Feb. 10, 2014

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Georgetown University Head Coach John Thompson III

On coming out of a slump...

We still have a ways to go. I like the way our guys are competing. We've had different guys step up and make big plays. Jabril's three was a big, big shot and he made some foul shots coming down the stretch.

On Markel Starks toughness coming back from an apparent knee injury...

He competes. He just banged knees, he's OK, I don't think it's anything serious, but he competes. He wants to win and he does a very good job of directing traffic out there.

On Georgetown's late game execution...

I think that we executed better and that's a hard team to execute against.

On Providence...

That's a very good team, obviously Cotton is unbelievable. He put on a show today that he puts on almost every time he goes on to the court. He doesn't miss too many shots, he doesn't make mistakes, he doesn't take bad shots and he makes all those other guys, who are good players, he sets them up so well. They're difficult because everyone plays their role. The guys that are supposed to step out and bang shots, bang shots when they're supposed to. The bigs do work down low, so this is a very big win against a very good team.

On trying to slow down Bryce Cotton...

You guys have heard me say this about a lot of different players, I don't know that we did anything. We went back and forth between man and zone and I think our bigs did a good job of when he was receiving the ball of being up higher, so that he couldn't come off for open shots. What we did is make a conscious effort that the five guys on the court had to guard him, whether we're man or zone. Markel was on him most of the night, but Jabril did a good job on him down the stretch when we were playing man-to-man.

On winning the turnover battle...

The way this team is built, we can't turn the ball over. We have to find ways to get to the foul line, we have to hit the boards. They're a very good offensive rebounding team and they got some second shots, but the turnovers are the key. We have to come down and see if we can get a good shot every time and if not, sprint back and get a stop.

On what he said to the team during its losing streak...

I don't think this team ever doubted (we could win). We just had to figure out how to do it. You go through and you lose Josh, who so much of what we did going into the year was predicated on having him out there and then at the same time, Nate's playing with a broken nose, Jabril gets his jaw broken and has to sit out, so the team was drastically different during that stretch. It was just a matter of let's just figure out how to win games now, because we're not who we thought we were going to be coming into the season. I think the guys stuck with it, the guys kept working, but we're still in the hole.

On Georgetown's bench scoring...

Guys are stepping up. I think there's an understanding that everyone is going to get a shot and you're going to have to step up and play. You can go back to Jabril's production or what (Aaron Bowen) is doing. You can go back to the Butler game, where John Caprio ends up in there for an extended period and guys are doing their job when called upon.

On D'Vauntes Smith Rivera's well-rounded game...

My comment on that is the same as when he was having a rough stretch. He shouldn't be defined just by scoring points. We need him to rebound. We need him to throw passes to other guys and then he'll find a way to get his baskets. He did a good job with that today, he had five assists, five rebounds and he put the ball in the basket and he made his foul shots down the stretch.

On going to a small lineup in the second half...

It felt right. To tell you the truth, we were in a zone at that point and I thought going small because I thought our bumps would be faster, I thought our rotations in the zone would be a little faster, and also it was a better offensive team, because we needed to score points.

Senior Forward Nate Lubick

Regarding team defense...

Obviously, as coach said, [Bryce] Cotton was killing us and he had an unbelievable game and he is an unbelievable player. He's become a true point guard while also scoring and it made it really difficult to guard him today. I thought giving him different looks, whether it be moving Jabril [Trawick], giving a little length on him, and zone bothered him a little bit. We stuck with our stuff on offense and didn't let them get back in transition and that really helped us out.

Regarding Starks' job defending Cotton...

That's the second game in a row that [Markel] Starks has had a tough, tough task. He chased that kid, [Kellen] Dunham, around two nights ago for 40 minutes straight. I thought that was the most impressive thing about Markel's game the other day where he was very, very good. That's some we rely on Markel to do night in, night out. He's going to do so much for us on the offensive end, but he is also chasing guys down like a mad man. Personally, I don't know how he does it. He did a great job and Cotton, to his and Markel's credit, was hitting some tough shots in the first half and he was hitting some pull-up threes that are very tough shots.

As you said, in the second half we did a pretty good job containing him.

Regarding the recent play of Lubick and [Mikael] Hopkins...

