Karl Hobbs Quotations

We're in position to have a great season. That's all we've done, put ourselves in position to possibly have a great finish.

We're not going to pay attention to what our record is or anything like that. But what we are going to be paying attention to, are we playing good fundamental basketball and are we getting better each game.

We're just a different basketball team when Pops is in the lineup. Our offense is able to flow with just a little bit better fluidity with him out there because of all the attention he gets.

We're just a different basketball team when Pops is in the lineup.

Whenever Steve Smith steps on the basketball court, he's the focal point. Everything starts with him. I think the guards played very well off of him and that allows them to be even better players. The nice part about Steve Smith as a player is that he doesn't force the action. Very rarely does he take bad shots. He lets the game come to him.

We're a different team with Pops in the lineup. He creates so much attention just being on the floor.

We're a different basketball team with Pops in the lineup. It makes a world of difference.

We hope to have him back in a couple of weeks.

There ain't a whole lot of difference between the talent of my team and these teams. That's what makes it so amazing, what these guys have accomplished.

We're just trying to follow our dreams. That's it and that's all we're focused on. We can't tell you about anything in the past.

Let's have some poise. Let's have some patience.

Since I've been at George Washington the last five years, he's made the biggest progress in terms of maturity and development. He's a special guy. He came up big.

One of the areas of our concern is defending the 3. We felt like we had to do a better job in the Charlotte game. They have such tremendous shooters from the perimeter.

No one wants to come down here for a nail-biter. Yeah, we'd like to make the game easier. ... My life insurance agent would like for them, too.

Obviously I'm excited about it, but at the same time I'm very realistic. For me, it doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of the whole season.

I was so impressed with St. Bonaventure tonight. It's kind of unfortunate they're playing their best basketball now. I truly believe they got a couple wins left in them. Unfortunately, the season has kind of caught up to them a little bit. We were pretty nervous. Thank God for our experience. That was the only difference.

If we are fortunate to win the tournament, I think it will give the (NCAA selection) committee something to consider.

If it's a decision where it looks like he's coming back a little too early and I think it may jeopardize his long-term ability to play in the NBA, then he won't come back.

He loves the college life. If he wasn't an athlete and had an opportunity to play professionally, he would be one of those guys who would stay in college and try to get four or five degrees.

His status is at the point where he's getting up and down the floor a little bit. And we're hoping that he'll be able to play on Thursday.

He's doing well. Now it's just a question of how effective he can be in a game situation.

Hopefully they will enjoy tomorrow. Hopefully they will have fun tomorrow, regardless of how the game plays out. Hopefully they'll have a memory they'll cherish for the rest of their lives, and they know they will have a coach that is very proud of them.

He was outstanding tonight. I liked how he was able to take control in the huddle, they responded to that. He's a talented player and is playing better every game as he gets more comfortable with what we're doing.

He was outstanding tonight. He brought a great deal of energy. He's a talented player and he's playing better every game.

He was fantastic today. He's a kid I've talked a lot about. It was a matter of time before he was going to show his talent.

I also believe that it was competitively motivated.

He just has incredible confidence. Most scorers are confident. They have an incredible sense of themselves, and that's a great trait to have. He feels he can make every shot.

I would think most teams will try to go inside from an offensive standpoint because we will be down an inside defender. I think that will be the biggest challenge.

It can set the tone for us. I truly believe our program is overachieving a tad bit when you look at the big picture. But hopefully we can continue to overachieve.

I thought we stepped up our intensity in the second half. I thought our depth really came into play. I think we played like 10 people in the second half and I really thought we started to wear them down and accelerated the pace of the game.

I thought we played very well. Both teams were trying to force their will and style on each other. Obviously, Carl Elliott hit some big shots.

I thought we got out of the gate pretty early. Pops established our inside presence, which is what we wanted to do tonight due to the lack of experience among their inside guys.

I thought our team played with a great deal of effort. We had a tough mountain to try and climb today. We lost to a very good program and I thought we played as hard as we could.

I thought our guys responded well. Every guy that came in made a major contribution. We had guys making big plays after big plays, and they were different games. That's been the character of this team all year.

I thought our defense was pretty consistent. We wanted to keep changing our defense and going between our zones and switching back to man. We wanted to keep them off balance and we didn't want Withers to get comfortable with our defenses that we were trying to throw at him.

