University of Connecticut Athletics
UConn vs. Coppin State (December 20, 2010) Post Game Quotes
12/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 20, 2010
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UConn Head Coach Jim Calhoun
"It was a different kind of game. I expected us to be a little rusty coming off the break. They were coming off a 10-day break also. But I didn't expect us to dominate the glass as well as we did."
"We missed every kind of conceivable shot in the paint that I've ever seen....As we go forward, I like the effort on the glass, without question. I don't like the fact that we're not finishing plays in there."
"Teams have shot threes against us all year, and as I reminded the team, it's not exactly accidental."
"The biggest disappointment, if there is one, is simply that we just didn't maintain the intensity....So, basically, we read the scoreboard, played the scoreboard, as opposed to playing the game...We won't be able to do that on Wednesday. Sure in heck, a couple of days after Christmas they can't do that. I'm positive that over the next 20, they're not going to have a shot of doing any of that kind of stuff. So that part is a little disappointing."
"We're going to see nothing by good teams the rest of the way through. We have to consistently hold our effort better. We have to make shots inside better. We have to shoot three-point shots a heck of a lot better."
"We were just somewhat out of sync and, at times, worked really hard. It's a strange game for me to assess because at times we really locked them up, and then we let their three-point shooting take us back a little bit. And it really shouldn't."
On Jeremy Lamb:
"I think Jeremy, defensively, is awful right now. And getting awfully good on rebounding, and getting awfully good offensively. He's making an effort. And he really is a terrific rebounder out of the guard spot."
On Charles Okwandu:
"That was his best game I've seen in a Husky uniform. I don't care who he was playing against. He was there physically. He turned and dunked the ball, which is something we haven't seen much of from this group of guys since we were over in Maui, which is kind of strange....That's the way to finish a layup. So Charles had just a terrific game."
On Kemba Walker:
"Kemba was Kemba. I thought Kemba played really unselfishly trying to get everybody involved.....He was not playing to get his 25 or 30 points, he was playing to make sure that we won."
UConn Players
Kemba Walker
What changed midway through the first half for you?
"I got some good looks and was fortunate enough to make them."
On UConn's poor shooting in the first half:
"We missed some chippies. We got a lot of offensive rebounds. We just couldn't put it in the hole."
Jeremy Lamb
What have you been working on lately?
"I need to get quicker, not reaching, and staying in front of my man. I'm definitely working on that day to day. I think today the picks got me. I wasn't getting through the picks as much as I should have."
On the team's rebounding tonight:
"He (Coach) has really emphasized it in practice. Rebounding is a big part of what you do. That's how you get out on the break. I think we all made it a point to rebound and we rebounding good as a team."
Were you scoreboard watching when you were up 25?
"It's real tough not to do that. They started hitting shots...and we gave them a little momentum we shouldn't have given them. We started playing the scoreboard and we can't do that."
Charles Okwandu
"After the last game, I talked to coach and told him I wasn't enjoying playing. He made a promise that if I keep working hard after practice that he would give me minutes on the court. So, I started doing it and it worked out for me."
What did you do tonight that you haven't been doing?
"Offensive rebounding which is what I've been trying to do for a while but it hasn't been working out for me."
"I have to play aggressive. Coach promised me if I work hard I'm going to play more minutes, so I need to play hard to earn the minutes."
"I want to enjoy the game. I want to play and enjoy what I'm doing. For me to enjoy it, I have to stay on the court and play more."
Coppin State Head Coach Fang Mitchell
"When we started today and I talked to my team, I told them it was going to be a tough one. I told them it was going to be physical. I think they didn't recognize what that meant until they played hard."
"It was a tough situation. UConn is who they are, very strong and physical inside. Any time someone gets 27 offensive rebounds against you, I mean, that's going to the boards."
"We're going up against a tough team, a Hall of Fame coach. There's not a lot of room for error. I think (my team) understands that."
