Head Coach Lon Kruger
Opening comment:
“It was a good opportunity to check about making some progress. I thought our guys opened the ball game really sharp; we made some progress against zone. Good days in practice. Guys moved the ball well, rebounded the ball extremely well. I thought they made good plays for each other. The big key in the ball game was when the group came in at about the 14-and-a-half-minute mark and went six or seven minutes without giving up a bucket. I thought that group really did a good job defensively and stretched the lead. These guys (starters) went back in and continued to do a good job. So, good second game. A lot of work ahead and I look forward to it.”
On Steven Pledger being a weapon against a zone defense:
“He shoots the ball great, and anytime you have a guy against a zone that makes shots like that…but he does so much more. He sees the floor well. He has got a good feel for the game. He makes plays for others. Defensively he has got a good feel. As an experienced player out there, you notice the shots he makes, but he does other things really well on the floor, too.”
On perimeter shooting:
“This group moves the ball well. They’ve got confidence in each other and are making plays for each other. Different guys can step up and make shots. It is good to see that. We are going to have to have other guys stepping forward because of foul trouble or injury, or whatever, throughout the course of a long season. This group has got confidence in stepping up and making shots and that is great to see.”
On rebounding:
“It is great to see that not only the big guys, but the guards stepping back in there and getting some rebounds as well. We’ve got to do it as a group. It starts with the big guys, but the perimeter guys have to be conscious of getting back in there and picking up some long rebounds, too. Guys have done a good job of focusing on that in practice and they will continue to do that.”
On next week’s 76 Classic in Anaheim, Calif.:
“A really good opportunity when you get an early season tournament like that where you’ve got a (Pac-12) team the first night and a tough game regardless the second night. Then on the other side you’ve got Big East and ACC; you’ve got a lot of good teams there as well. So, really good early season tournament. You have three games in four days, test the conditioning a little bit, and have time to spend together on the road for five or six days. A lot of good stuff can come from early season tournaments like this.”
Junior Guard Steven Pledger
On playing in his first game of the season:
“It felt good. To be honest, I was kind of nervous. I don’t know why, but I think it was just because of the first game with the fellas, the first game back and it counted. So I was a little nervous. But we came out with the win and I liked it.”
On if playing in a tournament like the 76 Classic can tell a team about itself:
“It definitely does. We just want to go out there and not have a vacation. This is not a vacation; it’s more of a business trip. I’ve been to two of them (early season tournaments) so far and we haven’t done as well as the team would like to do. So were going to go out there and play our hardest and do whatever we have to do to win.”
Junior Forward Andrew Fitzgerald
On his eight rebounds tonight after registering one in the season opener:
“It was a big challenge for me. Some of the coaches came up to me and were telling me, ‘At least get five rebounds today.’ I wanted to get more. I put more of an effort towards rebounding and trying to get it today to help my team win this game.”
On why it seemed like the team played with more energy than in the opener:
“Practice. We practiced really hard this last week. Coach (Kruger) preached to us about how we have to create our own energy and I think we brought it tonight. Hopefully this will carry on throughout the whole season.”
Junior Forward Romero Osby
On outrebounding Coppin State 61-27:
“Coach (Kruger) always preaches rebounding. You know, as we get into the Kansases and the Missouris, there are better teams. That’s no knock on Coppin State; they did compete really hard. But we just wanted to go out and send a statement and rebound as hard as we can. We’ve been working on it for a couple of months. I’m glad it’s finally starting to show off.”
