14 Quotes by Gary Anders

I didn't want him to get discouraged. But you could see he was getting better in practice every day. We started giving him some game time.

I make a big deal to our kids you don't have to lose to learn lessons. Unfortunately, sometimes you do. ... They played better than us. The same mistakes we've been making while winning were really exploited.

Having the No.1 seed in a five-team district has a distinct advantage. That's something we're shooting for. Hopefully the kids will understand the importance of that.

I thought the first five minutes of the second half were key. Nick shot the ball very well. But I also thought the third five minutes of the first half were key as well. Ashley (Thomas) really got things going for us. It makes things easier when you have two big guys running the floor and a guy to get the ball to them.

I think having Davis in the middle gives those other guys a lot of confidence.

We emphasized before the game that we couldn't let the atmosphere and early intimidation blow us out. We tried to give it away early, but the kids bounced back. We knew (the speed) was coming. You can talk about it and simulate it all you want, but you've got to deal with it on the court.

We have a tough stretch ahead of us. I have no reason to believe they'll approach it any other way than they have the first half of the season. I am surprised they've done this well so soon.

We're not sure if he's done growing. He has a chance to really be good. He's got tools and a very good attitude. He's an A-B student. He has tremendous upside. You want to nurture him and bring him along, hope he stays hungry.

Thomas and Dewberry had 52 out of their points. ... We didn't feel like we had played particularly well that night. The kids certainly weren't devastated by the loss.