Postgame Comments: GW vs. Charlotte

Feb. 26, 2009

NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL
February 25, 2009

Charlotte 88
@ GW 92 (OT)

Post-game comments

GW Coach Karl Hobbs

How big was this win for the conference standings?

"It was a win that keeps us involved, keeps us in the race. It allows us to go into the next game knowing that we have an opportunity to get into the [A-10] tournament. But most importantly, we played the way we practice every day. We were able to execute and to grow a little bit. Anytime you're rebuilding your program, you focus on teaching your players how to compete. The most difficult thing is teaching our players how to win. This was the first game where down the stretch we had to do all the right things to win."

Do you sense any similarities between this game and two years ago when you also took Charlotte to overtime?

"Not at all. At the time, we were ranked 6th in the country, we were undefeated in the league, and had some guys named Omar Williams and Pops Mensah-Bonsu...The circumstances are entirely different. Yes it was overtime, it was Charlotte, but I can't compare those."

What was it like trying to guard their 3-point shot tonight?

"It was a big concern for us. When we played them last time at home, they got out of the gate with so much energy. It looked like they made almost every shot. We didn't expect [Rashad] Coleman to go 9-for-11. He kept them in the game, made every big shot, made every big play. But Charlotte is going to take a lot of 3s. They took 36 threes tonight; you take that many, all you need to make is a few of them to stay in the game."

What do you expect Saturday night against Richmond?

"I expect to play against a very good team. In my opinion, Richmond's the best offensive team in the league...Next year, they will be the best team in the league if they improve their rebounding and defense. They're young, but they're experienced. Everyone plays their role. They are a complete team, they have a great feel for each other. We have our work cut out for us. When you play them, you just hope they miss shots. But if Robb and Damian play like they did tonight, we'll be in good shape."

GW junior F Damian Hollis

Were you concerned to find yourself in yet another close game, after having missed winning so many of them already?

"We've been working so hard every day. Just relentless. Always after a loss, we come in with the right attitude every day, and that just carried us. It was bound to happen; when you work hard every day something good is bound to happen. When you give up, that's when things don't go your way."

Were you nervous making those last free throws?

"Not really. It felt natural. It felt like our shoot-around today."

GW senior F Rob Diggs

Charlotte neutralized you somewhat in the second half. What were you thinking on that put-back in overtime?

"Get back on D. [laughs] I don't think they really stopped me in the second half. Damian started to get a lot of open looks that he was able to knock down. That took a lot of the focus off me. We were able to spread the floor and allow guys on the team to do what they do best."

Charlotte Coach Bobby Lutz

Opening statement

"Entertaining game, one that both teams had chances to win. Give George Washington credit for making more plays than we did. I thought they came up with the loose balls and the hustle plays. Our guys were trying, but I thought they were just quicker, a little tougher. They made more foul shots than we did. As a result, they were able to have the run to tie the game, and then the run in overtime to win. Our offense was probably good enough, but our defense wasn't good enough tonight."

When you were up by 4, did you feel comfortable with the way things were going?

"No, I've been on both sides of those situations many times. I wasn't overconfident that we were going to win the game. I knew we needed to take care of the ball, make our foul shots, and to guard. When they fouled us, we didn't make all of them. We had a chance on the rebound, and they made a big 3. It never felt like we had the game won."

How important was this game for making the A-10 tournament?

"I thought it was a must-win game for George Washington. It was very important to both teams. Now, it makes our game Saturday a must-win. It puts us to where we are a little more vulnerable now. We've got three games left and so does George Washington, so we'll see what happens."

Do you feel like you've been having a lot of back luck on the road, losing the lead in the last minute?

"I honestly don't think we played a particularly good game. We didn't play as good defense as we did at our place, but part of that was George Washington. They played better tonight than the first time. They were much better tonight, but we didn't do the things that would have helped us win the game. We had chances to win, but you can't hope for luck. You have to make your own luck on the road, and make plays down the stretch."

Did you play Rob Diggs differently in the second half?

"We may have played him better in the second half, we didn't intend to play him differently. He was more assertive, he made some jump shots as well as around the basket more than last time. We knew he was capable of that. He was phenomenal against St. Bonaventure. We tried maybe to help a little more when he got it, but it really wasn't a different strategy in the second half."

Charlotte junior G DiJuan Harris

What are your thoughts on the game?

"Like Coach said, we didn't make enough plays down the stretch in crunch time. We got to the free-throw line, but didn't make them when we needed to. They got all the loose balls and made more plays than we did, and they got the win.

Is it frustrating that you couldn't finish the game in the final minute?

"Any loss is tough. Unfortunately we played 39 minutes up, but in the last minute, they got the win. No loss is bigger than the next loss. We have to bounce back and it's a must-win on Saturday."

Can you believe that you're still trying to get into the A-10 tournament after the high hopes at the start of the season?

"We've been faced with lot of adversity the whole season. Now we're here, we're faced with a situation. We have to come out and win on Saturday."

2/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball