Oct. 28, 2010

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Columbia, Mo. -

HEAD COACH Mike Anderson QUOTES

Post-Game Quotes

 

On the Black and Gold Game..

"Well, the Tigers won. And as you can see, (there was) a lot of scoring, and I expected that. Now we've got to turn our attention to really getting after (it on) defense. We can score, but I guess the big question is can we stop it?"

 

On some key players this year..

"We had a chance to witness some of the guys that we're excited about, and I think the key is going to be those guys that are (returning). Guys like Justin Safford, Laurence Bowers, Kim English and Marcus Denmon. I think those guys are going to be key for our basketball team. "

 

On competition amongst the team..

"You can see there's competition at a lot of different positions. But competition makes for practices that are very, very interesting. And hopefully we can fit (together) a team that's going to have a lot of depth."

 

On Laurence Bowers..

If you look at Bowers I think he's much improved this year. You can see he's handling the ball out on the perimeter a lot more and continues to do what he does around the basket. Real great hands, a great pair of hands. I mean, he catches passes that are bad passes, and he finishes."

 

#10 Ricardo Ratliffe

Junior Forward - Hampton, Va.

 

On his performance tonight...

“I think I did pretty well, but I could've played better on the defensive end. I made some adjustments and played better in the second half.”

 

On his mindset in preparation for the season...

“I'll be ready on Nov. 5.”

 

On adjusting to playing on a bigger stage...

“I'm used to getting attention from fans, but it's much bigger here. It's a big confidence boost for me, and it lets me know that I'm on the right track. It just motivates me to keep practicing and working to get better.”

 

 

#23 Justin Safford

Senior Forward - Bloomington, Ill.

 

On recovering from his knee injury...

“I got off to a slow start, but by the second half I felt pretty good. With the style we play, it's not realistic for guys to be on the court for 35 minutes or more like they were tonight.”

 

On the importance of the game...

“It's nice for the fans to get a look at the team, but we look at this game as an extra practice. I think that's why Coach was frustrated at halftime; guys were trying to be too fancy, instead of working on the things we need to improve.”

 

 

#21 Laurence Bowers

Junior Forward - Memphis, Tenn.

 

On the team's performance tonight...

“From a turnover standpoint, I think we had a little too much energy in the first half, and Coach got on us at halftime. I thought it was a fun game, and everyone played well except for the turnovers.”

 

On the addition of Ricardo Ratliffe...

“Ricardo gives us another inside presence, and Justin and I can work off him. He attracts double-teams, because he's a good low-post player. He opens up the floor for the other four guys. If you can't get the rebound yourself, you can guarantee that he'll get it.”