NCAA Phoenix Regional Final Press Conference Quotes
3/26/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Alabama Head Coach Mark Gottfried
(Opening statement)
"We are excited to play in the regional final tomorrow. UConn is a great team; obviously they are very talented, very well coached. They run the ball well, they rebound the ball well and they defend the ball well. In studying those guys, we know that we've got a great challenge, but I just feel that our team is a very confident team and a very hungry team. This is a team that is not satisfied with just getting to this point. We're going to compete and we understand we've got a great challenge playing a great team, but I believe these guys will compete hard."
(On what it means to take your alma mater further than they've ever been before in the tournament)
"My experience at Alabama was a great experience, but we never could get past that point. We had good teams, and Alabama is a special place to me. I wore the uniform and met my wife there, so I am really excited for our program. These guys have taken our program to a place that we've never been. We'll be a lot more excited if we can get the job done tomorrow and get to the Final Four. It is very rewarding to me because Alabama means a lot more to me because I played there, I walked around on campus. It's special to me."
(On what he saw in Antoine Pettway)
"We've always known that he's a competitor, and I love the fact that he took his high school team to the state championship. I always think that it says a lot about the player. And I just like the fire in his belly. He made a choice to come to Alabama and was determined to prove to our staff and everybody that he belonged there. And he quickly did that. I've said many times, he is a great story. And he just competes so hard that the other guys feed off of that and recognize how important winning is to him. He's the heart and soul of our team."
(On being a football school and having the basketball program underestimated)
"Sometimes it can be annoying. Our football program is a great program as well, and I think that you can have a school with two programs that are excellent, football and basketball. Most of the guys who grow up in the south know that football is big. And that's not a negative thing. I think that they are doing a great job of establishing themselves, this group and the rest of our team, as some guys who know how to play basketball as well (as football)."
(On Ray Allen versus Ben Gordon)
"He is very similar. That year when I was at UCLA, he was by far the best player we played against. I think Ben Gordon is a great player. I think we have seen great players this season. If their offense breaks down, he hunts for his shot. They do a great job of isolating him to get shots and he obviously makes a lot of big ones for them. He has our respect."
(On his frontline match-up)
"We got our hands full. We are not a big physical team. We have not been that way all year long. We feel like we are a pretty quick team. Our guys play with a lot of toughness even though we are a\not a physical group of guys. That is a concern. We have to play well on the glass. And we've got to rebound the ball. But there are a lot of different ways to find to win a game. Stanford out-rebounded us bad and we still found a way to win. We have to do a good job rebounding the basketball and keep those guys off the glass."
(On their defense and ability to transition from man-to-man to zone)
"Our zone has helped us a lot at different situations. The defense we play depends on the game, the situation and their personnel. We choose the defense we play on the situation. I like the way that we have defended the perimeter with our zone defense. We aren't a big team, but we can stretch out and play the whole court. Our defense allows us to play bigger than we are at times."
(On zone defense vs. UConn)
"We will take a look at both defenses tomorrow - look at the situation presented in the game and go with the defense that is more beneficial. Either way, we have to guard them, they are a good team. No matter what defense we use, we have to guard them, we have to stop them."
(On UConn's defense)
"I think that the defense that UConn plays is the most underrated and underappreciated thing about that team. I have seen them play, seen tapes throughout the year, and they have a strong defense. They are strong for two reasons. First off, they put a lot of pressure on the ball. UConn's staff teaches them what it takes to be a team, the concept of team. Secondly, they have a guy in the middle that very few teams across the country have. In Okafor they have a guy in the middle who can clean up mistakes. They can be aggressive on the perimeter because of the strength of Okafor in the middle. They are very quick on the perimeter; they put pressure on their opponent at all times. They consistently hold their opponent's score total down, day in and day out, and that is very impressive."
(On the match-up with UConn)
"UConn is a tough match-up for us. I think it is a tough match up for a lot of teams. That is why they have had the season they had, why they have made it this far in the tournament, why they were ranked No. 1 in the preseason polls. I take something from what John Wooden always said from my time at UCLA, you take quickness with all the size you can get. We have to find a way to compensate for not being as physically strong as other teams. We have had to compensate for that all season. All season we have found ways to not let people push us around near the basket. We have to hold our own, be strong. The match-up against UConn will be no different in that regard."
