Oregon State Post-Game Quotes
December 04, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 4, 2011
Oregon State vs. Montana
December 4, 2011
Gill Coliseum
Corvallis, Ore.
Head Coach Craig Robinson
Opening Statement...
"We approached this game as a really important game. This was a team that had beaten a really good Long Beach State team who ended beating some good teams. They are closest physically to a Pac-12 team, they have good size, they have decent speed and they have a good guard. We wanted to use this as a barometer to where we stood with teams like this. It was a really good test for us this time and I thought the guys did a really good job."
On holding Montana's offense in check...
"Our defense is a function of hard work and the way these guys approach it. The guys really enjoy playing defense. That is a huge piece on having the guys play quality man-on-man defense."
On the shooting effort by Ahmad Starks...
"I had never lost confidence on those guys shooting because I get to see them every day. I did see in the shoot-around that he, Roberto (Nelson) and Jared (Cunningham) had a hard pregame workout. You can see how much work they are putting in. It certainly paid off."
On improving to 6-1 on the season...
"In each game, we are still in a learning process. We are in uncharted territory. We are 6-1 and we haven't been 6-1 since I have been here. I just think our guys approach each game independently than other and they know hard it is. As you go from 4-1 to 5-1 to 6-1, it gets harder. As you win, each team that comes in views you as a big game."
On keeping focused on one game at a time...
"As a staff, I can't go past the next game because I'm already working on the game that's coming up. It will be hard for my staff, for the fans, for everybody except the guys in the locker room. I will continue to have fun with it."
On using the same starting line-up in every game this season...
"We could not find the right line-up last year. We didn't have a lineup that consistently gave you the same thing. I always try to make changes for a certain reason. It is nice to know what to expect for this team."
Sophomore guard Ahmad Starks
On how he played tonight and his matchup with Will Cherry of Montana...
"We kind of wanted to shut him down a little bit and get him below his average. Energy comes from the defensive end. He caught me with an elbow early in the game in the eye; I guess it kind of woke me up a bit and stepped up my intensity."
On how it was important to get this win at the beginning of this five-game homestand...
"It was definitely important. We aren't trying to lose at home at all. We want to come out everyday strong. This is a very important win against a good team. We're happy but it is on to the next one."
On the flow of the game...
"Sometimes you can kind of see the gaps in their zone. Sometimes they had the 1-2-2, so we had two men at the front, swing the ball around and find the gaps for the open shot. That is basically what we did tonight."
On tying his career-high for three-pointers made...
"It happens when it happens. Actually, I haven't been shooting the ball well at all. Tonight I just got a good rhythm from shoot-around earlier and it translated to the game. My teammates got me the ball in good position so I was able to make it."
On what the East Coast trip did for the team...
"I think it did a lot for us. Seeing how we compare against a Top 25 team and another good team in Texas. It gave us a lot of confidence to come back and just know how good we are and also what we need to work on. It was a big thing for us going out East."
On how much confidence they gain with each win at this point...
"I would say a little bit every game. Just keep playing and keep going hard out there every day in practice we're building confidence. Each win we're building confidence, so we just want to keep going from this point on."
Sophomore guard Roberto Nelson
On the start of the game defensively...
"We started off pretty slow but I think people were just helping each other out a lot and were out there running around playing hard. That just translated into stopping them."
On the importance of the home win...
"After last year, it was kind of like a revenge game. We wanted to get these guys back because they got us at home last year. Like Ahmad (Starks) said, we are trying to make sure that we win every home game and make Gill Coliseum a tough place to play."
On the team improvement...
"We're gelling defensively and offensively, too. I don't know how many assists we had this game, but we were finding open people and the help defense was there. We were out there communicating a lot more than usual because we were playing a tougher team in Montana. The defense and everything looks good so far."
On what is needed to work on...
"We can always work on stuff. We can't let the bigs catch it in the post. A lot of times we're sinking off and not hedging hard, so we have to make the opposing guard dribble backwards instead of coming straight at us, straight at the basket."
On his 7-of-7 free throw night after Coach Robinson's pushing him in practice...
"I like going out and trying to perfect something that he says, so I can kind of rub it in his face a little bit. Coach and I have a great relationship. It's good when you have somebody pushing you hard like that because it just makes you want to get better."
On looking ahead...
"We have a long way to come. This is just the beginning of the season and we can have a domino effect. We need to start to play better after this. We need to make sure that we are holding everybody accountable and playing hard each day."
