Feb. 12, 2004
Cleveland State vs. Butler
Feb. 12, 2004
Post-Game Quotes
Cleveland State Head Coach Mike Garland
Opening statement: "Our team has not yet learned that every series counts. For whatever reason, I don't know, but we feel that you can throw a possession away, and you can't do that. Yes, they had to hit a buzzer-beater, but there were three or four plays that I remember leading up to the end of the game, where we were in positiion to get a hand up and contest a three, and we didn't get a hand up and contest the shot. We are hurting ourselves with a lack of execution on defense. We have to be able to stop people. Right now, it's almost like we want a game to fall into our laps. Before the game, I told the guys, we must play for 40 minutes. In playing 40 minutes, you don't expect a game to fall into your lap. It's not going to happen here. That last shot is not going to fall out, or hit the back of the rim, and he's not going to take a bad shot. You have to force him to take a bad shot, or get a block, you have to make a play. The guys have to learn that here. Maybe I'm a victim of my dream to want to win championships, but if this is a championship game, and you don't contest that shot, you don't win the championship. Everyone in the stands wants to talk about the bad luck, but that's not going to happen, you have to make it happen, and tonight, we didn't."
On the final shot: "We had a guy on him (Monserez). Our guy's got to check him. We've got to guard him, to get up and guard the guy. It's uno on uno at that point. It doesn't matter what the game is, if it's football, or basketball, it's uno on uno, and you've got to get it done. I'm not sure who was on him, if it was Pape (Badiane) or Omari (Westley). We were in a five-switch on defense, which was a great defense on them all night. They only scored early on offensive rebounds on putbacks, not out of their offense. We switched there, and had a guy there, but we've got to make a play. We have athletes who have to make a play."
On Omari Westley possibly playing tentatively in the second half: " I remember him getting hit in the face, I just don't know if that had a lot to do with him not making plays on the other end. I don't know. But there were situations where not just him, but the whole team has to step up."
On the play of Pete Ritzema: "I knew we can get that out of Pete. I've been saying all year long, and I don't think people understand, but Pete can play. Yes, he has a conditioning and a weight problem, but he we can get him down to 280, we're going to have a player, and he'll be a force. Until that point, it's hard for us to use him consistently, then he's got to be able to stay out there. We did a great job of getting inside and outside play with him in there. If he's in the post, he's so strong and physical, there's nothing anyone can do, as long as he doesn't try to put the ball down on the floor."
On what's next: "This may sound crazy, but the first chance we get, we're watching that film. There's a reason why, Brian McCann says we've lost 10 games now by a total of 26 points. I can't remember how many last-second shots or buzzer beaters there have been in there. Maybe we need to see it, we need to embrace it a little more, and feel the hurt a little more. Maybe it'll motivate us to play harder in the next ball game."
On the team's 7-20 night from the free throw line: "I think the guys at the line are pressing. We want it so bad, we're pressing. There were a couple of times where the shooter was across the line right after he let the shot go, and that's just a lack of confidence." -----
Cleveland State Center Pete Ritzema
On his thoughts entering the game: "I just thought about all the previous games against Butler, and how bad we wanted to win, for Coach Garland, for Jermaine (Robinson) and for Pape (Badiane). I've been working a lot in practice about not dribbling, but going straight up with the shot. I try to just rebound and do what I'm supposed to do."
On the losing streak: "This is just building us up for the tournament. We know only one team can go to the NCAA Tournament." -----
Cleveland State Forward Omari Westley
On how the team feels after the game: "We're devestated. I have to give my hat off to Butler, we knew it would be a tough game, and we knew they wouldn't just give us the game. They knew we were going to play hard."
On playing hard: "We know we can play with any team in the conference. Talent-wise, we have the same as the top teams in the conference. We're playing hard, right now, even with only eight healthy players. No matter how many people we have, or injuries, or anyting, we have to come out and play hard, and we know we'll be in the game."
On the team's free throw shooting in practice: "We shoot for about five minutes after every drill or session in practice, we shoot free throws for about five minutes so that we don't waste them during a game. We've got to make them."
On Pete Ritzema: "If you don't see Pete open, you have to be blind. Coach G said we wanted to go inside so we could get the inside-out game going, and it helped out in the first half."
On losing: "We have to learn how to lose before we learn how to win. We know what losing feels like, now we want to feel winning again, we're going to come out with intensity, ready to go. We plan on being that team going to the (NCAA) tournament. -----
Butler Head Coach Todd Lickliter
On the last play: "I don't know how we could have done things differently. Mike did a really nice job shooting the one with x second sleft, and got the tip. Other than that, he had made some excellent decisions during the game. We wanted the ball in his hands, knowing we weren't going to get anything any better. That's not the first shot at the buzzer that he's hit. He shoots a lot, and we knew who was going to shoot it, and that's fine with me. I want to commend Cleveland State, they outplayed us, and had two offensive rebounds and putbacks off free throws. They did the things they needed to to put themselves in position to win, but we just happened to have the last possession. They had a great game plan that caused us to play poorly."
On the controversy at the end of the game: "I did see the light off, like in the Detroit game, but the thing about Detroit was there was a monitor there because it was a televised game. The officials explained that the horn hadn't sounded, they didn't see the light, so they had to throw it in and touch it and see if the horn went off, and it did. I actually thought it went off a little late. It felt like time stood still there for a second."
