Dec. 17, 2011

Recap | Box Score | Photo Gallery 1 | Photo Gallery 2

Georgetown University Head Coach John Thompson III

On the difference between the first and second half...
I think in the first half, offensively we were going side-to-side too much. We talked at halftime that we needed to cut more, we were settling for threes. At halftime we decided to start cutting more and it was open late, so that was basically it.

On the momentum in the second half...
All sports can be a game of momentum. I think in the second half, Hollis got a couple of key rebounds. Jabril really got us going when he was in there and our guys just started cutting and moving more and things started to open up. We may have worn them down a little bit. We started off the game where several of our first possessions were turnovers, but I think we came out in the second half and we wanted to go inside.

On Henry Sims vision and passing ability...
Henry did a good job of finding the guys. Hollis actually said the cuts were open very late, so when we did cut in the first half we were giving up on it and going outside too soon, but the very first play in the second half we had a cut open right underneath the rim, so I think that communication between teammates was key.

On Markel Starks three-point shooting...
He did what he was supposed to do. He was open and he was putting it down, even then, we needed those points, but we have to have a better feel for mixing it up. You hit a couple in a row now the cut is going to be wide open, but the points he gave us were big.

On the intensity level in the second half...
We had nine turnovers in the first half, so I think that might have led to what happened in the second half more than anything. When you're scoring your defense is a lot better, no matter who the team is, we were able to get some buckets in the second half that we weren't getting in the first half because our defense got better.

On Jeff Green...
It's been a difficult week. Jeff is a part of who we are and he's as upbeat as anyone can be, as it relates to what's going on with him. Our prayers are with him and we anticipate that everything will be ok.

On Henry Sims performance...
I think he was best today at his communication on defense. The whole time you heard Henry talking. Our defense got better in the second half because our talking got better and he was outstanding. I heard Henry's voice calling screens, calling switch, watch this and that's what he did better than anything, better than the points, better than the passes was his communication on defense, which was outstanding today.

Senior center Henry Sims

On his strong offensive opening to the second half...
Like Coach said, he wanted us moving north and south instead of east and west and Hollis said at halftime that the cuts were opening late, so I just had to keep looking and my teammates were cutting hard, so I just got them the ball.

On becoming a point guard...
No...I was going to say no.

Junior forward Hollis Thompson

On his basketball knowledge and how it's increased at Georgetown...
I think it's definitely very important to think the game, especially the way we play. Somebody is always going to play you harder for one thing than something else and learning to take advantage of the next thing just comes with time and playing in this system.

On being more aggressive in the second half...
Like Coach said, we picked it up defensively and I think that turned it around for us offensively in terms of having more possessions and playing harder. When that happened Henry was finding me on late cuts and it all started to gel.

On holding Charles Hinkle to 16 points...
He's a guy who can score, so we wanted to make him drive and when he drove we wanted to sit on it and make him dish out to his teammates and I think we did a decent job of that.

Sophomore guard Markel Starks

On his comfort level shooting...
It was a good day. I told our manager Eddie Bradley, before every game he and I go out and shoot and I just told him, "I'm loose, I feel good today" and I just came out and shot it pretty well.

On the level of competition going forward...
We will just keep preparing. We're confident and we're going to keep preparing for each game.

On what the team did well today and what it says going forward...
This is a confident group. We just needed to come out a little more aggressive, we were able to get stops and get points as well, but moving forward we're just going to keep getting better.

American University Head Coach Jeff Jones

On ... the game in general:
Clearly that was two very different halves. Georgetown came out in the 2nd half and came right at us. We didn't have an answer. They put it inside, they really geared up their defense, and we just weren't very good. To me, I think the key stat is the points in the paint. Six points in the paint for them in the first half, 42 for the game. They came at us, they got to the free throw line, and I think they knocked us back. We never really responded. I was proud of the way we competed in the first half. In the second half though, I was disappointed. But you've got to give Georgetown an awful lot of credit for that.

Did they change things up in the second half?
No, they were just stronger. You know, they just played tougher and attacked more. In the first half I never felt that we lost control defensively. In the second half they threw it inside, got some boards, they were attacking the lane as opposed to being on the perimeter as much. I don't think they were doing different things, they were doing things differently.

What was the difference in the second half?
They were a little more aggressive. I think they were loading up on the cross-court pass, and our guards weren't doing a good job of attacking, or looking down the sideline. We were going back and forth; we didn't adjust to their adjustment.

Did you prepare for that at all?
We talked about it. It's something we've seen before this year. It's very difficult to simulate their length and their athleticism. Jason Clark, he's special in that regard. Jason Clark can be five feet away and he can accelerate like that, and with those long arms, something that looks open suddenly isn't. That's something that we haven't seen, just a better athlete.

How did Brewer's absence hurt you?
He's one of our better players, and we would've liked to have him out there. But again, I think that in the big picture, that was what I decided we needed to do. How much of a difference that would have made, I have no idea. But clearly we're a better team with Troy in the lineup.

On Charles in the first half, were they doing something to give him a hard time?
They were just paying a lot of attention to him. They were switching out on screens, they weren't allowing him to get open looks. And when he caught the ball, they were crowding him. He did try to attack off the dribble, and there were people there waiting for him. But I think Schoff was the beneficiary, he got a couple of open looks. But they played Charles hard, they weren't going to let him beat them. I think you saw a little bit of frustration on his part, forcing the issue at times, particularly off the dribble. We've got to handle that better, and have other guys step up. The big thing for us is that we've got to get the ball in the paint. Somebody has got to step up. I think we had one post up opportunity where we converted successfully in the game. That's hard. Our guys drive the ball, but sometimes you've got to penetrate that defense. Georgetown dared us to do it, and we weren't good enough to do it.

You're 8-4, where do you think you are as a team?
I think we're at a point where we're still trying to ascertain exactly who we are, and what our identity is. I know what it has to be, because of some of the deficiencies we have. We can't just play nice and easy. We've got to be smart, we've got be tougher than we've played at times. There are a number of occasions this year when we've done exactly what we needed to do. But in order for us to be the kind of team that we would like to be, we've got to do those things all the time. Our margin of error is small. Georgetown, with the way some of their guys are playing and their talent, they have a greater margin of error. So we've got to understand that, and understand we have to play a certain way, and we have to play with a certain toughness. We haven't gotten there. We've experienced some success, but then we've also experienced some failures. In that second half, that was highlighted for us.

See more of moments where you've done what you wanted to do than you expected?
It's hard for me to reengage after that second half. I'd like to think we're going to continue to make progress, but that's up to our players. Hopefully we've got the leadership that will respond and accept that challenge. They need to recognize how we have to play. They're good kids, they work hard, but we have to accept our limitations, know our strengths, and we've got to play to those strengths.