Jim Calhoun La Quotations

Only two of the six kids have college degrees - my brother, who is a cardiologist, and me, ... We were a large Irish family, and in those days, the boys went to college. My sisters gave me $50 here and there and came to my games. They all gave me something. When people love you and believe in you, it instills confidence. Confidence comes from the people around you.

Overall, I thought it was a good win for us, but I don't think we played as well as we're capable of.

Over 16 Big East regular season games, we were good. Over 29 games this season, we were good. But every game you have to show up. Today's 40 minutes are the most important 40 minutes. Our Big East season is over. Hopefully, this is a good lesson for us.

Our veteran players made some terrific plays down the stretch.

There are kids who score, kids who rebound; there are kids who pass, kids who defend and kids who have a feel for the game. He has all those attributes. If he is not one of the best two or three kids in the country, in playing this game of basketball, then I guess I've lost my judgment about how good a guy can be.

Rashad wanted to be so good tonight, and of all guys who I thought wanted the limelight at home, it's really unfortunate he didn't have the kind of game he's capable of having. He's a terrific basketball player ... the best sixth man in college basketball.

Very few players maintain the pace, obviously, he's on. Brian Fair, Ray Allen, Ben Gordon, the great shooters we've had here, if anybody could ... I don't think anybody we've ever had could get as hot as he could get. I think Ben Gordon and Ray might be better shooters, but I'm not sure anybody can get as hot as he could get.

Very few players are able to maintain the pace he's on. I don't think anybody I've ever had can get as hot as he can get. Ben (Gordon) and Ray (Allen) are probably better shooters, but nobody gets as hot as he does. He's done that against a whole bunch of folks. It's not the first time.

I think as we've gotten down to the time of the season where you're playing for a chance at a Big East championship, playing to get a bye in New York and, obviously, playing for seeding in the NCAA Tournament, there's no room for experiments or getting young kids some experience.

I think it's the very charm of exactly what this tournament is about and I truly believe that. We played Gonzaga in 1999 and everybody in Phoenix was attached to them. That's a very natural thing.

It was their spread and ability to shoot 3s and our power on the inside. I think we eventually got the power inside and the balance of transition and hitting open shots. But they would not quit.

It was really fitting that Denham had such a great game. He was a horse out there, as far as handling the ball, especially when Marcus played such a poor first half. We sat Marcus down, talked about the Dow Jones and some other things. He came back and got us going.

I don't think we played an ounce of basketball after that.

I don't think we shot well (38.7 percent), but I think we played well and yet it took us 30 minutes to shake them, maybe 35 minutes to shake them. That's just by their tenacity and how hard they played. Providence has a young team. The three guys who I think played really well for us happened to be seniors and that makes a difference in college basketball.

I think Indiana is a very good basketball team. I just think there were moments and minutes in that game where we were pretty special. It didn't matter who we were playing because we blocked everything, we ran out and we made good decisions. I'm very proud of my basketball team today.

Coming off a Villanova game where he played 13 minutes and didn't score a point, I started him the next game to tell him we've got to get him back. For us to win, we've got to get him back. ... Thank God we got them back.

Denham is playing the best basketball of his life. This is the guy we had while winning the Maui Invitational. Denham had some roadblocks but thank God he stayed with it all season. But that's the story of this season. It's all about who can persevere.

It seems Ed picks up fouls quicker than any guy I've ever had. And I don't know why. Ed is a very good basketball player and yet I don't think he ever gets recognized for that. He automatically gets tagged because he looks strong and muscular. Well, he's a very good player.

I think he feels a great deal of pressure. He's a human highlight film, but he's a young player who is learning how to be good. This tournament could be an opportunity for him to break out a little bit. He kind of got worn down by the pressure of expectations.

It's funny, New England is the birthplace of basketball, but we are somewhat underrepresented in the Hall of Fame, ... I would like to see Jimmy Walker in there. Holy Cross. They were the epitome. Later on, with Dave Gavitt and the Providence teams.

Hilton we lost for about two weeks. He got to the Big East tournament, was the defensive player of the year and he had a little letdown. I don't know what it was. He's such an emotional kid. But we've got him back and thank God we got him back tonight.

Hilton Armstrong was the best player on the court. He changed everything in the middle. He had big baskets. He was immense from the foul line.

He's the best passer I've ever coached. I think he took that as an affront because then he responded with 21 and 20. That shows what kind of player he is.

Every team is flawed. There hasn't been a truly complete team in a while.

We stop practice every time we see one of our players not blocking out.

It certainly was one of the most disappointing losses we've had in an awful long time. We came out flat as heck. Just as we thought, that shot (yesterday) carried their momentum right into today.

In my opinion and certainly by the big scoreboard, the way the game was played they were the team that deserved to win.

Marcus Johnson continues to make who is going to play at that 'three' or 'two' a little more of a struggle. He plays harder than anybody else on the court just about.

I'm not complaining, but that takes a toll. The league is just so difficult.

If he plays well, then we've got a chance to win it. If Marcus were to sprain an ankle in the first 10 minutes against Albany, then we'll struggle but we would probably win. After that, it's 50-50 if we'll win a game or not.

