Mark Turgeon
Opening Statement:
“I was proud of my group tonight. You have a private scrimmage and then a game in front of fans and you want to get better. I think we got better tonight. We went to the press and kind of changed the game right before half. We are doing some things differently than we have done in the past and it has taken some time to get used to. As the game went on we got better. I’m just trying to coach the team. We played with great effort and thought we defended for forty minutes. We’re a more physical and better rebounding team this year.”
On what Morsell and Obi bring to this team:
“Darryl is a big time athlete and one thing he wanted to do was play on a team where he can get to the rim. We space the floor and have shooters around him so it allows him to do that. He also does a great job of running the offense and finding guys. He’s learning multiple positions, which is hard as a new player. Darryl has come a long way very quickly. He works at it and has become a much better shooter. Sean Obi is just a big physical guy. You can tell how well he communicates out there. I’m happy for him. For him to get out there and play was good to see.”
On if the sophomores are adjusting to the new roles:
“I think we are getting used to the new team. We are running new things offensively. All three of them are so much more comfortable. I think Kevin and Justin did a great job passing the ball. Anthony made some threes for us, which was nice. All three of them defended well. Anthony really got his defense going in the second half. I think we will make giant strides by next Friday. They look good and all three of them are really unselfish.”
On how well the team is sharing the basketball:
“It is something we’re working on. We have a lot of good passers and spacing with some great players. The whole idea is not turning the ball over. Some of our turnovers were just trying to make a good play. We do it really well in practice.”
On Anthony Cowan playing with more control:
“I’m sure the game has slowed down for him a lot. Anthony’s a great player and he had great numbers for us last year. I imagine everything slowed down. He’s been terrific for us in practice, and I’d imagine in our last two weeks of practice he’s been something like 28 assists to 8 turnovers. Something outrageous — it might even be more assists. I think he’s getting a better feel for everything and he did play at a better pace tonight. I thought he was very efficient.”
On the play of Michal Cekovsky:
“If you could’ve seen Ceko in our first practice, he’s come a long way. He was out for basically six months or seven months and he was dragging that leg around. Maybe tonight he looked that way to you guys but he didn’t to me. He’s really come a long way and he’s playing with great confidence. It was good to see. He was terrific on defense out there tonight. I think he’s just going to get better and better as the year goes on.”
On the status of Bruno Fernando:
“Bruno probably would’ve played tonight if it were a game that counted. But we expect him to be pretty close to full go — probably 90 to 95 percent — on Saturday. He’s getting closer to pain free with his ankle. It’ll be good. He’ll have a full week of practice to get him ready for the opener and barring a setback he’ll be ready to go next Friday.”
On how Ivan Bender’s play translates to the perimeter in Maryland’s offense:
“Ivan’s very skilled. He’s worked very hard on his shot. He’s made a lot of threes in practice this year and whether that’s going to translate — we’ll see. He’s a smart, great feel, basketball player. We had him switching screens out there and switching on to a point guard and doing a lot of different things. Because of who we played tonight we weren’t able to play the big lineup as much. You bring Bruno back in and we might play the big lineup some more. And we probably would’ve played a smaller lineup even more if Dion Wiley weren’t hurt.”
On Maryland’s press tonight:
“I think this can be a good pressing team. We put it in this week and I went home and watched film and thought ‘we’re pretty good at this.’ I think — especially if we don’t start games the right way — it’s something we can do. If we’re going to play a team who likes to play slow it’s something we can do. But teams will be prepared for it as you move on and have a plan for it. We didn’t change our defenses a lot tonight, if any, but we have multiple defenses we can play this year and we’re pretty good in about three of them. Moving forward you might see some more of that.”
Kevin Huerter
On how the new players fit in:
“Yeah, I thought they played really well. Especially Darryl [Morsell]. We told you, Darryl’s going to compete, he’s going to compete every possession. I think he did that. He was aggressive, which you love to see. Sean [Obi] on the other end, Sean was really physical, rebounded for us really well, scored inside. They both did everything we expected of them.”
On how Freshman Guard Darryl Morsell’s ability to get to the rim helps:
“Yeah for sure. Offensively and defensively. He’s a big guy, he’s big, strong, he’s a 6-4 point guard. He could play the two. When he gets to the rim like that, teams are going to have to focus in on him a little bit more. He’s a really good passer, you saw it, he’ll kick out to open shots. But then defensively, he’ll guard one through four just like myself, Justin [Jackson] and any of our guys can guard one through four. He’s definitely a really good piece for us.”
