Jan. 5, 2013

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Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey

Thoughts on the game …
“Very proud and pleased how we started BIG EAST play, layoffs really haven’t affected us this year. I thought our offensive efficiency was just off the charts and that was the key. We defended the arch enough where they couldn’t really hurt us too bad.”

On playing defense during the game …
“Our defensive energy wasn’t great in the first half and I talked about that in the second half. Going to zone helped us a little bit. We scored out of that and they missed some shots, and we ran, and we got that cushion at least; that was hard for them to really cut it to one possession. I thought our energy was better in the second half but the story was offensive efficiency and we shot the ball so well which, you’ll take a win any way you’ll get it but we’re going to have to be better defensively on Monday on the road (Cincinnati).”

On Scott Martin’s performance and improved shooting ability …
“That’s the thing he and I talked about last spring, I said ‘I just want you to get shots up. I don’t even care about you playing pickup.’ I don’t want him tearing up the knee, he doesn’t need reps playing the game he’s played the game a lot and he’s not going to lose his fundamentals. Just get shots up but I think it’s given him a lot of confidence and I think his teammates have even told him ‘shoot that thing.’ Great to see, that’s a weapon that is a new kind of a weapon for us and we’re really going to need to count on through the rest of the BIG EAST.”

On offensive efficiency, and Eric Atkins making a statement at point guard …
“I was going to say I think I have the best point guard in the BIG EAST. I’ve looked around the country and I wouldn’t trade this guy for any other point guard in any other program. I mean the guy is unbelievably efficient and machine-like and is flat-out running our team and running our locker room. I’m just so pleased with where he’s at.”

On why Eric Atkins isn’t considered one of the nation’s best point guards …
“Great question, I wonder about that all the time. You look at some top-10 point guards and I just don’t understand that. I’ve never been the kind of guy to campaign for that because we’re just trying to win, but at some point are you seeing what this guy is doing? And how he’s managing a heck of a team? It’s brilliant, simply brilliant.”

On getting the first BIG EAST win of the season …
“Always good to get 1-0 in the BIG EAST. To get one under your belt in this league, keep our BIG EAST momentum playing here at home was great. I tell you what our crowd was great. We didn’t have our students, but our crowd and the numbers we had in that building that helped us. And we’re going to need them back next Saturday (vs. Connecticut) because the students aren’t back then either. “

On being prepared after the two-week layoff to handle the grind of BIG EAST play …
“Yes, you know if you look at our schedule in the preseason we played a bunch of Saturday-Mondays and then right before Christmas we played four times in eight days. This team, a veteran team, likes this. Where tomorrow our practice is going to be much more mental than physical and then, can we go out and be ready to do that on Monday? I like the rhythm of our schedule now with games coming at us, and then we have some gaps where we can rest some guys.”

On being ready for the challenge of an actual road game …
“I would be very disappointed if we’re frazzled, flustered, or play young. I really would. This group has been through it all, and that’s what I’m going to talk to them about tomorrow. This is a great challenge for us, and can we do it on the road? I’ll be disappointed if we don’t play like men Monday.”

On Cameron Biedscheid’s BIG EAST debut …
“Very solid; those are two big jump shots. Him sneaking in like that, and he held his own defensively and he rebounded for us a little bit. He was good with the ball. He had a huge impact on this game and I’m very proud of him in his first BIG EAST game. He is a focused guy, he just loves to play the game and he just wants to be coached and we are so much further along than I thought we would be; I thought there would be more maintenance and there hasn’t been and I’m really proud of him.”

His thoughts about the football game Monday …
“Well, we need to get two (wins) on Monday. Who was it that said ‘let’s play two’ no let’s win two! That’s Ernie Banks, right? Let’s win two Monday, I mean what a great night for Notre Dame fans. Start tailgating with us at 6:30; put on the Irish in Miami at 8:30, we’re going to get back, I will not have to get ejected – even though, you never know based on officiating – I do not have to get ejected since they moved the game earlier we’re going to go right back to the hotel and watch Irish football and support them and see if they can win that thing and we’ll bus back Tuesday.”