It was one of the most disappointing losses we've had in an awful long time, mainly because we got off to such a poor start. We played like a team that had a 25-point lead at the Carrier Dome and then beat a team by 23 at our place.

It's going to be nice playing an away game, too. I'm looking forward to that.

It's going to be nice playing an away game. I'm looking forward to that. I think that part of the system is really working out to protect the ones.

The thing that scares me always the most and the thing I caution our players on is that next week, you go home. You go home for the Big East tournament. And then next time you go home, we pack up the uniforms. And this team is good enough to get to Indianapolis. Will it get to Indianapolis? I have no idea. ... Maybe the first round of the tournament some team gets up, plays us tough and we don't execute.

It was an incredible display of what competition is all about.

They find a way to win. A lot of the things that happened against Washington were plays that players make. Guys who refuse to lose a basketball game, guys who are down by five with 30 seconds to go but don?t believe they?re going to lose. And that, as a coach, you don?t teach. Maybe you try to set the mood that we?re still here, but you can?t set the mood if you don?t have winners with you.

In all my years of coaching, I can't remember a player who came as far as he did at that point of his career. He should be held up as an example.

I don't think anybody I've ever had could get as hot as he can get. The other night, if we had played him 28, 29 minutes, he would've had over 40 points and I don't think he would've missed a 3-pointer.

The game asks that you work to improve, that you put something into it, and that you also give something back to it. The game is universal. It is a language that unites all of us.

The other night, if we had played him 28, 29 minutes, he would have had over 40 points. And I'm not sure he would have missed a 3.

We aren't overrated, we are misconstrued. We've got three big players and two wings but only one guard (Williams). We have to be able to create for others and we only have one guy that can do it.

Sometimes it can be the best thing in the world for you. A lot of times when you go through a down period, you find out a lot more about yourself than times when everything is flowing and you're winning. To some degree, Kentucky is already tournament-tested. They've been playing games with tournament implications for a while now.

Rudy is starting to become the player that we think he has a chance to be.

said Pat Calhoun with a laugh. ''It doesn't matter to him whether he was playing for a state championship or a national championship.

I think all 12 teams in this tournament are capable of playing in the NCAA tournament and doing well in the NCAA tournament. That is incredibly rare.

He can get people the ball from 90 feet to two feet. I've never seen anybody get to the rim, and as a big guy comes over, at the last second put the ball in the hands of a big guy and have the guy dunk. He reminds me of Jason Kidd in that he could get that double-figure rebound game, he could get steals, assists, he certainly can shoot the basketball.

We worked on the 1-3-1 for three straight days this week and it paid off. It means a little something extra to go home with a win against such a great team. The enthusiasm of each shot is big when playing in such a hostile environment as we were today.

He plays a great game with great enthusiasm. What a wonderful thing.

He plays a great game with great enthusiasm. He's dedicated himself the past year to be a starter this year. He was the difference maker today. He cleaned up the middle by blocking shots and obviously scored a few baskets for us.

He?s having the type of season we all expected him to have last year.

It's nice for the team. On this particular team I would have to sit down (and figure out) who our MVP is, who I would put on the first team, who I wouldn't put on the first team.

On the way down here, it was just a really happy team. They really felt they played well. ... It's going to be a different kind of game (tonight). Over the next 24 hours, at the team meeting (Sunday) and at the shoot-around (today), we'll get an opportunity to really tell them. With only six games to go, there is significance to the game.

When I walk down with Cousy I'm walking in as the face of New England as the face of so many people who weren't fortunate enough to get into what I got into.

He certainly has had his best year. I would have bit my tongue off last year if I said, ?Let's leave Rashad in for defense.' He's a weapon that very few teams can keep on the bench.

He likes playing here. We may move all of our games here.

This was a year that if you relaxed, you were going to get beat. Here's Marquette picked 12th, and they have a bye. It gives you a sense of just how strong this league is. It's almost impossible to imagine that a couple of years ago. The diversity and depth of players make it almost impossible to predict.

What really hurt us a lot of times is another team playing well and us not playing so well.

This is one of those games where I don't have an awful lot of complaints.

Their big guys dominated us. Last night when I went to bed or this morning when I woke up, I would never have thought that would have happened. Maybe a wash, but certainly not that.

I'm not sure we have a guy who we can run five plays in a row to.

I don't find it unusual for Kentucky, with its incredible history and a great coach like Tubby (Smith), for it to turn into that type of game. I thought Kentucky played awfully good.

I can feel the emotions start to build, ... I've had conversations with my first recruit at Northeastern, with eight kids from my Dedham High School team that won 21 straight games, a lot of phone calls from my former players ... it's an exciting time for me.

We really played our best basketball. It was one of the few games I can say you could just enjoy. It was just really a tremendous basketball game for us and hopefully it's a peek into what we're capable of. Seasons are really funny. But I think those things are good. We jump right now into a hot stove.

No matter what you are or who you are, you have to continue to prove yourself. That?s the aspiration we set for this particular team. Freshmen and sophomores might have different aspirations. But seniors aspire to win games.