On Graduate Transfer Center Sean Obi:
“He’s just really physical. I think that was something we lacked last year – a guy that, when he goes in the game, we know exactly what we’re going to get out of him – which is a guy who’s going to go, going to compete, he’s going to rebound. No one really… so far, and both in our closed scrimmage and this scrimmage, when he’s in the game, no one really gets much inside. And he’s just physical, like I said, he’s something we didn’t have last year. We’re excited for him.”
Justin Jackson
On tonight’s game:
“It’s always fun playing in the XFINITY Center. Even though the crowd wasn’t as strong as it always is, you can always feel the energy. It’s always a great feeling.”
On pressuring after a 10-point lead:
“We just decided to get some stops. The game was kind of turning a little bit and we decided to press a little bit and go get them moving, get them doing some things they’re uncomfortable doing. It worked.”
On learning how to handle the ball and playing with Kevin Huerter:
“Everything is a process. Everything takes time. We’ve been pairing together for a year now and we’re together a lot and hang out on and off the court. We have a great chemistry, so I just feel like every day, things just build. It takes time. Everything’s getting better and we’re doing well.”
On Darryl Morsell:
“It was only a matter of time before his hard work started to show. He stays late after practice and he comes early. Darryl’s a great player and he brings a lot of things to our team: toughness, scoring, pushing the ball on defense. He does a lot and I’m happy you got to see a little taste of it.”
Darryl Morsell
On any second thoughts about a 360 dunk:
“No, I was doing it in high school so I had confidence in it, but I made sure that I made it because Coach Turgeon would’ve had it in for me.”
On playing in the first half:
“I just tried to come in and give the team a spark. We needed to press and it kind of opened up the game for us. It was a great feeling.”
On his comfort in transition:
“I love it. I feel like I’m at my best when I’m at transition. I’m a big guard, physical, and once I get my shoulders past defenders, that’s when I’m at my best, so I love transition. I’m surrounded by shooters so if I can’t get to the rim.”
On contributing to the team:
“I’m a big guard, they didn’t have that last year… specifically last year I don’t think they had a guard like me who is versatile, as big as me, I can defend multiple positions, play multiple positions.”
Opening Statement:
“I was proud of my group tonight. You have a private scrimmage and then a game in front of fans and you want to get better. I think we got better tonight. We went to the press and kind of changed the game right before half. We are doing some things differently than we have done in the past and it has taken some time to get used to. As the game went on we got better. I’m just trying to coach the team. We played with great effort and thought we defended for forty minutes. We’re a more physical and better rebounding team this year.”
On what Morsell and Obi bring to this team:
“Darryl is a big time athlete and one thing he wanted to do was play on a team where he can get to the rim. We space the floor and have shooters around him so it allows him to do that. He also does a great job of running the offense and finding guys. He’s learning multiple positions, which is hard as a new player. Darryl has come a long way very quickly. He works at it and has become a much better shooter. Sean Obi is just a big physical guy. You can tell how well he communicates out there. I’m happy for him. For him to get out there and play was good to see.”
On if the sophomores are adjusting to the new roles:
“I think we are getting used to the new team. We are running new things offensively. All three of them are so much more comfortable. I think Kevin and Justin did a great job passing the ball. Anthony made some threes for us, which was nice. All three of them defended well. Anthony really got his defense going in the second half. I think we will make giant strides by next Friday. They look good and all three of them are really unselfish.”
On how well the team is sharing the basketball:
“It is something we’re working on. We have a lot of good passers and spacing with some great players. The whole idea is not turning the ball over. Some of our turnovers were just trying to make a good play. We do it really well in practice.”
On Anthony Cowan playing with more control:
“I’m sure the game has slowed down for him a lot. Anthony’s a great player and he had great numbers for us last year. I imagine everything slowed down. He’s been terrific for us in practice, and I’d imagine in our last two weeks of practice he’s been something like 28 assists to 8 turnovers. Something outrageous — it might even be more assists. I think he’s getting a better feel for everything and he did play at a better pace tonight. I thought he was very efficient.”
On the play of Michal Cekovsky:
“If you could’ve seen Ceko in our first practice, he’s come a long way. He was out for basically six months or seven months and he was dragging that leg around. Maybe tonight he looked that way to you guys but he didn’t to me. He’s really come a long way and he’s playing with great confidence. It was good to see. He was terrific on defense out there tonight. I think he’s just going to get better and better as the year goes on.”
