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Men's Basketball
at Army West Point
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Quotes: Duke 85, Boston College 62
1/3/2015 7:27:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski
Opening Statement:
“We're really pleased with this afternoon. First ACC game it's always different. I thought our defense in the last 8-10 minutes of the first half was unbelievable. If we hit some open shots during that time, even though we had a 16-point lead, I thought we could've really extended it. Then in the second half, [Boston College] came and played so well. They scored on seven of their first eight exchanges. We scored, too, but it took us a while to regain that intensity defensively. Then we regained it again, got the lead. They got runouts. We had a 24-point lead and they got runouts. I don't know. I have to look and see why that occurred. It may have occurred because we were up by 24 and we didn't go from one thing to the other. But [Olivier] Hanlan is a load to defend. He played well. To have those shooters back and then [Aaron] Brown with them, I thought we did a good job overall on Brown. A really neat story is how [Dennis] Clifford is playing. Last year when we were up there -- and he's been hurt a lot -- it looked like he had a hard time walking. For him, I watched him on tape and today, moving like he is. Whatever they did is terrific. He's a skilled 7-footer. To start off the game, you have to help off him and when Hanlan missed, Clifford put in three offensive rebound buckets. And then you can work through him. They're an interesting team, I think a good team. Again I think people picked them real low, but if that's the nature of what our conference is real low, then we have a pretty good conference because I think they're good and I think Jim's done a [good job]. He had a really good game plan against us. They showed something they hadn't shown yet this year with a 1-1-3 to a 2-3. Even during an exchange would go to man after about 18 seconds or just stay with it or just go man. They were throwing different looks. I thought it stood us up to begin with. We adjusted well to it. Matt Jones gave us a huge lift. That's the second game … Matt was outstanding today, just terrific.”
On the early timeout call in the second half:
“Defense. We were scoring and it was like we … it was ok because we were going to score and they were going to score. It's human nature. We got to battle it. They're not going to lie down for you, so we picked it up a little bit after that.”
On Rasheed Sulaimon and Matt Jones' defense:
“We are longer and taller perimeter and more athletic really with those two guys in. At times when they're in with Marshall [Plumlee], Marshall can be an outstanding defender because he's a good athletic and can play the ball screens differently than [Jahlil Okafor]. He can blitz them or trap them. It gives us a different look. I think once Grayson [Allen] gets experience, Grayson can do that, too. But Matt, Rasheed and Marshall really picked up the intensity, no question about it.”
On Jahlil Okafor's ability to remain calm:
“He has a toughness. Jah's special in every way. I thought he handled everything today really well. It won't affect him where he's knocked back, but he's not going to go bonkers in retaliation or anything like that. He's a special guy. He's really got everything, including being a great teammate and great demeanor.”
Duke Junior Amile Jefferson
On Jahlil Okafor's 14-for-17 performance from the foul line:
“He has good touch, and you can see that on those little bankshots or when he jumps in the lane. He has a really, really good touch, so for him it's just about taking his time. It's probably more mental than anything, and today when he got in the zone, he was knocking them down. I've seen him hit that many free throws in a row, so I know he can do it. For him, going forward, it's just about riding this wave. Now he has the confidence where he's seen it, and he knows he can make 10 or 11 free throws in a row. He did it today.”
On freshman Jahlil Okafor's ability to both draw fouls on offense and avoid foul trouble on defense:
“It's because you have to double[-team] him. If you don't then you have to foul him. It's either one or the other. He's so big that guys try to walk under him or end up hitting his arm on his shot because they're trying to block it. He does a great job – he did an amazing job today – at making his free throws, taking his time and knocking them down. He was great from the line. On the defensive end, he's so big that he really doesn't have to foul. If he walls up, he's massive and it's going to be a tough shot for the offensive player. He's a big player, a big-time guy, and we're lucky to have him.”
