March 17, 2007

CRICHTON (TENN.) vs. ROBERT MORRIS (ILL.)

 

Crichton Head Coach Jeff Walker

On the game:

"I couldn't tell the team enough how proud I am of our team and their effort.  Robert Morris was a bigger more physical team, their depth and their size wore us down.  The last five minutes of the game they got a little margin and pushed it out, they just had a few more players than we did and we got tired and made some bad decisions because our physical fatigue led to our mental fatigue."

 

On Crichton's early success with the program just three years old:

"It was our plan from day one to be this successful this quick, certainly we are not satisfied with stopping right here, we wanted to keep playing until Tuesday and that is what we are coming back for next year.  I told them that now my job gets a little tougher because I have got to go out there and find those eight, nine, ten guys to add to the ones that we have got.  Fortunately we have got most everybody coming back, we only had two seniors on the roster.  I think we will be a force next year."

 

On the youth of the program and not having a lot of depth:

"I think there were several contributing factors, that being a big one.  We have not been in a big game against the No. 1 team in the nation, certainly we've had some wars in our conference, but have never been in a situation where the season is over like that and the opponent is little bigger, a little more physical, and each mistake can end your season.  Hopefully we will build on that and be able to take that into next year and advance a little farther."

 

On what he said to his team after the game:

"We were pleased [with their performance].  I told them after the game `I couldn't be more proud of you.  I couldn't be more proud of what you have accomplished and what you have done this year.  In no way are we satisfied with stopping here.  You did a great job and performed well and just came up a little short today."

 

Robert Morris Head Coach Al Bruehl

On Crichton's 12-0 run to open the game:

"That was like a boxer getting knocked down in the first round."

 

"People have been asking me if I think our not playing many close games [the Eagles won their regular season contests by an average of over thirty points] would affect us.  My answer today is absolutely.  You saw us get behind and then panic a little."

 

"Crichton is a fantastic team.  We were a little deeper and that's an advantage in a forty-minute game."

 

"We were sure the score would be in the hundreds and we think we can come out on top of most teams that try to run with us."

 

On Freeman Taylor's 26 point, 20 rebound game:

"Freeman was the difference in the game for us.  He's a match-up nightmare with his size and mobility.  I'm glad he's on our side."

 

On Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year, Melvin Council:

"People got to see why Melvin was our conference coaches' unanimous choice as Player of the year. He excels in a fast-paced game.  He may have felt some pressure in our earlier game's because of what happened in the semi-finals last year." [Council was whistled for a five-second call with less than fifteen seconds remaining in the Eagles' 94-92 2006 national semi-final loss to Oklahoma City.]

 

RMC Senior Guard Jimmie Miles

"Our offense was better in the second half because we took the time to reverse the ball and get a great shot instead of a good shot.  I've always wanted to win a championship; my high school team lost the game to go downstate, so this is my chance."

 

RMC Senior Forward Freeman Taylor

"We knew Crichton would give their best effort.  We felt they would be tired in the second half and we'd be able to pick it up.  This is going to be my second chance in the finals and we don't want to let it slip out of our hands this time."

 

UNION (TENN.) VS. CONCORDIA (CALIF.)

Union head coach Ralph Turner

"Concordia's defense in the first half, plus the fact that they shot extremely well from the field and three-point range, put us behind too much to really bounce back from."

 

"In the second half, we cut the lead down to 12 points, but couldn't score on three straight trips to cut the lead down even closer."

 

"Our guys were obviously tired, but I'm very proud of the effort they gave and the fact they came back in the second half.  Concordia is a great team and really proved their No. 4 seed in this tournament."

 

"I couldn't be more proud of our four seniors (Pierry Valmera, Ben Frederick, Mack Bealim, and Deywane Lee).  We've been to the national tournament four straight years and that is because of their leadership and heart over their careers."

 

Concordia head coach Ken Ammann

"I think we're fresher this tournament than we've ever been just because we have so much depth and for some reason the games have worked out well for us. I don't think we'll be overly tired as long as we get some rest tomorrow and come back on Monday."

 

"The key to the game was that we got a lot of guys knocking down shots early. If we had missed and got off to a cold start, it could have been a long night. We were fortunate to have the ball go in."

 

"To be out rebounded by 4 or 5 in the first half, I would have taken that every time. They only have 3 or 4 put backs and I knew they would need a lot of those to beat us. Our bigs did a great job boxing out and our guards helped us out."

 

"We're just excited to be back in the final four. We'll give it a good run on Monday."

 

Concordia junior guard Adam Greenaway

On returning to the final four after qualifying in 2005 with Azusa Pacific

"It's better getting back here twice because some guys don't get here once. It's going to be a great experience."

 

"They went zone against us because we hadn't shot the ball that great in the early games. We knew we had to knock them down to get the game. They stayed zone almost the whole half and we kept shooting it great."

