Clemson vs. Wake Forest Postgame Coaches’ Quotes

Jan. 28, 2012

Clemson Head Coach Brad Brownell

Overall thoughts: “I thought we started the game a little rusty, maybe a little nervous. We certainly did some things well, but we just didn’t make shots. We only had two turnovers in the first half, so I thought our ball movement was good and our concentration was good. But we’ve had some problems, at times, scoring, and we didn’t make any shots. I thought Wake came out and did some good things initially and caught us on our heels just a touch. But our guys rallied back and, for the last thirty minutes, I thought we played pretty well. I was proud of the way we competed and executed. I thought we did some really good things in the last thirty minutes of the game.”

On the importance of Bryan Narcisse today: “He’s a high energy kid. When he’s active like that, it really helps take some pressure off of other guys. He has had maybe a little bit of an up-and-down season. But he hit a big three late for us. He defended well against (Travis) McKie for the most part when he was on him. His length helps us in terms of activity defensively and also with some rebounding.”

On if Andre Young is starting to emerge as a go-to player: “He has to be. We all knew that he was going to be the guy coming into the season. There have been some times when he hasn’t been as consistent as we would like. That’s part of the process of being a primary player, of being asked and expected to make big plays and big shots. The last two games, he’s been able to do that for us. I think our guys certainly look for him.”

On his team’s flat start to the game: “I was angry about our defense early on because we talked about being an energy team and playing really hard. I actually said something to our staff. When I was talking to them upstairs, right before we came down, I didn’t like the look in their eyes. It’s a 12 o’clock game, and we haven’t done this much, especially at home. I didn’t know if we were ready for a competitive fight. We were a little bit on our heels.”

On the team’s good assist-to-turnover ratio: “We just took care of the ball. Wake is not a high-pressure team, so you’re not dealing with a team that’s trying to gamble and steal and those kinds of things. I think our guys have gotten a little better offensively. I think we’re a little more comfortable. We just made some more good decisions, especially in the first half.”

Wake Forest Head Coach Jeff Bzdelik

Overall Thoughts: “Turnovers killed us. When you’ve been struggling offensively and you start the game the way we did, you have to be able to build on that success. We didn’t take advantage of the lead we had in the first half. We had some opportunities: open shots and free throws that you just have to make. There-in lies the story of the game in my mind.”

On Clemson’s defensive adjustments: “I don’t think it was as much of an adjustment as you would think. We need to play better. We don’t screen well to get people open and we just have to play better. We have to take advantage of the opportunities that we get. We can’t turn the ball over as much as we did today. We have to play better.”

On Andre Young: “Look at his line: five assists, two steals, no turnovers, 19 points. It’s important to have seniors that have been around for a while and who understand this game. That just takes time.”