(On Chuck Davis and Jermareo Davidson and the match-up with UConn)
"Jermareo has a great opportunity in tomorrow's game. He has the opportunity to play against one of the best there is. What I do know is that he is going to play him hard, he will play him tough. But we also have to play him by committee. There are going to be several different players on him throughout the game tomorrow, and everyone will need to step up to the occasion. This is a tough match-up for us, for our guys, but at the same time a great match-up and a great opportunity. I know our guys and I know this team, and they are going to go out there and compete. They will put into the game tomorrow everything that they have."
(On schedule strength)
"There is no question that it helped a lot in the eyes of the selection committee. But more than that, it helped our team become a better basketball team. It gave us the confidence going into the tournament that we needed. Our first game (of the season) against Pittsburgh showed me a lot about our team and instilled a lot of confidence into this team. Even though we lost the game but after the game we knew we could compete, that we could compete with anybody. I left Madison Square Garden with a lot of confidence; I left that game with a good feeling about the season. That is what we took into the Stanford game. We had confidence, we felt as though we were prepared. Throughout the season we played some of the best competition there is, we saw some great teams. Because of that we aren't going to be intimidated."
(On basketball not being main sport at Alabama)
"If you let something like that bother you, then it is going to. If you compare what page your sport is on in comparison to what page football is on, that can start to get to you. Alabama is a great university; we have a great football program. I am very impressed with the job that the football program does year after year. The basketball program at Alabama is great as well, even though people don't always see it that way. Games like tomorrow night will help our program a lot in that aspect. But I think that it is important for people to realize that a university can have a great football program and a great basketball program. That is what our university has. But at the same time it is nice that we don't get dissected as much, I don't get dissected like a frog similar to Mike Shula, which can be a positive thing."
(On influence of John Wooden)
"John Wooden was a tremendous influence on me; he is a wonderful person and coach. When I started out at UCLA, I was a graduate assistant coach, I was brand new. Wooden made it easy for me; I developed a relationship with him. Coaching with him helped shaped a lot of my philosophy, allowed me to see the person I wanted to be, the program I wanted to have, and the coach that I wanted to be."
(On coming into his own as head coach)
"I don't really get into that too much. As a coach in my position, you have the confidence in your ability and what you can accomplish. Two years ago when we won the SEC, that was a huge step for our program. Everything you do is a step; you keep taking steps throughout your career. This is a big step for our program, one we have never taken. When you look at Coach Calhoun's tournament record, it is impressive. But he as well had to start somewhere. Every time you take a step, it comes with a reward."
(On more basketball players than athletes coming out of the south)
"A lot has changed in the past 10-15 years as far as developing athletes in the south, and a lot of programs have benefited from that. Basketball coaches back then were more secondary coaches, doing something to occupy time between football seasons. High schools, especially in Alabama, have been doing a really good job in focusing more on basketball as a sport rather than something that athletes do in between fall and spring football. They are developing their skills at an early age, focusing on what it takes to excel in the sport. That has made a huge difference on the talent and skill players that our program and many other programs now get directly out of high school. We get the more well-rounded basketball player, not just the tremendous athletes."
Alabama Forward Chuck Davis
(On the match-up with UConn's forwards)
"They are a great team. We have a challenge on our hands. They have great players, two of the best in the country, and we just have to go out there and try to do our best against them."
Alabama Forward Kennedy Winston
(On the match-up with UConn's forwards)
"They have a very talented front line. They have a guy coming off the bench that is just as good as their five starters. We've got to play defense and contain those guys."
(On the confidence he has after beating No. 1 Stanford and defending NCAA champion Syracuse)
"We've beat some good teams up to this point, and beating the number one and the defending champions, we can't have nothing but confidence. So now we've got to rotate that confidence to this game."
Alabama Guard Earnest Shelton
(On being surprised to have reached this point in the tournament)
"I'm very surprised, but I've known that we were a good team all along and we were just hoping for our opportunity to get into the tournament. And once we got in, we wanted to get the chance to try and make the best of it all. We have a lot of confidence in each other, and Coach has a lot of confidence in us kids. But we've worked hard and we feel like we deserve to be at this point."
