University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota-Colorado State Postgame Quotes
12/8/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
POSTGAME QUOTES
Minnesota 91, Colorado State 74
December 8, 2007
Attendance: 12,003
Minnesota Head Coach Tubby Smith:
On the game:
“Tonight we set the tone early. I was pleased with the way Spencer (Tollackson) and Dan (Coleman) were attacking the basket early. We played against a big lineup with two seven-footers, and we immediately recognized that we had to take the ball at them inside. Dan and Spencer really set the tone for us, and Blake (Hoffarber) came in and made some shots. The second wave of guys came in and played well, so we are really pleased with the way we shot the ball, the way we shared the basketball and the way we rebounded the ball. We kind of hit a lull in the second half, which was probably my fault because we stopped pressing. We still have to learn to play intense, even if we are playing half-court defense.
We were really active, and got our hands on the basketball a lot early in the game. We also really took care of the ball in the first half, I think we really did some good things that we got away from in the second half.”
On Blake Hoffarber:
“Everybody is going to get better, because we work with them every day. Blake is a very coachable player. He thinks, listens and concentrates well. Blake is always ready, and gets a lot of shots up when he gets the chance. He is a good player who comes from a good high-school program where he learned a lot.”
On the quality of play off the bench:
“That second group is quicker. It is good to have a little more quickness when you try to press. Guys like Al (Nolen), Dan (Coleman) and Kevin (Payton) are all good one-on-one defenders. The team understands that if we attack and keep the pressure up we can utilize our quickness.”
On Al Nolen:
“Al is very talented. He plays under control and is very poised. Al plays with a purpose and never changes his expression no matter what the situation. He has very little wasted motion. Both he and Blake are about as mature as freshmen that I have coached. You can see it in the way the contribute.”
Colorado State Head Coach Tim Miles
On the game:
“Minnesota swarmed our team, which got us out of sync tonight. We could not get the ball in the paint. The times we were able to get inside we were able to execute. However, on several occasions we missed easy layups and did not convert on free-throw attempts.
On Minnesota’s offense:
“We knew how well Blake Hoffarber could shoot the ball, and tonight he showed it with a big game. Minnesota played with a nice and easy pace on offense. They came at us with their depth, and unfortunately there was nothing we could do about it. Especially when Blake started making one shot after another.”
On what Colorado State can take for the game:
“We are an inexperienced team, but the we kept battling throughout the game. We made some mistakes, but were able to shake them off and execute our offense after those mistakes. This experience shows us how we can mentally prepare for the next game. We are a team of true freshmen, and this game really helped build their confidence. We will try to build up our program by recruiting the right kids for our program. Good things will happen for us, and our future looks bright.”
Minnesota center Spencer Tollackson
On bench play:
“I think it’s great. We have 10 guys that are playing their roles very well. WE are really playing unselfish together and guys are stepping up.
On Hoffarber:
“He is a huge spark. Blake came in and shot the ball well to give us a big lead. That is a huge lift to have someone off the bench like that.”
On Coleman:
“The first couple of games didn’t show how he is as a player. Everyone saw tonight how he really is. He did a great job establishing himself as a scorer tonight and it was huge. We all really look to him as a leader.”
Minnesota forward Dan Coleman
“Every time you hit your first couple of shots, it’s huge. When got their big guy in foul trouble and we took advantage of that.”
On Hoffarber:
“Blake is a big-time shooter. He works every day in practice and it shows with his consistency. Any time you can have as many threats as possible, it makes it that much harder to defend, score on, scout and it makes us that much better.”
