University of Tennessee Athletics
Postgame Quotes
November 25, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2002
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TENNESSEE HEAD COACH BUZZ PETERSON: "The intensity was much better tonight, and the freshmen were more relaxed in their play. We concentrated and put the focus on where we needed to put it. Jon Higgins and Thaydeus Holden were unbelievable with the job they did on Jason Conley. He's a talented player, who one day will be performing at the next level. Our plan was to change defenses now and then, and to mix it up.
"As I said the freshmen did a lot better tonight. C.J. Watson really had a good game, with nine points, eight assists, and seven rebounds. John Winchester played good defense, and Stanley Asumnu hit his shots the same way he does in practice. You know, as a coach, I couldn't help being happy with having 26 assists on 31 field goals. I was happy for Ron Slay for reaching the 1000-point mark. He and Higgins are amazing the way they lead the team by expressing some very valuable opinions at halftime of what we need to do. In addition, Slay motivates the young guys. V.M.I. collapsed on him tonight, but he managed to get a lot of points during the second half.
"But Conley was our main focus. When this team picks up its emphasis on defense, they're not bad. They put pressure on the ball, and help each other."
VIRGINIA MILITARY INSTITUTE HEAD COACH BART BELLAIRS: "We thought that shot selection would be the key. Jason Conley took some bad shots, but so did the others. We just got ahead of ourselves. I thought our half-court offense created some opportunities for Tennessee; so give them credit. I was pleased with the first half, but we lost our discipline during the second half. That was a big play at the end of the first half.
"Conley tries so hard to win, we have to get him to slow down. He just loves to play. He is going to have a career in basketball. For us to win, we have to play better, as a team, on both ends of the floor. We just can't shoot those kind of numbers and win."
