Postgame Quotes

Nov. 27, 2011

OU Head Coach Lon Kruger
Opening Statement:
“This (tournament) was a great experience for our guys. This tournament's been great. To play three games in four days is great for us at this time of year. To play three different styles of play is one of the best things that come from a tournament experience early in the season. Saint Louis was terrific. They muscled us around and were much more physical than we were. It was a great learning opportunity.

“In the second half, we responded a little bit. I'm anxious to get back to practice. The thing I know about this group is they work awfully hard to make progress. I like our starting point as we go forward.”

On Saint Louis:
“I think they'll win a ton of games. They have an experienced club. They respect what each (teammate) can do. They play well together. Rick's (Majerus) clubs are really tough. I really like their team. I think they'll get national attention very quickly and are very deserving of that.”

On Tournament MVP Brian Conklin of Saint Louis:
“He's a big, strong guy who has a really good feel for the game in terms of how to get open inside. He has a great attitude about working extremely hard. There are a whole lot of things to like about him. He does a lot of things very well and gets great results.”

Junior Forward Romero Osby
On Saint Louis:
“They were just a real tough team. They're experienced so they know what they want out of their offense. They really did a good job of picking us apart. And they shot very well, as well.”

Junior Guard Sam Grooms
On Saint Louis:
“They executed very well tonight. They ran their sets very well. They got the ball in places they needed. They showed us some of our weaknesses. They were very precise in executing their half-court offense. Hats off to them.”

Saint Louis Head Coach Rick Majerus
On his team's play of late:
“We play hard. We're not nearly as athletic. We block out and we take care of the ball. We defended our butt off and we blocked out. I thought the guys played with good poise and composure. We were good with shot selection. A big goal of ours was to restrict the three. I thought he (Brian Conklin) deserved the tournament MVP, if nothing else for his defense and rebounding, and he was a beneficiary of his hard work in the summer.”

On the team shooting 60 percent from the field:
“Shot selection; very rarely do we take a bad shot, and unselfishness, very much do they share the ball.”

On his changing his coaching philosophy after his stint at ESPN:
“Not really, I think there's more affirmation to what I really believed in coming out of it.”

Saint Louis Senior Forward Brian Conklin
On his play and being MVP of the tournament:
“Number one, just as a team effort. The guys were fantastic the whole way. The defense, I've been preaching it the whole time; I couldn't ask for a better group of guys. We just played our hearts out and the results showed.”

On a possible national ranking following their performance:
“It's your ability to play against yourself and get better, that's really what it is. We're not playing to get a better ranking, its getting better as a team. That's how we practice and that's how we play.”

Saint Louis Junior Forward Cody Ellis
On the team shooting 60 percent from the field:
“We've been shooting outstanding all year. Everyone's ready to shoot. At practice, we get a lot of shots up. We got a lot of great coaches to help us with our shot. I think the main thing is pound it inside and then Conklin draws attention and he's got the ability to kick it out and everyone's spotting up and ready.”

On a possible national ranking following their performance:
“Being nationally ranked is a big deal, but we're not going to practice any different or play any different. That's what's been keeping us successful.”

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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