Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. Texas A&M
February 22, 2007 | Cowboy Basketball
Postgame Quotes vs. Texas A&M
Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2007
Oklahoma State Head Coach Sean Sutton
On the game
“We played good defense early. We had some easy shots that we missed and then we got down a little bit. When you aren’t making shots, sometimes, your energy level goes down at the defensive end a little bit. Our defense let down there for a period and they were able to push the lead up to double-figures.
“I’m just disappointed that we didn’t play well. We practiced well for three days and everyone understood what was at stake tonight and what a great opportunity this was to beat an excellent basketball team. We just didn’t do it.”
On Texas A&M
“Texas A&M is a terrific basketball team. They’ve got all the ingredients to make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament and, in my opinion, they have a great chance to go to the Final Four. They play great defense. They have an outstanding point guard in Acie Law. They have a legitimate big-time center in Joseph Jones. They know their roles at the offensive end. They remind me a lot of our really good teams here at Oklahoma State by how hard they play and how well they play together. It is a really unselfish team and, as somebody that has been coaching for a long time, I really admire how they play the game. They play the game the right way.”
Oklahoma State senior forward David Monds
On being prepared
“We have had a good couple of days of practice. They were very intense practices. I thought it would really cary over to the game. I thought we would execute on offense and defense and win the ball game. It did not work out that way.”
On Texas A&M
“They play hard and they have a good defensive scheme. They played a box and one on JamesOn (Curry) and then they ran a triangle and two on JamesOn and Mario (Boggan). They took away our two best offensive players. You have to give them credit. Coach Gillispie has done a great job with that team. They play hard and you have to respect that. ”
Oklahoma State sophomore center Kenny Cooper
On the team’s motivation
“Coach Sutton has different ways of dealing with different players. I like to be encouraged. He knows hot adjust to each player and he does a good job of that. It is our job to go out there and perform. Sometimes we do not listen to him like we should. We have to give our all for him.”
On the team’s chemistry
“We are a team and we are together. We just have to go out there and perform the way we can. We are not performing right now. We need the support of the community and the fans right now. We need them to have faith in us.”
Texas A&M Head Coach Billy Gillispie
On the win over Oklahoma State
“It was a great win for us. I thought both teams played extremely hard and competed hard defensively. I know people would think because of the result of this game would think Oklahoma State’s NCAA Tournament chances are squashed, but they are absolutely not. There are still an NCAA Tournament team that can get in and do some damage. All of that talk is nonsense to me. (Oklahoma State) is good. They just missed a bunch of shots.
On the play of Texas A&M
“I thought we defended great. We were able to drive to the basket. (Oklahoma State) took us out of our offense in the half court, but we were able to get some transition baskets. We did a great job getting offensive rebounds and put backs. They totally took us out of what we wanted to do offensively. We just had to go a different direction. We are usually not that good off the dribble like we were tonight.”
On the play of Texas A&M freshman Donald Sloan
“(Donald) Sloan is a really intelligent player and person. He listens very intently to everything you say. I think all of our guys played very well to our scouting report. I do not think you could defend very well if you didn’t. He is exceptional when he plays by the scouting report. I think all of our players are hitting our stride defensively compared to last year. We need to start playing better offensively.”
On winning by a large margin inside Gallagher-Iba Arena
“The margin of victory means absolutely nothing. You either win or you lose. To win means a lot because you are playing against a really good team with good players. They are well coached and they competed hard tonight. They just missed a lot of shots. If a lot of those shots they missed went in, they could have won by a large margin. (The win) means a lot because it is a very critical game for us. We are just trying to get better as we go.”
On pulling away with a big lead in the first half with the reserve players
“Our reserves are not bad players. They performed very well. No matter who was on the court tonight for us, they were defending. You can lose your composure offensively and could be man handled in a lot of situations, but if you defend you will have a chance to do some special things. Those guys have gotten better understanding the importance of how to play better.”
Texas A&M senior guard Acie Law
On The Game
“(Donald) Sloan did a good job of running the team. It wasn’t just Sloan, Bryan Davis and other guys came in and made big plays for us. We were able to get a few breaks on offense and push the lead up at half and unfortunately (JamesOn) Curry made the big play before half.”
On The A&M Freshmen
“I have been saying all year how talented our freshmen were. It was just getting accustomed to the Big 12. It is a tough league, especially for a freshman. Each time out, they continue to get better. It all goes back to practice, but these guys have bright futures and at the same time we have other guys who can come in and continue to carry the load.”
Texas A&M freshman guard Donald Sloan
On The Game
“If I can get in and get one stop then that will trigger everyone else. I don’t look to score, I just go in there to play defense. Coach always said I am a driver, so when the lane is there, ‘why not?’. I thought they were a good defensive team, but after I drove the first time I felt confident and wanted to see how they would react to it. They acted the same way as the first time so I kept doing it. When I first came in they were playing up close on the wings to where I couldn’t pass it to them. When they came close to me I had to make one move to get an open lane.”
