Feb. 2, 2008
Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey
On playing DePaul…
“We had great poise tonight. We had a bunch of different guys make big plays for us. We only turned it over eight times and had 22 assists. We really took care of the basketball.”
On the play of the Notre Dame bench…
“We got great performances out of Luke Zeller, Jonathan Peoples, and Ryan Ayers. Those three guys really gave us a kick start.”
On the play of Notre Dame Forward Luke Harangody…
“I hope everybody appreciates what he does. He is a great scorer. What is great about him is that he just wants to win and he is a great teammate.”
“You can throw four guys at him and he will break their will. He has done it to guys in practice, to guys on the other team. He sets a great tone.”
On playing on Notre Dame’s home court…
“The energy in the building, we can feel it during the game. Our guys feed off it.”
On Notre Dame’s upcoming schedule…
“We have ten league games left. There is a lot of basketball to be played. I like that we are still getting better, we are developing, still improving. We cannot get ahead of ourselves. Lets get down and ready. We have to go out to (Seton Hall) New Jersey where they can score 90 (points).”
Notre Dame Players
Sophomore Forward Luke Harangody
On beginning the game…
“I was able to get some good looks to start off with. I was able to get a few offensive rebounds to help jump start me a little bit.”
On the season and the team’s chance in the league…
“It’s a challenge going out there every time. We have a good chance every time we come out strong. We have to go on the Wednesday against Seton Hall and that will be a challenge too. I definitely see that we have a chance to make a dent in this league.”
On DePaul…
“They came out and hit some tough shots. They hit some shots in transition. They were able to hit some threes and we definitely need to be aware of shooters and get our hands in their faces.”
Senior Forward Rob Kurz
On the game against DePaul and playing against DePaul several times in his career…
“This is a really big game for us to get to 6-2 (in the BIG EAST). It puts us in a really good position. I’ve played against a lot of these guys before, and we have some guys on our team from Chicago and we get to play them twice as a BIG EAST opponent. It was a huge game for us and a big win.”
Junior Guard Ryan Ayers
On being able to come in a little more aggressive off the bench…
“I definitely feel that I need to be a little more aggressive and get shots up to help my team win. Coach has great confidence in me and I’m going keep riding that and just keep working hard.”
On his chemistry with Zach Hillesland…
“Him and I have great chemistry on and off the court. We just both know how to play we feed off of each other and we both cheer for each other and support each other so I’m just trying to be a good teammate and he does the same for me.”
Junior Guard Kyle McAlarney
On another big home win…
“It was a huge game for us. The second of this little stretch that we have here at home. We were excited to be here back at home. The blackout. The crowd was great. We came out and defended well, got some stops and were tight defensively.”
On Luke Harangody’s performance…
“Luke’s second chance points that he gives us is such a huge lift. His energy and emotion out there and his will to get his hands on the ball is something that no one else can do in this league. No one does it better. He just keeps doing it. He is up there for BIG EAST Player of the Year and he is going to get some national recognition now, too. He should. He is one of the better players in this league and we love him. I love having him on my team.”
Sophomore guard Tory Jackson
On the energy from the crowd…
“I love the energy. When we are home we need our crowd. They did a great job today being noisy and doing whatever they needed to do.”
Junior Forward Zach Hillesland
On DePaul’s second half comeback…
“We have to keep our focus out there. Defense is something that we talk about everyday. The thing about the BIG EAST is that there are so many different styles of play that you really have to adjust from game to game. It is something that we need to improve upon. I think we have made improvements from year to year since I have been here so it is just something we have to continue to work on in practice. We just have to keep our focus for the full forty minutes of the game. If it is a 10-point game, a 12-point game, whatever it is we need to remain focused for the entire game.”
On the easiness of offense and working hard on defense…
“Offense comes easily because these guys have such a high basketball IQ. On defense you are kind of reacting to what they are doing so it is a little bit different but if we put our minds to it and we keep our focus we can do a good job, especially with Tory (Jackson). He is our defensive leader I guess you could say, so when he gets out and pressures the ball he makes it easier for all of us. When he can really get out there and disrupt them it helps us all out. When we can get out there and turn in a good defensive performance it helps us as well because our offense is usually rolling pretty well.”
On getting behind…
“We are extremely confident. At the end of the day, its basketball. Its really, we’re doing this for fun. We just go out and do our job and keep playing.”
DePaul Head Coach Jerry Wainwright
On Notre Dame…
“I’d like to congratulate Coach Brey and his kids. They’re playing really well right now. They’re a great representative of our league. I certainly think that the level that they’re playing at — at 16-4 that makes them a top 25 team. They’re playing extremely well right now.”
“The statistic that sticks out at you — that made a difference in the game — is points in the paint. They had 40, and obviously Luke [Harangody] and his teammates did a great job, especially Luke in the first half. And I thought that their points off of turnovers in the first half really gave them a cushion.”
“When we turned the ball over they turned it into points, and I think that kind of was the cushion that the game ended at.”
On Luke Harangody’s rebounding…
“I thought it was pretty physical inside, but sometimes it bounces his way. He’s got a big heart and he goes after every ball… He’s got a really good nose for the ball, and he did a really good job… He kind of leans in and he keeps coming.”
On free throws…
“We’ve shot seven free throws in our last two games in the Big East. I really think we’ve tried to bring the ball inside today, and I think it shows in points in the paint, but maybe I’m wrong…
We have to do a better job getting those kinds of points, and getting Notre Dame to play a whole game with eight fouls you really don’t get to test their bench or change their rotation.”
DePaul Player Quotes
Senior Guard Draelon Burns
On only getting three free throw attempts…
“It’s real frustrating. We scored a lot in the paint but I don’t know really what (the problem) was. Now we just have to focus on the next game.”
On second half comeback effort…
“We made a good run. Then we just had a couple of mental mistakes. We just have to cut down on the things like that.”
Senior Center Wesley Green
On trouble getting to the free throw line…
“We got into the lane a lot and missed a lot of open shots. It’s not anything that the other team is doing we just aren’t getting to the line.”
On play of Luke Harangody…
“I think in the half court we defended him real well. If he has a good game you really just can’t stop him. He’s in a good rhythm right now. Right now everything he puts in the air looks like it’s going to go in. You can’t help but to just hope he misses.”