Clemson vs. Furman Postgame Coaches’ Quotes

Nov. 25, 2011

Clemson Head Coach Brad Brownell

Overall thoughts: “We’re happy to get a win, especially when you spot them nine. I thought our guys rallied back defensively. We got back to what we needed to do. It was really just a hard-fought game. We missed a lot of shots under the basket that we need to make. To Furman’s credit, those guys made some tough shots to stay in the game. Our guys did a good job of just hanging in there and plugging away and getting big stops when we needed to, and a couple of big baskets. I thought Milt (Jennings) was obviously terrific tonight. He was really focused. Andre (Young) and Tanner (Smith) were really solid. They played well, especially with the amount of minutes they had to play.”

On his emphasis on penetration: “It’s hard when another team plays as much zone as they played tonight. It’s not as easy to get in there and penetrate. It hurt that Devin was in some foul trouble. When your strongest post player is in and out and not getting into the kind of rhythm that he likes, it puts even more pressure on other guys. I thought Milt was fantastic. He was being aggressive but not out of control. At times, he’s shown he can get a little loose. We certainly wanted to try to get more free throws and attack the basket. Guys certainly did a better job of that tonight.”

On veterans stepping up offensively: “I hope so. It’s going to be a process still. It’s a big adjustment for these guys in terms of the confidence of everybody looking at you to make a big shot. Whether it’s Tanner or Andre or Devin (Booker) or Milt, those four guys need to be the guys to make the big shots and make the big shots and grab ahold of opportunities. Andre did some of it last year, but really it was Demontez (Stitt) and Jerai (Grant).”

Furman Head Coach Jeff Jackson

Overall thoughts: “When both teams have runs at the beginning of the game, you see the lead change a lot. We competed and they competed, but I thought they made more plays than us in the second half. I thought Milton [Jennings] played really well. He really took advantage of opportunities he had to use his skills around the basket. I really thought that was the difference in the game.”

On Brandon Sebirumbi: “He got in foul trouble early. He only played 14 minutes. He’s a good player and when he plays well, we’re a different basketball team.”

On playing at Clemson: “We’re trying to get better. That’s what you can take away from any game this early in the year, and I think Brad [Brownell] would say the same thing. It’s so early and the season’s so long. Obviously, you want to play as well as you can play at any opportunity you have, but every coach in the country is doing the same thing right now. We’re trying to put our teams in different situations, in different venues, and trying to see how we react to those kinds of environments this early in the season.”