Ricky Stokes Quotations

We are looking forward to working hard and having a winning season. This should be an exciting team and brand of basketball. I think we will all have a lot of fun along the way.

We are looking forward to (today). We have elected to do it the old fashioned way and really concentrate on fundamentals. Looking at the team statistics last year, one area we really need to continue to improve is shooting. We know that it's never easy when there is a new staff. It's not an easy road. We know there will be some bumps in the road, but you will see a team that will play hard.

We knew they were great in transition and we tried to get back as quickly as possible. We wanted them to take outside shots and stand around, and we wanted to be able to get the rebound.

We have a number of players that can go out on any given night and lead us in scoring.

Memphis made the necessary shots when they needed to and we might gave gotten a little tired towards the end, which allowed Memphis to make the shots and get the rebounds to win.

Memphis made the necessary plays in the second half. We now have to get over the hurdle and learn to win games like this.

Rick was a great teammate. Rick is doing well. Who knows, maybe he will need an assistant coach one day.

I was pleased with the effort, but not in the loss. We didn't play as smart or take care of the basketball like we need to or should have.

I am really, really excited. I have been very pleased with the progress of the team and the improvement we have made in the last seven weeks. As a staff we have stressed working hard, playing hard and doing things right. This team has already started to gel. It's been great working with a group of young men that listen and tries.

Central Florida will be another tough test for us. They are playing extremely well and are very talented.

Give Memphis a lot of credit because they are a great basketball team. I thought the effort was great, and I told the team that I couldn't be any more proud of our effort.

He gives us a lot of energy and an opportunity to rest some guys.

We are facing a very difficult challenge in UNC Wilmington. We played better in our win against Limestone, but to beat Wilmington we are going to have to play a lot better.

I think we've been competitive with teams in our league. We haven't beaten any of them, but we have been close. We like to think we're a free throw, a turnover or a shot away, and this provides a new opportunity for everybody.

We have to shoot the ball better. We just are making good basketball plays and decisions that good basketball teams make to win.

UTEP is a balanced club and presents a lot of problems. Since they are new to the conference, they may not be as well known in the area, but they are a solid club.

We are disappointed that we lost but I am proud of the effort the kids gave. I think we are cutting back on our mistakes and progressing each game.

We came in here prepared to win a game, and I think the kids played hard and the staff did an excellent job. Naturally, we're disappointed, we had a chance to win. But we didn't do the necessary things that winning teams do down the stretch.

We were not as physical in the first half as we needed to be. We got out to a fairly good start, but didn't play well in the final 10 minutes.

Both teams have had difficulty scoring, and we can't let them go to the line 38 times. I thought they were a little quicker to the ball than we were.

We were pleased with the win. Hopefully this will give us some confidence as we look forward to a difficult game against UNC Wilmington on Saturday.

There's no in-between - you win or you lose. But if we continue to have that effort, I think good things can happen for this team.

Sam has done a great job for us this year. He is not playing like a freshman.

Sam has done a great job for us. There's always that transition period for a player to get adjusted, and Sam has handled it very well. We threw him into the fire, and we couldn't be more pleased with how he has handled it. When you watch him play, you forget he's a freshman.

Despite our mark on the road, I think we are playing better each game. I don't think the record shows the progress we have seen as coaches on the floor.

They took care of the ball well, and their rebounding killed us.

It's a great testament to these guys. We've had a series of close games. The guys kept coming back and tonight got it done.

It's been a tough opening stretch in the conference. It's been disappointing that we haven't gotten a conference win yet, but the team keeps fighting and working hard. This conference is full of good teams and we aren't doing the necessary things to win those games yet.

It was nice to see Jeremy get off to such a quick start shooting the basketball.

I want to give our fans a lot of credit. With our students, fans and the Pirate Nation this was a great place to be tonight. It was loud and hot and a great basketball game.

Anytime you lay it on the line like that and lose, you're disappointed. If we continue to have that effort, I think good things will happen for this team.

I know it was a big game mentally. Leaving a program, like Wake Forest, I'm sure he had a lot of great memories and I'm sure he wanted to play well.

I am pleased with the win and I am pleased how hard the kids played. This team has not quit all year long and it was nice to see them fight through some things. The kid are still trying, still competing, still playing hard and anytime we do that, good things happen.

I am proud of how our kids played. It was very pleasing to see how we came out to play against a team the caliber of UNC Wilmington.

I couldn't be any more pleased. I thought our crowd was terrific. I thought they added to the atmosphere, which was tremendous today.

The kids didn't fold. We came back and continued to compete.