Chattanooga Basketball Postgame Quotes
Troy at Chattanooga
McKenzie Arena – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Sunday – Dec. 15, 2019

Lamont Paris, Head Coach
On doing the necessary things to win.
"These guys have shown that they are resilient in a lot of different ways. It seems like we coach one way, then say the next time something happens, we have to play that certain thing better. Then they come down and make another. They hit a big three. We just talked about the things you need to do to win in the last couple minutes of a game. Guys just kept coming back, and coming back, and making plays. We finally made some shots when we needed to. We got the ball inside and got to the free throw line a couple times. They wanted to win badly and they didn't view themselves as victims down the stretch. They recognized their responsibility in the effort that it will take to win. They did what they needed to do in order to get the win. I was happy and proud of them for that."
 
On the momentum in overtime.
"We made a couple of plays early on. Matt [Ryan] opened up with a jump shot and then we got another bucket to go up four, then we combined that with a couple defensive stops. I think that bred some confidence into us. The clock starts winding down and that can effect the psyche of a team. I thought we put ourselves in a really good position. They hung in there, went back and played, and were able to convert. A.J. [Caldwell] made a huge shot to go up seven and we kind of rode on from there."
 
On energy levels.
"I thought our energy was much better in the second half than the first. You get into overtime, it's big momentum, and I always tell our guys that. The way it worked out, momentum was on our side as we went into overtime. I thought at that point we had as much energy, light into us that we had all game and I think that carried over."
 
On tonight's overall effort and relation to the team's identity. 
"I think it sums it up. They have the spirit of a fighter, and I believe that. We have some things that we're getting better at from a basketball side of things, but they have the spirit of a fighter. These guys refuse to pack it in and ride off into the sunset. I think it's a really good indicator of the fight in these guys. Grant [Ledford] is a great example. He came in and made some big energy and effort plays. You never know when the little plays make a big impact. Our guys showed great spirit tonight."

A.J. Caldwell, R-So.-G
On hitting crucial three-pointer late in OT.
"Mostly everybody stood up and everyone was together on that. Dave [Jean-Baptiste] made a really good skip pass and my feet were ready to shoot. I shot it with confidence, and at this time last year, I don't think I would have made that shot. The development and everyone's confidence in me has been great for me."

On sticking to the game plan.
"That just comes down to trying to do my job every time. I try to do everything the coaches tell me, if it's defensive, if it's a shot, if it's making a pass at the top of the key, no matter what. Any time you're in the game, you just have to be ready at any moment. Your moment could come at any time. For me to be able to hit that shot and get a big win for the team, it's big."

On taking this win and building momentum.
"It's huge. Going into Christmas and conference play with that type of momentum, it's a really big thing for any team. For us to beat a team twice and stick to the game plan, and get a good week of practice this week before heading to Asheville this weekend is huge."
 
On the feeling of a back-and-forth shootout type game.
"It's a little crazy. We were hanging around the five or six mark and then we get it to one or two, then they bring it right back to five or six and you're back at square one. You get the feeling of high emotion and then you're down when they hit a three. Any time you stay locked in during a game like that, it's always exciting. For us to win a shootout like this helps us."

Matt Ryan, Gr.-G
On team's mentality heading into overtime.
"We had to come back late in the game and right when regulation ended, we came in the huddle and we knew we had all the momentum. We knew that team didn't want to be in overtime and that we wanted to be there because of how we played. We saw some shots go in. We were riding that momentum wave into overtime and the guys made some plays for us to win."
 
On picking up offensive presence. 
"I was seeing the score and the time, and what needed to be done. We were down six and then Ramon [Vila] set a screen and opened me up. It was more just here-and-there, and I knew I had to get going on offense to get back into the game."

On taking this win forward.
"We have a feeling that we're a good team. Our record isn't the greatest, but we think we're much better than what that says. By continuing to get better over this break, getting better every day at practice, I think we're on the right path with where we're going. Getting Stefan Kenic back is huge for us, getting another big off the bench. Things are headed in the right direction and we have a lot of confidence going into conference play."