Head Coach Lon Kruger |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Opening comments:
"It was good to get out in front of folks and play against someone else other than themselves. They've worked hard in practice and they've done a good job. Washburn gave us some different looks than what we see every day in practice. It was a great experience. We have a lot of things to work on, but the good thing about this group is I know they will invest in the work. I like our depth; hopefully we'll continue to be able to play a lot of people. The guys off the bench actually played better tonight than our starters did, which is good. We'll have a lot of different starting line-ups and we'll keep getting better."
On the performance of OU's three freshman guards:
"It was good; a lot of the energy and enthusiasm. And the franticness is something we can improve on when we hand the ball off. The three freshman guards are good players and they know what needs to be done. It will be fun to watch them grow."
On the team's work ethic and competitiveness:
"I thought they worked hard. I think you have to have that activity and channel it a little bit more productively and more intelligently. Again, I thought as far as putting bodies on people in the post, we have a lot of work to do there. Washburn isn't a big team, but I thought they were equally as physical and we can't let that happen. We have to be much more aggressive and physical."
On what to look forward to:
"I think this group will come along pretty quickly. I think having a game under our belt and film to break down is good. This group works hard, learning from film and taking one practice to the next. Because of this I think this group will move along quickly, and I'd be surprised if they don't handle the ball a lot better next Wednesday. We'll spend three days throwing it in the post a lot more; we haven't done as much of that as we need to. I think you just learn as you go and they'll progress quickly."
Freshman guard Buddy Hield |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On the speed of the game:
"It's a faster pace than high school and adjusting to the system. It's just staying focused and trying to turn the ball over less and be more effective with the basketball."
On having former teammates in the stands:
"I was grateful to have them here. They gave me a lot of confidence. I know they look up to me a lot. I just wanted to show them that I'm still working hard. I'm thankful for Coach Kruger for letting me come here and play. It's just trying to get ready and be ready every game and do what Coach Kruger wants me to do."
On coming off the bench:
"It was a big adjustment, but as a basketball player you have to be able to adjust to something quick. I hustle, scored and just did what coach Kruger wants me to do."
Junior Forward Amath M'Baye |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
On finally playing in a game for OU after sitting out last year:
"I didn't realize it until the end of the game. At the end of the game, the emotion came down a little bit, but it was great. I've been waiting for this moment a long time. The coaching staff and all the players have been amazing in helping me through the sitting-out year to make it as good as it could be, but it was still really hard. Just to be able to play with the guys I practiced against, I've been waiting a full year and a half. It was amazing."
On playing a veteran role in first OU game:
"All these young guys did a great job of making my job easier as a leader. I pretty much didn't have anything to do but talk to them. They knew what they were coming into. They were well coached in high school. They came into a place where they are well coached as well, so it was very easy for me. They make my job very easy. I think they are doing great. They are picking up very fast. Some of them were probably not expecting to play so many minutes or be starting, but I think they are doing a great job and think they will do a great job adjusting to their role."
On being rusty after sitting out a year:
"I think I was a little rusty. It is probably going to take me a little bit to get in my rhythm, but like I said, everybody is making my job easier."
