Clemson vs. Boston College Postgame Coaches’ Quotes

Clemson Head Coach Brad BrownellOverall thoughts:“I’m obviously disappointed that we didn’t send our seniors out in a better way. I thought both those guys competed hard tonight and certainly were very productive. We didn’t make enough three’s again, we haven’t shot the ball well from three the past few games. Besides that, offensively I thought our efficiency was pretty good, but defensively we had a hard time guarding them in the second half. I thought they did a better job of attacking, I felt like we got whistled for a few fouls that probably got our guys a bit tentative and I thought some of their free-throws gave them some confidence. All of that combined with some missed layups and missed three point shots that you got to make when teams are packing it in, it makes for a long night.”On the play of the seniors:“They’ve played pretty well most of the year, they really have. I think Book has played like he did tonight pretty much every night. I think Milt has had some nights where he hasn’t shot it very well, but I thought he did a better job at finishing plays around the basket tonight. Boston College isn’t the biggest team, so I though he did a better job of doing that (getting to the basket).”On Damarcus Harrison‘s play:“Yeah, he scored it better which is good to see. We miss KJ a little bit because we just don’t have another wing shooter who can score, but I thought Harrison was aggressive and I think in the first half he got to the paint four times. He only made one of four but he kept getting good shots. In the second half he made a three and finished a couple which was good to see, but unfortunately Roper and Filer didn’t make a lot of shots today.”On seniors sticking with the program after a coaching change:“It’s a very difficult time, the end of your freshman year and even your sophomore year are the two times when you’re most likely to transfer because you can still play the same amount of years or even more years somewhere else and you don’t always have your roots firmly planted somewhere as opposed to when you’re a junior. I’m certainly unbelievably happy that those guys decided to stay. I think they’ve improved as players, I’m just disappointed for them that we don’t have a junior class or a senior guard that’s maybe a little more polished or a little more seasoned just to go with our two seniors a little bit and help them. They’ve had to play with some young guys that have made some mistakes but they’ve never complained about it, they’ve continued to come in and grind and work. Unfortunately tonight was an example of that. I thought our perimeter guys just missed a couple layups and some open shots from three that we needed. It sounds silly, but a bunch of these games are just two or three shots from being completely different.”Boston College Head Coach Steve DonahueOverall thoughts:“I thought we finally put together a second half that we’ve been looking to do on the road. We’ve had a lot of games that we’ve been tied at half and then ran out of gas. I thought the second half tonight was finally a step for a young team, particularly our guards. I thought Olivier (Hanlan) and Joe (Rahon) played so well in the second half. We competed against a very physical defensive team. I was very proud of our execution. We couldn’t stop them for a while, but eventually, I think there was about a four- or five-minute stretch there when we did get stops. I thought that was the difference in the game.”On his team’s defensive adjustments in the second half:“We tried three or four different things. We tried some press, we tried to zone, we tried to man, we tried to double Booker. At one timeout, I just said, ‘I’m out of suggestions. You guys have to do it.’ They just said, ‘We’re going to get stops.’ Like anything else, it’s a little more determination, a little more resolve, and I thought we did a good job. (Milton) Jennings and (Devin) Booker had pretty good games for their last games on this floor. Just for five or six minutes, we finally got some stops.”On the play of freshman Olivier Hanlan down the stretch:“We’ve had those moments when he gets that look in his eye. It’s been hit-or-miss here because he’s a young player. At halftime, I said, ‘Look how aggressive Clemson is in transition. They’re just flying it up the floor and (Jordan) Roper’s getting open, and we’re just lethargic. That’s our time to go.’ When we’ve got a point guard like Olivier who doesn’t get tired and pushes it, we’ve got to go. I trust him to make great decisions. He’s hard to keep in front, and he’s smart enough to make the right decision. I thought he did that in the second half.”On a young team getting a road win:“I think it’s a huge step. I think we’ve played as well as anybody in terms of a comparison between home and away. We’ve had three or four tight losses on the road, and we’ve had three or four tight losses at home. I think we’ve been very consistent. I just thought tonight was another step in terms of these guys understanding it. The sophomores now have been through every gym. This was the last gym they’ve been too. I think it’s all setting in how they ought to compete at this level. I think our freshman guards are way further ahead than you would think normal freshman guards would be.”