Alabama Point Guard Antoine Pettway
(On what it feels like playing for Coach Gottfried)
"Coach Gottfried is a great coach to play for. He's been through what we are going through. He was a great player here at Alabama, and he does a great job of motivating us. He puts guys in the right spots at the right times. A lot of times, we've been down in games, and he'll call us over to the bench, and he just keeps emphasizing, 'We've been here before and we're going to win the game.' Just like when we beat Stanford, we feed off of him and take it out onto the court."
(On taking the big shots at the end of games, despite not being the main scoring threat for Alabama)
"I feel that at the end of the game, all five of us players could make that shot. Sometimes, the ball just ends up in my hands. Coach told Kennedy to attack the defense and he tried to get it through the defense, and instead he just kicks it back out. But I feel like anyone of us on the court could make the shot.
"I enjoy that role. Sometimes I make it, sometimes I miss it. But, like I said, it feels like all of us out there can make that shot and whoever has the defense lagging off, we'll rotate the shot. I feel like whoever has it is going to hit it."
(On why he chose to walk on at Alabama and turn down other scholarships)
"Coming out of high school, I had a lot of schools offer me scholarships, but as a kid, I always grew up watching Alabama play, with Jason Caffey, Hollywood Robinson, and I just wanted to be a part of it."
(On living a charmed life)
"We definitely feel like we are living the life right now, out here in Phoenix, having fun in the sun. But at the same time, it is like a business trip, we know we have a job to do. We are enjoying the ride, living the high life. At the end of the game, things are coming together for us, going our way."
Alabama Guard Earnest Shelton
"It really doesn't. We go into a game with anything but respect. We know they are a good team. We go into the game with the attitude that we are a good team. We come out and play hard and leave it all on the court. It doesn't matter what the outcome is."
Alabama Forward Chuck Davis
(On Antoine Pettway)
"Antoine has been here four years. We can just look at him and see how he is acting on the court."
Alabama Forward Kennedy Winston
(On Antoine Pettway)
"He is going to play hard. If he doesn't get no points or no attention, you know he is going to play hard every night. He is not going to take a play off."
Alabama Guard Earnest Shelton
(On Antoine Pettway)
"He is big. He steps it up. He know when we need a basket or to stop a run. Whenever we need points, Pettway is going to step up and make the shot."
(On losing your top scorers)
"We lost three of our top scorers like you said. We felt we had good young guys and a good team. We had a good point guard. Kennedy played a lot as a freshman. I played a lot since my freshman year. It was going to be how quick we gel and come together. We played a lot this summer. Everyone stuck around this summer. We got a lot of playing in and getting to know each other. We went from that and the biggest thing was how well we were going to come together as a team. Since the beginning of the season, everybody figured out their role and got their place on this team."
(On Connecticut Program)
"Connecticut has a great program. They have a big-time players come out of there. It is a big-time program. They always make the tournament and they always have a real good team. They are a great basketball team.
Alabama Forward Kennedy Winston
(On Connecticut Program)
"Every year since I have been watching college basketball, Connecticut has always been one of the top teams in the country. They have competitive guys. A lot of big guys... a lot of skilled guys."
Alabama Forward Chuck Davis
(On this year's tournament run)
"I learned a lot during the season. Coach kept telling me all the time how to get better and preparing me for these big games. Before the season I felt I was good enough to get out there and compete with all these guys."
Alabama Forward Jermareo Davidson
(On playing against Okafor)
"I know I have to step up for my team. I have to rebound and get on the glass."
Alabama Guard Earnest Shelton
(On Ben Gordon)
"I know a lot about him. He is lightening quick and he is unique because he has that quickness and he can shoot the ball. He is a complete player. He can shoot it and get involved in the game. He is real athletic and we are going to try defend him the best we can."
Alabama Forward Chuck Davis
(On toughness of his team)
"We are a small team. We are not real bulky. I think out of our starting five I am the biggest guy on the floor. Guys we go against our going to be stronger, we just have to fight a little harder. We have to work real hard and keep them off the boards. We've had to do that all season. We have to work extra hard to make up for our size."
