Nov. 6, 2006
Notre Dame Head Coach Mike Brey Quotes
On applying defensive ball pressure…
“Ball pressure is our first defensive key that we have in there. It starts with Jackson and McAlarney. They do a heck of a job getting after it. What we have when McAlarney comes out and we come in with Jackson, is that we really have a guy who gets after it.”
On this year’s depth…
“We do have depth. We have a lot of different guys we can throw in there. We weren’t too concerned about personal fouls-we just played. I do think we can keep fresh bodies in, which keeps our defense moving. We can run a little bit more. We can get extra possessions by offensive rebounding because we’re a little fresher because of our depth.”
On what Zach Hillesland adds to the team…
“I don’t know what position he plays, but he’s a heck of a basketball player. He can guard anybody and he certainly can cause the big guys problems. And he’s really good with the basketball. He can rebound, pass, make the free throws, and get his hands on stuff. He’s one of those guys who doesn’t start for us, but even if he doesn’t start he’s going to be a finisher. I think he’s going to finish a lot of games.”
On preparation for the first regular season game…
“They’ll come after us. They did a very good job rebuilding that program. They’ll be very ready to play, very excited. It comes at a good time though. It’s not too early for us. Even though we have a younger group, with all the stuff we did in the summer and September, being able to work with our guys and going through training camp, we’re ready to play games for real.”
Notre Dame Player Quotes
Senior G Russell Carter
On how the exhibition games helped to prepare the team for the regular season… I think we did pretty well. In the second half we got a little lackadaisical because we were up so many points, but on the whole, we’re moving. We’re moving, we’re talking, and we’re rebounding- that’s a big difference from last year. We’re just getting to the ball faster.
On the success of the full-court press…
We said we were going to try to get up into their guards, and the first couple of times with the full court, they panicked, so we just get on putting the pressure on them.
Sophomore F Zach Hillesland
On his freshman year…
Not playing and watching the team struggle, especially after coming from a high school program where I played, was hard. It was hard sitting on the bench and not being able to help the guys.
On stepping into a leadership role this season…
We only have three upper classmen [but] I feel comfortable talking to every player and we’ve got really good chemistry. We’re really open with what we can say to each other.
Freshman F Luke Harangody
On approaching today’s game after his success in the first preseason game… I just tried to approach the game the same way as last week – just go in there and play hard. This team is definitely more physical than Rockhurst last week, so that was good for us, especially the front line.
On how the exhibition helped to prepare him for the regular season…
They helped prepare me very well. I’ve got two games under me. I’ve gotten into the flow of the game, and I know what the feel is like. I’m happy we played these two exhibition games.
Bellarmine Head Coach Scott Davenport Quotes
On Notre Dame’s offense… “They do a tremendous job of spacing. They pass the ball very well and if you don’t guard them, they are going to knock down shots. That’s with them shooting 70% from the three-point line, that’s the most unbelievable stat I’ve ever seen in my life.”
On the play of sophomore forward Luke Zeller… “I’m very familiar with his game, without a doubt. He’s difficult to guard because he steps up and shoots the ball so well. Fifteen points and nine rebounds is a very, very solid game. It was good because we have a difficult time simulating going against a Luke Zeller in practice.”
On Irish Head Coach Mike Brey… “I’ve known Mike for a long time and he’s a credit to this game. You know we need a lot more Mike Brey’s in college basketball. He’s a great teacher and quite a person.”