Postgame Quotes
Warren Wilson at Chattanooga
Chattanooga, Tenn. - McKenzie Arena
Nov. 21, 2011
Chattanooga Head Coach John Shulman
Thoughts on the Mocs' win over Warren Wilson
"It's been a long weekend. I devoured the tape from Friday and I am still disappointed. I am still distraught over Friday and our performance, but we're going to get better. I thought we took baby steps tonight getting better and we took baby steps this weekend to getting better. We're not there, but it does feel good to be in a decent mood after a game. I don't care who you're playing. To tell you the truth, I was more pleased with the late second half play from the 14 minute mark down. We did better things defensively and we did better things offensively. I've been trying to pound a square peg into a round hole and it doesn't work. We've got to get back and do what's best for our players and use their talents. We're still a work in progress, but we've got a huge weekend coming up. It feels good, and we've got three tough straight days of practice. We've got a pretty good Savannah State team coming in on Friday and Gardner-Webb coming in on Sunday. I'm looking forward to the weekend."
On the starting lineup shakeup:
"Everybody has been saying it was a message, but I think the kid is pretty good. I think Drew Baker is pretty good. He looked pretty good out there to me and he does what he is supposed to do. He plays his tail end off and good things happen when he is out there. It's a privilege to play college basketball and it is a privilege to coach on this level, but whenever you lose sight that it is a privilege then you're going to have a tough time. Drew made me look good, but I will tell you who stepped up. In the last six or seven minutes of the game, I thought Chris Early did a nice job. It's not secret we need Chris Early, but he's got to get to where he's got to get to help us. I am still disappointed because we are a good shooting basketball team that can't make a shot. We're going to work on shooting. We have a long way to go, but I think we're headed in the right direction."
On the story and play of Drew Baker:
"It's some pretty amazing stuff. It's amazing to me, but that's what's unbelievable about athletics. He drove us crazy wanting to come here to play basketball, and we told him, 'No you can't.' And he said please, let me come there and I'll walk on, but we said no. We told him we already had too many spots. We told him he could be a manager, but he didn't want to be a manager. We told him that was it, but he came and watched us practice one time and he decided to be a manager. I threw a kid out of practice one day, out of an individual workout, and we needed an extra body. We let Drew, as a manager, participate in our practice. He was blocking shots and doing all kinds of neat stuff and I thought, 'This guy is pretty good.' He's got a dream just like they all do, and he looks at this as a privilege. He loves Chattanooga and he loves Chattanooga basketball. He plays his tail end off, he's athletic and he's a team guy. I'm not ready to anoint him 'Larry Legend,' but let's see if he can't work a couple of good days at practice and see if he can't have some success on Friday. I liked what he did out here."
Senior Guard Ricky Taylor
On the different attitude after tonight's game:
"It feels phenomenal right now. Our team came together to lock down defensively and that is what we did, which was are main objective, then everything else would take care of itself."
On the spark coming off the bench:
"I just tried to play the best of my ability and contribute to the team in anyway that I can."
On playing a non-Division I team:
"It gives us a chance to get better and work on our offense as well as our defense. We can do different defensive schemes to see who is ready and not ready. I think it is great to play teams like that and tonight some positive things came out of a lot of players tonight. It really benefited this team in a big way."
On this being a good spot on the schedule to play this game:
"Tonight was a great time for that. We expected to win on Friday night, but that did not go our way. Tonight, we changed it and got our first victory of the season. It is just helping this team in the long run. It helps our confidence and having everything come together as a team in February and March."
On Drew Baker:
"He has a story, rather a testimony, if I can say that. He has been on the bench for a long time. I try to encourage him sometimes by telling him that it is going to be alright and will get your turn. Tonight, it finally happened and I knew that he was going to produce because he works hard in practice. He gives it his all. Does everything coach Shulman says and is reliable and dependable. I am proud to have Drew as my teammate. I love playing with Drew. He sets a lot of picks for me. He is going to be a phenomenal player if he continues to play like he did tonight."
Sophomore Forward Drew Baker
On the emotions on getting the start:
"I really was a little bit nervous. I have not started a game since high school. I really just wanted to go out there and do the same things that I do in practice. The same things that coach [John] Shulman teaches everyday. I just wanted to be solid and do the little things."
On head coach John Shulman putting some pressure on you leading up to the game:
"It was a lot of pressure, but I am not going to turn that down. There was definitely some pressures. I just wanted to do the best I can and I did not want to let him down. I have to give him a lot of credit for believing in me. He has always believed in me, so a lot of credit has to go to him."
On not being timid once the game started:
"My job is pretty easy with the jobs that we have. They are great like Keegan [Bell] and Ricky [Taylor] do a good job in finding the bigs off that top screen. I was just ready because I know that they are always looking for the pass. All I had to do was catch it and finish it, just always attack the glass and keep it simple."
On not giving up on your dream of being a player on the team after starting as a manager:
"It was hard. It definitely was not easy going everyday. My family is so supportive of me. I have great friends. I just had to keep pushing because you never know when your time is going to come. I just had to be ready for this opportunity if it came."
On the feeling of a dream come true tonight:
"It is, but it is a process. I am still a sophomore, so I just have to keep working. I can't say that I have played in a game, so my job is over. I have to keep working in practice and all the time. I have to continue to improve. It is not about Drew or Baker on the back of my jersey, it is about Chattanooga."
