Jim Calhoun Ball Quotations

My greatest concern is ball-handling and getting the ball inside. If we get the ball inside, we'll be successful.

I give him credit for coming in, passing the ball and not trying to score right away, rebounding, doing good things. I was happy with his play.

He was just magnificent. He put the ball on the deck, drove from 22 or 23 (feet), made threes. He really was a handful.

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.

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.

Marcus is not the scorer, but he is the runner of the team. He gets the ball to the right people in the right time at the right spots.

I think a lot of credit has to go to Louisville when you have a leader out. I'm not sure how well our offense would have been if we didn't have Marcus Williams. Marcus is not the scorer, but he is the runner of the team. He gets the ball to the right people in the right time at the right spots. They didn't have that tonight. They worked like crazy.

That was some rebound. There wasn't anybody who was going to take that ball from him.

When the ball did fall in to send us into overtime, I thought we were going to win the basketball game.

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'll have to take away the 3-pointers as best we can. We'll have to limit Quinn from having the ball as much as we can.

Both offensively and defensively, Craig is a big reason we're 11-0. So Craig will start Tuesday (in the Big East opener) at Marquette. He deserves that right. His defense up top on the ball sets up the rest of our defense. He's been a godsend.

We?d be foolish not to get the ball inside anytime we can.

A lot of times games are built up and they don't fulfill their promise. This game more than fulfilled its promise. Villanova may be, pound-for-pound, the toughest team that we've played anywhere, any time. Early in the game, we had to match their toughness. They were getting every offensive rebound. They were hustling like crazy. Unless you have a tough team, you cannot win this conference. It was like an old Big East backyard ball amongst two really good teams.

I'm not that impressed by my team very much, but we were very good tonight. I can't think of a game where we shared the ball so well and ran so well.

Their 7-for-9 shooting in the second half from 3-point land was something that really, really hurt us deeply. But the inability of us to get the ball into the paint was probably the thing that killed us.

But I think Gerry, who has struggled to score against us, has increased his game. He?s a much better ball handler and a much better point guard. He seems to be very comfortable.

Because of all their traps and because they were allowed to be aggressive, they kept us on the outside with a lot of double-teams, stripping the ball. The way this game was called and played, they kept the ball from getting into the paint.

The college game is controlled by guards, has been and will be. You guys are going to try to name all the great big men who have carried their teams to Final Fours recently. You're not going to come up with any. You're going to come up with teams that are dominated by good inside play and terrific guard play. In the college game, guys that control the ball control the game.

They doubled us, trapped up, took us out of our offense. They were allowed to be physical. The way this game was called and played, they were able to keep the ball out of the paint.

We turned the ball over 26 times yet I think our heart was shown on enough occasions. When you're down 10 points or down seven points with something to go, you need to call upon the reserves. There's something inside you that won't let you lose.

They're going to utilize their quickness the best they can. We're going to try to use our size as much as we can. Certainly that makes for a very interesting battle. My guys' concern is getting the ball inside. If we get the ball inside, we'll be successful.

I don?t think he even had the ball when he shot it. I don?t think he even looked at the basket.

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.