When asked what advice or guidance he shares with the freshmen about the rigors of the ACC regular season:
“Just fighting and being ready to fight day in and day out. Teams are going to throw different stuff at us. We're going to see a lot of different defenses, and we're going to see guys double-teaming from different spots – one game it could be from the four and the next game it could be from the point guard where they're doubling Jah. And then [we need] for guys just to maintain composure when we're in heated environments, especially on the road. We have to be a really good road team this year. Those are the types of things I'm sharing with the guys, just to make sure they're mentally in the right place because physically and talent, they're already have those things.”
Duke Freshman Jahlil Okafor
On his thoughts after first ACC regular season game:
“It was definitely tough. The coaches, they informed me that it was going to be another intensity level. Even just talking to [former Duke star] Jabari [Parker], he informed me that this is kind of when he had his drought [last year], when the ACC play started. He just wanted me to focus even more than I have in the past, and I was ready to play. When I went back home to Chicago he actually came over and we hung out for a little bit.”
“I think we still didn't start off the way we wanted to, not until the end of the first half when we really started picking up our defense. We want to start off like that.”
On his 14-for-17 performance from the free throw line:
“Since I made my first three or four in a row, I got into a good rhythm, and that really made me comfortable at the line. Coach K said something to me after the game, saying what happened to my free throws and to keep it up. And all the coaches were telling me to keep it up.”
When asked if he's done anything different in his approach to foul shooting:
“[I've done] nothing different. Actually today in shootaround I didn't shoot any free throws, so maybe that was it. I don't know.”
Duke Freshman Justise Winslow
“Every game I just try to go out there and have fun and share the ball. Nobody out here is selfish on our team. Everyone is unselfish. I just try to make the extra pass, pass up a good shot for a great shot, and I think that just really shows.”
“We've had a lot of physical games at this point. Michigan State, that was our third game of the season, and they're very physical. I think ACC play is going to take it up to another level. We've just got to be prepared and practice hard so we can really simulate a game situation.”
When asked how the freshmen are preparing for the rigors of ACC play:
“I think Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] and our trainers and the people we have around us do a great job of keeping us fresh and ready. And Coach is going to keep us mentally prepared. If I just listen to everyone around me and do everything the right way, then I think my teammates and I are going to be very well prepared and ready to show up every night.”
Boston College Head Coach Jim Christian
Opening Statement:
“I think obviously when you play a great team like Duke in their building you need everybody to step up and just contribute with effort. I think today, two things in looking at it from our perspective. I think we became a little bit undisciplined in the game's biggest moments, especially on defense. Secondly, I thought our bench, and not just from a scoring standpoint, I looked at it from a different perspective. I thought we needed to get energy from our bench in this game to give some guys a little bit of a rest and I don't think we did that. When our team has played well we've gotten great energy from the bench, especially on the defensive side of the ball and rebounding the ball. I think that was a huge, huge difference and obviously they're such a great team and they just keep coming at you in waves so obviously that hurt us.”
On the flagrant 1 foul by Dennis Clifford:
“I think what Dennis [Clifford] was trying to do was explain to the official what happened on the play before and he inadvertently hit the guy. That's what he told me. I didn't see the play. We're not doing anything like that intentionally. It's not the way we play. Dennis Clifford is not that type of player.”
On only having Clifford on the court for five minutes in the first half:
“It was big. I thought he played really inspired in the first half. He played very physical and he was making [Jahlil] Okafor guard and obviously that's one of the keys in playing them. You have to make him guard and he was doing that so when he picked up his second one it hurt us a lot.”
On Olivier Hanlan's play:
“It was his kind of game. There was a lot of open floor out there tonight for him and he's a good finisher around the basket. I wish we could get him a rest, but unfortunately we don't have a point guard right now. His challenge, like I told him afterwards, because our windows for winning are small he's going to have to play solidly. I thought in a big stretch there he stopped guarding because he was tired. He's going to have to learn to play through that. Like I told him, there's a lot of great guards in this league who play a lot of minutes and they're energy level on defense, obviously because they're not asked to do as much on offense, he's going to have to do that for our team to have a chance to win.”