We've just been better. Not much has changed other than the fact that we've been rebounding. When Mikael and I are not rebounding, especially since Josh [Smith] has been out, we're just not going to win games. We saw that during the stretch and I think that was a pretty big part of why we were losing games. We knew that we needed to change that and, knock on wood, we can keep doing that.

Sophomore Guard D'Vauntes Smith-Rivera

Regarding defeating Providence after last month's defeat...

It was good for us. It was more of a redemption game than anything. It was also a big win for us because I think that is the first time that Coach Thompson, since he's been here, has lost to them. So we definitely wanted to come out here and get another win.

Regarding getting back to .500 in the BIG EAST...

It's good for the time being. We are not content with it. We are looking forward to the next game against [St. John's]. That's our next challenge.

Regarding breaking out of his three-point slump...

I really didn't think about it too much. Coach and I just talked about affecting games in other ways, rebounding, assisting and getting other guys involved. I knew eventually it was going to start to click. My teammates did a good job keeping me going.

Regarding defending Cotton in his first half run. What he was thinking as Cotton scored 19 of 21...

I had no clue.

Providence Coach Ed Cooley

On the loss...

"There's no easy way to start this, this loss hurts. I thought we had a good rhythm. Credit Georgetown, they made some timely baskets. I thought [Jabril] Trawick played really well. You know, we made some mistakes. We have a common theme, our last three games that we've played; we're making some mistakes that are costly during the game. We've had a couple of stretches today, the last couple of games that have been costly, so hopefully we can clean that up. Its still is about the quality about this league. Guys are fighting day in and day out. Georgetown has made a great run here. Our league needs all of us to be competitive the way the game was played today. We are a little frustrated right now, because our team is really close. Every game has been close. We have to get lucky, so hopefully the next couple of games, we can get back. Georgetown did a really good job. They made some timely shots and we turned the ball over and gave up some offensive rebounds.

On Bryce's run at the end of the first half...

"Bryce has been doing that all year, that isn't a surprise to us. He should have had 50 [points] to be honest with you. I thought there were a lot of no-calls coming down the lane. Whatever the new rules and points of emphasis was, and I put that in bold print, `WAS', hmm. It's back to the Big East.

On Georgetown's timely late shots...

"They made shots. Their execution was good. You have to give them credit. The ball went into the basket and ours didn't."

"Our defense was atrocious coming down the stretch. Whether it's fatigue, I don't know what it was, but, if you can't pay attention to detail and you're in these conferences and you're at this level, attention to detail to me, sometimes, is more important that talent. Because you can take less-talented kids that are really, really detailed-oriented and you should be able to win basketball games. I don't know if it's our guys' fatigue, or our guys are just out to lunch."

On guarding [Bryce] Cotton...

"I don't think anyone did a good job on Cotton, seriously. You don't score 30 and somebody did a good job on you. If that's the case, I want a lot of guys that do a "good job".

On winning the rebound battle, but tough plays late...

"When it comes down to it, the little things, a detail thing, the 50-50 ball, we weren't fortunate to come up with. They had two offensive rebounds that turned into six points, and that was in that critical run. You get the rebound, and that was a 50-50 ball that we didn't come up with. They were able to get loose for two threes.

On Georgetown as a team and how they have developed since they last played Providence...

"They are a lot more synchronized. They have a lot of team chemistry that you can see on the floor. They are comfortable in their roles. The young kids, including Josh Smith, are coming in are more confident, his eye and body language are good. He's going to be a good player in our league. They've had practices together, they've played in games more and had some success, so, naturally the guys are going to play more comfortable with each other."

On the teams in the Big East being in the middle of the group, and what is on Providence's mind with three weeks left of the season...

"It goes to the quality of our league, you know, everyone talks about the Big Ten and the ACC, etc. The Big East is a monster. You don't just walk into people's homes and think you're going to walk away with an easy win. The Big East is a quality, quality, high major conference and is playing out every single night. To come out on the road and win, you have to really be mentally tough."

On whether or not Cooley sensed a lack of confidence in his squad...

"No, no, no. This team is never going to lack confidence, not with me as a head coach. I think we have the best team every day we walk in a gym. My team will never, ever lack confidence as long as I'm the head coach."