Oliver Purnell Pre-NIT Championship Press Conference Quotes

March 28, 2007

Mastercard NIT Championship Clemson vs. West Virginia Clemson Head Coach Oliver Purnell

On preparing his team with little time: “Well I always say that we have the same amount of time as they do. I would like to have three days to prepare but we don’t. We will watch some tape with the team, go through the scouting report, walk through some things and play against the zone and that kind of thing. We will come back tonight, meet again, watch tape and go over the scouting report. We will have shoot around tomorrow. Before the shoot around we will watch tape. At shoot around we will go through the scouting report. That is a lot of preparation. I would like three days of that. They have the same amount of time as well. If they had more time I would consider it difficult but they have the same issues. As far as I am concerned, that is not an advantage for either team.”

On Vernon Hamilton: “I had nothing to do with it. I wasn’t there. When I got here they handed him to me. All I had to do was shake his hand. It is not coincidence he has gotten better every year and so have we. He was huge in that game with his penetration and those kind of things early in the game. He has gotten better over the year and so have we. He has had a solid career and it would be great for him to finish, winning his last game of his career, with a NIT Championship to show for it.”

On John Beilein: “John always makes adjustments every year during the year. (He is) a terrific coach. He is very innovative. He is much different. I am sure he will bring out part of his game that he didn’t use last night after watching what we did or watching what Air Force did to us. It is up to us to adjust and go from there.”

On winning a NIT Championship: “I think it would be another sign that the program is going in the right direction. Every year we have gotten better and better. The University would be proud of (us) in terms of where our basketball program is and I think it will be an excellent spring board moving forward.”