I think we still have a way to go. I want to get to the point where we're playing at the level we need to play at. Because very shortly it's going to come down to one game, one play and that's my focus. We need to be at the level where its one play and your season is over.

It had nothing to do with our shooting. It had something to do with our mind-set and our focus.

I think Duke's record is 32-3. They don't have to work out any kinks.

I see both of them back. A large part will depend on how they do in the draft camp. If they have a chance to be drafted they should follow their dreams.

Our guys just believe that at some point, we're going to get you.

Our guys believe at some point during the game, we're going to get ya. Once we were able to get the game back within five and six, then our offense started to take over. We started to execute. We started to move the ball.

Our intensity was terrific. We forced them to play the style we wanted to play. They have been dictating their style of play against everyone.

Our intensity was terrific. I thought we forced them to have to play the way we wanted them to play. They had been able to dictate their style of play against everyone and we wanted to make sure that they had to play the way we wanted them to play.

Our program is based on developing players. Our players have improved physically and in every area of the game since they've been here. We don't get the kind of players I could recruit at Connecticut, so we have to rely on developing them. We do as good a job as anybody in the country at developing players.

I was very pleased with his first game. He made his first 3, but I was more concerned with his effort sprinting back on defense. It's going to take some time for him.

I think if you wanted to, I guess you could have enough information to support that, if you wanted to take that side of it.

It doesn't make any difference. We're going to have to play a good team, and that's what it is. Last year, we won our league, and we were a 12th seed. We'll probably get another 12th seed. I'm just telling you. You're asking me a question that I don't have an answer for, so all I can do is guess.

I thought he was fabulous. He did all the things we needed him to do to win. We needed every rebound, every basket, and what I liked was absolutely every time we needed him to score, he got a basket.

I thought he played pretty well the whole game. We went with our experience and that's what we've been doing all season. This was nothing unusual.

That we had improved from last year. The program is improving every year, and that was an indication that we had improved it. This year, we improved our status.

We were a 12th seed. A 12th seed. Why would I think we're going to be a 3 seed this year? Where's the proof? I'm going to sound like an idiot if I say that.

We played a very good non-conference schedule last year, we won the league and we won the tournament, and we were a 12th seed. It had no bearings, whatsoever. That's my opinion, anyway.

We have such depth that when the other team gets tired around the eight minute or seven minute mark, we make our move. We've done some tremendous things around that time this year.

We recruit and do things the right way.

We really missed him today, particularly just trying to establish an inside game to establish a tone. He's a hard guy to replace.

We couldn't solve that zone today. That was our problem. As a coach, I don't like to admit it, but I can't deny the truth.

We wanted to go into Pops and establish the inside position. We competed at all times, and at times our offense was magnificent.

We haven't become a bad basketball team because of one game. It's not anything to start panicking about or anything to be concerned about. We did some uncharacteristic things in that basketball game that we hadn't done all year. Now we have to get back to what we were doing before.

We are hoping within two weeks. That is very optimistic on my part.

You didn't hear a complaint out of us. I don't care where we're seeded. I don't care if we're seeded 13th. We'll be happy to be in the tournament.

To me, they're the best team in this league. We got to go there we've got to play an 'A' game to win.

We had a tough mountain to try to climb. We lost to a very good program.

We started to make shots towards the end and we made some key stops. They were right in the ballgame until the four-minute mark.

We paid a lot of attention to what people were saying and that hurt us. I felt last year was unjust for us to be picked so high when we hadn't done anything to prove we deserved that.

We were very, very fortunate to win the game. We made some tough 3s down the stretch, and we were able to get one or two key turnovers, and I thought that was the only difference in the game.

We're not paying attention to any of that foolishness. What we're paying attention to is that we want Pops to get double-digit rebounds. I want J.R. to take better shots. I want (senior forward) Mike Hall to take control of this team defensively. I want (senior forward) Omar (Williams) to step it up and be more aggressive. We're not caring about being in the top 20. I want to make that clear.

You guys are making it very difficult to try to match expectations now.

We just wanted to make sure that we kept great pressure on them. We made sure we put them in situations that they had to make plays. We did not allow them to get into any sort of rhythm. It played a major role in why they shot the percentage they shot.

