Everything From Georgia Tech Basketball Coach Damon Stoudamire After An 82-66 Win Over West Georgia

Georgia Tech pulled out another win at home over an in-state opponent and dominated in the second half. Here is everything head coach Damon Stoudamire had to say after the win.

Opening Statement…

“This was a good second half for us. I thought we did some really good things. You know, I've been saying this along pretty much since I put this team together that if we were able to not turn the ball over, you know, we could be really good. It's a work in progress, but those last 6 and 1/2 minutes of the game were really good basketball offensively. You wish you could frame that, take that, and then let these guys see that each and every day. I thought our defense was really good. It's really weird because I've been fortunate where I've been a part of really good defensive teams as a coach. Whether that was with the Memphis Grizzlies, you know, whether that was when I was an assistant at Arizona, the guys we had, but this defense that we have is really elite.
If we stick with that, we'll be a really good team. The problem is when you don't take care of the ball, you just put pressure on your on your defense to get a stop every play. So that's what you start to encounter. I'm really happy with what the guys did in the second half. It's funny to watch him (Baye Ndongo) play now cuz he's just so seasoned out there. You know, that's that's the word I would use for him. You know, he's just comfortable out there as a player. He understands what he needs to do. Um he made some really good interior passes to Mo (Mouhamed Sylla). I thought Lamar (Washington) came back in the game and I thought he really made some great passes.
Really settled us down. He did a great job out there.

“You know, really really happy for the guys. Cam, I was happy for him. I look at Cam, and it's not the points that he had for me. He only made one three, so that meant he was attacking the bucket. You know, he got a couple of free throws. He has more to his arsenal than I think he showed. He has to understand it that he has to mix it up. But I thought he really played well. It was just a good collective team effort. I look at the stat sheet, and it's funny because sometimes I say to myself, but I think that he understands the assignment. Mo, it didn't seem like he was as productive, but you always look up, man. The one thing you can you can go sing anywhere is that he's going to get double-digit rebounds, you know, and so that I think that's a credit to him, you know, the ceiling that he has as a player. So I thought the guys did a really good job today.”

On the growth of the offense so far…

“I think the bigs, and I would add Peyton into that equation as well, but I think our bigs do a really good job of setting each other up. We can play through those guys, you know, Baye, we can play through Baye, and he helps Mo out. When P (Peyton Marshall) gets his minutes, I think you can play through him as well with the way he can pass it. If we can get both Lamar and Jaden to make great reads, keep it simple. I think that it makes the game that much easier. You know, I think that, you know, Kowacie, Kam, you know, all the guards, Akai, they'll benefit from playing through those bigs. Once they get comfortable, now you and Lamar did it, and I've been saying this the whole time. What happens is when you play with really good bigs, now you come off a ball screen, and that big doesn't want to help cuz he wants to go back to his man, and then he just goes and he walks in for a wide open layup. Point blank layup. I thought we saw a glimpse of what we could be this afternoon offensively, and we just got to keep doing those things.”

On the final 12-minute stretch…

“Taking care of the ball. All we got to do is don't turn the ball over. You know, we're going to turn the ball over in some games, but if we can play with 10 or less on a consistent basis, we'll be fine. We just can't. This is what a lot of people don't know about basketball. I say this all the time. You tire yourself out running back in transition. When you turn the ball over, seriously, if you turn the ball over, I would rather you throw it in the 20th row. At least we can set our defense. But when you have those live-ball turnovers, it just ignites. What happens is a guard will get a layup, a guard to hit a three, somebody come and dunks, and now it's a rally killer. It's just the momentum of the game just shifts. And depending on where you're at, if you're on the road, like now you can't hear, you can't do. That's the thing. When we just don't turn the ball over, that was the key to the game. We didn't turn it over. Eight in the first half, five in the second. If we can do that, we'll be fine.”

