Oklahoma State University Athletics
Oklahoma State Postgame Quotes vs. Branch West Basketball Academy
November 18, 2002 | Cowboy Basketball
Nov. 18, 2002
Recap?|? Final Stats
OSU Basketball
vs. Branch West Basketball Academy
Nov. 18, 2002
Postgame Quotes
Head Coach Eddie Sutton
On the game
"I thought there were three things the team had to do. One was tough defense, two was rebound, and three was eliminate turnovers. We played much better tonight than we did last week. Ivan played much better; he was very active. Jason Miller came in a played like we thought he could. I thought it was a good team effort. Spoon and Tony came in and gave us some help off the bench. Now the real season begins."
On rebounding
"When you play solid defense and rebound the ball well, even if you don't shoot the ball well, you are going to be in most games. We still have to work on our half-court offense. We are not executing very well."
On defense
"I think one thing people don't understand is that you burn up so much energy playing defense. I think on the offensive end you can rest. The defensive man is intense. The thing I tell them at the end of the game, you better make sure you force them to play more defense than you have. If you put the ball up too fast, all of a sudden you're back on defense. Defense tires you out. We'll shoot the ball on the first, second,or third pass if we have momentum on our side and it is the right guy shooting it. The other team can't score when you have the ball. You're wearing them down while you're resting. If we continue to score 78 points, we'll beat nine out of ten teams."
On offensive boards
"Melvin has got to get were he goes to the offensive board. I thought we did a better job on the offensive boards tonight than we have been. Melvin certainly was doing that. I thought Jason did that too."
On Victor Williams
"He is capable of getting on a roll like this. I think he is a little streaky though. You just got to keep working in practice and convince them to stay on the whole time."
On lines being moved
"I think someday you'll see the three point line move back for sure. I think the line needs to be moved back for college. In college, there are probably 80% of the players in college basketball that can hit that shot, or think they can. If you move it back nine inches, the coach is going to tell the team who is going to shoot the ball. Nine inches makes a big difference. With guys like Victor and Melvin, the line won't make a difference because they are three point shooters. "
OSU LOCKERROOM QUOTES
Senior guard Melvin Sanders
On the game
"I thought we looked better than last Tuesday like Coach (Sutton) said. We came out and played harder tonight. We started a little quicker last game but Victor (Williams) got us going and we went from there."
On his individual performance
"I have been trying to rebound more because coach told me that rebounding would make me a better player. So, I went to the boards a lot more tonight and got a double double."
On preparing for Yale
"We are looking forward to playing them and try to get on a roll before we go to Alaska. They are a good team and went to the NIT last year. We are not going to overlook them. We are going to come out and play hard like we did these two exhibition games."
Junior forward Jason Miller
On his individual play
"Coach (Sutton) has been trying to pump me up and get me playing the way I used to before I injured my knee. I think the second half of the first exhibition game, I finally relaxed and got a feel for the game. Tonight I just let it all out. I told myself to play and be you and the game will come to you.'"
On Yale
"I am ready because we need this for confidence heading into the Great Alaskan Shootout. Yale is a pretty good team and we need this for our confidence."
On the importance of the win
"They (Branch West) have beat good teams, it is not like they are a bad team. I think this gave everybody confidence and let everybody know we can play."
INTERVIEW ROOM QUOTES
Senior guard Victor Williams
"It (his shooting) is something I'm trying to correct. I'm a real streaky shooter and when I get it going I really get it going and when I'm off I'm really off. I'm trying to get at a happy medium somewhere between there.
"As a team we did well in that area. We only had 14 turnovers and we wanted to stay under 15 and we did that. I think that we can be proud in that area but coach is a perfectionist and doesn't like turnovers at all, so this will be something that we will be working on in practice this week.
"In my opinion we have some of the best defenders in the conference with Andre Williams as far as shot blocking and Melvin Sanders being able to lock up his man and deny on the wings. I think when these guys get in their minds that their not going to let their man score, it kind of rubs off on the team. Defense will be our biggest emphasis because we don't have that guy that is going to come out and give you 20 and 25 every night. We're just going to have to get it done by committee."
Junior forward Ivan McFarlin
"Coach Cyprien told us to work hard in the paint and that their big fellows were big but that they couldn't run the floor. We just had to capitalize on that and rebound harder and get some second chance buckets. This has been one of my big emphasis this year and last year. I'm just trying to bring it back out again so that we can win more games.
"The first game was just like trying to get the jitters out of your body. Tonight it was just getting back to the way I used to play by getting on the glass and finding my teammates and getting them shots. That's what I'm supposed to do. I have a role on the team and that is to be a rebound scorer by scoring some second chance buckets and just run the floor like I can.
"Every one has to play defense on the team. It all starts with our guards, it all starts when their post team gets the ball and the way our guards play is the way we play. If their up on the ball pressuring, then we know that we are supposed to be up on our toes getting ready to defend. I feel that if we are all on the same page then we're going to give opposing teams a hard night. You have to realize that players like Victor Williams, Cheyenne Gadson, and Tony Allen and post players like Andre Williams and myself, when we come into the game we bring a big defensive presence to the court and as long we play defense like we are supposed to play defense then it's going to be a long night for the opposing team."
Branch West Basketball Academy Head Coach Bob Gottlieb
On Oklahoma State
"I think their most impressive thing is their offensive rebounding. We just really couldn't keep them off of the offensive boards. (Ivan) McFarlin is about as good as a rebounder in the country, and as a team they are very athletic on the boards. I think that dominated the game. My overall impressions are that they are an excellent defensive team and offensive rebounding team."
On Horacio Llamas
"Horacio, who was unbelievable against UCLA, was unable to make the trip to Washington with us. He was really out of shape, but he came out to California to practice several days and was magnificent against UCLA. Tonight, you could see that his timing was off, he wasn't himself."
On Victor Williams
"Victor Williams was impressive. You just simply cannot leave him alone. We got caught switching a couple of times and left him open and he had 17 points at half. I think that he is the heart and soul of this team."
Branch West Basketball Academy guard Doug Gottlieb
"It (tonight's game) was great and very special. Coach (Sutton) didn't make very many promises, but one of them was that I would get to play in a new arena, so in a round and about way, he kept his promise. You know the other guys (OSU) were waiting for this game, but it is just nice to come back and have the respect that I did and honestly be appreciated."
On OSU's Ivan McFarlin
"I told the guys coming into the game to watch out for him. He brings something intangible to the game - rebounding, defense - it is unbelievable and he brings it every night. I told the team that he was the best rebounder I have ever seen, and they (BWBA) were stunned when they got into the locker room, when they realized how much of a beast he is on the boards."
On Oklahoma State in the future
"I think they will surprise a bunch of teams. They will probably lose a couple in the beginning that they shouldn't because they don't shoot well, but there will be several games that they will win that they should have no business winning just because they play so hard. That's the secret to why Sutton has won 700 games, you have to adjust to your players and I think they are learning to do that and they guys are buying into it, and that is the magic."