 

"We felt them coming back a little bit, but we knew they were getting tired with only seven guys and we had our 10 coming in and out the whole time. We called timeout and got us reorganized and decided we needed to come back on them like we did early in the game.

 

AZUSA PACIFIC vs. OKLAHOMA CITY

 

Azusa Pacific Head Coach Bill Odell

"They picked up their defensive tempo in the second half, and we had a harder time getting into our offense.  We were further out in our sets and our angles weren't good.   I felt like in the first half we could call anything, and it would work, but that wasn't the case in the second half.

 

"We ran out of steam.  They are just deeper and better.  We couldn't stop them.  They are a tough team to match-up with, and when you consider that their best player (Willie Irick) comes off the bench, it just shows you how deep and balanced they are.

 

"It hurt us that our hottest player at the moment (Todd Martin) got into foul trouble.  We lost a key player to our offense at that moment."

 

Oklahoma City Head Coach Ray Harper

"I thought defensively we were very poor in the first half. We weren't very aggressive. We talked about some of the adjustments we were going to make defensively. I thought that was the key."

 

"You know, we just shot the ball too quick in the first half. We did too much one-on-one. We weren't sharing the basketball."

 

"We did a good job of taking care of the ball."

 

"I told the kids at halftime,' Look, we've got to stay together. It's a 13-point deficit with 20 minutes to play. We're not going to get the 13-point lead back in the first four or five minutes. We've got to get it down and chip away and we'll catch them if we'll play on the defensive end.' And we did. "

 

"Then, all of sudden, Willie Irick decided that, `Hey, I'm the guy. Get me the ball. We're going to do this thing.' Boy, he was a man amongst boys there in the second half."

 

"The guy who is the keys to the ignition is Kameron (Gray). When he's aggressive and he's playing, he's the one who starts the engine and makes us go. He made us go in the second half. We played a lot of two man game with him and Willie and let Kam make decisions. Boy, did he make good ones!"

 

"We had a lot of guys step up. B.J. (Walker) got his fourth foul, Willie (Irick) was getting tired so B.J. had to go back a little earlier than we wanted. When he went back, he went to war and made some big buckets for us."

 

"It's one of those games where you got ride the horse that brought you or dance with the girl you brought. Those are the ones who brought us here."

 

"I thought we had good looks in the first half. I was not concerned with the type of shots we got. It was when we got them. I thought we took them too quick. I didn't they came out of the flow of the offense. I thought they came off the bounce, guys wanting to do too much 1-on-1. We said, `We've got to get things out of the flow, guys.' "

 

"Once, we came out of the timeout (early in the second half), I saw a little different fire."

 

"Give those kids credit. They showed a lot of heart. They could have rolled over a couple of times, but they weren't going to let that happen."

"We'll play whoever shows up. Either team is going to be a good team. We'll be ready to play. We're just happy to be there."

 

FAULKNER vs. NORTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA STATE

 

Faulkner sophomore forward Aaron Greenwood (averaging only 4 points a game during season, been in double figures twice in national tournament)

 

"I'm playing with more confidence, just like our whole team. It's `lose and go home' now, and all of us have stepped up and contributed. We've played three games in three days, at weird times, and I know we've got a fourth on Monday, but we work very hard to get in shape back in the fall, and it's here at the national tournament where it pays off.''

 

Faulkner junior guard Bryant Murray (averaging 13 points and six assists in the tournament)

 

"I've just kept being aggressive, just like coach Sanderson challenged me to do before we came out to Kansas City. Sometimes in the past, I've lost confidence in myself, but that's behind me now. I'm just trying to use my God-given ability for the team, and that's exactly what this is - a team. Everybody contributes, in their own way, and that's why things have come together for us in this tournament.''

 

Faulkner head coach Jim Sanderson (coaching in his second Fab Four, 2001)

 

"I'm telling you, I just had a feeling that this team was going to be blessed out here at this tournament. We were playing poorly late in the season, but when this tournament came around I just had a peace about it. Honestly, I told the kids tonight before the game that they were going to win. I just had that feeling.''

 

"Back in November, when the expectations weren't high for this team, we played very well. Then, when the expectations started to climb with our national ranking, we started to struggle. Coming out here we were the underdog again, and I think our team likes that.''

 

"It's a great feeling to be back in the Fab Four. We had the wonderful experience back in 2001, and I'm proud and happy for our guys on this team, because they get to play on the national stage again Monday night. They deserve it.''

 

Northwestern Oklahoma State head coach Bob Battisti

"It is always about the journey, not the destination. We had a successful journey."

 

"When you look at the 22-12 season, the Sooner Athletic Conference tournament runner-up finish and Elite Eight appearance, it goes unmatched. This goes down as a special team achieved by a special group of players."

 

"Faulkner drew a hot hand and we didn't. It is about nights, and tonight was theirs."