Clemson vs. Oakland postgame quotes

Opening Statement:

“Good performance from our guys heading into Christmas. I thought we had a great two days of practice coming into the game. Our guys were focused, and we knew Oakland is a very talented offensive team, and we got a first-hand account of that from their game against Pittsburgh. We challenged our guys to defend at a high level, and I felt we did that tonight. We played very well early offensively, and all in all, I thought our performance was good, especially defensively.”

On Jaron Blossomgame’s performance:

“Jaron knows we have confidence in him and he’s put in a ton of hard work. He’s a very emotional player, so if he’s feeling good and things are going really well, he can gain confidence quickly, and you saw that with him tonight, especially with his rhythm threes near the end of the first half. I thought he played well and had a good a mix to his game, and his free throws down the stretch were huge. He’ s still a young player learning how to be a good player. Having said that, he’s coming. You can see a guy that’s blossoming and whose confidence is rising.”

On Landry Nnoko’s performance:

“He’s another guy that’s still figuring it out and learning, and we want them both to take that next step and become double digit scorers. Taking that next step is a big jump for him in terms of confidence, but he played well tonight.”

On Sidy Djitte’s role:

“I thought (Sidy) Djitte played great. His defense and rebounding were outstanding, and those two guys (Nnoko and Djitte) together, when Nnoko’s playing well offensively, make a good tandem. Sidy’s a tough, rugged physical guy that likes to knock you over. It was great to see him make his jump hook. It’s something we’ve been working on with him. With three steals, his activity level was really good.”