University of Massachusets Athletics
Postgame Quotes: UMass Beats Crimestoppers, 135-77
August 19, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Aug. 19, 2006
Head Coach Travis Ford
On the win:
"The thing I was most proud of tonight was our 3-point shooting. We shot the ball extremely well from the perimeter which is something that is contagious. Chris Lowe make 3s, Brandon Thomas, James Life, Gary Forbes, it was exciting to see us shoot the ball very well. Overall, I thought we were a little sloppy. You could see the effects of traveling a little bit, the effects of a blow out last night. It was good to see these guys shoot the ball as well as they did."
On the day off after two games:
"We are going to take tomorrow off. We have a snorkeling trip set for the guys. We are going to do some team building. We will break the tape down as a staff and go over some things. We have not had a chance to get out on the court and work on anything since we arrived. I have been happy with our style of play. One thing we are going against is that, tonight we played against 40 minutes of zone against us. That did not allow us to run any plays. I think our fast break is looking very good. The traps are looking good. In looking at how we played last year and this year, this is a totally different style of basketball and its fun to watch."
On foul shooting:
"We were commenting on the bench at the end of the game how well Rashaun (Freeman) shot his free throws early on. That was good. He lost a little concentration late. With a big lead like that, guys get a little tired. But he did get seven in a row. Stephane (Lasme) shot them well. We have discussed in-depth, about where we stood stat-wise in the league. Things that stood out were free-throw shooting, turnovers, I was not happy with our turnover situation tonight - in the first half. The ball was slippery as it was very, very hot in here. The ball slipped through our hands. Some easy lay-ups slipped through our hands."
Looking ahead to the next three games:
"This has been very good for our team. One thing you don't want to get over confident about is thinking, `we are very good.' But, this is good for us. We are able too play our style of basketball and having fun doing it. This is actually very good for our team, going against these basketball teams right now."
Senior Brandon Thomas
On his impressive game:
"After the first half, I had to step things up. Coach (Ford) talked to me a little bit and my teammates had to give me a little pep talk. After I started knocking down a few shots, I just started flowing."
On his comeback after missing a dunk early:
"I should have passed the ball in the first place, Rashaun was ahead of me and coach got on me for that. He told me this morning, you have to do what's best for the team and not be selfish. With the fast pace of the game, you just want to make the play and it was probably karma that it slipped out."
On his second year with the team:
"Last year was just a big learning experience. You grow so much as a team and as a family. I have grown mentally on the court and off it. This year it has been flowing. They do have me playing the 1, the 2, 3 and 4, mostly I will just be a wing player. So that will make it easier, which I am more suited to. But I will do anything to help the team. I will play back-up point to help if needed, anything to help the team. I feel great at the 2 and the 3."
On the trip to the Bahamas, overall experience:
"The Bahamas is just a beautiful place. It is a beautiful country with great people. We are just trying to enjoy ourselves and at the same time, carry over the training camp. We are running our plays and making sure we have everything right. The water here is just great, it is like Kool-Aid."