Notre Dame Players Quotes

Jack Cooley – Senior – Forward

On preparing for the physicality of the game …
“The coaches had us watch film. I remember last year the brutal beating I got. The key is you can’t let it get to you. That’s just what the BIG EAST is-it’s the most physical conference and you’ve got to make sure you’re mentally prepared.”

On playing against Eugene Teague …
“Yeah, Teague’s a big guy, a nice guy too. But I just realized going head-to-head with brute strength is kind of a waste of energy. I just needed to find open spaces and I know my guards will find me. Eric (Atkins) and Jerian (Grant) do a phenomenal job of passing to the post and I just needed to remember that instead of trying to go body to body with him.”

On the team’s 25 assists …
“It just really comes down to our great guard play. Eric (Atkins) and Jerian (Grant) are so unselfish. They give off assists and that’s all on them.”

On predictions for the BCS Championship Game …
“Uh, we’re winning. Obviously.”

Eric Atkins – Junior – Guard

On improvement over the past week …
“With this big lay-off we had time to really get to the offense. We’ve always been good with the turnovers so just staying consistent on that side of the ball was really good for us.”

On what the offense needs to work on …
“Just on the offensive side of the ball, we’ve got to keep being efficient, keep looking for shots and take our open shots because we’re shooting really well right now.”

On having a 14-day break from games …
“It’s tough but we’ve been ready all along. We’ve been antsy looking at all the games this past week. I think we were all really excited to get going today.”

On getting ready for BIG EAST away games …
“We’ve got to be ready for the crowd noise and calls not going our way but I think this group can handle that. We’ve been together a lot last year so I think that we have to get the freshmen ready for it. But we’ll be ready.”

Scott Martin – Senior – Guard

On scoring …
“I don’t think you’re ever going to make every shot. But I think you’ve just got to believe every one is going in. Every time I let go of the ball, I think that every one is going in. You’ve just got to believe in yourself and I know my teammates believe in me. And I get yelled at if I don’t shot so I just shot it.”

On being the leading scorer this game …
“I was feeling good. It felt like it was going to go in today especially so I was hunting it a little more.”

On how it felt to be back on the court …
“We’ve been itching for a while. It was a long 14 days but we were excited to get out playing.”

On the high number of assists …
“I think we’ve been playing like that ever since I’ve been here. I think Eric (Atkins) and Jerian (Grant) have taken it to a new level and Pat (Connaughton) as well. We just love to share the ball. We love to get open shots. We don’t care who hits the three, we’re just excited to win games.”

Seton Hall Head Coach Kevin Willard Quotes

On the Notre Dame’s scoring runs …
“We didn’t defend very well. They executed very well.”

On playing the zone defense …
“Brandon (Mobley) got into a little bit of foul trouble. Once Brandon leaves us right now we have no one else to play power forward. It becomes tough to play in this league with just one power forward and one center, which is what we have. That is why we stuck with the zone. We probably would have done some different things if we had more time to prepare. We played Wednesday night and they haven’t played in forever.”

On Kevin Johnson playing …
“I am proud of Kevin. He had surgery just 12 days ago. He practiced yesterday for about 10 to 15 minutes. All he wanted to play was five to six minutes at the most. That was all he was allowed to play.”

On Scott Martin and Jack Cooley’s performance …
“Scott played great. He has improved his shooting a lot from last year and has a more fluid release. He is a very smart basketball player and just doesn’t get into trouble. He does a really good job of complimenting Cooley. I think both of those guys kind of feed off each other. They look for each other a lot. When he is shooting as well as he is shooting they are tough to beat.”

On taking positives from the game …
“We are leaving in 22 minutes. I’ll be home with my kids by 6:00 p.m. That’s the best thing we can take.”

On starting BIG EAST play …
“You start this BIG EAST trip off at DePaul and Notre Dame. You are hoping to go 1-1. If you get both that is great, you just don’t want to lose both. We are not going to get healthy anytime soon. We still have three guys on crutches. I’m happy we left this trip 1-1 and we have to go home and protect the home court. In this league you are not going to win every road game.”