On Lamar Washington…

“I thought Lamar just played well, you know. He did some really good things, you know, seven assists, one turnover, but I just thought he did some really good things out there on the floor. I think he's getting more comfortable. I think today the players were more important. They were comfortable with him out there on the floor, and I thought he did a good job.”

On how to get off to better starts….

“Yeah, we got to figure that out. No question. We can't put ourselves in a hole moving forward. I also say this as well, and I believe this too. I just believe that the makeup of our team and I think that we showed that against Georgia, because in my mind we had an opportunity to win that game. I felt like there was some things we missed in that game. We lost to Georgia by five. We beat Maryland Eastern Shore by four. I just think that's the makeup of this team. You know, the one thing that I would say is you don't, and you're 100% right. We don't want to get off to these slow starts. But what I take from this team is that we have backbone. I think that we got guys that care, and I don't think personally we would have won these games last year, but we that we won this year. I don't, I really don't. You know, I'm in the locker room with these guys. They're a connected group. They know we have things to figure out, and we talk about it all the time. And so we're going to figure those things out. I don't know what it is quite yet, but we've got to figure those things out. But one of the things is that we just got to make layups and no turnovers in the first half. I don't want to say it, but we missed like eight or nine layups. You know what I mean? So, you've got to understand the assignment, and the assignment is singles, doubles offensively, limit teams to one shot defensively, and we will be fine. I think that'll help those starts.”

On free shooting and potentially becoming a problem…

“It's been a concern, you know. It's free money. We're trying and doing a lot of different things, and we just have to keep working. But it's free money, you know. I understand misses every now and again, but collectively as a group, we have to make free throws. You can't leave eight points on the board. You just can't do that. You gotta be in the 70s as a group. You can't be lower than the 70s. You need four to five guys for me, 78 to 85. I think that's a must, right? Like you know, you got to concentrate. You've got to lock in. Okay. You should be able to, as a good free-throw shooter, you should be able to pluck somebody who's been sitting on the bench for 39 minutes and 30 seconds, and you put him in the game, and he make free throws. It's really just a mindset, you know, and sometimes I think we get up there and you know, and I've gotten on guys about it, like you don't even go through your routine. You've got to have a routine if you want to go up there and make free throws. If it doesn't feel right, you can throw the ball back to the ref. He might throw it back to you. It won't be a violation, though. But, you know, you have to go up in there; you mentally have to be mentally tough. Go up there, make free throws. It's been a concern, you know, because we can't keep shooting like this because it's going to cost us.”

On the agility Baye Ndongo has, and getting to know your bigs…

“I don't think none of our guards or perimeters have played with really good bigs. So what happens is that for me, it was a little different because I went into college, and I played with Shawn Rooks. I play with Ed Stokes. I play with Chris Mills. So we played through the post, and it was law that you had to throw certain passes. It was the law that you threw it up high. So I think that what's happening to a lot of the guys is that they're trying to figure those things out, you know, and they will figure it out, but those are the things that probably are different for not only Lamar, but for a lot of guys, but you know, it will get better. And I think that the other piece is they're not used to bigs making plays, being able to make plays, and Baye can make plays.”

On playing in a neutral site…

“Well, good environment, you look forward to it. I look forward to these types of situations. They're great environments to be in. You're there together collectively as a group, so you spend a lot more time together. I'm looking forward to going down there and playing DePaul Thursday or Friday, excuse me, and whoever the next game is, but I'm looking forward to going down there. It will give us a good opportunity to see where we're actually at right now.”

On referees reviewing plays and taking a long time…

“I'm fine with it. I've come from the NBA, so that's what it is. I think that, you know, the human element of the game has been taken out with what I call the eyes in the sky now. So, they are going to go over there and check it, and I'll be damned if they want to mess the call up. So, they're going to go over there and look, and it's going to be law. So, it doesn't really bother me too much. I understand, you know, the significance that it could have, whether it's for you or against you at that time, you know, but I haven't had to use it as much this season, but I will use it as we move forward.

More Georgia Tech Basketball News:

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