University of Oklahoma Athletics
Postgame Quotes
December 30, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 30, 2010
Oklahoma Head Coach Jeff Capel
Opening comment:
“First of all, we feel pleased and very fortunate to get a win. I thought we did some very good things in this game. You have to give credit to Central Arkansas -- very unique style and it kept us off-balance offensively with how much they switched their defenses and their pressure. It was such a contrast in halves. In the first half, a lot of scoring; didn't look like much defense. One team shooting 76 percent, the other team shooting 60 percent. In the second half, especially to start out, I don't know if it was good defense or bad offense or if it was a combination of both.
“We had some odd lineups out there -- lineups that we hadn't practiced with in the first half. We had Steven (Pledger) out a lot with some foul trouble in the second half. At the same time we had Cade (Davis) and Andrew (Fitzgerald) out, so we had some odd lineups. I thought we had some guys -- obviously Cameron (Clark) was terrific -- really step up. I thought C.J Washington was fabulous with his energy and what he gave us defensively. He's getting better and it's something we're going to need as we move forward. So we feel fortunate to get the win. Looking forward to getting back in there and getting better.”
On his team's poor defensive performance:
“I don't know what it was. It's been that way in practice, to be honest with you. We haven't played as well defensively as we were before and that's something we have to get back to. I'm not sure if anyone, since we got back from Arizona, has shot over 45 percent against us. And (tonight) we had a team shoot 61 percent in the first half and shoot 54 for the game. We have to get better there. Our 1-3-1 zone wasn't as effective today. Our guards have to get out into the corners and not let shots come. They attacked us there, probably hit about four or five 3's from the corner against our 1-3-1 zone. Our matchup (zone) wasn't good today. We didn't do a great job of communicating. So we'll get back to work on that and do better.”
On finding ways to win:
“That's the most important thing -- getting a win. We've been in situations where, out of our six losses, four of them at the under-four-minute timeout we've been right there. It's been a one- or two-possession game and in those losses we weren't able to find a way. Hopefully we'd like for it to not be as close, but it was and our guys made plays down the stretch. So that will give them a reference point if we're in this situation again. We can talk about it -- 'Hey we did this against Central Arkansas; we set pressure, guys stepped up and we made some plays.'”
On his team as Big 12 play approaches:
“I feel we have progressed and I feel that we're getting better. We have one more game left and we're excited about that. Excited mostly about practice and having the opportunity to get better and grow. We know the league is very challenging, but we look forward to the challenge.”
Freshman Guard/Forward Cameron Clark
On his alley-oop dunks from Carl Blair:
“Me and Carl have been working on that a lot in practice and we're just trying to bring that to the games.”
On his improvement over the last five games:
“Mainly I'm just trying to stay on attack mode. Me and my Dad had that long talk where we both said I wasn't playing my best and that I need to go out there and prove myself. That's the main thing.”
On how he can play better:
“Just try to not to force anything. When I see an opening, just take it.”
Sophomore Guard Carl Blair
On OU's defensive performance:
“We had a lot of days off and some people went home. We just have to get better and continue to do what we were doing before we left. What we can take out of this game was that it was a hard-fought game and that we found a way to win. Like what Coach Capel told us, take the good with the bad and build on it.”
On his connection with Cameron Clark on the alley-oop dunks:
“It's just playing with each other. He's got a feel for me and I've got a feel for him. When I get the rebound, I run and I see him on the side. So I know where to look for him. I just run and find him. It's just chemistry we've built from the beginning of the school year to now.”
On if they have fun with the alley-oop dunks:
“It's like a highlight for me. I love to pass. Especially to get the crowd into it, Cam gets a dunk and everybody gets into it. The bench jumps up and it's a fun play for everybody. I love it.”
On Cameron Clark's potential:
“The sky's the limit. If he keeps working, the sky is the limit. Especially with the talents that God blessed him with, he just needs to keep working and build with it.”
On Big 12 play approaching:
“The good thing is that we've already played against good teams. Conference play is definitely different from preseason. We've taken our bumps and bruises. We just have to go in there ready. We need to stay focused on what we've got to do now, practice hard every day and do what we've got to do and we'll do just fine.”
Central Arkansas Head Coach Corliss Williamson
Opening comment:
“Oklahoma did a great job of handling our pressure and, in turn, giving it back to us. They did a great job against us with the 1-3-1 because we had some problems with that. I saw in my players' eyes some effort and energy we have never seen since the early part of our season. I am very proud and happy for them in that aspect. Of course, we want to win the game but Coach Capel did a great job of preparing his team and coaching them to a victory tonight. It starts the first half with them shooting 76 percent tonight; we knew that it was going to be tough to win the game. The Oklahoma guys were fighting and coming back. I am not into moral victories. I told (my guys) that I hope it hurts them in their stomach and they can't sleep, because we need to play like this every night.”
On any regrets in the last two minutes of the game:
“We had some turnovers, especially against the 1-3-1 half-court zone they were running. I guess being on the sideline seeing what players are doing when the pressure is on the line, I saw several opportunities where we had players open. We have to do a better job in preparing our players for it and be able to execute at the end of games. Time and score, I think we didn't understand that a few times. We tried to fire the 3-point shot when we could have attacked the basket and gotten a layup, and we didn't do it. So, there were a lot of good things and a lot of teaching points."
On if his team's performance was encouraging:
“Yes, it is very encouraging. We took a tough loss against Missouri State and our team never really (seemed to recover) from that. Before then, we were playing with a lot of effort and playing together. At times after the Missouri State game, I didn't know who I was coaching. And for our guys to come back from Christmas break with focus and trying to accomplish what we set out to do, it was very encouraging.”
On the future of OU basketball:
“Wow. They have some young guys out there who have a promising future. I know that Coach Capel is working hard with them and he is continuing to put them in a position where they can be successful. I think this team is just a few players away. If you look at it, they played four perimeter players and one big. If they add a few more players in the mix in the future, they will be competing at the level he expects them to be.”
