Tommy Amaker Quotations | Page 2

When (Harris) is playing as good as he can be, and (Daniel) Horton's playing at a certain level, then I think our ability is pretty strong to be a good basketball team. Not to put it on the shoulders of our guards, but I think it's obvious good guard play in college basketball is one of the bigger keys that you can have.

We start five seniors and that is something that we are very proud of going into this NIT tournament. Anytime you get an opportunity to play for a championship, where something is on the line and you have a chance to raise a banner, you have to feel good about it.

We panicked a little bit trying to get back with one pass or one possession. When shots weren't falling like they had earlier this season, we were pressing a little bit.

With a different group of players you have a different team. Two years ago we were fairly young with a youthful exuberance and excitement about our program. I think this year the kids have been mature. It has been a different set of circumstances that allowed us to get to this point.

We were not as strong with the ball as we need to be. They were a lot quicker all over the floor and especially to the loose balls.

We really did a horrendous job taking care of the basketball. You can't have that many turnovers and expect to win.

We really did a horrendous job of taking care of the basketball. We had way too many for us to have a chance to pull this out.

We really did a horrendous job of taking care of the basketball. I thought the difference was us not getting to the foul line, and turning the basketball over. We were very sloppy with the basketball. There's no excuse. There's no other way of describing it or analyzing it. It's something that has to be corrected for us to win on the road.

You have to be disciplined, you have to be tough, and sometimes you have to be a little lucky and hope sometimes he's going to miss a couple of those shots. We've seen him before where he's made a lot of those shots and beaten a lot of people by himself. Fortunately for us, we had that performance on our side tonight.

When you look at their team, it looks like they're defending. It looks like they're having some fun.

Both teams struggled offensively. It wasn't a pretty game from an offensive standpoint. The difference was they were able to get to the foul line and they knocked in a decent percentage.

Both teams struggled offensively but the difference was that they were able to get to the free-throw line. They (Buckeyes) were the aggressors.

We're thrilled. This certainly puts us in position (for an NCAA bid) with a signature win around the country. We recognize how good Illinois has been over the last few years.

We need to get back to our order. I'm hoping we can do that the next couple days prior to our game on Wednesday.

We had to dig out of an emotional hole. We've got a tough senior class and you can see that these guys still enjoy wearing that uniform.

We had to battle our way through with Miami. They were a tough, scrappy bunch, and they fought until the end.

We want to extend our season as long as we can. Hopefully, we're going to do very well in the NIT.

We always know the follow-up of an emotional win or loss is critical. We certainly know there's a lot of basketball to be played, and the focus for us is to stay in the hunt for the conference title.

We felt we owed it to them - that we were going to go as they go. They were going to lead this. And I wasn't concerned about anyone but our seniors. Everyone else had to figure it out and get on board.

We certainly tried to turn it up. They missed some shots they would ordinarily make. I thought we brought our defense together where we'd be able to defend and not break down.

We're very fortunate. We're very happy to win this game and walk out of here with a win in double-overtime.

We didn't panic. I was pleased with how we methodically worked our way back.

We had some critical turnovers late in the game, and some of those were when we were trying to get the ball to Courtney.

Boy, is he a tough player. He was relentless, he scored inside out.

Boy, he was just an efficient basketball player as a senior. And when you think back on some of the really good senior players who have played in Madison, you think of those moments where a kid like Wilkinson is really in a nice state of mind. That's the difference in Daniel Horton.

Courtney did what he's capable of doing around the goal.

The way our league has been all year it would be a daunting challenge for anyone (to win four games in four days). It's a daunting challenge to win three in a row in this conference the way things have gone this season.

Sometimes he doesn't get enough credit. I thought his floor game was outstanding.

Coming off somewhat of a devastating loss, I was proud of how we bounced back and responded.

As coaches, we have really felt wherever it lands to anchor it for a period of time, whether it's five or a few years beyond that. We felt that we can build up some kind of brand loyalty and recognition to where our tournament is located.

As coaches I think we have felt that wherever it lands it would be helpful to anchor it for a period of time, whether it's five or even a few years beyond that. I think we felt that we could build up some type of brand loyalty in a relation to where our tournament is.

That play was somewhat of a dagger. But Dee Brown has done that to a lot of people.

You need things to go your way when you're down like that. You have no margin for error. And certainly a missed shot or a missed lay-up ... things like that happened for us. And every one of those opportunities that we didn't take advantage of kind of let the air out of our opportunity to make a run at the lead.

You need things to go your way when you're down like that.