Certainly Hilton will come in with a lot more attention than he had before. A full 40 minutes of focus is what we?re going to need.

We have Marcus Williams who made big plays down the stretch. We turned up the defense the last four or five minutes.

We've played in spurts, not always a full 40 minutes.

It's always good to be No. 1 in anything but it's not great at this time of year. I want it at the beginning of April, but I'll take it now. Being No. 1 isn't a goal of ours like the Big East championship or the national championship, but we feel we're one of the better programs in the country for the last 15 years and being No. 1 is another notch for us as a total program.

What this is for 64 teams is a great opportunity. It's a great opportunity for Connecticut. It's a great opportunity for us and it's a great opportunity for Albany. Both teams have something at stake. Both teams want to move on. There is no feeling like it. I've been a 16, a 15, a 1, and I've been all places in between. Each one is exciting.

What Louisville needed late in the game was experience. That's what we had, some guys coming down the stretch who know what to do. We turned our defense up in the last 4 1/2 minutes of the game, we took care of the ball, took good shots and made good decisions. This was a grind-it-out game.

I think depth has played a role for us. In this game, it won?t.

When we're executing and blocking shots and playing defense and you don't get us in a situation where we have to create plays, we're absolutely terrific. But we're a flawed team.

When you watch Roy play, you're watching, really, from a coaching standpoint, everything you want a player to be. He can pull up and make mid-range shots. He can pass the ball. He can rebound. He plays with great composure. He seems to want the ball in tough situations.

We're trying to put pressure on Craig ? and I mean positive pressure ? and give him the reinforcement that he needs to take a few chances. You can't make good plays unless you make a few mistakes.

We're trying to give him a lot of reinforcement, tell him to take a couple of chances, make a few mistakes, because you can't make good plays unless you make a few mistakes. Craig becomes more important down the stretch.

Could he have played (Friday)? Probably. But obviously we didn't need him.

He makes you make plays you don?t want to make. He takes teams out of their offense by the ball pressure he puts on you. He?s really, really been a godsend to us in many ways.

It's the first time he's done that in his entire career. It's the first time he's been able to maintain that. He played exceptionally well, I was really happy for him.

Bobby Jones looks to me like a guy who can make a living in the NBA just playing defense. He's an absolutely magical player defensively.

They're faster, quicker. Are they better? It's hard to convince me of that after the way Padgett played against us.

The first two or three passes should be used to spread the defense. Then you have a better opportunity for entry passes, because the post players will replace the back of the zone.

Regardless of our success over the years, whatever it may be, Providence has always played us close. Providence has given us a lot of problems.

Regardless of our successes, failures, whatever it may be, it seems like Providence always plays us close. I think it's 3-3 over the last six games. Our national championship team (2004), they showed up at 12 o'clock at the (Hartford) Civic Center and beat us pretty good.

He was a Hall of Fame coach in his own right at UMass, ... But playing in the Yankee Conference, he was never going to get the recognition.

This weekend might be like root canal in the sense the way Seton Hall is playing right now. That's the first order of business.

We haven't played defense really well the past couple of weeks and that was just highlighted there.

I don't think the Big East or college basketball or the (selection) committee should feel any embarrassment if that team goes to the NCAA Tournament. (But) we were home and Denham, some of our veteran players, Rashad, etc., they made some terrific plays down the stretch.

I don't think there is a player on the team at particular points that won't be helped by Marcus being back.

We are lucky to have him as a part of our staff and this promotion is a well-deserved acknowledgment of the part that he has played in the phenomenal success of our basketball program.

The Big East championship means a lot to us. If you can go through 16 games in this league and have to go to the places you do and beat the teams you have to beat, it's really tough. This is a terrific league and to come through it 14-2, I couldn't be prouder of our kids.

The Big East championship means a lot. To go through 16 games in this terrific league with all its tough places to play and come out of it at 14-2, I couldn't be prouder of these kids. These kids sacrificed so much and became the epitome of what a team is.

I don't know if there is another player as complete or as poised all the time with the basketball. Bottom line is that he's a terrific basketball player.

Over the last 15 years, the type of players we've had here, the fortune to be successful, we've had the bull's-eye. Now there's the added bull's-eye of a new league, being No. 1. They just pile up. That's exactly where you want to be. You want to be playing from the top. I hear guys say they like to be the underdog. But there's a reason you're the underdog. I'd like to be playing from the top any time I can.

Right now, that guy would be Denham (Brown). In the last two games, it's been Denham against very good defense.

We're coming in with a team that can arguably match up with any team in the country. Hopefully, we solved some of the size and physical problems we had last year. We, at times, can be very, very big.

You?re not going to survive an off-night. You?re not going to survive a lack of chemistry and make it through the schedule.

There is nobody like him. When you watch Roy play, from a coaching standpoint, he's everything you want a player to be. He has composure and seems to want the ball in tough situations.

We just broke down and allowed some plays that shouldn't have happened.

Will it hurt us? Sure. Jeff has been a factor in every game he's played in. Hopefully the depth that we have will come into play in this game.

I'm so proud of my kids. We took every shot Kentucky had. It's amazing we were playing Kentucky for the very first time.