Post-Game Quotes

Post-Game Quotes

Arkansas vs. Southeastern Louisiana

Nov. 14, 2008

Arkansas Head Coach John Pelphrey:

“Really, the only real good thing that you can say about tonight is that we won. We have a lot to improve on and a lot to learn.

“The fans tonight were great. Bud Walton Arena was just incredible tonight so we have to give a big thank you to the fans.

“Michael Washington had a big night tonight. He put up some big points and hit some big free throws down the stretch.

“(Southeastern Louisiana) is really a phenomenal team and you have to give them a lot of credit. With Warrell Span and Kevyn Green, those two had a really good night, but we are just proud of our guys. We showed a lot of heart tonight, but we have to get better and we will continue to get better. We have a lot of work to do, and we know that.

“We had some problems with ball handling and free throws, and we really need to work on passing and catching with two hands. Brandon (Moore) and Andre (Clark) work really hard and we will all go to practice next week and continue to improve.

“Through the game we really wanted to try and cut off the court and wind down the shot clock before they were able to cross midcourt so we could make them run and try to wear them down.”

Player Quotes

Montrell McDonald:

“No there was no doubt we’d pull it out. We knew we had to get it together. [The game] wasn’t a wake up call. We knew we had to get a lot better.”

Rotnei Clarke:

“We just buckled down. We went off the passion of the fans; we had a great fan base tonight.

“That’s going to happen, you’re going to miss shots. I don’t think I’ve ever really been a streaky shooter. I’ve been in games where I’ve missed a lot more than I did tonight, so I don’t get discouraged.

“I was nervous before the game, but this is something we’ve been living for.

“[Michael Washington] plays so hard. At practice he shows a lot of character and leadership and it carries over into the game. He’s great on offense and he’s also a great defender.

“We knew they’d give us some pressure. I’m just happy to win my first college game and we’re happy to be 1-0.

“[This was] a tribute to the fans. We really rallied around them. They really picked us up tonight.”

Courtney Fortson:

“[We stayed composed]. We go over drills like that. Coach Pelphrey prepared us a lot for that.

“Free throws were frustrating, I think we were just really anxious.

“No, we didn’t panic. Every time we went off the court, Coach Pelphrey said we were going to win this game.”

Southeastern Louisiana Head Coach Jim Yarbrough:

“Well, this game is a good news, bad news type of game. Believe it or not, we came in here expecting to win. We’ve had close games like this against big opponents the past couple years, and now we can add Arkansas to the list.

“Coming to a place like this and starting off like this was good for our team. We came out playing some freshman at guard, and competing in a place like this will really help us.

“If you keep giving a team chances, eventually they will take advantage of them. I knew if we gave Clarke the shot at the end he’d make it, and he did.”