George Washington University Athletics
Charlotte Post-Game Quotes
1/26/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Jan. 26, 2008
#20/17 GW 76
Charlotte 54
Post-Game Quotes
GW Coach Joe McKeown
Did the first half alleviate some of your concerns about the last few weeks?
"It eliminates some of my pain (laughs) about what I've seen in practice and the sluggishness on offense we've played with. When you have a team with veterans, it's hard to pin-point why we're not getting it done. This is the best half of basketball we've played in a long time. When you make good shots, good things happen."
You were scoring in transition a lot. Was that a response to Charlotte or part of the gameplan?
"Charlotte is one of those teams that's quick and athletic. They've lit up some scoreboards. Our goal was to come right back at them, because we needed to set the pace. We're good when we're quick and under control. Sometimes Kim Beck will play east-west because she's trying to get everybody to do what they're supposed to do. We've been trying to get her to forget that, and just take it and attack. That creates a lot of other opportunities. I hope we can continue to play at that kind of pace."
Who would you compare Kim Beck to?
"She's kind of like a John Stockton or Steve Nash. Her decision-making is so good in transition. Nobody plays defense like her, she's a phenomenal defender. But she has a great sense of the moment. They (great point guards) make shots when she needs to because they know that's what they do. She has an inner confidence, an inner strength, an inner understanding about the game. I wouldn't trade her with any point guard in college basketball."
After the last few weeks, was this almost a must-win today?
"Yes, especially at home. Tonight, Charlotte was coming in hot with a new coach and staff. They had a lot of talent coming back from last year. But most coaches are concerned about their own teams. And for us, it's how good we're playing. Charlotte gave us a forum to step up our game. It wasn't a must-win, but it helped."
Senior guard Kimberly Beck
Was this a statement win to the A-10?
"It definitely was. We had to pick up and play at a different level. I still think we have to show some consistency, but it was a great game and we began to improve on things that I said we needed to improve on."
Describe your first half, as your shot was on and you were finding the other players well.
"It had a lot to do with the pace we were playing at. We pushed it back at them, and that got our posts some easy baskets. And we were really patient and executed on offense, and that got us easier shots in the long run."
Did you like the pace you set tonight?
"We knew they were going to run at us, so when they did that, they got out of position. So our posts flew, our guards flew, and that tired them out. When they pushed at us, we pushed right back. We also took better shots than they did in transition, and that made the difference in the first half.
Senior guard Sarah-Jo Lawrence
Talk about the intensity level the team put out in the 1st half.
"We knew we had to send a message early. We didn't play well in the first half against LaSalle, and we wanted to clean that up. We made it a point to come out hard on defense, and everyone took their time finding their shots on offense."
You were all over the boards today. What changes did you make to your game?
"Rebounds have been our nemesis lately. We've been emphasizing going hard to the boards in practice, what we do in practice really carried through to the game, and it helped us tonight."
Charlotte Coach Karen Aston
Opening statement
"George Washington really set the tone early in the game. Their first 5 to 8 minutes were very aggressive. They definitely came to play. I don't discredit our team at all. You have to give the credit to George Washington. They were very good today...Nothing we tried worked very well today. They flexed their muscles in the paint, and that's where we really struggled today. As good as Sarah-Jo and Beck were, I thought their post players were the difference in the game."
After GW's offensive issues in the past two games, did you expect this kind of hot shooting?
"I expected it to happen at some point. I've watched practically every game they've played on tape, and they made a lot of shots they've been missing. They were making those early in the year, and I think they just got into a bit of a shooting slump. You know at some point they would come out of it...I had hoped it wouldn't happen today, and it did....When they got going with those shots, they were very hard to guard."
How does Kim Beck influence a game?
"She influences it in a way that you can't always understand unless you are a coach. She controls everything. Her ability to keep everything intact offensively as a team is something that every coach would love to have. She can also score. There are a lot of point guards in the country that can run a team, get them in the right place, and lead, but some of those can't shoot 3s or shoot off the dribble. She's the complete point guard, no question."
How hard is it to defend a team with as many weapons as GW?
"It's very, very hard. They are good enough offensively and smart ball handling-wise that it's hard to press them and zone them. When they're making shots and their post players are aggressive like today, they're very hard to guard...They handled about everything we did. And I don't think our defense is bad. We've guarded some good teams but we did not guard them well today. They were very good."
As a first-year coach in the A-10, what are your impressions of Joe McKeown?
"I've known Joe for a long time, and known of his impact on the Atlantic 10 for a long time. He's a tremendous coach, but probably more than that, he's a tremendous person....He's always friendly, and open to talking about the game. You look at his consistency and that's what separates him from other coaches. He's a consistent winner, his teams always play hard and always play defense, they do things that I believe in as a coach."
