Post Game Quotes From Ohio State vs. Eastern Illinois – Ohio State Buckeyes
12/23/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 23, 2003
Recap| Box Score| Notes
Ohio State head coach Jim O’Brien
On the play of Nick Dials
“Nick gave us a great start in the beginning of the game. When he was out there it just looked like he belonged and I did not see any reason not to put him back in. One of the main reasons I took out Nick and the rest of the starters was because they were so tired.”
On shaking up the lineup
“I think the message was sent loud and clear tonight-this is a blue collar operation and it’s going to take a little awhile to come up with some solutions.”
On the effort over the last couple of days
“I am thrilled with the effort over the last couple of days. We have had some great practices, but that’s the way it has to be all the time.”
Freshman guard Nick Dials
On the game
“I try to work hard in practice and I just wanted to get in there and motivate my teammates the best I could tonight. Tonight, a point of emphasis was to get the ball inside to Velimir and Terence and I think we did a nice job tonight.”
Senior center Velimir Redinovic
On the starting lineup
“I think tonight was a great eye-opener. We have not been playing as well as we had been, but I think our team got the message tonight. I think we proved to everyone that we were a tough team.”
On going home for Christmas
“I think it will be nice to go home have and it will be nice to have a little break before the Big Ten season begins.”
Junior guard Brandon Fuss-Cheatham
On the play of Nick Dials
“Nick is a hustler and he played very well tonight. Everyone hates to play against him in practice because of the amount of intensity he provides.” Eastern Illinois Coach Rick Samuels
On tonight’s game
“Tonight I saw our team’s most consistent effort. I thought we guarded well and played aggressively on defense. Our only disadvantage tonight was size and strength. They wore us down and kept us from getting any second chances.”
On Nick Dials
“I thought he played well for his first start. He is a strong player who gives great effort every play.”
On the positives from the game
“We can definitely build on our effort from this game. We saw tonight how we can compete against a top-tier team and I think if we improve on our mistakes from tonight we can be a strong competitor in our conference. Tonight was a good learning experience.”
