Jan. 3, 2009

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Ohio head coach John Groce

On the overall game:
I was really thrilled with the way our team played for the majority of the game. I thought we came out right at the beginning of the game in the first four minutes ready to play. I felt like we got some pretty good shots in the first half and some of them didn't go in for us, but I was really pleased with the way we shared the basketball. Twenty-plus assists, any time you can do that, 21 assists on 31 field goals indicates to me that we're playing with some great chemistry and very unselfishly. That's a characteristic of great offensive basketball teams. Defensively, our 37 percent field goal percentage defense was indicative of the emphasis that we put on defense over the course of the last couple of weeks. I would have liked to have defended the three a little bit better, they did shoot 39 percent from three and made 10, but sometimes in situations when you're behind like that it's a little easier to make them. I know they made some of them late. I thought it was a good challenge for us in that they like to drive the basketball and it really challenged us to be able to keep the ball in front and contain the ball. I thought we did a reasonable job at least of doing that. We did some good things. We're getting better. We're nowhere near, obviously, where we need to be. We're not a finished product, but I am excited about the direction we're going. I feel like we're getting better as each game proceeds, I feel like we're getting better in practice. I'm happy for our guys that they're starting to see the by-product of how hard they work in practice and starting to feel more comfortable with the system both offensively and defensively. I think that's allowing them to get in the type of comfort zone that allows players to be successful.

On the second half:
We segment the game into sections of the game and we wanted to win that first four minutes of the second half. We thought it was important to get off to a great start being that it was 37-31 at the half, to send a message, "Hey, we're going to keep coming at you." I thought our guys did that. I thought Mike [Allen] did a really good job of running the team over the course of the game and really thinking the game, in terms of picking and choosing when to push it and not to push it, when to shoot quick or be a little bit more aggressive and when we needed to run offense. Obviously when you have a point guard that's 9-0 in a game, that doesn't happen often, so my hat's off to him for how he was able to do that. And Jerome, with his ability to rebound and score inside, and our guys did a good job of getting the ball to him. I give our guys a lot of credit, they knew he was on one and continued to get him the ball in position where he could be successful. Again, that's a characteristic of an unselfish basketball team.

On the play of junior center Kenneth van Kempen:
He made shots today. Sometimes people get on him and they get on Tommy [Freeman], but Tommy helps the game because no one leaves him. So he doesn't have to take a shot and he's going to help your offense. KVK doesn't have to score a basket and he's going to help your defense because he's always in the right position defensively, he's in a stance almost the entire time off the ball, he's really good at helping on drive situations where guards get beat, he's great at hedging screens, he's good at walling up around the basket to make two-point shots more difficult. Some of those things are things that go unnoticed on a stat sheet for both of those guys. They help our team in ways that don't go maybe as much noticed by fans or other people who don't look at anything but a box score.

On the importance of today's win:
From the standpoint of us knowing that if we won today, we'd have a winning record going into MAC play, I think our guys--and I feel very blessed--have a lot of pride. I think it starts with these two guys, Mike [Allen] and Jerome [Tillman], and Justin [Orr], they wanted to head into conference play with a winning record. But most importantly, and again, all we've talked about from day one is getting better every day. All we have talked about is playing our best basketball late in the year. It's a journey. Every game's not the destination at this point. We have 18 more games guaranteed, with 16 conference games, a Bracketbuster and at least a first game in the conference tournament. So our goal is to keep the wheel moving in a direction that's a positive direction and where we're playing better. The exciting thing is they came back from Christmas and I think we got better through practice, then we were better in the St. Francis game, then practices were good again, then we got better today. It's always great--sometimes coaches can see it on film--but for the first time, like Mike said, I'm starting to sense some, not only are they listening to us, but they're actually feeling it and sensing it themselves. That's where you can create some synergy from the way we're playing in practice and games, and hopefully start heading in that direction where we play our best.

On the play of freshman guard Steven Coleman:
I've said this before and I've said it last time, every guy that plays in the game has a vital role for us. We really have six starters right now. Does Steve start? There were times this year where Justin Orr didn't start but was playing 25-plus minutes a night. There were times when Tommy Freeman didn't start but was playing 25-plus minutes a night. There's games where Steve hasn't started but he's 25-plus minutes a night and been productive. I think it's more about our team. Those guys know they're going to play. We need them to play and we need them to play well. I am impressed with Steve, a lot of freshmen, when they go through what Steve went through in terms of--I think sometimes starting spots get too much, it's "fluffy"--it's who finishes the game, who's there at crunch time. I have confidence in all three of those guys regardless of who starts. I think that Steve's handled it very maturely, sometimes it's hard for freshman to do that. I've never sensed one single minute since we've made the decision on the 30th, he's never pouted, just played. And actually he's playing harder than he's ever played consistently and he's seeing the by-product of that. Really, with Steve it's just a feel thing at this point. I'm more focused on what's best for the team. I love every guy on the team, it's nothing personal, it's just what's best for our basketball team so we can play our best.

Senior Forward Jerome Tillman

On his inside play:
I just tried to be that inside presence that we need. The offense was starting to get a little jumbled, so I just wanted to post up more and try to make some things happen.

On the play of Mike Allen:
He did a great job of picking and choosing his spots. I know sometimes I get a rebound and he's off and gone and we have to catch up to him. I think he's a tremendous point guard who makes great decisions with the basketball that really help our team.

On opening conference play against Kent State:
It's a great opportunity for our basketball team. We want to continue to get better and go out and get a win and start MAC play off right. If you look at our practices now compared to the beginning of the season, it's like night and day. We're seeing the improvement every day and we're really embracing what the coaches are saying and you can see the byproduct.

Senior Guard Michael Allen

On getting the ball inside:
That's when our offense is most productive, when we're working the ball inside out, and Gerome wasn't getting many touches at first, so we tried to run some sets to get him the ball and get in more of a rhythm, which showed when we got on our run.

On feeling more comfortable on the court:
I think we are executing better now. We're doing the same things we've always done, but it's at a higher level now compared to games earlier in the season.

Bucknell head coach Dave Paulsen

On Ohio's inside play and its impact on the game:
Our whole emphasis was to try to really limit (Jerome) Tillman's touches and do a good job on him inside. I think we did a reasonably good job in the first half. Really I thought we got good shots in the first half. We couldn't get the ball down. You have to get some scores to keep up your defensive play.

On the three point shooting of Ohio and how it impacted the defense of Jerome Tillman:
It did hurt us. We talked about him and really helping inside then getting back out to the shooters. They shot the ball better probably than they normally do. This is something where you talk about making two or three good defensive maneuvers in a possession. We did things in the post to help, but then we couldn't get out to our guy. The second half when we were making our little mini run we played pretty well defensively. They made some tough shots then, but they were in a comfort zone.

On Bucknell's handling of Ohio's pressure defense:
I thought at times we did a really good job of executing offensively. We didn't get the baskets to show for it. Certainly tonight, when they have guys that can shoot threes and dominate inside, it makes it tough. Tillman is really a heck of a player.

On play of both teams on the boards:
I thought we did a reasonably good job on the glass until that stretch where they really pulled out at the beginning of the second half. Then we didn't compete on the glass. Tillman just seems to get those rebounds and plays at opportune times for them.