George Washington University Athletics
Postgame Comments: GW vs. East Carolina
12/22/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 22, 2010
NCAA BASKETBALL
December 22, 2010
East Carolina 80
@ GW 82
Postgame comments
GW Coach Karl Hobbs
I guess an 18-foot falling-down bank shot wasn't what you had planned?
"No it wasn't exactly what we drew up. We thought they were going to come out and play straight man-to-man. But they were playing almost like a press. Tony recognized that they didn't have straight man-to-man responsibilities, so he made a play. We had planned to put everyone on the baseline and have Tony make a play with 4 seconds on the clock, so the only thing could happen was a shot and maybe a tip-in to win the game. It didn't happen that way, but sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, and it worked out."
How did you put yourself in position to get the win after falling behind earlier in the half?
"On that shot, we were very fortunate to win the game at that point. But I thought we had great momentum. I felt that if we had the chance to take the last shot, we had a good chance to win the game."
After struggling to score, you've put together back-to-back wins and shot over 50%. What's changed with the offense?
"First, these guys have started to adjust to their roles after losing Lasan [Kromah] right before the season started. These guys also put a lot of pressure on themselves to please the students and the fans. They were shooting every shot like it was the Super Bowl. Now they're playing very loose and relaxed. Hopefully by the time A-10 play starts, we'll be playing some of our best basketball."
Are you concerned that you're still being outrebounded, especially offensively?
"I'm more concerned about our defense and the percentages other teams are shooting. We're shooting better, but we're also letting other teams shoot close to 50 percent. So we need to work on our defense and holding the percentages down, and we have to focus on free throws. We can't shoot 32 free throws in our building and make only 17. This game could've been handled a little easier if we'd taken care of the free throws."
What does it mean to win 3 games in a row? Does it send some sort of message?
"It means a lot to us, and even more so given the way the season started. About four weeks ago, I'm not sure we could've won this game. With Oregon State, it's been a long time since we've beaten a BCS team on the road. Then to come home and play against a red-hot, well-coached team--you'll recall that last year's game at their place came down to the wire too. The main thing is that we're playing better, but there's a lot of season to get and we're a long way from where we want to be."
GW Jr. G Tony Taylor
What did you see on the court before taking that shot?
"I saw they were pressing and were off-balance. I just took it in my hands to just push the ball and make a play myself or for one of my teammates."
Things seemed to get more physical in the 2nd half. What was your impression of what was happening?
"It's a tough game. It's always physical down in the post. It was going to come down to who wanted it more. Tonight we showed it."
What's gotten you out of your early-season slump?
"I think just getting confident and being in the gym a lot. The whole coaching staff has stressed that I need to forget the last play and stay focused on the present."
GW Soph. F Dwayne Smith
Things seemed to get more physical in the 2nd half. What was your impression of what was happening?
"When it gets to be more physical, we play harder and are more determined to win. We knew we had to grind, dig down deep, and basically play hard back."
You've had four or five double-figure scoring games in a row. What's gotten you going?
"As coach said, we've adjusted to our roles, and they've told me to score more. So I've been working on finding my game. The coaches have told me to rebound more, and that creates opportunities to score. So by working hard and playing hard, I've been fortunate to score."
ECU coach Jeff Lebo
What got you going after being down 10 in the 2nd half?
"Offensively, we did some good things. We made shots, we didn't turn the ball over, we had some good looks, and rebounded a little better. We were patient for the most part offensively; we had some good spacing."
Was it tough to lose this way?
"Yes, obviously. It's the second time in a row this has happened to us."
What do you tell the team after a loss like this, especially after having a lead?
"It's hard, it's frustrating. I feel for the kids. We could have easily won these two games. Playing on the road and putting yourself in position to win--it's heartbreaking. Especially this one because it was a falling-down bank shot. At least the other game was lost on a regular jump shot."
