Postgame Quotes
Dec. 18, 2010
Postgame Quotes
Kansas 70, USC 68
Dec. 18, 2010 – Lawrence, Kan.
Kansas Head Coach Bill Self
On trusting Josh Selby in the final minutes of the game:
“We had him out there, and he was obviously our ‘broken floor’ offense. Of course he shot the ball unbelievably well from behind the arc – but the kid (Josh Selby) has a lot of (Sherron Collins) in him. We tried to run a lob play for him to try and get an easy basket, but (USC) backed off, and the shot wasn’t there. It was nice to see his first three-pointer go down for him. He bailed us out, he saved us – he doesn’t know what he is doing out there, but he still comes away with 21 points and was our best offensive player. I’m happy for him, and we played like we practiced – and we haven’t practiced well of late – but we did play with some energy. It’s nice to have a guy who wants the ball in that kind of situation, and it is nice to know that (Selby) is that kind of player.”
On Brady Morningstar’s offensive rebounding:
“Well he got two big rebounds for us – it probably tied a season high. As a team, we had 33 misses, and we got 13 offensive rebounds, that’s pretty good.”
On the similarities he sees between Josh Selby and Sherron Collins:
“They both think they’re pretty good, neither one lacks confidence – and I like that a lot. Josh is still going to be up and down, but he likes this stage, he is a gamer. He has to do a lot of things to become a better basketball player. If you watch the film, he didn’t do some things very well. But he can do some things that you cannot teach.”
On if he is surprised that Selby took the final shot of the game:
“No, I would be surprised if he didn’t. We really labored in a lot of ways this game and I’m not sure anyone else wanted to take the last shot. I couldn’t have scripted a better ending. National stage, national TV, and now he is going to be the talk of the country. I’m really happy for Josh and his mother; they have made a lot of sacrifices for this day to come.”
On Tyshawn Taylor playing with Josh Selby:
“I didn’t see much from him, that was poor play and (Tyshawn) knows that.”
On Kansas’ post players today:
“We actually trapped the post pretty well; we only had three rotations that we screwed up. (USC’s) bigs are good; we aren’t going to play against a couple of bigs better than those two on the same team very often.”
On the impact that the fans had:
“They won the game for us – well, and Selby – but the fans won the game. It was a great atmosphere, we labored and we were duds in a lot of ways; the fans hung in there.”
Kansas freshman guard Josh Selby
On his last shot:
“Marcus (Morris) was like ‘are you ready to shoot? Because I have a feeling they are going to double team me, don’t hesitate to just let it go. You have been hitting shots all day.’ So when he said that, I didn’t hesitate to shoot the ball and it just went in.”
On his game day experience:
“It was wonderful, just to be out there playing along with my teammates, playing for the fans and the coaches. It was a great environment.”
On his feelings when he entered the game:
“I wasn’t nervous, because the night before the game I was with my teammates. They weren’t putting any pressure on me. They just told me to do what I do and I will fit right in. Don’t worry about trying to do too much, and when they said that, I didn’t hesitate.”
On whether his life will change:
“I am not really focusing on that right now. I am just worried about getting to California and getting another win with my teammates.”
On the support from the crowd:
“It’s wonderful; I think we have the best fans in college basketball. They never give up on us, (even when) we were down. They were cheering for us, they were getting us motivated, they were giving us energy, so they played a big part in this game.”
On whether he expected to be in at the end of the game:
“I really don’t know, I don’t know what the coaches are thinking.”
On his turnovers:
“The ball was slippery, but I am not going to blame it on that. I am going to try and lessen my turnovers. I am not even going to make an excuse. Hopefully next game I won’t have four turnovers.”
On losing the lead:
“USC is pretty good, they’re scrappy. They play defense, they make big shots, so we knew the game was going to be close. They fought hard and never gave up, but we came out with the victory.”
Kansas junior guard Tyshawn Taylor
On Selby’s performance:
“I think everybody was waiting to see him play and so were we. I am excited for him. He stepped up and did what we knew he could do.”
On getting a tough win:
“It was a big game for us. We need games like this. Coach (Self) said it reminds him of an NCAA Tournament game, a early game on a Saturday, kind of slow-paced and just a grind it out game. We could have done some things better, but we are happy with the win.”
