 
|
Jan. 3, 2009
Lincoln, Neb. - Maryland Eastern Shore Assistant Coach Mike Blaine Jan. 3, 2009
Opening Statement Anytime you play a BCS Conference team, you know the depth and experience factor is going to be a challenge. I thought our guys did a good job battling early on and doing what we asked them to do, recognizing some things defensively and attacking the basket. We hit a little bit of a scoring drought and Nebraska's a very well-coached team. They share the ball very well and they were able to exploit our mistakes. They're a well-coached bunch and they executed very, very well."
On Nebraska opening the second half hitting 13-of-15 from the field We switched a little bit to man-to-man to open up the second half. We're using these games to work on some things we need to work on. Obviously we've got to make sure that our help-side rotation is where it needs to be at all possible times. Nebraska does an excellent job at moving the ball. They find the open man very, very well. We've got to focus a little bit better on some rotations. Also to their credit, a few of their shots were pretty tough, contested shots."
Nebraska Coach Doc Sadler Quotes Jan. 3, 2009
Opening comments
"I didn't know about it going in, but I thought our urgency was a little bit better. We gave up an easy basket off an offensive rebound. Those things sound so small, but they're so big for us. We can't afford to continue to give free points away after defending really, really well, and I thought that is what we did. What can you say? I don't care who you play against, you turn the basketball over three times, you've got to be pleased. I hope that that gives us a chance to continue to be successful once we get into the league. That is when we get our turnovers down to 12 or 11 a game. You can be competitive with that. Free throw shooting was a little bit better. We've got to get above 75 percent, and so it's still not where we need to be. I thought the enthusiasm all day today was good. Overall, I guess you've got to be happy. The shooting percentage of the team, we shot the ball I thought a little bit better. Again, we got some easy baskets and that drives up the percentage. Defensively, I was just OK. I think we can play much better defense than what we played."
On the efficiency of the offense "I thought it was better. I thought they did a nice job of confusing Cookie (Miller) and them. It was something that can help you once the league gets here, of coaching those guys about cutting through the defense on the first pass to see what they're in. That was good for us down the road. Overall, I thought when we penetrated we found some open shooters better. Even though Brandon (Richardson) missed a couple, I thought he passed up a shot in the corner, but at least he shot the basketball six times and was 1-for-4. We've got to have Brandon hit one or two 3s a game. If he's going to play 10 or 12 minutes a game, he's got to have the opportunity to give us three points by hitting a 3-point shot. He's got to have the confidence to do that. I thought at times Toney McCray was better offensively. Overall, it was good to win a ball game."
On Ade Dagunduro's performance the last few games "As I told the team yesterday, don't get too excited; on the field goals you've set the record with, 12 of them have been uncontested layups or dunks that we had to do special plays for. I think Ade can shoot the basketball and he's shooting good shots. He looks to be getting more aggressive like he was mid-way through the league last year. It looks like he's getting that aggressiveness back, he shot the ball nine times."
Nebraska Player Quotes Jan. 3, 2009
Senior guard Ade Dagunduro On his offensive performance "I just happened to get a lot of easy buckets thanks to good point guard play by Sek Henry and Cookie Miller."
On if the offensive is clicking right now "Definitely, we are finally attacking the zone like we need to be. We have been working a lot on zone offense and it's paying off a great deal for us. Hopefully this can continue."
On if he has been working on being more aggressive "Definitely, me being a senior, I have to pick it up whether it is on offense or defense. My offensive game wasn't where it needs to be as a senior leader, so I put it in my mind to be more aggressive."
On if he was hard to be patient on offense when they were struggling recently "Definitely, that was one of the main things being impatient, trying to get a quick basket and that feeds right into what the zone wants. Now we're doing a good job of being patient and following our coach's game plan."
On how making baskets makes the rest of the game easier "That is a motivational deal when you see the ball go through. Things start to pick up on defense and guys start to relax a little bit and that gets the whole offense flowing. When one guy hits a shot it's kind of a momentum deal." |
|||||||||
| ||||||||||
