Postgame Quotes From Ohio State vs. Northern Kentucky – Ohio State Buckeyes
11/9/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 9, 2004
Recap | Box Score | Notes
Thad Matta, Ohio State head coach
Opening statement
“Tonight we did some good things – things we wanted to accomplish. We want to have consistency over greatness. (NKU’s Mike) Kelsey has the capability to shoot the basketball and that can be frustrating but we had some key stops and made our free throws when we needed to.
“It was a great test for our guys. It was the first time we have played in front of fans and have had the chance to call in signals. We were able to execute. In the first half we did some good things on defense but we have to be able to defend for a full 30 seconds. There were a few times they scored under 10 seconds or so. We have to get tougher and finish the play out and I think we will be able to do that.”
On junior guard Je’Kel Foster
“He comes in and will compete every day. He did a good job on Kelsey – he (Kelsey) is a prolific shooter and Je’Kel did a good job. There was a point where we called a time out to get after the guys and the very next possession Je’Kel was diving on the floor and got a loose ball. He is a winner – he won 32 games in junior college last season. He knows what it takes.”
On the playing time of the lineup
“I think it is pretty close to what you are going to see. What I thought it hurt us early was that (Matt) Sylvester and (Matt) Terwilliger both had two quick fouls pretty early into their time on the court. That set them back a little. When you figure Brandon (Fuss-Cheatham) in there, it will allow more time for Tony (Stockman) to play off the ball a little more although he did a good job in the set tonight.”
Junior guard Je’Kel Foster
On his defensive and overall effort
“I think my defense really helped me get into a rhythm. I felt great tonight and I just wanted to come out and play my game.”
Junior center Terence Dials
On the game
“We still need to work on a lot of things before the season starts and hopefully we can works those things out.”
On staying out of foul trouble
“I need to stay out of foul trouble and I have to stop hurting our team with silly fouls.”
On playing without Brandon Fuss-Cheatham
“It was tough not playing with Fuss because he is a true point guard and he gets us into our offense, but I spoke with him today and he is hanging in there so hopefully we can get him back real soon.”
Senior guard Tony Stockman
On finishing the game strong
“We just need to stay confident in ourselves and in our system. I think sometimes last season we doubted ourselves down the stretch and that is something we need to work on.”
Dave Bezold, Northern Kentucky head Coach
On the game plan against Ohio State
“We had watched no videotape of Ohio State, and really knew nothing about them as a team. Coming into the game, we just wanted to worry about ourselves and what we had to do. We wanted to play fundamental basketball, have patience, and take advantage of the opportunities that we had.”
On the opportunity to play Ohio State
“We are so privileged and so thankful to Ohio State for giving us the opportunity to come here and play. Our guys have been wide-eyed the last few days walking off the bus at Kentucky, Cincinnati, and now at The Ohio State University. We think this opportunity, as a Division II school, will really help us and give us much needed experience. I hope Ohio State enjoyed this, and hopefully they’ll invite us back in the future.”
On Ohio State center Terence Dials
“With his back to the basket, he is definitely the best big man we’ve faced and that’s saying something because we have faced UK and UC. Maxiell, from Cincinnati is great but isn’t really a true post player. Dials is old-school in the fact that he takes a drop step and puts it up and scores. He uses his body real well and is the type of player that you want on your team.”
