University of Minnesota Athletics
Minnesota - Northwestern Quotes
1/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
POSTGAME QUOTES
January 9, 2008
Attendance: 13,079
Minnesota Head Coach Tubby Smith:
“It was good to get that first Big Ten victory, and to get it here at “The Barn' in front of an outstanding crowd. The enthusiasm and energy of the crowd was a big help tonight. Northwestern is a team that can do a lot of good things. We thought we might have trouble defending them and we did early in the game. Blake (Hoffarber) got us going when he came into the game. I think everybody expects him to make these shots at this point. Going 5-for-5 in the first half from three-point land was an outstanding display of shooting by Blake. We did a good job after we settled down and started challenging their shots. Northwestern's style of play forces you to be patient defensively. I liked how our guys, especially Spencer (Tollackson), were active and got their hands on a lot of passes. We liked how we improved on the boards this game, but we still need to get better and we obviously need to address our free-throw shooting.'
On Dan Coleman:
“Dan (Coleman) played very well and was active tonight. We are going to do well any game where he gets 14 rebounds. He struggled in our last game and in the game against UNLV, but we also struggled to get him the ball in good position in those games. He stepped up and played well tonight. The veteran players are the guys who are going to set tone for us. Dan is probably the most talented player that we have.'
On getting the ball inside:
“We wanted to get the ball inside, and we did that well in our last game against Michigan State. Tonight we did a much better job of finishing around the basket. We had some good high-low passes, from Spencer to Dan, and from Damian (Johnson) to Jonathan (Williams). We did a good job feeding the post, and that is where we are going to have to beat teams like Northwestern.'
On Al Nolen:
“Al (Nolen) is leading the league in steals, which is phenomenal for a freshman. It is especially impressive considering he is averaging only around 20 minutes per game. He just has excellent instincts and great hands. We really work hard on forcing the guy to turn his back to the defender, and Al does a good job of coming in and making steals with that technique. He does a good job of studying the other player, and reading the scouting report and recognizing when he can take the ball off an opposing player. Al's ability to steal the ball is very unusual for a player at this level.'
Minnesota
On his role off the bench
“I worked in with the first squad a little bit, and I was getting open and my teammates were finding me. I was taking care of the last part of it when my teammates find me I try to hit the shot, and I was doing that throughout the first half.'
On the Gophers' approach to Northwestern -
“Coach told us the shot would be there with the zone. We had a lot of open shots, and a lot of my shots came off skip passes. I knew I was feeling it when [one of my shots] hit the front of the rim and it bounced in.'
On redemption from last year's 15-point loss to the Wildcats
“Northwestern is always a tricky team... Usually if they beat you, it's because you didn't execute well or play well. Tonight we didn't get beat on those back cuts or tricky plays, and that's huge because that's energy plays for them. If you can stop them from doing what they're trying to do, that can help you as a team.'
On Blake Hoffarber's play Wednesday:
“Blake's shooting has been huge for us. It also stretches the one-three-one out, so we were able to do a few more things inside. We were very fortunate he was able to shoot that well today.'
Northwestern Coach Bill Carmondy:
On the play of
“I like him [Coleman]... He had six offensive rebounds in the first half. I've liked him since high school, and he's a good kid. He really brings them [
On the difference between this year's
“Last year I thought their guys had trouble scoring... Now they're a year older and more mature.'