On the physical play:
“We play hard. That's what we do and obviously they play hard. There was a lot activity, especially around the basket and a lot of size.”
On what he takes away from the game:
“It's not us against them. I think what comes out of it is in order to have a chance to win games in this league us being disciplined on the defensive side of the ball gave us big possessions and our bench is going to have to improve. We're going to have to get those guys better. They're going to have to come in and move us forward during those times. It's not just scoring. We all look at bench scoring points, well it's bench energy. Are we rebounding? Are we getting deflections? Are we in the right defensive spots? Are we following the game plan? I think that hurt us tonight because I think when we went to the bench in the first half and the second half…I think it was 21-18 when we went to the bench in the first half and the lead ballooned up and in the second half it did the same thing. We can't have guys play the minutes they unfortunately have to play unless those guys step up. That's our job to keep getting them better. They're good kids. They work hard and our staff and myself have to do a better job getting them better.”
On the flagrant one call deflating the team's momentum:
“Anytime that happens it's deflating. I think [the lead] was 12 when it happened and we had just scored. It kind of uplifts them a little bit. Like I said, it's not anything we do. The other one I think Okafor was hanging on the rim and swung into Dmitri [Batten] and he kind of pushed him. I mean what do you want him to do? Unfortunately those things happen. It's basketball. I'm not saying the official didn't make the right call. I'm just going by what they're telling me. I'm obviously asking them 'What the heck are you doing?'”
On not being able to get to the free throw line:
“Obviously it's frustrating. We want to take the ball to the basket and they did a good job not fouling. We're not a prolific three-point shooting team so we wanted to space the floor and attack the basket. I thought we did it. We missed a lot of opportunities though I thought right around the basket. They had a lot to do with that obviously. Especially early in the game we had some against the press. I thought we handled the pressure really well in the beginning of the game, which is what you have to do. If you can handle the first five minutes you're usually okay because the first five minutes the pressure is so intense and I thought we did a great job attacking the pressure for smart plays in the first five minutes of the game.”
Opening Statement:
“We're really pleased with this afternoon. First ACC game it's always different. I thought our defense in the last 8-10 minutes of the first half was unbelievable. If we hit some open shots during that time, even though we had a 16-point lead, I thought we could've really extended it. Then in the second half, [Boston College] came and played so well. They scored on seven of their first eight exchanges. We scored, too, but it took us a while to regain that intensity defensively. Then we regained it again, got the lead. They got runouts. We had a 24-point lead and they got runouts. I don't know. I have to look and see why that occurred. It may have occurred because we were up by 24 and we didn't go from one thing to the other. But [Olivier] Hanlan is a load to defend. He played well. To have those shooters back and then [Aaron] Brown with them, I thought we did a good job overall on Brown. A really neat story is how [Dennis] Clifford is playing. Last year when we were up there -- and he's been hurt a lot -- it looked like he had a hard time walking. For him, I watched him on tape and today, moving like he is. Whatever they did is terrific. He's a skilled 7-footer. To start off the game, you have to help off him and when Hanlan missed, Clifford put in three offensive rebound buckets. And then you can work through him. They're an interesting team, I think a good team. Again I think people picked them real low, but if that's the nature of what our conference is real low, then we have a pretty good conference because I think they're good and I think Jim's done a [good job]. He had a really good game plan against us. They showed something they hadn't shown yet this year with a 1-1-3 to a 2-3. Even during an exchange would go to man after about 18 seconds or just stay with it or just go man. They were throwing different looks. I thought it stood us up to begin with. We adjusted well to it. Matt Jones gave us a huge lift. That's the second game … Matt was outstanding today, just terrific.”
On the early timeout call in the second half:
“Defense. We were scoring and it was like we … it was ok because we were going to score and they were going to score. It's human nature. We got to battle it. They're not going to lie down for you, so we picked it up a little bit after that.”
