Quotes - MBB vs Covenant
Chattanooga Mocs Men’s Basketball
Post-game Quotes – Nov. 6, 2015 – vs. Covenant
Coach Matt McCall
What did you see that you liked tonight:
“I felt like, to start the game, we actually came out with pretty good energy. I felt like the guys were almost too excited to play where we were a little bit sporadic to start the game and kind of all over the place with some of our assignments defensively. Granted from a coaching staff standpoint, we didn’t do much scouting in the game. We didn’t have a whole lot of film on Covenant. We thought they were going to play one way and they actually played a different way. They played all last year, we had two or three games on them, every single possession was they played was 1-3-1. They didn’t play a single possession of it tonight; they only played man. Some of these exhibition games, it’s a little bit difficult so you expect a team to come out and play one way and they come out and play it differently and it kind of throws you off guard a little bit. I was happy with the effort. I felt like we were a little sloppy getting in the press to start the game. Finally towards the end of the first half, we got some good possessions in the press where had them turn them over; we had 18 turnovers in the game we’d like to see that number a little bit higher. Over all from an effort stand point I was pleased.”
On three point shooting (10-32):
“We were getting a lot of open looks. Even toward the end of the first half I think Dee Oldham missed three wide open looks, but we got in the press got a turnover, raced it up the floor flipped it up to them. I mean that’s how we want to play. As long as our guys are taking good shots, I’m fine with it. I felt like Dee, he missed a couple there down the stretch, but they were wide open. I told him in the half he’s going to get more open looks in the half, he needs to continue to shoot the ball because he’s a really good shooter for us.
“Now, I did think coming down the stretch as a coach I got a little bit frustrated, it was ‘ok, let me go get mine right now’. The game’s in hand, we have a big lead, now it’s time for me to try to get some points, and it can’t be that way. It needs to be playing the right way, playing the same way that we’ve been playing all game that had gotten us this lead. And it’s about the process of getting better. I felt like coming down the stretch some of the shots we took, we were being a little bit selfish.”
Thoughts on a good student crowd tonight:
“I thought the students were awesome. They came out. We need that every night. Maybe it was because of the 3-on-3 game my man Eddie Shannon and Jacob Kurtz absolutely carried us in the other night. We need that from them every night. It’s great any time you can get your students out in the arena and making noise. It has an impact on the game. It really does, and if we can get that from them every single night that would be awesome for us going forward.”
Justin Tuoyo, Jr.-F
Thoughts on getting the first game under your belt:
“We’ve been going against each other (in practice) for six months now. Everybody knows each other’s moves by now, so it just felt good having a game where we can go out there and put everything together – offense and defense – to see what we have to work on.”
Thoughts about a good turn out from the students:
“That was huge for us, I mean, we appreciate that a lot. Campus has been crazy ever since the volleyball team’s been winning, the football team is winning. Chattanooga is just coming up now. So, having a crowd come out to a game like this, it just means a lot and we’re just forward to more games like that for the rest of the season.”
What’re some aspects of this game that you guys can take and carry over into the game against Georgia:
“Well, we’ll watch the film tomorrow. Coach McCall will have us ready going into Georgia. We have practice this weekend, and we have a whole week to prepare for Georgia. We’re all real serious about this season, so we’ll all lock-in and understand what we have to do.”
Tre’ McLean, Jr.-G
How comfortable do you feel in Coach McCall’s system:
“I feel really comfortable. I mean, since day one he’s been preaching to our basketball players to go out and to play with confidence. And that’s what I’ve been doing. I’m just trying to stay aggressive every day. The system has a lot of space and allows us to just be basketball players.”
Thoughts on Coach McCall’s first performance as UTC’s head coach:
“I was joking with him earlier in his office and I asked him if he was nervous, and he was like, ‘I’m never nervous.’ I mean, he didn’t really show anything (different from practice). He was the same coach McCall I’ve always seen – aggressive, energetic. “
