California Head Coach Cuonzo Martin
Opening Statement
“I thought our guys set a good tone in the beginning of the game, really on both sides of the basketball. There was really an emphasis for us to really try to improve in the assists category and I thought we did that. The turnovers weren't as good, but most of those turnovers, and I'll watch it closely on film, I thought guys were trying to make the next play, the right play and just came up short. I can applaud those types of turnovers. I don't like them, but those were OK. I thought our guys did put together a good game. They played with some energy and some passion.”
On Cal's Defense
“Any time you have a guy (Jack Gibbs) averaging almost 27 points a game, No. 3 leading scorer in America, you watch how he scores the ball. He shoots it, he drives it. They've played quality opponents and he does a great job making plays and he has shooters around him. It's not an easy thing to do and I thought Tyrone (Wallace) really accepted that challenge and when he went out, Sam (Singer) did. Even on the other shooter, (Brian) Sullivan, I thought (Jordan) Mathews and when he went out, Jabari (Bird) did a great job embracing that challenge. That's almost 50 points from those guys with the way they shoot. It's taking pride in what we do and continuing to get better defensively. Last three games, we've showed signs of defending at the highest level and maintaining and being consistent with it the whole game isn't an easy thing to do when you're not programmed to do it consistently. We're getting there.”
On Showing Emotion After Good Defense
“When you're not built to do that, you don't have a true desire to do it, you do it because you have to do it. I don't know that we have as many guys that say this is what I like to do, I like shutting guys down, but I think they understand the importance of what it means when you're able to do it at a high level and the results behind it. After a while, there's not many other options. This is what you have to do to be successful. I think we continue to prove that. You have to see it first. I think our guys are seeing it and understanding this is what it takes to be successful.”
On The Team Entering Conference Play
“It gives me confidence because, I've said it before, even before we started playing any games, I don't think our issue will ever be going into a game where we lack the talent to win the game. That part is understood. I think it comes down to the execution of what we're trying to do, getting the ball in the right hands to make the right play. What guy's rolling offensively, let's keep feeding him, find ways to get him the ball. And, just really defending. Understand the scouting report, who's their go-to guys, take away his strengths and make the other guys make plays. When that happens, it's a five man effort. For example, you look at their two best scorers and on the surface you think the guys that were defending them did a great job. But, the guys that don't get credit on the backside, Ivan (Rabb), King (Okoroh) and Kam (Rooks), when they help protect and challenge their shot when they're driving, those guys have to make the next play. That's what it comes down to. You can go out and get one on one players that can make plays, it's the next guy and we have to do that from start to finish in games.”
On What The Team Took From Virginia
“Going into that game, I read somewhere would Cal be tough enough? That was a question mark for me. It wasn't about talent, would be tough enough? We did what we needed to do from that standpoint. Our guys grew up. It wasn't a case of a moral victory. We lost a ballgame I felt we should've won and I take blame for that as a coach. In losing a game like that, I'm able to get maybe another half an hour worth of sleep because the effort was there. There've been some games we won and I couldn't sleep because I didn't think we played well. I thought our guys played a good basketball game. I was interested to see how it would carry over today, coming off the holiday, coming off a painful loss. I thought our guys did a good job bouncing back.”
Cal guard Jordan Mathews
On his three-point shooting
“That's the way the game goes sometimes. Sometimes you have a big lead and moving the ball around, sometimes you can't get the shots you got in the first half during the second half.”
On confidence going into Pac-12 play
“This time last year, we lost to Bakersfield, so to go into conference play with a win is a good thing for us. They (Davidson) clearly are a good club and really will compete this year in the A-10, and this win will help us moving forward, and we can learn and grow from today.”
“Coach (Martin) really preaches that help from our teammates is extra, and it's always just one-on-one. You can't rely on your help, but you also have to know your teammates are there and depend on them if you need it. We really are taking pride in every possession, showing teams that they can't score on us, and with that our confidence is growing.”
On the Virginia loss
“You can learn something from every game. That game taught us that we have to close. If you look at that game, you will see we were ahead by five with 23 seconds left, they hit two threes and that was the game. It shows us that we have to play the whole 40 minutes of the game, and we need to close out. When you don't close out games, you are going to get beat by a good team. It was a good learning experience for us and we will be able to grow from that loss.”
Cal guard Tyrone Wallace
On the game
“We came out today, it was a new game, and you can't live in the past and so we really came out with a lot of energy. We played well on the defensive end, and we were able to get out on the break and allowed everyone to contribute.”
On confidence in the team going into Pac-12 play
“I think we are playing well. We really stepped it up on the defensive end and tonight was a great offensive game for us as well. Guys were coming off the bench and knocking down shots, and everybody was really able to contribute. We had a lot of assists today, and I think we are really confident going into conference play, but we still have to continue to get better and we'll be fine.”
Davidson head coach Bob McKillop
Opening Statement
“If you look at the stats I think the story of the game is quite evident, 10 assists, 12 turnovers, 10 blocks, 31 percent, 27 percent. California's defense was extraordinary. At 5 positions they defended and they defended very well. They got us to make poor decisions, rush shots and as result they got into the transition game and they had us backpedaling. They made a couple of shots early and it sort of gave them that, as every player needs confidence when he makes his first couple of shots, and they just steamrolled us from there.”
On measuring Cal to other teams faced
“I think their ability to shoot the ball was quite evident today. Jordan Mathews, Jabari Bird and Stephen Domingo made a couple as well, so their ability to shoot the three was rather impressive. The way they guard the paint is quite reminiscent of what North Carolina did, so I think there's a lot of similarities between this team and with North Carolina. But I think in particular they shoot the ball very well. And then they bring Sam Singer off the bench, a very steadying influence who connects everything offensively and defensively. And Tyrone Wallace really runs their show pretty efficiently and you got the ability to beat you off the dribble at almost every spot.”
On Cal's Defensive Performance
“I think that Jack (Gibbs) decision making early put him in a hole. And his decision-making was all the result of the great defense by California. I don't know if California has played this efficiently defensively since I've seen. We're usually a pretty good offensive team and Jack's usually a good catalyst for that, and I credit California with an outstanding and superb defense. And of course we've seen them against Richmond, against Virginia. But their defense was extraordinary today.”
