March 3, 2007

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Postgame Quotes
Wake Forest vs. Virginia
March 3, 2007

Wake Forest Head Coach Skip Prosser

On the win...
"I am really proud of our kids. Senior night is an emotional time.  It always has been for me even back to when I was a high school coach. I believe Kyle Visser and Mike Drum, even if they never played a second of basketball for Wake Forest, our university would be a better place for both of those kids having matriculated here. They are character people who were well raised, and I am really proud of them."

On the Cavaliers...
"Virginia is a really good team. I thought our defensive effort to keep them at 39 percent was probably the best we have had all year. (Sean) Singletary and (J.R.) Reynolds are so gifted that we are pleased to come out with a positive result. I am very happy with the result."

On defending Singletary...
"I thought he had his way with Ishmael (Smith). He is a very gifted player. He has gotten better each year.  I remember when he was a freshman and Chris Paul was a sophomore and that was a good match up then. We thought we were better served to have a bigger kid on him and L.D. (Williams) and Harvey (Hale) did a better job."

On Ishmael Smith penetrating in the second half...
"I felt that at halftime he was being too tentative. I am not sure if that was a reflection of what Singletary was doing when Ishmael was on defense. I told our players at halftime we are going to get back to playing Wake Forest basketball the way we like to play and that's pushing the ball. I felt we were too tentative in the first half."

Virginia Head Coach Dave Leiteo

On the game in general:
"Credit to Wake Forest, they played very well today and inspired.   Had a number of guys who had contributions.  Smith did a really good job of controlling the team.  We didn't do a good job of stopping Visser.  Good team effort on their part.  Drum and the other guys really stepped up for them, so they did a really good job of beating us today."

On underestimating Wake:
"Not at all.  I don't think anybody underestimates anybody.  We had issues this year.  At times going on the road and not playing up to our capabilities.  I don't think and this is no disrespect to anybody, but I think that when we play mentally to the level that we are capable of, that we become very good.  A lot of time when we don't, and in particular today's game, we ended up beating ourselves."
On J.R. Reynolds struggling today:
"He was tired, hurting...not going to make an excuse.  He played well through it.  There is so much asked of those guys, it's a total team effort.  This time of year everybody is banged up and hurting.  You play through it."

Wake Forest Player Quotes

Senior Michael Drum

On senior night...
"Before the game, everyone in the locker room was crying.  Everyone was very emotional.  The team wanted to send us (the seniors) out on the right note.  We've given this team a lot.  The younger guys wanted to play as hard as they could for us, and they did that today."

"I was excited.  This has been my dream all my life.  If this was going to be my last 40 minutes at the Joel, I wanted to leave it all out on the floor."

On coming off the floor at the end of the game...
"I had chill bumps.  I was drenched with sweat, and I just had chill bumps.  I looked up into the stands and saw everyone clapping for me.  It was like a dream come true."

On what it was like playing for Wake Forest...
There have been a lot of blood shed and a whole lot of tears cried that I've done to get where I am.  Not a lot of people have given me a chance.  Luckily Coach Prosser and the team believes in me.  I'm just glad we ended this on the right note.

Senior Kyle Visser

On senior night...
"After a long season, everyone knows we struggled.  I don't think I could have written a better ending to it.  Walking off the court with a couple seconds left with my other senior captain, Michael Drum, with a win against the top team in the ACC, you can't ask for anything more than that." 

On playing his last game for Wake Forest...
"It's bittersweet.  A good chapter in my life is ending, but it's very hard that it's ending.  This has been my home for four years.  I don't think it's fully hit me yet.  It might not for a couple more weeks."