Mizzou Men's Basketball Postgame Quotes (Jan. 2)
Mizzou 81, Savannah State 50
Head Coach Kim Anderson
Opening Statement…
"I thought we put together a couple good halves again today. That has been important for us. Being able to put a whole game together was good. I was really encouraged by the way we pushed the ball. Obviously, Wes (Clark) played well. He shot 9-of-10 from the field and made plays for other people too. Terrence (Phillips) has six assists and didn't turn the ball over. I thought Namon (Wright) did a great job on the boards. I was talking to the TV commentators after the game on how he has expanded his game. Not only as a shooter but also as a ball handler. He has also gotten better defensively. Overall, it was a good win. Starting on next Wednesday we'll be playing at Georgia and that will be a tough game. It was good to come out today and win the way we won it."
On having Clark step up his scoring effort the last three games…
"I think every team would like to have that guy who, when stuff isn't working, you can give the ball to them and they can make a play. Wes has done that these last two to three games. It's certainly a big boost to us. He's got a great mid-range game. He can take it to the basket but he can also pull up and shoot the short jumper. Not everybody has that capability. Another thing he's done a really good job with is that he's guarded well. He's done a great job defensively. We've put him on the opposition's tougher guys and he's done a great job. I'm glad to see him have success."
On what Wright has done to become a more consistent contributor this season…
"He's a guy who's a really good rebounder. He has worked hard to get better defensively and to get better with the ball. His passing is better. He has expanded his game from a year ago. I think a year ago we would all say Namon was a shooter. Now he can take the ball to the basket."
On what has positively stood out on the defensive side of the ball…
"I think we've done a better job with help-side defense. In the first half tonight we were letting them get to the middle of the floor. We talked a lot about not letting them get the ball in the paint. In the beginning of the second half that was really the game. We were able to shake some things up and get some easy baskets. I think our defense has been pretty good overall. It will have to be better though as we get ready to play Georgia next week. They're a really good basketball team. Every game here on out will be tough."
On his evaluation of this year's nonconference schedule…
"It was better than it was last year. I'm happy that we won seven games and beat everybody on paper that we were supposed to beat. Not everybody has done that. I'm disappointed though that we didn't win some of those other games that we had a chance to win in. It's a whole new season now."
Junior Guard Wes Clark
On the team closing out today's win…
"It was great. Seeing some of those guys who don't get as much recognition. Guys like Adam Wolf and Jimmy Barton who come in and put in work every day. It was good to see them go out there and have some fun."
On resetting career-highs in points twice in the past three games…
"Shots are falling. I'm still taking the same shots as before. We're all playing well right now and I'm happy we got the win."
On becoming a more efficient shooting threat…
"I've become a lot more efficient. Having the confidence and putting the reps in is starting to pay off. I'm happy with it."
On how important it is for Wright to shoot well any given night…
"It's big. We need Namon to be there on the offensive end. He needs to have a good tone and confidence. Having great confidence is one of the biggest assets of our team."
Sophomore Guard Namon Wright
On how Clark's recent performances have aided the team…
"It takes pressure off the rest of the team. It gives confidence to the rest of us to go out and score and be aggressive."
On his quality shooting performance today vs. Savannah State…
"It was good. I haven't been here (postgame interviews) and talking to you all in a while. I'm just trying to piggy-back off of Wes (Clark). He didn't play the best he could've during an earlier stretch this season but now he's got it going. I want to do the same things that he's doing. I don't want to force anything and play as a team."
On the team's confidence level heading into SEC play…
"We're riding high right now. We want to try and stay confident. We want to play together as a team. As long as we stay confident and do that, then we'll be fine."
On what has changed to enable more rebounds this season…
"I've been playing a little more of the three guard position. I get to crash the offensive boards a little more. It's all about effort and staying cognizant."
