KU vs. FHSU
Nov. 9, 2005
Recap | Final Stats | Notes | Photo Gallery
–
Kansas vs. Fort Hays St.
November 9, 2005
Quotes
Head Coach Bill Self:
On the game:
“I thought we did pretty good. We fouled too much which I knew we would do, we all talked about that. We didn’t adjust to the officiating very well at all. Our post defense was not very good; rebounding was average, at best, with the exception of Brandon (Rush). There was some things that were average, but we shared the ball, and got up and down decently and guys will get better. We got out to a great start, turned it over a lot, but still it was 12-0 it just felt like it could have been 18 or 20 because we had some unforced errors and took some marginal shots just because we were excited. I think we can build off of this, I’m not leaving here over excited, but I’m leaving here encouraged.”
On the newcomers:
“I don’t think they were very relaxed. I think our veterans were nervous. That’s probably the only reason Sasha (Kaun) missed his free throw because he was nervous, at least that is what he says. Everybody had jitters. I think we played tight early, but loosened up and we were better in the second half offensively than we were in the first half.”
On freshman forward Brandon Rush:
“Brandon has figured out that if he gets an offensive rebound he gets to shoot it. He’s figured out that is a good way to score. I don’t know the last time that we had our `2′ and `3′ men get nine offensive rebounds in about 40 minutes. That’s extra possessions and we haven’t had many of them in the last couple of years that I’ve been here.”
On the defense:
“We did a decent job defensively. Once they get into the scoring area we need to be solid. That’s more the coaches’ fault than the players, but we have to concentrate on being more solid. C.J. (Giles) got into foul trouble because we gambled and missed and he had to cover for people. We can’t afford for him to get into foul trouble.”
On freshman forward, Julian Wright:
“Julian was nervous. He has to get comfortable. He’s going to be a really good player, because he’s versatile. During the last two or three plays when he was relaxed, he played amazing.”
Sophomore forward Sasha Kaun:
On his offensive performance:
“I have to give credit to the guards, they found a way to get it down there and gave me some open shots.”
On the ease of scoring down low:
“The main reason was probably the height advantage. We all worked pretty hard to get more physical and it paid off a lot just being stronger and more athletic.”
On Russell Robinson:
“Russell has a feel when to pass and where to pass. Look at the stats, he had 11 assists. That says that he can get the ball down there at the right moment for us to score easy baskets.”
Sophomore forward C.J. Giles:
On his offensive outburst:
“I’m not surprised because all the sophomores have worked hard this summer to really get it done this year.”
On his offensive mindset:
“Coach told us we at least need the sophomores to score. I’ve been working all summer just to be that person.”
On difficulty to get into rhythm:
“I guess at first but not really because we gelled a lot better than we did last year. We all really connected this summer so it wasn’t that hard to get going.”
On playing a real team:
“The last couple of weeks has really been hurting us. Most of the guys know our plays and have been cheating and fouling like crazy. We’ve all worked hard over the last couple of weeks to get to the point we are at now.”
Freshman forward Brandon Rush:
When he became comfortable:
“We had a little speech at halftime. Coach told us to just come out and have fun. I just came out and started having fun. I was real nervous at the start.”
On his breakaway dunk:
“I just stole the ball and felt the guy behind me. I knew he was going to try and reach in front of me so I just turned around and reversed it.”
On what he needs to improve on:
“Shooting and working my left-handed dribble. My left-hand is pretty weak and I’ve been working on it the last couple of weeks. Also the three-point shot because I have a slow release.”
