Dec. 8, 2012

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Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey

Opening statement …
“How about Eric Atkins for the Heisman? Unbelievable. Great win. I’m really pleased, even though the week was broken up with no games and not as much practice early in the week, for us to play as well as we did. I thought we got off to a great start. Our guards did a fabulous job guarding their [Brown’s] guards. Their guards are good. It was a workout all night chasing them around. I thought Eric (Atkins) and Jerian (Grant) were really good and I’m thrilled with the lift Tom Knight gave us. It makes me think a little differently as we move forward. That may be our seventh guy. Of course he’s saved us before coming off the bench. Now we shut it down again for a few days with exams and then we’ll probably get back into our practice routine Wednesday.”

On Garrick Sherman …
“He’s got a hurt knee right now. His knee is sore. He bruised his knee.”

On Tom Knight …
“He’s been good in practice. Keeping him healthy has been a problem at times, but he’s a veteran guy. I’m just really thrilled with what he’s given and again, shades of what he gave us at the end of last year. I think I mentioned at media day, I’d always remember him coming off the bench against Xavier and kind of turning the momentum with some charges. It’s funny how opportunities present themselves when guys get injured. We’ve had that happen a lot here with Carlton Scott for [Luke] Harangody and different guys for [Tim] Abromaitis. Again, not that Garrick’s [injury] is season ending. He’ll be back in there and part of it, but I really like what Tom was doing on both ends of the court. He’s quick. He’s our quickest big guy. He’s light on his feet. I thought he did a great job on the ball screens. He helped Eric and Jerian [Grant]. If you ask them, hey love him in there because he showed on the ball screens. He’s fast enough to get some second shots for us and score a little bit, but he knows our system. I’m really thrilled for him because he’s had a great attitude. We’ve looked at a lot of different combinations and digs and he’s gotten the least bite of the apple, but tonight on a night when a guy’s down and he comes in and delivers. He’s very much on my mind. “

On Eric Atkins …
“He’s player-coach out there. I think he’s had three or four games without a turnover. He hasn’t turned the ball over. He’s just so solid and he can play long minutes. He’s in great shape and I just like having him out there. I like it flowing with him. He just did a great job orchestrating. Twenty-two assists and three turnovers is pretty good.”

Brown Head Coach Mike Martin

Thoughts on Mike Brey and the program he’s built at Notre Dame …
“I have the utmost respect for Coach Brey and his program. I have since I was in high school. I just admired how his programs competed and carried themselves since he’s been here at Notre Dame. I wish them all the best going forward.”

On his teams effort …
“I was disappointed with our team’s effort for forty minutes. I thought we showed flashes, and I told the guys that in the locker room. But against a team like this in a building like this, you’ve got to do it for forty minutes, otherwise they’re going to make you pay.”

On Notre Dame’s 10-0 run during in the first half …
“I thought that was obviously a huge part of them separating themselves. We rebounded the ball pretty well early, we weren’t turning the ball over, executed our offense and got some pretty good looks. But they continued to wear us down with their strength and experience. Obviously you’ve got to credit Notre Dame for the runs they made, but I would’ve liked to see us hold it together a little better than we did at the end of the first half.”

On taking something positive from the game …
“We’ll watch the tape. I’m sure there were some positives. I think we continue to get good leadership from our three captains. Certainly we want to learn from our mistakes and our breakdowns, both offensively and defensively.”

Notre Dame Player Quotes

Jerian Grant – Junior – Guard

On the team’s defensive performance …
“We did a good job moving the ball around. We got good looks in transition. It is good when Eric gets the ball and is able to run. We have so many good shooters on the floor, so either we are spotting up or Jack is rolling to the basket.”

On building off the efficiency of the Kentucky game …
“It was big for us. We are going to have to sustain this throughout the season. Being consistent and playing well is definitely going to be big for us.”

On what Tom Knight brought to the floor …
“He gave us a second big. He brought some energy off the bench that we knew we were going to have to have without Garrick [Sherman] playing tonight. Tom coming in, grabbing some big rebounds, and finishing around the basket was huge for us.”

On balancing a long break between break …
“It helps having mature guys. We know we have to stay focused. We realize we have to concentrate on the books, but we also know we have to be ready to play when game time comes around. I practice preparation with the old guys like Jack (Cooley) and Scott (Martin). Keeping our focus is very important.”

Scott Martin – Graduate Student – Forward

On building off of the Kentucky game …
“I think that was a key for us because we had such a big gap between games. We came out very focused right away. We hit them right away, and then they came back on us a bit. I think we showed our focus tonight.”

On putting together runs during the game …
“I think we were just getting stops tonight. It sounds kind of obvious, but that really helped us. We were able to get some stops, and then we were able to get some easy looks in transition. I think that momentum helped us carry through.”

On the team’s next game against Purdue …
“It is going to be a great atmosphere down there. It is always great to get all four Indiana teams playing down there. It is really Indiana basketball at its finest. It has been a long time since I played for them. I am here, I play for Notre Dame, and I am really excited to get out there and try to get a win.”

On having a consistent starting five …
“That is definitely great for our stability and our confidence. This starting five has played a lot of minutes, and we have won a lot of games together. We are very comfortable together, and I think that makes us very confident on the floor.”

Eric Atkins – Junior – Guard

On limiting turnovers …
“I’m just trying to be smart with the ball and just keep being aggressive. Not turning the ball over is something I’ve always been proud of myself on. I honestly just wanted to be more aggressive this year and but it’s actually turned out that I’ve been getting more assists and less turnovers. It’s all turned out pretty well.”

On playing relaxed and confident …
“I think in practice the coaches really hand the ball over to me and let me run the show right now. I think my confidence is at a high right now, and when I have the ball, I feel like I can score any time I want to or find the open man.”

On being more efficient on offense …
“I think it’s big, especially these last couple games going into December before BIG EAST games start. That’s when it really gets tough for us.”

On the week off …
“I think it was positive for us to get healthy a little bit and get rested up. Some people did get sick and hurt, but I think legs-wise it was a good thing.”

Jack Cooley – Senior – Forward

On dominating the game …
“I mean they’re a really good team, an Ivy League team that runs their stuff and they play hard. We had a big run at the end of the first half where we kind of just control.”

On the eight-day layoff …
“It’s a little difficult after going off against ourselves for eight days and focusing on academics because we have another break with finals. It was a welcome break though, really.”

On the bench play tonight …
“I think they played very well. Tom Knight especially came out there and fought really hard. That’s what we expect and that’s what he does in practice. Zach Auguste was out there playing hard too. Both of them showed they could play and it was a good opportunity for them.”

Cameron Biedscheid – Freshman – Forward

On scoring double figures in three of the last four games …
“I’m really getting a lot of help from veteran guys. They really talk to me a lot out there on the floor and it’s really helped keep me focused. I’ve been stepping up and knocking down shots that I’m getting.”