You need seniors to on the road. And we certainly needed our senior leader ball handler out there on the court for us.

This is a tremendously positive day for the University of Michigan and our basketball program. We are so appreciative of the news we received. I am thrilled for the young men on our team, and I believe they truly deserve this opportunity.

This game can be fragile, and kids can play well sometimes and raise their confidence level.

This feels great. But we all know things like this can be very short-lived. But while we're here we'll try and enjoy it for a minute.

They shot the ball lights out. Not much more to say.

They shot the ball lights-out. I'm sure we contributed to their tremendous shooting percentages, but you have to give them credit.

They rammed it down our throats the first part of the game. But the second half, our veterans really showed something. We showed some heart and toughness.

They missed some shots and we challenged them. We didn't break down.

They made the game interesting and put some fear into us down the stretch.

They have an opportunity to add to it if we're fortunate to come out on top. To have a chance to raise another banner and for them to win their last game, with two NIT championships, would be a phenomenal achievement. We talked about how we didn't finish strong in the regular season but we wanted to finish right. I can't think of a way, based on where we are now, that we aren't finishing right this season.

They probably missed some shots they ordinarily make.

They're a team that's already played in a different venue. They've gone on the road to win a couple games in this tournament, which shows toughness on their part. ? What the Colonial conference has done this season, certainly, this is a team that needs to be reckoned with.

They're as talented, as deep, and as good as anyone you could possibly face.

They have some explosive guys who are tough, experienced. They have shown they can win anywhere, anytime, especially with juniors and seniors playing prominent roles. ? They can play a couple different styles. We certainly feel they're capable of a lot of damage to a lot of different people, so we're very concerned with them.

It's a signature win for us because we recognize how good Illinois has been. It was also important for us to stay in the thick of the Big Ten race.

It was really a struggle for us offensively.

It was a spectacular play. It was a big momentum play. You could see their energy increase. It was demoralizing to us.

It's a very tough league and the way our teams have played all year and now with everyone beating each other in conference play it will only stay that way. This league has shown its mettle over the long haul.

It's a disappointing ending and loss for us today. You can look at a lot of different stats. But nothing is more telling than 24 turnovers. That was our undoing this afternoon.

I told him prior to (the Northwestern) game - in front of the team - that it was important for him to stay aggressive, and I wanted him to listen to me and not worry about anything or anybody else, to be aggressive on the floor. Whether or not he listened to me, he looked like he was playing pretty well.

It is tough to win with some many turnovers. Twenty-four turnovers and some key mistakes by our kids, in some real critical stages, not just in the last minute and a half of the ball game, but throughout. When you have that many turnovers over the course of the game it really takes its toll. They turn it over 20 times, we turn it over 24. It wasn't a pretty game from that stand point. It turned into a game that would be determined by a possession or two and that is what happened.

It's one of those things you can't sit here and cry over. You move forward and do the best you can. It certainly does not help us with those key guys out like that.

It's obvious we have other options and weapons and that's been one of the keys for us at this time of year. With depth, fresh bodies and fresh legs, you see guys who have been out have an opportunity to reconnect with their games. Their confidence is up and so is ours as a team.

It's obvious that we need to continue to take steps climbing the ladder. We are moving our program in the direction where we're going to be very proud. We're maturing and more than anything else, you see the confidence growing. That's the key word for us.

It's healthy for our kids to look at this as we're the No. 1-ranked conference in America, and we've been able to finish .500 with us and Michigan State, both finishing 8-8 in our league and splitting with one another throughout the regular season. Obviously (the Spartans) are going to be a team (in the NCAA). No one is talking about them not being in.

Daniel Horton has been a catalyst for us all season in so many ways. But certainly one of the differences for us (four-game winning streak) is that we've been able to play 10 players.

Daniel has a way to will shots in and will us to victory. His courage and his will were certainly on display tonight.

It's nice to have seniors remember those things, and internalize those things that we talked about at the beginning of the season. Having players back makes us a much deeper team, and it makes us a different ball club.

That is probably going to have some health luck along the way. The team that does not have any serious injuries or defections or (academic) casualties, if you will, in any shape or form.

It's certainly a situation I disagreed with and I got a technical for it and I deserved it.

It was an incredible time for him in terms of emotions and adversity.

It was a gritty effort by both teams, but hitting those three-pointers was the difference for us. Tonight, we did a horrendous job of finishing at the basket. We were fortunate to shoot such a high percentage in three-pointers.

