George Washington University Athletics
3/8/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 8, 2008
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
March 8, 2008
UMass 67
@ GW 63
GW coach Karl Hobbs
It was a challenge to survive UMass's barrage of 3's.
"It's hard to beat a team that makes 14 threes. Overall, our defense was pretty good. Down the stretch when we needed to make a play, we couldn't. And that was the difference in the ball game. We had 2 critical turnovers in a row, and when you do that, you're not giving yourself an opportunity to win the game."
Finishing games has been a particular challenge for your team this year.
"It takes me back to Mike, Pops, and Omar's first year. We just couldn't finish games down the stretch. When we needed a stop, we couldn't get it, or the opponent would get a second shot. I'm hoping that we take this year and mature from it, and learn some lessons about how we conduct ourselves on and off the court."
The team showed a lot of heart, particularly since they had virtually nothing to play for.
"Without question, the guys played with tremendous purpose. Once we settled down after the first 4 minutes or so, it was a winnable basketball game. Once again, the students really energized this basketball team. It's amazing, our body language, when we play in this building."
What are your thoughts with the season being over?
"I'm obviously disappointed that the season has come to an end. I'm sort of reflecting on immediately starting the rebuilding process...You're going to see a lot of changes within the program. Then we'll start back again building it back block by block...We have to meet as a staff and reevaluate everything from top to bottom. It starts with evaluating ourselves--the staff--and some of the things that we could have done better. It starts there, then will trickle right down."
You must be pleased with the way Johnny Lee came on.
"We became a different team with him. Tonight, at times, he made some tremendous decisions with the basketball. We don't get 63 points without those decisions. He was really fun to coach; he really evolved. He took on my personality out there, which is a good thing."
What are your thoughts on the way this team turned out from the way it started?
"I said from the start of the season that we'd be a work in progress. That held true throughout. There was a constant sort of reinventing ourselves. We got away from the pressure and by the end of the season, we became pretty much a match-up zone team, which we've never done since I've been a coach here. We had to constantly make adjustments. We started out by not having Travis, then it was point guard by committee for a while, then at some point we realized that we had to have Johnny Lee at that position...it was a work in progress throughout the year. We have to reevaluate what we did this year and start building those blocks up for next year."
Will Travis King be ready for next season?
"He should be 100 percent next season. He's had a long layoff, with no basketball involved except working out and getting healthy. By next September, he should be 100 percent."
Is it disappointing that Maureece Rice wasn't here to share in the Senior Night experience, after everything he's contributed to the program?
"Yes it is. I only wish him the best. Hopefully, he's learned some lessons, and I wish him the best."
UMass coach Travis Ford
Opening statement
"I'm just glad to get out of here with a win. George Washington's always an extremely tough team to play. Watching film, I do think they've been playing their best basketball. I think they showed a lot of heart tonight with some things they've gone through the last couple of days. I thought they came out and played extremely hard. This is a team that's going to be tough to deal with in the future." "We came up with some key rebounds late in the game, and a couple of steals that were key. But other than that, it was pretty much an even basketball game most of the night."
You have to be happy about 3-point shooting, but you can't depend on it game after game.
"No. We knew tonight that we were going to have to depend on it. We knew we would shoot an extraordinary amount tonight, the way GW plays defense. They do a good job of clogging things up inside when you drive or throw it inside. We wanted to find our shooters on the perimeter. It wasn't a surprise, because we don't have a dominant inside game. We made just enough. You look at our other percentages--Wow, we didn't make many around the basket. GW does a great job trying to block shots. They're long and athletic, and they cause you problems around the basket. We were trying to avoid that as much as possible."
Are you ready for post-season?
"Yes...I can't say we played great tonight, but I think that was a product of George Washington. It was a product of them playing hard, and out to prove something. We're just glad to get a win...To go 10-6 in this league with the start we had to endure as far as our teams--I was very concerned as we started league play, hoping we had something left. I think we had the toughest schedule of anybody starting out."
What did you do to control Rob Diggs?
"We talked about him a whole lot over the last couple of days. He's one of the better low-post scorers in our league...He's a guy who can affect the game in a lot of ways--shot blocking, offensive rebounding, scoring. Our job was to make sure we always got position on him; don't let him get position on you...I thought we did a pretty good job of that most of the night."
How would you sum up GW's season, and their prospects for next year?
"Karl's done a tremendous job. When you lose your point guard--Travis King--and move Maureece Rice to that position, that's like us putting Ricky Harris at the point guard spot. But they didn't have a choice, really. They probably didn't think Johnny Lee was ready, and I'd 100-percent agree. They probably didn't have faith in a walk-on and try everything they could to piece it together. I've been in that situation before...They are a relatively a young basketball team. I think Johnny Lee has made a difference down the stretch. That's one reason they've been successful, and he's a nice addition to the team. But it's not easy losing your point guard on a young basketball team."