On the status of Bruno Fernando:
“Bruno probably would’ve played tonight if it were a game that counted. But we expect him to be pretty close to full go — probably 90 to 95 percent — on Saturday. He’s getting closer to pain free with his ankle. It’ll be good. He’ll have a full week of practice to get him ready for the opener and barring a setback he’ll be ready to go next Friday.”
On how Ivan Bender’s play translates to the perimeter in Maryland’s offense:
“Ivan’s very skilled. He’s worked very hard on his shot. He’s made a lot of threes in practice this year and whether that’s going to translate — we’ll see. He’s a smart, great feel, basketball player. We had him switching screens out there and switching on to a point guard and doing a lot of different things. Because of who we played tonight we weren’t able to play the big lineup as much. You bring Bruno back in and we might play the big lineup some more. And we probably would’ve played a smaller lineup even more if Dion Wiley weren’t hurt.”
On Maryland’s press tonight:
“I think this can be a good pressing team. We put it in this week and I went home and watched film and thought ‘we’re pretty good at this.’ I think — especially if we don’t start games the right way — it’s something we can do. If we’re going to play a team who likes to play slow it’s something we can do. But teams will be prepared for it as you move on and have a plan for it. We didn’t change our defenses a lot tonight, if any, but we have multiple defenses we can play this year and we’re pretty good in about three of them. Moving forward you might see some more of that.”
Kevin Huerter
On how the new players fit in:
“Yeah, I thought they played really well. Especially Darryl [Morsell]. We told you, Darryl’s going to compete, he’s going to compete every possession. I think he did that. He was aggressive, which you love to see. Sean [Obi] on the other end, Sean was really physical, rebounded for us really well, scored inside. They both did everything we expected of them.”
On how Freshman Guard Darryl Morsell’s ability to get to the rim helps:
“Yeah for sure. Offensively and defensively. He’s a big guy, he’s big, strong, he’s a 6-4 point guard. He could play the two. When he gets to the rim like that, teams are going to have to focus in on him a little bit more. He’s a really good passer, you saw it, he’ll kick out to open shots. But then defensively, he’ll guard one through four just like myself, Justin [Jackson] and any of our guys can guard one through four. He’s definitely a really good piece for us.”
On Graduate Transfer Center Sean Obi:
“He’s just really physical. I think that was something we lacked last year – a guy that, when he goes in the game, we know exactly what we’re going to get out of him – which is a guy who’s going to go, going to compete, he’s going to rebound. No one really… so far, and both in our closed scrimmage and this scrimmage, when he’s in the game, no one really gets much inside. And he’s just physical, like I said, he’s something we didn’t have last year. We’re excited for him.”
Justin Jackson
On tonight’s game:
“It’s always fun playing in the XFINITY Center. Even though the crowd wasn’t as strong as it always is, you can always feel the energy. It’s always a great feeling.”
On pressuring after a 10-point lead:
“We just decided to get some stops. The game was kind of turning a little bit and we decided to press a little bit and go get them moving, get them doing some things they’re uncomfortable doing. It worked.”
On learning how to handle the ball and playing with Kevin Huerter:
“Everything is a process. Everything takes time. We’ve been pairing together for a year now and we’re together a lot and hang out on and off the court. We have a great chemistry, so I just feel like every day, things just build. It takes time. Everything’s getting better and we’re doing well.”
On Darryl Morsell:
“It was only a matter of time before his hard work started to show. He stays late after practice and he comes early. Darryl’s a great player and he brings a lot of things to our team: toughness, scoring, pushing the ball on defense. He does a lot and I’m happy you got to see a little taste of it.”
Darryl Morsell
On any second thoughts about a 360 dunk:
“No, I was doing it in high school so I had confidence in it, but I made sure that I made it because Coach Turgeon would’ve had it in for me.”
On playing in the first half:
“I just tried to come in and give the team a spark. We needed to press and it kind of opened up the game for us. It was a great feeling.”
On his comfort in transition:
“I love it. I feel like I’m at my best when I’m at transition. I’m a big guard, physical, and once I get my shoulders past defenders, that’s when I’m at my best, so I love transition. I’m surrounded by shooters so if I can’t get to the rim.”
On contributing to the team:
“I’m a big guard, they didn’t have that last year… specifically last year I don’t think they had a guard like me who is versatile, as big as me, I can defend multiple positions, play multiple positions.”
