has constantly done. (We're) pleased with this win and have a very, very quick turnaround playing against a really, really good team tomorrow with a special, special player. We will regroup and recover tonight and we'll be anxious to get going tomorrow.”
On Willie Warren at the point:
“We like the ball in his hands, especially in the half court. He gives us an element that we haven't had since I've been here. He's a guy that can consistently break his man down off the dribble and create, whether something for himself or someone else. He has to get better with decision making. In the second half, he dribbled right into a trap. They kind of baited him into that spot. We definitely feel comfortable with the ball in his hands.”
On if the full-court pressure is something he wants to use more frequently:
“It's something we want to do. We want it to be our identity. We have to get better at it in some areas. We do it in practice all the time against different offenses, and the way they line up, we have to get better at that. I love the energy that we have with it. Even though sometimes we make mistakes with it, we are athletic enough and we have enough energy and are long enough to kind of recover from those mistakes.”
On Davidson's Stephen Curry:
“He's great. And I don't use (the word) 'great' (very often). He's a great player. He has an incredible feel for the game, he shoots it and it looks effortless just the way he plays. He has such an understanding and knows how to pick his spots. He looks like he is a great teammate and leader. I have known Steph since he was 8. I am really proud of him and happy for him. We recruited him at VCU. He is one of those guys that you just really like to watch because of how he plays. I hope I don't like watching him that much tomorrow. He is a great, great player and will be a fantastic player the rest of his life.”
Sophomore Forward Blake Griffin
On the help from Willie Warren provides to OU's big men when he drives:
“It definitely helps. When you have a guard like that that can get to the hole and knock down shots, which eventually he'll start doing, it makes it so much easier on us. The opposing guards have to worry about him and our other guards and they can't seep down as much and double us up. To have guys like that that can finish inside and cut through the lane helps a lot.”
On the matchup with Davidson Tuesday night:
“It's going to be tough. Davidson is a great team, as you guys saw. We are going to have to be physical and execute well, and really do a better job in the first half than we did today. We have to give Stephen Curry attention and try to help out our guards and stay after it defensively. This is what we want -- teams that will come in here and be competitive, and really just play against guys like they have.”
On if Tuesday night can be a good measuring stick:
“Definitely, when you play a team like that, it gives you confidence and gives you something to measure your team by so we are going to come out and play as hard as we can and see where we are at as a team.”
Freshman Guard Willie Warren
On playing point guard:
“It's not that bad. With the team we have it has actually been easier than I thought it would be. We just have to push the ball up the court, and look for a spot-up shooter or Blake down low. Just have to keep going and keep my head up.”
On his outside shot:
“It really hasn't been falling in the last two games. And if you want to include the exhibition games, the last four. The coaches have just been watching film with me and showing me seams I could cut through to get to the cup, and they are just telling me not to settle for the jump shot every time. Just get to the lane, and that's what I tried to do today.”
On the step up from high school:
“The only thing I'm surprised about is the way I'm defending. They are putting me in tough situations, making me guard these quick guards. I just talked to Coach Capel today, and I asked him how I'm defending, and he said that I was doing great, and to just keep doing what I'm doing.”
Mississippi Valley State Head Coach Sean Woods
On the loss:
“It has been a tough road trip and there is nothing bad that I can say about our guys right now. We are battling as hard as we can. Anytime you go play Arizona State, then the next night travel to Washington State, who I think is the most underrated team in the league, then two days later you come here to play a team that has a lot to prove on national television…that is tough.”
On Oklahoma:
“I tip my hat off to Oklahoma; they are dog-gone good. I wish them luck. A lot of teams in the Big 12 are in trouble when they face this team.”
On containing Blake Griffin in the first half:
“We do a good job of fronting the post and get great midline help. If you are going to beat us, you are going to have to hit a lot of jump shots. In the past three games we have played good shooting teams. If we could score, we would be okay. We have a hard time scoring.”
On areas of improvement:
“We need to get tougher and smarter to become a better basketball player. Once we get better at scoring we will be able to play against teams like Oklahoma, because we can defend. We are a pretty good defensive team and we play our butts off.”
