Mike McConathy Quotations

I don't have my thesaurus, but gratifying will do just right. It's very true. These guys have bought into what we try to do. They are selfless and they have bought into the idea that the MVP of the team is the team." ()

He did that with passion He was really good, and it didn't matter to him if it was coaching a little league ball team or coaching in a state championship game or the NCAA Tournament. He had so much passion for what he did and he wanted to do it until the end. He felt that was his purpose in life." ()

I think it's maturity. They've been together for so long. They've been tested in so many different arenas. They believe they can win whatever the situation is." ()

I think that's the way you have to do it. Basketball is a team sport. If you convince guys to play together, you can play with anyone at that higher level. I really think it's a great angle for coaches to look at." ()

I was a little worried there. I don't think they realized how much time was on the clock. I'll talk to them about this. I always tell our guys not to celebrate. Let's make everybody feel like we belong. But I can't blame them." ()

We never quit. They believe they can win. We started talking about the fact that they have to believe it's a 40-minute game. It's not a 39 minute and 50 second game." ()

I would like to see that. But more importantly, I would rather see a win." ()

We were a bit surprised by how physical they are. They have a lot of strong kids with big chests and they take it right to you. They brought it to us first and we weren't able to respond quickly enough to make a difference." ()

We get hung up on basketball and winning games, but when you reflect back to that and you've lost everything, it makes you thankful for what you have. That is a life experience that has helped them grow as young men and as basketball players." ()

We had 24 turnovers and they turned them into 26 points, so I think that pretty much tells the story of the game." ()

We'd better make sure that we're up on them, because they can shoot it so much deeper than anybody we've played." ()

What this means I can't put into words. It's clearing a hurdle. We know we have a team that can win games in the NCAA Tournament, but to have that chance, we had to win this game." ()

Very strong, ball control, very good defensive team. When you play against Iowa, with the talent they have and the coaching staff they have, it's a big concern. Most teams have fragments that are good; they seem to have the whole package." ()

You go from the top of the world to the bottom of the trash barrel, but that's OK. I'm really proud of these guys." ()

There's no greater example of team before individual than what they've done. When you depend on two guys to get points, you're vulnerable to get upset by a lower-level team that is hitting you from five different ways. That's difficult to prepare for, because you don't know where we're going to hit you from ... in reverse, we know exactly where their points are coming from and we can focus on slowing them down." ()

It was an unbelievable rush, but we can't be satisfied. There is so much more we can accomplish." ()

The style we play is the style we believe we can be competitive with. At our level, if you can get some good athletes that can play hard and you can keep the intensity level up, then we think we can be competitive against bigger schools." ()

Our depth has played a major factor. We tend to wear people down. You look at the UTSA game, they had everything going their way and then all of a sudden it's like they ran into a wall." ()

This is a special group of kids. You look back at what they accomplished, it's remarkable. They accomplished that through a lot of hardships and tough seasons. It's something they can hold their heads up as they walk away." ()

They play a little bit different style of game, and I think sometimes adjusting to that is the toughest thing." ()

You can't look at a record and say they aren't very good. Mentally you think we don't really have to do anything. They're going to come in and we'll be able to wear them down. I felt like we did that in the second half. We just shut it back down again and started doing the things we did in the first half." ()

It's a little different mood in here today. In this business you can go from the top of the world to the bottom of the trash barrel. But that's all right." ()

It's a little different for us today, going from the top of the world to the trash barrel." ()

It's hard to put into words what this is like." ()

It's hard to put into words what happened. We're very excited. If I had the chests that some of those guys have, I would have kept my shirt on. But I'm a pretty conservative guy and I like to keep things conservative. In the excitement of everything, I thought it was OK." ()

It's huge. I've been trying not to lose it, but I might be getting close. I've never had a group of kids ... over the last three years, we've developed something where they really do believe. You reap what you sow. We're so blessed and thankful for the opportunity. For them to believe, we can do all things. If we just focus in and believe - in your faith, in your team, whatever - you can make some amazing things happen." ()

It will be a tough situation. They are so deep with their zone. We're going to do what we do to the best of our ability." ()

As a coach you don't like the switch routine, flip the light switch off and on. Fortunately, we're able to do that. One of the things that was interesting tonight was we didn't create the electricity for (the crowd) to be here where they are hungry and excited to be a part of it. The players have to do something to make the crowd excited." ()

I identify better with kids from rural areas and small schools. We just think it fits us better." ()

I really thought we might do it again at that point. I really did." ()

Building relationships is the key for being happy as a coach. Players must want to play for you. If they are comfortable with you, they will work hard for you.