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POST-GAME QUOTES
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Dec. 23, 2005
VIRGINIA HEAD COACH Dave Leitao
I think it’s a little obvious that I’m happy to get back on the winning side of things and a pretty-to-very-good display of basketball in the first half in terms of our intensity and our ability to attack. In preparation for the game we talked about that. Loyola is an attacking team, but similar to Gonzaga in a way that they were susceptible to teams coming right after them. We approached it from a standpoint of if we share the basketball and attack, then good things will happen. Fortunately we did that plus played defense on the other end and took a huge margin into the half. Credit to most of the guys, but especially Adrian (Joseph) who took the last four days of practice and applied to what he has been doing to the game today and not just making shots. He’s played with a much better understanding of what we’ve asked him to do and he’s starting now to respect what we’ve asked him to do and try to give that every day at practice. I told him, in front of the team, that when you do that good things will happen.
Someone asked me the question the other day about my concern that Sean Singletary needs to take 25 shots for us to be successful. This game has so many different variables–one game if he scores 35 that may be what we need to be successful, but today we did it without him. I’m hoping that we can find our comfort zone and I think as we continue to find it everyday in practice we can find it in games. Right now I think a lot of the guys are in the place I talk about–not where they were and not where we need to be. As we get closer to that–hopefully–that will pay dividends for us.
We’re getting closer to the total effort. I learned it from Walter Payton something that he said long ago–He said that over his career he tried to play the perfect game. So I say, “Why don’t we try that? Let’s try to play the perfect game.” You may not ever get there, but you don’t stop trying. When you get closer to it then you have performances like we had today. We’re hoping one day before it’s all said and done that we play a perfect game.
Jason Cain had 16 rebounds and that’s a lot. We have to, again, for everybody, but for him we have to get him consistent. Because as soon as I thought we had something here–back-to-back double doubles–and he didn’t give us close to that at Gonzaga. I don’t want it to be for him or for some of the other guys that we’re concerned with playing better at home than you do on the road. 15 points and 16 rebounds and he played well defensively and a minimal amount of mistakes was very pleasing to me obviously.
LOYOLA HEAD COACH JIMMY PATSOS
I want to start by saying if Virginia shoots like they shot tonight, they’ll be tough out in the ACC.
It is a pleasure to come down here and give my team the experience to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference. I coached in the league for 13 years and I know how special it is. I appreciate Dave Leitao giving us the opportunity.
We had turned it over and they made threes. It was interesting when (Sean) Singletary went out of the game because we had geared our whole game plan toward stopping Singletary and doubling him. When he goes out, we play like straight man-to-man defense and the next thing I know they are taking threes all over the place. I thought we might have a chance when Singletary went out, but they answered the questions of whether or not they are a one-man team and I think they proved them wrong.
Virginia bothered (Andre) Collins and doubled him. I was proud of Andre for grabbing 10 assists.
Virginia has very good players here. They are young, but they are very good players. I’m glad that Virginia is not in our league. I’m happy with Hassan Fofana. For him to come out with eight rebounds and 12 points in 30 minutes is beyond expectation.
Virginia just shot unbelievably from the three-point line. I’ve never seen anything like that in this building.