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BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 9, 2007Patrick EwingJeff GreenJohn Thompson IIINEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK JOHN THOMPSON III: Whew. That's my opening statement again. (Laughter). Q. Talk about Jeff's game, just an amazing game. JOHN THOMPSON III: There's no doubt about that. You know, much like the rest of our guys, didn't want to lose, and the performance he put on was special today. The performance Jeff Green put on today was special and just our team in general hanging in there, everyone. Everyone sticking together when we could have caved on several occasions from the beginning of the game midway through the second half, and just we fought, we hung in there together. We tried to figure a few things out together. And then at the end of the day, great players make plays, and Jeff did that. Q. Can you just talk a little about what you guys did to their perimeter game after the first half, because obviously they were getting a lot of looks the first half, what do you do? JOHN THOMPSON III: They are terrific shooters. And if you give -- in this league, if you give guys that can make shots an open look, it's going to go in. In the first half, the whole first half, you know, we gave guys open looks. Now they do a good job of getting in, they work hard, we moved the ball but it's no surprise guys who can shoot collectively as well as their team can, shots are going to go in. I think we just were a lot more tentative in the second half to not letting them get shots or at least not open shots and they still beat us going to the basket, which Tory almost did beat us going to the basket. They got too many open looks in the first half and once we clamped down on that, we were able to methodically claw our way back in the game. Q. Tory Jackson single handedly brought Notre Dame back down from 7. Is a lead really safe against a team like Notre Dame and how are you able to bounce back from giving up the lead? JOHN THOMPSON III: You're laughing because we talked about that? Before the game, we said that, if we get up, no matter how big or how small, it's never safe against them because of their offensive ability, because they have so many -- and they are a veteran team. Obviously Tory, but they are a veteran team and they have guys that can play and want to win. They are so good offensively, and they can score 3s in bunches that they are never out of the game. Q. Is it hard to keep your team sort of patient when a team is scoring in bunches and a lot of 3s; you were so methodical and never seemed to panic and you just chipped away? JOHN THOMPSON III: That's what we wanted to do. We talked a lot during the course of the year, when we get down or when -- even when we're not down, when the flow of the game changes, that, you know, we can't come down and make a 10-point play. And so we've talked about it and our guys understand that no matter what the situation; whether we're up or whether we're down, we have to methodically get a stop, methodically get a good shot, methodically get a good stop and methodically get a good shop. I thought our guys were composed, we were at halftime down 2, 3, 4, 2, and so we know we have to do it. Q. You used Patrick Ewing for a lot of minutes and you got a lot of production. What did you see in the matchup and the strategy that told you to use him the way you did? JOHN THOMPSON III: (Laughing) I'm not sure, it just felt right. I mean, that's the truth. It just felt right. He was effective out there I thought at both ends of the floor. I don't want to make it -- I can make up an answer to make me sound really cerebral up here, but we were playing well when he was in there, so we kept him in there. Q. Along the same lines, maybe just -- they kind of forced you, didn't they, to do that, given the tempo of the game, and Roy's not going to be in a 90-point game? JOHN THOMPSON III: What was the final score? It was close. Roy can -- I disagree that in that Roy can be in a 90-point game. I just didn't think he was as effective tonight with the lineups as when Patrick was out there. I think Patrick was really focused and playing well. It wasn't necessarily Roy can be in this type of game and not be in that type of game and Pat can be in this type of game and not in that type of game and right on down the line. It's just the group we had out there was extremely he effective. Q. But guys haven't played like that -- JOHN THOMPSON III: I've said all year that we can play any style. I think that we -- I think that we have the understanding as well as the personnel so that we can adjust what we're doing. We can adjust what we're doing. Q. Patrick, playing with your dad sitting in the front row in an arena he's had so much success in, how did it feel out there, the big smile on your face, how did you feel out there? PATRICK EWING: It was a good feeling. You know, it's a better feeling now that we won, but it was just like another game. You know, he's been to a lot of games this year, so it really wasn't much different than any other game. Q. How rewarding is it for you and for this ballclub getting to the BIG EAST Finals? You guys haven't been there in a long time. JOHN THOMPSON III: In many ways, I mean, it's extremely rewarding. I mean, that's what everyone in the league wants to be playing -- is the game tomorrow night or tomorrow afternoon? Tomorrow night, that's the goal. And we are one of the two teams that will be. You know, it is extremely rewarding to have the opportunity to play for the tournament championship. That's something that's special, something that so few people, so few people get the opportunity to do is to walk out on that floor tomorrow night and get a chance to play for the tournament championship. It's extremely special. Q. Jeff, talk about the game-winning shot. JEFF GREEN: Well, my team just found me down low, they wasn't making it hard to throw it down. Pat just threw it down and I went into my move and they fouled me and I got the lucky roll. I just put it up there and tried to get it on the rim and it went in, it was a lucky shot. Q. Do you plan on watching this second game and what do you think about both teams? JOHN THOMPSON III: No, I'm not going to watch, show up tomorrow -- (laughter). Of course we're going to watch the game, you know, watch it live and then break it down probably two or three times before sunrise. You know, both teams are very, very good teams, there's no doubt about that. Louisville is playing at an extremely high level right now, and Pittsburgh, I said all along, is one of the better teams in the country and have been all year. They both have answers. They both have answers for things that you can throw at them. They both have answers and they can give you different looks. And so you know, they are experienced, and they have terrific coaches. In many ways, on any given night, I can say that about every team in this league, but those two teams are very good and they are playing very well right now. Q. Your Princeton teams and your Georgetown teams are all teams that have improved on an upswing from October 1 to March; is there anything in particular that you attribute that to? JOHN THOMPSON III: I think it just takes time for teams -- and every team is different. You know, every team is different, just as a coach, as a team, it takes the preseason, it takes time for us to figure out the best way for us to skin the cat and the best way for us to play and the best way for us to win. And so I've been fortunate that my teams have improved as this year and most other years, our team gets better as the year goes on. It's just us collectively figuring out what's going to work out for us in that particular year. End of FastScripts |
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