On Rasheed Sulaimon and Matt Jones' defense:
“We are longer and taller perimeter and more athletic really with those two guys in. At times when they're in with Marshall [Plumlee], Marshall can be an outstanding defender because he's a good athletic and can play the ball screens differently than [Jahlil Okafor]. He can blitz them or trap them. It gives us a different look. I think once Grayson [Allen] gets experience, Grayson can do that, too. But Matt, Rasheed and Marshall really picked up the intensity, no question about it.”
On Jahlil Okafor's ability to remain calm:
“He has a toughness. Jah's special in every way. I thought he handled everything today really well. It won't affect him where he's knocked back, but he's not going to go bonkers in retaliation or anything like that. He's a special guy. He's really got everything, including being a great teammate and great demeanor.”
Duke Junior Amile Jefferson
On Jahlil Okafor's 14-for-17 performance from the foul line:
“He has good touch, and you can see that on those little bankshots or when he jumps in the lane. He has a really, really good touch, so for him it's just about taking his time. It's probably more mental than anything, and today when he got in the zone, he was knocking them down. I've seen him hit that many free throws in a row, so I know he can do it. For him, going forward, it's just about riding this wave. Now he has the confidence where he's seen it, and he knows he can make 10 or 11 free throws in a row. He did it today.”
On freshman Jahlil Okafor's ability to both draw fouls on offense and avoid foul trouble on defense:
“It's because you have to double[-team] him. If you don't then you have to foul him. It's either one or the other. He's so big that guys try to walk under him or end up hitting his arm on his shot because they're trying to block it. He does a great job – he did an amazing job today – at making his free throws, taking his time and knocking them down. He was great from the line. On the defensive end, he's so big that he really doesn't have to foul. If he walls up, he's massive and it's going to be a tough shot for the offensive player. He's a big player, a big-time guy, and we're lucky to have him.”
When asked what advice or guidance he shares with the freshmen about the rigors of the ACC regular season:
“Just fighting and being ready to fight day in and day out. Teams are going to throw different stuff at us. We're going to see a lot of different defenses, and we're going to see guys double-teaming from different spots – one game it could be from the four and the next game it could be from the point guard where they're doubling Jah. And then [we need] for guys just to maintain composure when we're in heated environments, especially on the road. We have to be a really good road team this year. Those are the types of things I'm sharing with the guys, just to make sure they're mentally in the right place because physically and talent, they're already have those things.”
Duke Freshman Jahlil Okafor
On his thoughts after first ACC regular season game:
“It was definitely tough. The coaches, they informed me that it was going to be another intensity level. Even just talking to [former Duke star] Jabari [Parker], he informed me that this is kind of when he had his drought [last year], when the ACC play started. He just wanted me to focus even more than I have in the past, and I was ready to play. When I went back home to Chicago he actually came over and we hung out for a little bit.”
“I think we still didn't start off the way we wanted to, not until the end of the first half when we really started picking up our defense. We want to start off like that.”
On his 14-for-17 performance from the free throw line:
“Since I made my first three or four in a row, I got into a good rhythm, and that really made me comfortable at the line. Coach K said something to me after the game, saying what happened to my free throws and to keep it up. And all the coaches were telling me to keep it up.”
When asked if he's done anything different in his approach to foul shooting:
“[I've done] nothing different. Actually today in shootaround I didn't shoot any free throws, so maybe that was it. I don't know.”
Duke Freshman Justise Winslow
“Every game I just try to go out there and have fun and share the ball. Nobody out here is selfish on our team. Everyone is unselfish. I just try to make the extra pass, pass up a good shot for a great shot, and I think that just really shows.”
“We've had a lot of physical games at this point. Michigan State, that was our third game of the season, and they're very physical. I think ACC play is going to take it up to another level. We've just got to be prepared and practice hard so we can really simulate a game situation.”
When asked how the freshmen are preparing for the rigors of ACC play:
“I think Coach [Mike Krzyzewski] and our trainers and the people we have around us do a great job of keeping us fresh and ready. And Coach is going to keep us mentally prepared. If I just listen to everyone around me and do everything the right way, then I think my teammates and I are going to be very well prepared and ready to show up every night.”
