Dec. 6, 2008
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Georgetown Head Coach John Thompson
On Georgetown's defensive intensity the first 8 minutes of the game...
"They have a very good team, an experienced team and so we knew we had to come out and be focused because they're a team that doesn't take shots they shouldn't take. They get the shot that they want, particularly this year they have been very good executing, so I think our guys came out with a focus. We were fortunate that the defensive end got off to a good start."
Evaluation of the overall game...
"Overall, we did not play well. It's about us, its not about the opponent, it is not about the score, it's us trying to prepare, us trying to get better, us trying to improve. Regardless what the numbers are relative to what the score is, I'm a little disappointed how we played today. Now we have to keep moving forward, and we have to learn and grow but that wasn't one of our better games."
On the flow of the game...
"I think at both ends of the floor we didn't get a lot of the looks we typically do or typically get. We have guys who can make shots, we have guys when they throw it up there, its going to go in. We have to continue to focus on how we execute, what we are looking for at both ends of the floor. Whether it's our defensive rotations, our communication, our slides. At the offensive end, whether it is staying with our stuff or getting different kinds of looks. We can get off threes, we have guys that can make those but just the flow was not there today. The flow was not there at either end of the floor."
On Georgetown's defensive strategy against American's Garrison Carr...
"He made one (three), that's terrific because he is a terrific player. Not only can he shoot, he knows how to get his shot. He does a terrific job of reading the defense and so our guys were attentive. In the first half, he got a couple of looks he normally makes that it just didn't go in. It just fell our way in regards to that. A lot of guys can shoot, he knows how to play. Its hard to get off eleven threes against a team who takes away the three."
American Head Coach Jeff Jones
On Georgetown ...
They're a very good basketball team. When they shoot it the way they did from the perimeter in addition to the movement they are really tough to defend. The thing that really just kept us getting anything going was their defense. They're long, athletic, aggressive and they anticipate very well. It's not just that they're athletic, they're coached to know when situations are there for them to gamble. They're defense was the thing that completely stifled us.
On American's early turnovers...
It's probably a combination that Georgetown is very good defensively and they anticipate and do all those things I talked about and I don't think we handled their defensive pressure particularly well. We go back and look at the tape and I think you're going to go back and see us at times kicking the ball away and doing silly stuff. Maybe we had too much respect for them.
On the difference between this year and last year's Georgetown teams...
What little I've seen them obviously today and on film leading up to today they're probably more mobile and more athletic with the players they have. With [Roy] Hibbert he gave them great size, but defensively maybe he couldn't do some of the things and with [DaJuan] Summers moving to the four they're very well balanced. Defensively they're more capable of forcing the turnovers.
On the lessons American learned ...
Right now we're disappointed with where we are as a team. We should have competed better. This exam break comes at a good time for us to take a look at ourselves and evaluate things and see if we are going to be a good basketball team who is willing to make those changes and sacrifices, but it is a critical time for us.
American Senior Guard Garrison Carr
On the recent losing stretch ...
The past four games we haven't played the way that we've wanted to and it's been showing up in practices as well. We're not running things as sharply as we should, we're not playing together as a team as well as we're capable of and it's been showing up in games with the losses to Fairfield, Mount St. Mary's and Georgetown. We just have to figure out what it is, I'm sure the coaches are thinking about it, all the players are worrying about it right now.
Georgetown sophomore guard Jessie Sapp:
"I mean, we focus on everything on defense as a team. We just continue to work hard each and every game to improve and I think we did a good job against Maryland and it has carried over. Everybody's main focus is to get better on defense."
"I like to play against some of the best players but it's not just me. We switch out a lot and I am not always on that guy but I might start off on that guy. My teammates always have my back. They know what they have to do in order to guard that guy. When we go to the scouting report, everybody listens to everybody. My teammates have my back at all times."
Georgetown sophomore guard Chris Wright:
"I mean, I don't necessarily think I did anything that was out of the scheme or anything. I was just taking what the defense gave me. I was making shots today."
"What coach said at halftime was that, 'We need to worry about us.' We want to make sure that we contain. We can't let them get offensive rebounds; we can't let them get a second shot. We wanted to make sure that we work on our stuff so that when it comes time for the Big East we'll try to get ready and play our best game."
Junior forward DaJuan Summers:
On the bench...
"Just from seeing them in practice, they're working very hard in practice. I was trying to get them in the rhythm both offensively and defensively of getting them to do the things we need them to do."
