2002-03 BKM vs. Bowling Green -- quotes
12/11/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
U-M Head Coach Tommy Amaker
On how it feels getting the first win of the year ... "It feels good to go into our locker room and hear our kids sing the fight song. I couldn't be more proud of a bunch of guys who fought through a lot of adversity. They've taken a lot of heat, as we all have for the start that we've endured. It showed a lot of character that we've been able to fight through some things and play a very good 40 minutes of basketball against a team in Bowling Green that Dan Dakich has done a fine job with. They missed some shots that I anticipate they'll make later on. I thought we had a great team performance. Daniel Horton having a hot hand in the first half and giving us a double-digit lead at the half was big. Our two veterans, LaVell Blanchard and Bernard Robinson Jr., took over the second half and really allowed us to extend the lead and to have a nice victory for our program."
On rebounding ... "When I look at rebounding I look at LaVell and Bernard. LaVell had a double-double. Robinson had eight boards. They did a great job of finding different ways to get rebounds. As a team we had 18 offensive rebounds. I wish we could do a better job of finishing at times around the basket when we're there that many times. Certainly the first step is to get the basketball and I was impressed with the effort that our kids put up on the glass tonight."
On having three 20-point scorers ... "We knew we had guys who can make shots and it was a matter of seeing the ball go in the basket and having confidence. That was especially important with Horton as he shot very well in the first half. That really gave our team a shot in the arm. When you're scoring you feel a lot better and that carries over to other parts of the game like hustle, defense and rebounding. Those are the things that we've been saying for a while and you can see how effective it can be when you have some success offensively."
On moving the ball and making shots ... "I've been pleased with our ball movement. I just haven't been pleased with the result. We just haven't put it through the basket. Everything looks a lot better when the shots go in. We did a good job of spacing the floor and making the extra pass. When shots begin to go in it becomes more contagious. I think we had one of those contagious nights where everything worked well. We played a 40-minute game, which I was impressed with."
On what winning the first game does for a young team ... "We've talked about coming out on the winning end of game and what it would do for our kids. The weight has been lifted off their shoulders. We can look forward to coming to tomorrow's practice with kids with smiles on their faces and their heads up and wanting to get better. We came into tonight's game with the attitude that we were 0-0. For us, this is a 1-0 season now. We wanted to shed the six previous games in terms of the losses and get rid of the weight and baggage."
On Daniel Horton learning how to run the team and when to take his own shot ... "I think he's growing into leadership. I thought tonight was a breakout offensive game for him. I think he can still be better. We need him to be that kind of player. We need him to score and wear a lot of hats for our team. That's a lot to ask of a young kid but I think you can see why we've attempted to let him do all those things."
U-M Senior Wing LaVell Blanchard
On the game ... "I think a lot of guys stepped up. Daniel Horton had a great game. A lot of guys just banged. Bernard (Robinson Jr.) played well. Chucky (Bailey) played well. The big guys played well."
On getting the win ... "It was a great win. It was a great feeling. I want that feeling more and more."
On Daniel Horton leading the team in the first half and Blanchard taking over in the second half ... "Daniel had a hot hand. I do not know how many shots he hit in the first half so we just kept feeding him the ball. In the second half he hit us with the passes."
U-M Junior Wing Bernard Robinson Jr.
On getting the first win out of the way ... "It was definitely a relief. It was like a big monkey off our back. It was a gorilla on our back and we had to get it off as soon as possible. I think we did that tonight."
On the offense ... "I think the extra passes tonight made it happen. We were able to find each other when we were open. We knocked down shots today. In the past we were not knocking down shots like we are supposed to. I think today we knocked down shots."
On how this game can serve as a launching point for the rest of the season ... "It is definitely a build-up. Now we know how it feels to win. You cannot ask for anything better than that."
U-M Freshman Guard Daniel Horton
On the game ... "I think we played great as a team. That was the offensive effort we have been looking for all season. We hit the open man and we made the extra pass. Those are the things we have been working on. We showed it today."
On his first-half performance ... "I just tried to concentrate on getting off to a fast start. Against Duke was really the first game we were able to get off to a fast start and we tonight we were doing it as a team. I think my play helped us in the first half, but it was a team effort. Everybody played well, everybody made the extra pass and everybody concentrated. It showed up on the scoreboard."
Bowling Green Head Coach Dan Dakich
On the game ... "I liked the Michigan game last year a lot better than this year's game. They beat us upstairs, downstairs, inside, outside, off the dribble, off the pass, off the set play and off the motion offense. They beat us in every way you can beat us and my hat is off to them. I thought we got off to a good start but that was only for the first five minutes. (Daniel) Horton just went nuts. My hat is off to Tommy (Amaker), Chuck Swenson and their staff. They needed a win. We felt we were coming into this game playing pretty well. We beat Buffalo and lost a close game to Northwestern that we could have won. Michigan handed this game to us right from the 15-minute mark of the game throughout the rest. They have two great players and now three with Horton. I think that (LaVell) Blanchard and (Bernard) Robinson are two great players, two pros. We certainly didn't have any physical match for any of those kids."
On missing chances ... "I know we only scored 57 points but I thought we got pretty good looks and just missed guys. I thought Cory Ryan did pretty well although he was 1-for-8. I thought they swarmed Ryan. Robinson held our best perimeter player to four points on the night. John Reimold and Kevin Netter have been playing well so far being go-to guys but they just had bigger guys who were able to contain them."