Boston College Head Coach Jim Christian
Opening Statement:
“I think obviously when you play a great team like Duke in their building you need everybody to step up and just contribute with effort. I think today, two things in looking at it from our perspective. I think we became a little bit undisciplined in the game's biggest moments, especially on defense. Secondly, I thought our bench, and not just from a scoring standpoint, I looked at it from a different perspective. I thought we needed to get energy from our bench in this game to give some guys a little bit of a rest and I don't think we did that. When our team has played well we've gotten great energy from the bench, especially on the defensive side of the ball and rebounding the ball. I think that was a huge, huge difference and obviously they're such a great team and they just keep coming at you in waves so obviously that hurt us.”
On the flagrant 1 foul by Dennis Clifford:
“I think what Dennis [Clifford] was trying to do was explain to the official what happened on the play before and he inadvertently hit the guy. That's what he told me. I didn't see the play. We're not doing anything like that intentionally. It's not the way we play. Dennis Clifford is not that type of player.”
On only having Clifford on the court for five minutes in the first half:
“It was big. I thought he played really inspired in the first half. He played very physical and he was making [Jahlil] Okafor guard and obviously that's one of the keys in playing them. You have to make him guard and he was doing that so when he picked up his second one it hurt us a lot.”
On Olivier Hanlan's play:
“It was his kind of game. There was a lot of open floor out there tonight for him and he's a good finisher around the basket. I wish we could get him a rest, but unfortunately we don't have a point guard right now. His challenge, like I told him afterwards, because our windows for winning are small he's going to have to play solidly. I thought in a big stretch there he stopped guarding because he was tired. He's going to have to learn to play through that. Like I told him, there's a lot of great guards in this league who play a lot of minutes and they're energy level on defense, obviously because they're not asked to do as much on offense, he's going to have to do that for our team to have a chance to win.”
On the physical play:
“We play hard. That's what we do and obviously they play hard. There was a lot activity, especially around the basket and a lot of size.”
On what he takes away from the game:
“It's not us against them. I think what comes out of it is in order to have a chance to win games in this league us being disciplined on the defensive side of the ball gave us big possessions and our bench is going to have to improve. We're going to have to get those guys better. They're going to have to come in and move us forward during those times. It's not just scoring. We all look at bench scoring points, well it's bench energy. Are we rebounding? Are we getting deflections? Are we in the right defensive spots? Are we following the game plan? I think that hurt us tonight because I think when we went to the bench in the first half and the second half…I think it was 21-18 when we went to the bench in the first half and the lead ballooned up and in the second half it did the same thing. We can't have guys play the minutes they unfortunately have to play unless those guys step up. That's our job to keep getting them better. They're good kids. They work hard and our staff and myself have to do a better job getting them better.”
On the flagrant one call deflating the team's momentum:
“Anytime that happens it's deflating. I think [the lead] was 12 when it happened and we had just scored. It kind of uplifts them a little bit. Like I said, it's not anything we do. The other one I think Okafor was hanging on the rim and swung into Dmitri [Batten] and he kind of pushed him. I mean what do you want him to do? Unfortunately those things happen. It's basketball. I'm not saying the official didn't make the right call. I'm just going by what they're telling me. I'm obviously asking them 'What the heck are you doing?'”
On not being able to get to the free throw line:
“Obviously it's frustrating. We want to take the ball to the basket and they did a good job not fouling. We're not a prolific three-point shooting team so we wanted to space the floor and attack the basket. I thought we did it. We missed a lot of opportunities though I thought right around the basket. They had a lot to do with that obviously. Especially early in the game we had some against the press. I thought we handled the pressure really well in the beginning of the game, which is what you have to do. If you can handle the first five minutes you're usually okay because the first five minutes the pressure is so intense and I thought we did a great job attacking the pressure for smart plays in the first five minutes of the game.”
Players Mentioned
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