Marty Simmons Quotes (33 Quotes)

Ever since we got back Christmas, we have had our days where we haven't been very sharp, but there haven't been very many. That goes to them and their desire to get better. They really have improved a lot since the beginning of the season, but we have to continue to improve as we play the month of February.

It is going to be a bear. Every team going over there has a feeling that they can win it. The teams that guard and execute and pay attention to detail are going to be the teams that win.

Our guys played their hearts out. We battled and battled and deserved to win. But Virginia Union made one more play than us.

He's been a monster for us all year. He's a playmaker. It seems like he guards about six guys out there at one time. He scores big points, he grabs big rebounds and he gets big steals. I can't say enough about him.

Just to have the opportunity to compete for a conference championships with four games to go in the season would be something that any college basketball player would relish. Our guys have done a tremendous job of putting us in this position.

I thought he really played well when he came in. I was very pleased with his effort.

His anticipation, ability to avoid screens and acceleration in the passing lanes is unlike any other player that I have ever coached.

He was aggressive at taking the ball to the basket. He was very good defensively.

The thing about him is that he is very aggressive. He lets offense come to him. It's not like he is overzealous or over-aggressive in trying to create things. He can score in the variety of ways.

He gives us a lot of energy from that standpoint. His anticipation, ability to avoid screens, and accelerate in the passing lanes is unlike any other player that I have ever coached. It is a very deserving record. He has worked hard for it and hopefully he can improve on it.

Mike's a better perimeter shooter than Tim. Tim might be the best leader I've ever coached. But they both play the same position and have great knowledge of the game. Mike's kind of old-school. He's a basketball player. He has long arms, a good jump hook, good fakes inside and a knack around the basket.

He has come a long way. He had a lot of skills and knowledge of the game when he got here. But as the season has gone along, he's become more comfortable. He's done a great job. And with his work ethic and attitude, the sky's the limit.

You have to give Quincy credit. They were the more aggressive team throughout the entire game.

You just have to give the players their credit. They are playing hard and playing together. It seems like we have different guys stepping up on different nights.

We're fired up. There's no doubt. We know how hard it was to get there last year, and to be able to back it up is just a tremendous accomplishment for the group of guys on this team.

That was huge, but they make big plays. It seemed like each time we made some kind of a run at them, they stepped up.

They are one of premier programs in the country and have been for years. I have all the respect in the world for them.

Maybe it is not scoring or rebounding. The guys are doing a good job defensively of creating good opportunities for their teammates. They are a good team to coach.

We've got a good nucleus coming back. That's the lifeblood of any program --being able to get good players and make your team better through the recruiting process. That's our challenge.

I am just really happy to see a guy like him step up and make big plays. He has been doing that all year.

There's no doubt we're excited. To be one game away from an opportunity to compete in the Elite Eight ... That would be a dream come true for most of these guys. This is why you play college basketball --to play in games like this.

At halftime, we were talking about how it was fool's gold the way they were shooting.

Our guys showed a lot of character and heart. It wasn't going to real good there at the beginning. But we made some plays at the end of the half to give us some momentum, a little feel-good going into the locker room.

I thought Doug Taylor really stepped up in that game. It was a balanced effort.

The kids stepped up at the end and hit the shots. Give credit to (Northern Kentucky). We were adjusting to them all day. We had some guys with their tongues hanging out there, but we got through it.

(Johnson) had a pretty good look. He got the ball in the open court, and we wanted him to create. He broke away from the pack a little bit and got the shot up.

I thought the crowd was great. We were down early and things weren't going our way. The crowd's enthusiasm got us back in the game.

This is what you play for, a chance to win a divisional title with two games left. Our guys have done a good job with putting us in this position. Now it is up to us to find a way to win.

I am proud of the guys. We tied for the West Division Championship. That's a heck of an accomplishment. Are we disappointed that we weren't able to win it out right at home in the last two games I don't think there is any question. Our guys have put themselves in a position to compete for the conference championship.

They're a good basketball team. They're so unselfish and feed off each other so well.

The guys worked really hard to get out and contest shots, and we did a much better job of blocking out. We got off to a good start, which is always important. We're just happy to come away with a win.

They're young guys who work extremely hard. They're in here at the crack of dawn and they leave late at night. They put so much into it. They've done a good job of relating to our guys and getting our guys to understand what it takes to be good at this level.

Our guys played well enough to win. The effort was there. They played their hearts out. Tip your hat to Virginia Union. They made some big plays down the stretch.