GopherLady
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Here are my quick notes from Pitino, Mason and McBrayer - as always, not verbatim.
Pitino:
• Obviously one of the most unselfish games we've played in a long time, 21 assists, amongst Amir, Nate and Dupree, shared the ball extremely well, and we got open looks because of it. We really battled from a rebounding standpoint. We got out on the break, which we're always pretty good at. It was a major step forward which we needed.
• One thing we really talked about is doing a better job of rebounding, we had 6 O boards all last game. 30% was tremendous, holding them to that. It was a great response.
• The O at the beginning of the game provided a spark, then we got cold, but got stops. I tell them, defend, rebound and run, that's been the mentality. The sharing of the ball, it was contagious.
• Durpree has played really well. Did a lot of really good things, it's good to see him get going. He's playing really good confidence and effort.
• On Nate - I always tell him, you need to look at yourself as one of the better guards in the league, I don't know why you wouldn't consider yourself one of those guys. His stamina is good, doesn't get tired, does a lot of good things. I just think that those guys, Dupree, Nate, Bakary, Murph, as tough as last year was, they had great experience on the court. BK is giving us really valuable minutes, he played through it last year. Those guys, as difficult as it was, it was good for those guys.
• Unselfishness…just sharing the ball, giving up a good shot to get a great shot. I thought we were getting good quality looks.
• Never relax on the sideline until the game is over, you fight like heck to finish the game off strong. Every single possession is an opportunity to grow.
• I thought it was a great crowd, we obsess over fan support, but it was a good crowd. I’m appreciative of anyone that comes to our games and supports us. I saw Vball had a great win, and 13K fans are around here with them. We're not just a bball school, we're an everything school. Our fans have always been very supportive. Nice of him to come (on Claeys coming) - but didn't see him.
• Was that the 1st time The Barnyard has cheered your name? I don't think so…I think they've done it before to mess with me (smiling). They're all working hard, and I know how guys think, if you work hard, you're supposed to play - that's not always the case. My goal is always to win the game. When you can reward guys and they get to play, it's good. Gas works his butt off, tremendous attitude and leadership.
Nate Mason:
• Coach talked a little bit about it in the locker room, it showed a lot of maturity of the guys. It was a good response.
• Coach instills into us, move the ball, and drop closeout. I feel like everyone was on the attack from the get-go.
• On Pitino to want him to think of himself as one of the best guards in the league - I really don't talk about it, it obviously bothers me, I try to come out and prove it a little bit, but as long as we win I don't care about any of that.
• Fans have been great, it's a boost for us. You would expect a crowd not really into it, after Thanksgiving, we expected the crowd to be lackadaisical, and they weren't.
• After the game, Coach really sat us down and said we needed to improve, we disrespected each other. We sat the guys down, had a team meeting, and go to work the next day. I feel like we did a good job responding the next 2 days in practice.
Dupree McBrayer:
• Nate set the tone, and I followed behind him, and that got everyone going.
• It felt good, Nate set the toned, I look at him as one of the leaders, and I just follow behind him.
• I've got the confidence from New York, so I've got the swagger. Once I start rolling, I feel like I can get going.
Pitino:
• Obviously one of the most unselfish games we've played in a long time, 21 assists, amongst Amir, Nate and Dupree, shared the ball extremely well, and we got open looks because of it. We really battled from a rebounding standpoint. We got out on the break, which we're always pretty good at. It was a major step forward which we needed.
• One thing we really talked about is doing a better job of rebounding, we had 6 O boards all last game. 30% was tremendous, holding them to that. It was a great response.
• The O at the beginning of the game provided a spark, then we got cold, but got stops. I tell them, defend, rebound and run, that's been the mentality. The sharing of the ball, it was contagious.
• Durpree has played really well. Did a lot of really good things, it's good to see him get going. He's playing really good confidence and effort.
• On Nate - I always tell him, you need to look at yourself as one of the better guards in the league, I don't know why you wouldn't consider yourself one of those guys. His stamina is good, doesn't get tired, does a lot of good things. I just think that those guys, Dupree, Nate, Bakary, Murph, as tough as last year was, they had great experience on the court. BK is giving us really valuable minutes, he played through it last year. Those guys, as difficult as it was, it was good for those guys.
• Unselfishness…just sharing the ball, giving up a good shot to get a great shot. I thought we were getting good quality looks.
• Never relax on the sideline until the game is over, you fight like heck to finish the game off strong. Every single possession is an opportunity to grow.
• I thought it was a great crowd, we obsess over fan support, but it was a good crowd. I’m appreciative of anyone that comes to our games and supports us. I saw Vball had a great win, and 13K fans are around here with them. We're not just a bball school, we're an everything school. Our fans have always been very supportive. Nice of him to come (on Claeys coming) - but didn't see him.
• Was that the 1st time The Barnyard has cheered your name? I don't think so…I think they've done it before to mess with me (smiling). They're all working hard, and I know how guys think, if you work hard, you're supposed to play - that's not always the case. My goal is always to win the game. When you can reward guys and they get to play, it's good. Gas works his butt off, tremendous attitude and leadership.
Nate Mason:
• Coach talked a little bit about it in the locker room, it showed a lot of maturity of the guys. It was a good response.
• Coach instills into us, move the ball, and drop closeout. I feel like everyone was on the attack from the get-go.
• On Pitino to want him to think of himself as one of the best guards in the league - I really don't talk about it, it obviously bothers me, I try to come out and prove it a little bit, but as long as we win I don't care about any of that.
• Fans have been great, it's a boost for us. You would expect a crowd not really into it, after Thanksgiving, we expected the crowd to be lackadaisical, and they weren't.
• After the game, Coach really sat us down and said we needed to improve, we disrespected each other. We sat the guys down, had a team meeting, and go to work the next day. I feel like we did a good job responding the next 2 days in practice.
Dupree McBrayer:
• Nate set the tone, and I followed behind him, and that got everyone going.
• It felt good, Nate set the toned, I look at him as one of the leaders, and I just follow behind him.
• I've got the confidence from New York, so I've got the swagger. Once I start rolling, I feel like I can get going.
