North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State-Georgia Coaches Quotes
4/2/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
NC State coach Jim Valvano
"The dream continues. It was magnificent for me. I've been on the other side. I know how they feel. I was impressed by Georgia's comeback. They're a credit to Coach Durham and Georgia.
"Cozell McQueen was dynamite. Thirteen rebounds, four of five from the floor, four blocks.
"We hit our first three shots and this was important. It's very important for us to come out of the gate quickly. We've done this all year.
"We tried to control the tempo, not to let them spurt and blow us out. We tried a variety of zones and chased any player who was hot. The kids made it work. Once we had the lead we pretty much did what we wanted to.
"I was pleasantly surprised how we controlled the second shot.
"We've already played Louisville. They play their system so well. They have an answer for everything. Houston? Nobody has more talent. They're a full court team. Their zone defense is so big. It's tough to get inside on them, hard to hurt them outside."
NC State guard Sidney Lowe
"Georgia's players have long arms and they were able to get their hands on the ball late in the game. It caused us to commit a lot of turnovers."
NC State guard Dereck Whittenburg
"Sidney and I decided before the game that we would run any time we got the chance. I think it surprised them. I saw that 3-point line again and it made me feel good. Everything just started clicking."
NC State forward Thurl Bailey
"We never really thought the game was in danger of getting away from us. We knew we just had to make our free throws and we would win. Georgia was scrappy, but we used our height advantage effectively against them."
Georgia coach Hugh Durham
"At the beginning of the game, we didn't shoot the ball very well -- something like 27 percent for the first half. That was a big factor in the game, but so was their board strength. As we expected, the guard play was important. We also had five or six putbacks, but basically it was our inability to shoot the ball in the hole.
"We were out of the game with four or five minutes to go. One time we had their lead down to eight points, but we couldn't hit and they went back up by 10 points. We had a chance if they'd have failed to execute -- but they didn't."
(Was your team nervous early): "I really don't know. We played according to our basic philosophy. There's always more adrenaline pumping in a big game than a normal game. It's like Jack Nicklaus needing a four-foot putt to win the Grand Slam at the PGA Tournament. Naturally, he's going to be nervous. You have to channel that nervousness in the right direction. We can't make any excuses. The fact was that we didn't put the ball in the basket and a lot of that was the result of North Carolina State's defense."
(On making the Final Four): "It was a surprise. I think it will really help college basketball. Next year coaches will point to Georgia and say 'We got a chance to come together and play hard. And maybe we'll reach the Final Four.'"
(On NC State): "To the victor goes the spoils and that means all the attention. Attention is a reward. After the game, we didn't reflect on the loss. We pointed to the fact that we hung and hung. We could have folded our tent when they were up by 20 and went to their spread-court game."
Georgia guard Vern Fleming
"I don't really think we were nervous. We were ready to play the game. We got the shots. We got some good shots. They just weren't falling for us."
Georgia forward James Banks
"I agree totally with Vernon. We knew playing a game like this -- the Final Four -- that the adrenaline would be flowing. We came out ready to play. We had some easy shots. I personally had some easy shots, but I didn't knock 'em down. When that happens, I tend to tighten up. Coach Durham did a good job of telling me to keep putting them up because I was open.
"NC State played tremendous defense. They really got after it. They got a lot of second and third shots. They played a great game and deserved to win. They played more aggressive and played the better ball today.
"We probably did force up some bad shots (because of nervousness). I know I forced up a couple of bad shots because I wanted to score so bad and get something started for us."
