Oct. 11, 2010

Notre Dame Player Quotes

Tim Abromaitis o Graduate Student o Forward

On leadership …

“I think we have a group of old guys who are leaders on this team. I think different guys kind of do it in different ways. I think Ben (Hansbrough) is probably the most vocal on the team right now. He is the oldest so that is kind of his role as a leader. I think we can all build off of his energy. “

On what he wants to improve on from last year …

“I think there are a few areas that I especially worked on during the offseason. Penetration a little bit and finding open guys. Mid-range and posting up too because I think especially with the lines we will be able to put out there that there will be a lot of mismatches. Either little guys or big guys trying to guard me and Scott (Martin) and Carleton (Scott) and I think we should be able to take advantage of that this year.”

On the line up and rotation this year…

“I wouldn’t want to be on the other side trying to guard it. People don’t really know what Scott Martin can do, but he is a really good player. I think whomever you put on him, it is going to be a mismatch. I am really excited to be able to get out there and play with these guys. You have to take advantages of these mismatches.”

On his preference of playing fast or slow …

“Coach Brey hasn’t said anything about the speed we are looking to play this year or anything like that. I think it will be kind of like last year where we adjusted to it. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s how we did it this year again. But really whatever works is what makes me happy. I will be ready to do whatever we need to do. “

Ben Hansbrough o Senior o Guard

On if he is worried about replacing leadership…

“No, I’m not worried about it. Last year’s seniors (Tory Jackson, Luke Harangody, and Jonathan Peoples) were very good leaders, but last year is done. This is our squad now. We have a lot of ‘old’ guys, I don’t think people realize how many old guys we have as in Scott Martin, Tom Abromaitis, me, Tyrone Nash, so this is our new group. Those guys are gone, they did a great job playing here at Notre Dame, but we have a new core so we are ready to get going. “

On what it means to have all the ‘old guys’ on the team…

“It means a lot. You learn what a lot of things are about. You learn how to win together. We got a taste of the NCAA tournament, we found out what that was about. We found out that it’s a cutthroat deal. We got people experience in that, that hadn’t had it before. Experience is crucial in any big-time tournament, especially the NCAA tournament. I think if you look at the teams that made the deepest runs, they almost always have a lot of experience.”

On how the atmosphere around the team has changed with the departure of the seniors…

“When those guys were here, they were great leaders. They have done a lot of things for this program. I mean, Luke Harangody has his number hanging up in the rafters, but they are gone now. This is a new core now. We have to learn how to win without those guys. We will see what happens come our first game. “

Tyrone Nash o Senior o Forward

On what his leadership role is as a senior …

“To get these guys working hard everyday, I have to bring it everyday myself. I took a lot of lessons from them (last year’s seniors Tory Jackson, Jonathan Peoples, Luke Harangody). I watched them everyday. I took my notes to prepare for this year. I may not be the loud vocalist that Tory (Jackson) may be, but I have my own way of getting my point across and making sure these guys follow the lead.”

On if he feels like one of the old guys …

“Coach (Brey) always calls me an old guy. I still feel young. I am always hanging with the freshmen guys so they make me feel young. They keep me young. “

On what is different about him this year …

“More leadership. Now with (Luke) Harangody, (Tory) Jackson and (Jonathan) Peoples gone, there is a leadership role that I have to fill. The other seniors we have here, we can fill it. With the young guys we have this year, we all do a great job leading them and we will see what happens. “

On his improved free throw shooting last season …

“I am still working on the free throw percentage. I want to get that higher. Hopefully the hard work I put in this summer will pay off. “

Carleton Scott o Senior o Forward

On losing Tory Jackson at point guard …

“We have Ben (Hansbrough). We have Eric (Atkins) coming in. Both of those guys can handle the ball. Pretty much anybody can bring it down the court. Anybody can handle the ball for us. For the main guys handling the ball, I think we are pretty comfortable in that position.”

On who brings the ball up the court …

“It is pretty much situational. If we get a rebound and we need to go, we can run. Whoever has it and can push it out to the open guy is how we are going to do it. “

On who will get the scoring…

“It doesn’t matter. Whoever. It is going to be a team effort. There are going to be five of us out there at one time and it is going to be really evenly distributed. “

On how the experience of the team will help them this year…

“It will help us tremendously. The deeper we are the better. Whoever is going to get their number called on needs to be ready. I think that is going to be a big deal for us.”

Scott Martin o Senior o Guard

On missing the past two seasons…

“I feel like I have a much different perspective entering the season this year. The first year I sat I couldn’t wait to get it over with. Now I am just enjoying the experience and realize I have two years left to enjoy this just go out there, have fun and play some basketball.”

On team strengths…

“One of the great things about our team is how versatile we are. There are several people on the team who are interchangeable and can play anywhere on the court. Ty (Nash), (Tim) Abromaitis and I can switch playing inside or outside at anytime. Our versatility will be something we will definitely use this season.”

On playing overseas…

“I was able to play in five games in the span of ten days. It doesn’t sound like much, but from game one to game five I really felt like a different person. I am hoping that being back here and playing by the American rules I can shake the rust off pretty quickly. “

Jack Cooley o Sophomore o Forward

On what has allowed him to become consistent…

“As coach (Brey) said, it’s just what I need to do. Coach told me its my part to help the team win, so my goal is to come out here and do whatever I can do to help the team win. If that’s what coach tells me to do, then I’m just going to keep doing that and we will keep winning like last year. “

On coming back in better shape than last year…

“Oh yeah, I made it a huge point this year. I had four cardio sessions a week, and then we would just make sure I worked out, shoot, run every day. I made the conditioning test this year on the first try, so that was good too. “

On what he feels he can offer to the team this year…

“I feel like I can offer playing unselfish like coach (Brey) said and getting rebounds and setting screens. We have great shooters. Everyone in our starting five can shoot. Tyrone Nash can even shoot now, so I can just set screens to help everyone get open and help the flow of the offense work better.”

Eric Atkins o Freshman o Guard

On continually developing a relationship with Coach Brey…

“I would say right now that it is a very good relationship. We talk all the time. Even when I committed during my junior year, we talked every week. Now it is even more. We talk every day. “

On if he is approaching this season with the idea of being the primary ball handler…

“Yes, I do approach it like that. That is what the coaches have been telling me to do right now. I just have to make sure I am ready for it when I step into the game.

On what he learned playing with his teammates over the summer…

“Being here in the summer was the best part. Getting a feel of everyone’s game, and now practice is starting I already know everything so I’m more comfortable now. I learned that we can all shoot the ball, and that we are going to be very good this year.”

On if he feels pressure being a freshman…

“No, I don’t feel any pressure at this point. I really just want to play my game, and do what Coach Brey tells me to do. “