On facing Cal next Saturday:
“I think it is going to be a different atmosphere, it is our first true away game. I am sure that anyone who plays against us is going to be juiced and ready to play. We are going to go out there and do what we do, just try to get better.”
On what he can take from this game:
“Just think (about the) next play and stay positive, don’t ever get down on yourself or your teammates, just keep thinking positive and keep playing. I think if we do that we will be fine, because we are a good team. We have so many pieces and so many guys that can do some things.”
Kansas sophomore forward Thomas Robinson
On battling with Alex Stephenson:
“He is a good player; it just got a little physical just like I expected it would. He is a big body, I am a big body, so of course us clashing is not going to be that pretty. It was a good competition.”
On the fans:
“It was incredible; it was beyond amazing.”
On Selby’s debut:
“It is beyond words. I have been watching him play now for more time than the public has and I have known he was a good player. He fit in just how we thought he would.”
On Selby fitting in:
“The offense doesn’t change at all. He bought in real early. He bought into what Coach (Self) was trying to say, which is that our offense is to move the ball, and it worked out for him.”
USC Head Coach Kevin O’Neill
On the recap of the game:
“We had our chances. We were a couple of offensive rebounds away from winning the game. I thought Kansas really hung in there and played well. We were a little off kilted the first half. It was hard for Jio (Fontan) coming back. We didn’t have a lot of rhythm in the first half, but the second half we did a better job getting the ball into Nick (Nikola Vucevic). We also had some good performances from our other guys. I’m not down on how we’ve played the last two weeks. We lost in a tight one to Northern Arizona, who is a really good basketball team. Now we’re starting to get our guys back and get healthy. Now we have more than five scholarship players, and we’re going to be more competitive. I wish we could have broken the streak, but somebody will someday.”
On the out-of-bounds call at the end of the game:
“I couldn’t tell (if he was out of bounds). I don’t think the official would miss that. I’m sure he stepped out. It’s his first game of the year; he got a little too close to the sideline. I wanted him to be able to put up a shot, get it inside to Nick (Nikola Vucevic), or Donte (Smith) was going to go off of a flare screen. We didn’t even get to the play unfortunately. The tough part is to give up the offensive rebound at the other end of the court three different times in the last two minutes. Offense doesn’t win the game, defense and rebounding does, and we didn’t do that down the stretch.”
USC junior guard Jio Fontan:
On his first game back:
“I was more comfortable than most people thought. In the early going I had a couple of dumb turnovers and a couple little first shots and stuff like that, but besides that I felt pretty good and comfortable. A couple of calls didn’t go my way that I wish would have and it would have changed my performance a little bit. I felt able to lead my team and be vocal, and that’s what most important.”
On playing in Allen Fieldhouse:
“It’s definitely a tough place to play. Whether it’s the first game or the last game of the season it’s not exactly the easiest place to play. I’m glad I got the opportunity to play here in my first game as a Trojan. It’s unfortunate that we lost, but I’m still excited that I got to play here. I think it will help me keep me motivated and attack hard, and keep playing like this game.”
On the Jio vs. Selby match-up:
“He (Josh Selby) won out there. It’s a simple as that. No matter how many points he had or how many I had. He hit a big three. I had the six point streak that was big. He just won out there overall, it’s that simple. I think the biggest thing for me is to play like I can. Josh Selby came in hyped up being a one-and-done kind of guy. He played really well today. I tip my hat off to Tyshawn Taylor and the twins (Marcus and Markieff Morris). They had great games. I think they (Kansas) are definitely a top five team. I just hope we can walk away and understand that we’re right up there with those guys. Regardless with what our record says, we can play with those guys and just have to do a better job finishing out the game.”
On the game plan:
“You have the number one player (Josh Selby) and an All-American (Marcus Morris). Obviously they’re the focus of the game. We were aware that he (Selby) could come in and shoot the ball. It’s hard to watch film and see what sets they have for him. I think it worked vice versa for them. They didn’t know a lot of plays that we ran for me. They just did a better job closing the game out than we did.”
