Oklahoma State University Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. UTSA
January 03, 2008 | Cowboy Basketball
Oklahoma State Cowboy Basketball
Postgame Quotes vs. UTSA
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Oklahoma State Head Coach Sean Sutton
On the game
“I thought in the first 27 minutes that we played pretty well. It was 51-33 and we had done a better job at the offensive end of getting some easier shots and we had not settled for jump shots. We ended up still shooting 60 percent and had them down by 18 again at the 8:49 mark. We kept saying in that timeout that 20 points is a psychological number and when you get somebody down by 20 points, it really becomes demoralizing, but we could never quite get over that hump. I was pretty frustrated with the way that we played for the last nine minutes of this game. This game should not have been as difficult as it was. We got sloppy with the basketball at the end. Our defense got soft after I thought we played pretty well there for 30 minutes.
“We can’t have that type of play down the stretch, so we will get back on the practice court and we are going to run for every one of those turnovers that we had over 10. We are going to get to where we have more pride with the basketball. I thought we were getting better, but tonight we reverted back again. You have to give credit to Brooks (Thompson) and his staff. They continued to fight and continued to play hard. They gave themselves a chance to get back in the game. We did some good things within this game. We out-rebounded them 37 to 20. We did a good job of getting to the free throw line, but what you remember is the last nine minutes of the game where we did not play well at all.”
On preparing for the upcoming Big 12 schedule
“I don’t know if anybody would say that they are ready just yet. I think these practices that we have coming up are pretty important. We have two tomorrow, two Friday, two Saturday, one on Sunday, and then we will play (Rogers State) Monday night. We will then have Tuesday through Friday to keep working, but we have to get better in different areas. I think our defense is getting better, but in the last eight or nine minutes we gave up some easy shots and we were just sloppy with the ball.”
UTSA Head Coach Brooks Thompson
On the game
“I think this game goes a long way in the direction that our program is going and the way it is going with our guys. From a 37-point loss here last year to where our guys are at right now, it is a good feeling to have as a coach. I am proud of those guys in our locker room. We are not, by any means, taking a moral victory out of here. We came here to try to win and we are trying to win every game. We have had some injuries that have affected our team, and we have gone through some adversity with those injuries as far as deciding what to do. Besides those first 20 minutes, I think in those last 20 minutes our guys showed the way that they are going to play and I think they had a lot of pride.
“You have to give Oklahoma State credit for doing the things that it took to win the game. They took some passing lanes from us. Obviously, on the boards when you get out-rebounded 37 to 20, you aren’t going to be too successful. We forced them into 23 turnovers and we take great pride in our defense. That was a goal of ours to do that. The other glaring stat that we like as a coaching staff and as a program is that Oklahoma State averages 23 three-point field goal attempts a night and we held them to 11 three’s tonight and two-of-11 shooting from there so I felt like we did a good job of guarding the three-point line.”
On coaching against former OSU teammate Sean Sutton
“It is kind of ‘Catch 22’ because, as a coach, you want to win every game that you play. Sean and I have been through a lot together not only as players, but as coaches and friends. It is not only hard to coach against Sean, but it is hard to coach against your alma mater, because I have such a great love for this university and what is has meant to my life and what it has brought to my life. From an emotional standpoint, it is walking out there from the other tunnel and seeing all the fans and friends that you have come to know so well. It is an emotional thing, but it is also a great thing for me and my family.”
