George Washington University Athletics
Postgame Comments: GW vs. La Salle
2/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2009
NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
February 11, 2009
La Salle 68
@ GW 57
Post-game comments
GW Coach Karl Hobbs
It looked like you had momentum at one point, but lost it. What happened?
"We got off to very bad start in the first few minutes of the game, and I thought that was the difference in the game. We're just not good enough to have that kind of thing happen to us at the onset of the game and then fight through it. From that point on, it was an uphill battle. We had a stretch where I thought we had an opportunity to get back into it. Robert Diggs missed two free throws and then was in position for a transition basket, but Travis [King] threw the ball too high. That would have cut it to five and change the fortunes of the game. But unfortunately, those things didn't happen."
You got a lot of stops in a row, but couldn't score at the other end.
"Yes, I think we had 10 turnovers in a row in the second half. Whether it was a turnover or a missed free throw, or we'd give them a layup that broke our run, I think GW hurt GW tonight."
Why was the game so scrappy?
"I think both teams were playing hard and understood what was on the line. If you look at La Salle and their schedule, what they have coming up, this was a huge game for them. Obviously this was a huge game for us, and both teams played that way. At times, we got a little tight, then played as loose as we needed to."
How much did the early fouls on Damian Hollis hurt?
"We needed scoring tonight, and I thought Damian was the one guy who could carry us offensively, but, unfortunately, he got the touch foul in the second half. I have no idea what he was thinking at that moment."
Can you explain what happened with the Technical Foul on Damian?
"First, I thought it was a clean block to begin with. And I didn't see what happened after that, but that will be one of the first things I look for when I watch the tape."
And what happened with your technical?
"There was a play where the ball went inside to Rodney Green, and I thought Robert [Diggs] played pretty good defense. He had his hands up, and created the contact, and they gave them the foul. At the other end, there was a similar play in almost the exact same spot, and there was no call. I felt there had to be some consistency with the calls, but I'm not criticizing the officiating, I'm answering your question."
La Salle Coach John Giannini
Opening statement
"It was obviously a very hard-fought game. They outrebounded us, they made it hard for us to score. The things I was most pleased with was, even though they shot 50 percent in the 2nd half and that surprises me a little bit, our defense was better than what we had been playing. And we didn't turn it over against pressure at crunch time, and for us that's a big factor. That was one of the reasons we were able to go to the line some too. We were strong with the ball and went to the basket strong. I thought our ball toughness was good, our defense was better than what it's been. But I credit GW's defense for holding us to a low field goal percentage and beating us on the boards. We feel very fortunate."
Toward the end of the first half, you took the ball in and wound up on the foul line a lot. Was that something you did specifically for GW?
"Although we made some 3s tonight, we want to attack the basket before we want to shoot a jump shot. That's no game plan at all; it's how we have to play."
How important was this game after having lost 3 in a row?
"Fans love to panic if you lose 2 or 3 in a row. But if you look around your shoulder, everybody does. What was important was to stop the bleeding. You don't want three to become four. And for that reason, it was very important to stop that streak. But most every good team in the last 30 years has had a week like that."
Are you disappointed with Rodney Green going only 3-11 from the field?
"I don't define Rodney Green by scoring at all. I thought this was one of his better games. His defense was outstanding, he had the ball in his hands and two turnovers in 20 minutes with a lot of pressure on him. Everyone misses shots, and he has the chance to be a great all-around player. I would never define him by shooting or say that we're depending on him to shoot. We need the ball in his hands and trust him to make the right decisions."
