Feb. 6, 2009
On carrying the team's defensive efforts against Rutgers over to Cincinnati...
Hopefully you just remember what that feels like. Muscle memory, mental memory. But what I said after that game was I felt we did a very good job particularly in the first half when we weren't making shots, forget what we were holding them to, when we were not putting the ball in the basket we stayed focused we still executed in other aspects of the game. A lot of times with young teams when one thing goes bad everything goes bad, because you have to have a short memory and you have to forget that last play and move on. A lot of times young teams are emotional.
On Nikita's confidence...
Just as important his coach has confidence in him. I think he's always had confidence in himself, but Nikita is a redshirt freshman, he's playing for the first time and so you have to be out there, you have to experience it and you have to grow. He's still getting there, he's been playing because of the hustle plays he's been making. You see him be the first one to get on the floor, you see him flying in there for rebounds, not necessarily getting them, but keeping the ball alive for someone else to get it. His shot is still not falling like it's going to. Sooner or later it's going to go in every time he throws it up.
On young players adjusting to Georgetown's system...
I don't necessarily think that's unique to our system. Also having so many (young players) on the floor at one time, someone asked me earlier and I said I don't compare and contrast from year to year, talking about our team from a couple of years ago that went to the final four. With that team we had all juniors and seniors with a few freshmen and sophomores mixed in. With this team we have all freshmen and sophomores with a couple of juniors and seniors mixed in and it's a huge difference. We're progressing, we're learning, but something's you have to experience it unfortunately instead of just having coach tell you about it.
On the leadership of Jessie Sapp and DaJuan Summers...
They have been through it. They walked in the door with a group of good leaders. They understand how difficult winning is, winning is hard. Winning is not always fun, it's about sacrifice and that's something that has to be learned. Unlike this group they came in bright-eyed and bushy-tailed and not much was needed from them, just get in there and don't mess up. Where as we have young guys now that if we want to have success they have to do more than just get on the floor.
On Henry Sims ...
It's just the flow of the game and the consistency needed every day in practice leading up to games that you have to train yourself to do and I think he's going through that process just understanding that the roller-coaster ride is hard just in terms of consistency and production. He's going to be a terrific player and you've seen glimpses he just has to settle into his rhythm.
On Sims addition to the lineup...
When he's in there we're much longer. Some things seem to develop that way. Once he settles in and gets a better understanding of things offensively and defensively what we're trying to do. I think that when he's in there and going well he can be a presence.
