Rutgers Basketball Head Coach Steve Pikiell talks with the media to recap his program's Monday afternoon game against Columbia inside of the Jersey Mike's Arena.
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Coach Steve Pikiell Opening Statement:
“Thank you for coming. What a great crown after the holiday weekend. Happy New Year to everyone. I have known Jim (Engles) for a long time. He is an awesome guy. He is a terrific coach. The team is going to be as good as any in the Ivy League.”
Coach Pikiell on Dylan Harper’s First Triple Double since Roy Hinson:
“Roy Hinson was one of the greatest guys. Not only was he a great player here, but also in the NBA. To be mentioned with him, is a special thing. I love the fact that Dylan (Harper) had seven rebounds in the first half. He passed, and he scored. I always say the guys have better days ahead which is the exciting part. But, that was a heck of an accomplishment.”
Coach Pikiell on scoring 80-plus points forsix6th time this season:
“I thought we shared the ball. We had 26 assists and no turnovers. Jamichael (Davis) had seven assists and zero turnovers. But, I was most proud of our defense today. Columbia is a really good team. I think they’re averaging 83 points a game. They have been very efficient scoring the ball with their veteran guards. So, our defense took a big step for us tonight. We need to can that and play this way the rest of the year. It is very important for us and our development.”
Coach Pikiell on scoring 91 points :
“A win is a win. We do not worry about the rest of that. I want to play well, and I want to win. Just to win is very important, and to play well too. Our home crowd was awesome too so that helped.”
Dylan Harper on adding to Roy Hinson’s History:
“Obviously, It is a great accomplishment. But, I could not do it without my teammates. Guys like Jamichael Davis, Ace Bailey, really put me in great positions. They were open for me to find them. The most important thing is that we won today, that is what we wanted to do. We prepared great, and did all the right things.”
Coach Pikiell on prepping for game:
“You are always going to be worried coming back from a holiday break, but they were focused and had a good week. We have to continue to do that. We have to play how we practice. We have been a bit inconsistent with that. We need to be good. We were good this week, but we have to be great moving forward.”
Coach Pikiell on confidence for Big 10 season:
“We have been in the meat grinder, so I have been pretty confident. I think we have played the best schedule certainly since I have been here. We have been on the road, we have challenged ourselves. I think we challenged ourselves and we learned a lot but we have to continue to be consistent. Today we took a giant step in that. I thought our communication was great during the First and Second half. Rebounding-wise, we have been very inconsistent but today was a big step for us. It is an important part of what we have to do.”
Ace Bailey on playing with Dylan Harper:
“It is a blessing. Not everyone gets to play with Dylan Harper. We appreciate him just being in that position and doing whatever we need. Whether it is a rebound, a pass or a score, he always puts his teammates in a good position to be successful.”
Ace Bailey on knowing if Dylan Harper got the Triple Double when his shot went in”
“Dylan (Harper) came up to me right after and he said thank you.”
Coach Pikiell on giving up only three offensive rebounds:
“We have rebounded Texas A&M and they are a really big team. So, we have to continue to stress that. I think Jamichael (Davis) has given our team some good energy. He has done a great job at guarding. He has helped our toughness as well. Jeremiah (WIlliams) took on the task of guarding Geronimo (Rubio De La Rosa) who has been lighting teams up. When those guys give us energy, good things happen.
Coach Pikiell Closing Statements:
“We wanted to do a great job. I thought we were well prepared. My staff does an awesome job, Brandin Knight, Steve Hayn, and Jay Young. They assisted in preparing us for games like this. Our guys were locked in. Their voices were locked in. In the huddle, they were locked in. There was good energy. We had done a good job against a team who has not lost much this year, at all. So it was a dangerous game. Thank you all for coming. We appreciate it.”
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