Postgame Quotes: Wisconsin vs. Coppin State
November 6, 2018
Kohl Center | Madison, Wis.
Coppin State Head Coach Juan Dixon
Opening statement…
"Wisconsin is a well-coached, physical basketball team. They executed on a high level on both ends. But, I am extremely proud of our guys. They didn't give up, they executed the game plan for the most part. We wanted to take away
Ethan Happ's post-ups and he did a great job distributing the basketball. We are really encouraged as a staff about our season this year."
On shooting 3s…
"We were confident we can get open opportunities from the 3-point line. Wisconsin's pick-up point at the 3-point line or below. I just wanted our guys to be aggressive. I thought we came out kind of passive early. I told my guys in the huddle I was going to run a ton of pick and rolls and take advantage of opportunities when you get the ball and our guys did a really good job of it in late in the first half and in the second half."
On impact of Chad Andrews-Fulton foul trouble…
"He is the heart and soul of our team, his toughness, his leadership, he does all the intangibles that help us have success. He is undersize big, but is heart makes up for his lack of size. Chad is going to keep fighting and going to continue to lead in the right way. We lean on Chad to be our emotional leader and lead by example when it comes to playing with toughness on both ends of the floor and not backing down from anyone."
On Ethan Happ's post-ups…
"He is a great player. We knew we had our hands full. What they did was make shots in the first half. We watched film, we game planned, but
Ethan Happ did what All-Americans do: made plays, got his teammates involved and he made shots.
Wisconsin Head Coach Greg Gard
Opening statement…
"Some good things and since it's early there are plenty of things we need to get better at. I thought we did a good job of not settling all the time for 3s when we could've, after the first few possessions. Happy for Ethan Happ to get a triple-double. That's obviously rare. I've been on the bench for both of them (in Wisconsin school history), Ethan and Josh (Gasser) back when he was playing. Really happy for Ethan. He's done a lot for this program. He's made himself into a heck of a player from where he's come from. Fitting that he gets them (the final points needed) at the free throw line. The amount of time he's put into that and trying to improve his game, I'm extremely happy for him because nobody has put in more time in his individual game than Ethan Happ."
On Ethan's triple-double…
"He has his hands on the basketball on a lot of possessions…Ethan is one of the few guys in college basketball, probably, as a big…that a lot of times touches it every possession. We play through him quite a bit and it's just a testament to his unselfishness. He was in there knowing he needed two points and I thought he had it confused that he needed another assist the way he was passing the ball around and that's a testament to him. He was very happy for his teammates, because you don't get 12 assists without guys making shots. I hope everybody appreciates the impact he has, because players like him are rare. He really has worked on his game the past five years he's been here and I'm really proud of him."
On his evaluation of the defense…
"We had two stretches, I felt, that we have to get a lot better defensively – in a lot of areas. In part, it's about being more consistent. We have to be tighter defensively on screens. Now, they hit some tough shots. They banked in the first couple 3s. I think their first 3 was that player's first in his career. Of the six 3s they made in the first half, four were mistakes and two were … one was banked in by a first-time 3 maker and the other one was launched from the side of the floor. We've shown flashes of good defense, but the consistency in developing the identity on that end of the court needs to grow."
"It's always good when you make shots. It gives the appearance that your game is going well. What I liked was what he did defensively on their talented guard. That kid has put up a lot of numbers. He missed last year with an injury, but as a freshman he did some good things. I think he did a good job of getting into him a little bit. He drew some fouls on him offensively and I thought defensively he did a good some good things harassing him to make it hard to get going. They like to play through him and get him a lot of shots. Like I said, the ball going in makes it look like he's playing well, but I liked some more things he did especially defensively."
On their success at the charity stripe and if it changes the offensive identity…
"I don't think it changes anything. When we didn't shoot it well it's not like we said, 'Don't go to the free throw line.' We have to get there and get better at that element. This was one sample. We'll practice more on Thursday. We'll do some different things in practice to keep working at it."