We moved the ball and got the shots we wanted. In the first half, we didn't move the ball as well and that was the difference.

We had the ball inside and they took it from us. Pops had a couple of shots inside -- dunks he usually makes and he missed them. That really affected our shooting percentage. A large part of that had to do with their defense.

We showed toughness down the stretch. We had to pick up our defense. I think that was one of the very few games where our experience really paid off for us.

We got the ball inside a lot, got some really good looks at the basket and the ball just wouldn't go down for us. We missed some lay-ups and missed a lot of short jumpers, and that was in large part because of their defense.

We feel like right around the seven- or eight-minute mark is when the other team should be getting a little tired. That's when our depth, our fresh legs and our pressure defense really starts to come into effect.

We are anticipating that he will be back within a couple weeks.

We are going to continue to play the way we have been. It's a great opportunity for some guys to step up. ... I think they will respond to the challenge.

We went through probably about 12 minutes where we couldn't score a basket. That's still an area of concern and where we have to improve.

Either let them do it or don't. Don't tell them 'hey you can go do this' but not let them take any money.

Every time he steps on the court, he's the focal point. Everything starts with him.

The success of what we do evolves around our ability to share the game. That's what separates us. ... We're having a fantastic year and we're enjoying the ride.

Thank God he did slip through the cracks. To me, it's about the sacrifice a single mother had to make to see her son on Senior Day and no mother should have to be subjected to (the article) when her son is succeeding academically.

Teams are funny. Sometimes you take two steps forward and take a step back. And you take four steps ahead and two steps back. I am trying to get to the point where we are not taking any steps back in any area.

(Temple) will be a huge game and our first league game. With what we have coming, we're going to be tested. Hopefully, our experience will get us through this stretch.

Temple played a fantastic game. The elder statesman (Temple coach John Chaney) really showed that he knows how to get his team up and he knows how to prepare them for an important basketball game. They did a terrific job not allowing us to score.

Temple played a fantastic game. The elder statesman showed that he still knows how to get a team up and prepared to win a basketball game.

Our defense allowed the game to be played at a much faster pace and I think that was the difference.

That's what I was wondering. I told coach (Darrell) Brooks, 'Who scheduled this game?' Games are very tough for us to get. We want to try to get as many homes games as possible. This is a situation where we had an opportunity to play a game on TV. We wanted to take advantage of that opportunity.

This is going to be the toughest game of the season up to date. I think because of the magnitude of the game. I think because Saint Joseph's is 10-10, under .500 in the league. This is a big, big game for them. It's a big game for us. It's a nationally televised game. Plus it's a tight, tight building. They are right on top of us.

This is the first time this year we have had to deal with true adversity. We've been very fortunate.

This game will be a contrast of styles. They want to be deliberate, run their offense and force us into a half-court game. We want to run.

They've dominated us. I don't know another word to use. To me, they're the best team in this league. I really believe that.

They've been consistently excellent because they don't go changing things.

They made some key shots. They didn't make a lot. But fortunately for us, we were continuing to score.

The young guy is just stepping up. Whenever we need a big play or big score, he stepped up and made the play. But more importantly, he made great decisions with the basketball and I thought that was the difference. We kind of expect him to score. That's kind of what his trick is, and I thought he made great decisions with the ball.

They're an improved basketball team. They're really playing within themselves. I think Coach (John Giannini) has done a great job of not letting opponents get comfortable. They do different things depending on who they play. We're going to have to execute well and have to be able to think on our feet.

They're one of the best teams in the country, and it shows in almost every statistical category. They've got a heck of a basketball team.

It was disheartening to play well enough to put us in the position to win, but we just couldn't make the free throws. I don't know if it was the fact that it was the NCAA tournament and we weren't used to the atmosphere, but I'm hoping that's where our experience will pay off if we're in that situation this year.

I told them to settle down and they need to relax. I wanted to assure them that I was under control. They were playing the way I was acting. I am acting. That's exactly what I was doing.

For me, it doesn't mean a whole lot in the grand scheme of the whole season. It's a great accomplishment at this juncture, and Thursday night, if you lose, it doesn't mean anything.

It's more of a surprise. Disappointment? No. We won the league last year and we were a 12th seed, so we've improved.

It's hard to say you're not happy at 26-1. It's incredible when you put this in proper perspective what these guys have done.