University of California, Los Angeles, Athletics
Postgame Quotes - UCLA 96, South Carolina State 68
UCLA 96, South Carolina State 68
Los Angeles, Calif. (Pauley Pavilion)
November 17, 2017
UCLA head coach Steve Alford
opening remarks
โI thought in the first half we were really sluggish defensively and our offense was OK. The offensive efficiency was pretty good but the defensive efficiency was not so good. In the second half we really defended well and our efficiency showed that. We saw some growth in the last 20 minutes which is really good because we need to see growth from these guys going forward. I thought we saw some growth in the second half which is good because we are cranking up the competition as we move to Kansas City. We know we are getting an outstanding opponent in Creighton and then whoever we face on Tuesday we know will be an outstanding opponent. It was good that those last 20 minutes produced some growth.โ
on energy level
โItโs hard because Iโve never taken a foreign trip in the middle of the season so I have no experience to go on as far as that. Weโve reached out to the Golden State Warriors, weโve reached out to Stanford who went a year ago but the problem is no matter how much information you gather a lot is going to be dependent on the player. Weโve got five guys who didnโt play last year that are in our rotation right now that are just trying not to get worn out and we have three freshmen who are just trying to figure out what college basketball is all about. When you take a trip like the one we took, I just donโt know because Iโve never done anything like that outside of a foreign trip in the summer so I have nothing really to go on. How long do you practice? How long do you take off? When do you get them back in the gym? I thought our energy in both second halves this week were better than our energy in the first halves. That includes our toughness. Thatโs something that we are probably going to talk about is how tough this team can become because that makes you tougher to play against. I just donโt know that itโs a difficult trip and we have to see how it plays out but itโs going to be tough with four games in seven days.โ
on bench play
โI thought both Chris Smith and Alex Olesinski were outstanding all week. Not good, but outstanding on both ends. I thought Chris defensively was better tonight than he was a couple of nights ago. Alex has been solid in both of those games which is great to see. Chris is young and Alex has a little bit more age to him and had to sit out last season but we know Alex has a really high basketball IQ. Chris is obviously a special talent as a 6-foot-9 athletic, long guard. He let the game come to him and didnโt force anything. He really let the game come to him. He used his length defensively and we need that. We need our bigs to be productive. And if Prince [Ali] makes free throws then we had good production out of him tonight too. The bench has been pretty good.โ
on length and athleticism of the team
โI think we are long and athletic so I do think weโre going to have some rim protection and be able to block shots. Thatโs just about our length up front, we also have length in the backcourt. Jaylen [Hands] is extremely athletic. We have some guys that can block shots and rim protect. Thomas [Welsh] has done a good job of that as well. I didnโt like the first half defensively just like both halves on Wednesday against Central Arkansas and I told the team that at halftime. The second half we showed some growth. Of what weโve been trying to do defensively and itโs going to be a building process. Iโm proud of the way we played in the second half.โ
on free throw shooting
โThe foul shooting is a hard one. We talk about toughness and a part of toughness is foul shooting. To me itโs an easy shot as itโs a 15 feet and no one guards you. Besides the uncontested layup itโs the easiest shot in the game. Itโs about clearing your mind and a part of clearing your mind is toughness. If Iโve missed one I canโt go into a turtle shell and not want to shoot anymore. I have to be tough enough to want to get the next one. If I happen to miss that one Iโm going to make the next eight or nine. We just got too many guys who are thinking about it and worried about it instead of being tough about it. Sometimes if you miss some foul shots you donโt want to go back there again. Thatโs the toughness. Thatโs something we have to continue to work on and do a little bit more practicing. Itโs kind of a tough stretch to get that done by the guys are going to have to do it on the road, but we donโt want to be a 50 percent foul shooting team. We want to be a 75-80 percent foul shooting team and thereโs no reason why we shouldnโt be.โ
on playing Creighton in next game
โI have a lot of respect for Creighton and how coach goes about it. McDermott does a tremendous job. We go way back. He was at Northern Iowa and Iowa State when I was at Iowa. He coached his son and I think our sons got to know each other at Oklahoma City before his son left. Thereโs a lot of respect there because he does things the right way and his kids play very hard. They are really talented and it makes for a great matchup. Both teams could be 3-0 and both teams could be ranked by the time we get there.โ
UCLA freshman guard Jaylen Hands
on increasing the tempo in the second half
โYeah, I thought we really picked it up in the second half. Our main [goal] is to get out and have fun and run, so I think weโre getting comfortable with each otherโฆ Thatโs what we really did in the second half.โ
on if second-half play will help going forward
โYeah, just to get that under our belts and then next game we can come in and do that. So itโs really helpful for us to get that momentum when we play fast and [get] steals and play defense. That really helps a lot.โ
UCLA freshman guard Chris Smith
on his play
โComing off the bench, the main thing you have to do is bring energy. So, I came in, thatโs what I wanted to do. Bring energy on the offensive side, defensive side and help wherever I couldโwhether it was rebounding, passing, scoringโjust wanted to do whateverโฆ to win.โ
on the teamโs busy schedule thus far
โWe love it. We like to get out there and we like to play. The scheduleโs been a little crammed, but itโs what we signed up for. Every time we get out there on the court, we give it our all.โ
UCLA redshirt-sophomore forward Alex Olesinski
on returning to action after missing 2016-17
โJust like you said, Iโve been waiting a long time for it. I practiced last year, but then I got hurt. Just watching those guys performingโI mean it definitely helped at practice watching them and I kind of got more confident and I just worked on my game and itโs paying off right now.โ
on Bruinsโ defense
โDefinitely, I think thatโs how we want to play. We donโt really want to give up as many drives as we did, but thatโs what we want to doโwe want to make plays defensively and help to lead to more offense.โ
South Carolina State head coach Murray Garvin
opening statement
โWe probably played the best 30 minutes of the season, but yet, we hit another lull. They really got a lot of run-outs and easy baskets. They key stat was the rebounding war, I think we got out-rebounded by 20. You canโt do that on this level, especially if you want to compete. Itโs been a tough four-game, nine-day road trip for us, but we have to get ready for Central Arkansas on Tuesday. It really doesnโt get easier.โ
on why team faced a lull after 30 minutes
โWe just have to get stops, and we also have to convert offensively. Also, we couldnโt compete in the paint, and if you donโt get those stops and convert those baskets, youโre going to be in trouble. We just couldnโt do that.โ
South Carolina Stateย senior guard Donte Wright
opening statement
โMy performance was good. It felt good to see some shots go in. My coaches always โtrust in the processโ. During this tournament, my shot hasnโt really been falling, but the coaches have trusted me and I trusted myself, and the shots started falling.โ
on how to build on this performance
โWe just have to really go back to the drawing board โ I believe they shot 70 percent in the second half. We just have to get back to the basics and get back to our defensive principles.โ