They aren't as deep, but those kids that are out there know they are going to be out there. They're a very athletic team, long and rangy. I think they're a very confident team. They play with a great deal of confidence and you're able to see that. Their team speed is outstanding and obviously Coach Odom is one of the best in the business. They've been on a tear here down the stretch and they were on the verge of winning their conference tournament before coming up a little short. They've gone on the road to win some big-time games in this tournament, at Cincinnati and at Florida State . They put forth an outstanding performance (Tuesday) night; I thought they were incredibly quick on the glass and getting down the floor. They are a very confident group that seems to play well together.

They are unique - and different. They are a very athletic team. They are long and rangy. And they are a very confident team. They are quick. Their team speed is outstanding and they have been on a tear as of late.

They brought it from the opening tap, and they had us on our heels early. They had so much energy, and it's disappointing in some ways because it seemed like we helped them get that energy and those big leads.

They brought it from the opening tap and had us on our heels early. They had so much energy and we dug to deep a hole to get out of.

They were charged. They were ready. It was role-reversal from the previous game.

They look like a very confident and spirited group right now. We've kind of gone on the other side of things.

Not practicing today probably leads us to believe it might be a stretch for Wednesday.

Any time you can win a championship and put a banner up, it's exciting.

Any time you can win a championship and hang a banner, those are very positive moments. And obviously, you feel better about yourself going into the next season.

Anytime you're thought of by your peers in the coaches' poll and you guys (media in attendance) thinking of us in a positive way with our program and team right now makes you feel good. We're honored. Hopefully, we're deserving of it. But also we want to keep things in perspective. For us, it's never been about us trying to crack the polls. We're still on our journey to become champions in our conference. So, nothing has changed in that regard.

Their ability to get the three-point shot but, more importantly, to make them was the difference.

I mentioned to our players, when they get a chance to interview, they should certainly mention the effort and the impact the crowd had.

I'm sure he brings some toughness and even some leadership to that group. When you have a guy like that, where you gain some of the intangible things that we gain from a Graham Brown, they're invaluable to your team.

I'm very pleased for Courtney. His presence was a huge difference for our team.

I'm not trying to get into the specifics about the calls -- it was obviously a terrific crew -- but it certainly was a situation I disagreed with and I got a technical for it and I deserved it.

I'm hoping he's going to respond in the correct manner, and so far he has. I've always thought of every moment as a teaching moment. Unfortunately, sometimes teaching moments have to come in some adverse situations and circumstances.

I'm hopeful our seniors can lead us in this environment, and so in order to do that, I'm going to rely on them to make sure we're ready, we're hungry and we're going to go after it.

I really thought that Chris Hunter was a catalyst for us.

I really feel like we're moving our program in a direction we're all going to be very proud. Right now, certainly, we're growing, we're maturing. More than anything else, I think you see the confidence growing. I think that's the key word for us.

I really believe the way we've played on the offensive end has really taken the life out of us defensively. This has been my biggest pet peeve about basketball in today's time. It seems to be when players aren't scoring, their energy and life to play the total game isn't there. I think that has hurt us defensively.

I think all of our games will be must-win situations at some point. I don't know if one win is going to make or break what we've done over the course of the season, but certainly it would help if we could have a win over a team like Illinois.

His courage, the way he put us on his back offensively, was outstanding. You saw him will his shots in. You saw him will us to a victory.

He started a lot last year when we had a lot of injuries. I felt that allowed him as a freshman to gain confidence. Ron has filled in nicely.

He's such a threat out there. Sometimes confidence can waver game to game and moment to moment, but certainly for us to have a chance on Saturday, he's got to play well for us.

Hopefully, being an older team it can work in your favor. Hopefully, we can take charge of that (opportunity in the NIT) and do very well.

He struggled tremendously and obviously with some of the personnel that we have right now if he's not going to score well it's going to be tough for us. It started off early that he didn't make a few shots and it didn't get better from there.

I don't think that we were sluggish. I thought they played an exceptional basketball game early and that put us on our heels.

I do think right now he's giving us a stabilizing feel.

I am not sure we have faced a team like that before.

I feel bad for Lester. I don't know how severe it is but it didn't look good when he went down. But he's as tough as they come.

He really led us tonight. Those were clutch shots.

The follow-up of an emotional win or loss is always critical.

You can see what he's able to do for our team (as an) inside-outside presence as a post player. He's basically the only guy who's been able to do that for us this season. You can see, when he's healthy, what he's able to do for our team. We can become a little bit of a different team.

The end of the first half was when they gained momentum.