LaMarcus Aldridge Quotations

We still missed a couple we should have had. It's just wanting to get rebounds. It's a mentality.

When it comes down to crunch time, we always try to get him the ball.

We have to follow the game plan. The pressure starts to pick up when it gets late, and we tend to just stand around, so we have to have more movement and a better mind-set.

Whenever we play any team, they always seem to play their best game. I wasn't surprised.

We're just trying to get ourselves back on track, so when this thing gets rolling to the NCAA Tournament, we'll have everything ready to go. If we finish strong, I think we still have a chance (at a No. 1 seed).

When I came to Texas, my main two goals were to get started on earning my degree and to have the opportunity to play in the NBA. I've accomplished both of those and the opportunity is there for me right now to begin the next stage of my basketball career.

Mike is doing great this year. He's a real physical guy and we're going to need that down the line.

No one can guard him. He's strong with a low center of gravity.

My decision didn't have anything to do with the new rules. It was all about my family and I sitting down and feeling like this was the best thing to do and the fact I'd be in a great position if I came out. I think an NBA team will be getting a great player, an honest player and a guy who wants to win and will put it all on the line.

I work on that in practice all the time. But I usually don't have to use it much.

I don't feel like I played well at all today.

I could see myself staying all four. There's no rush to go anywhere. I want to get better.

I have a chance to be drafted in a good spot and be an impact player.

I feel like I didn't really do what I was supposed to do tonight. Those are shots I can make. I had some pretty good looks. They just didn't fall. Everybody has games like that.

I feel like I am back at 100 percent.

I don't think we were trying to prove anything to the country. We were just trying to get ourselves back on track so that when this thing gets rolling to NCAA, we'll be locked and ready to go. If we finish out strong and win our next couple of games, anything can happen. Any of the other No. 1 seeds could lose. We still have a chance (to be a top seed).

I expect I'll see both of them on me. They both present different kinds of challenges. Davis is so big and strong and Thomas is very athletic. It will be a good test for me.

I don't think people realize how much he means to this program.

I go back and watch films with Coach. He shows me spots when I can disappear, as far as not wanting the ball or not being aggressive or being too passive. If I'm not wanting the ball, I'm not being aggressive. I'm just out there for no reason.

He emphasized how much fun he had in college, how much he would have missed out on. He made the statement that you have time to develop in college. So have fun and take your time.

We can mix it up. We've got some inside guys and some shooters, but you know we're always gonna rebound. That's what we do.

His reach is so long that he gets his jump hook over people. He has a high release on his jump hook or he just goes around you.

I think that was the best decision I could have made. I have all the time in the world to develop.

Last year I wasn't sure if or when to shoot the ball. I don't think people would recognize me from last year to this year.

Lately coach has been telling me to be more aggressive and want the ball more. He tells me that he can't just tell the guys that. I have to do it with my body language. I was trying to be active today and keep moving, looking for the ball.

I watch film with Coach, and he shows me spots when I do disappear as far as not wanting the ball, not being aggressive and being too passive. They're right. If I'm not wanting the ball and not being aggressive, I am disappearing, and I'm just out there for no reason.

Overall, this team has gotten a lot better. Everybody has worked really hard. If some guys go down, we know that others will step up. All of our guys can play offense and defense.

It feels good, but we have a long season, a long way to go.

We need to keep moving, set better screens, pass the ball more.

When I first got here (to UT), my release was ugly. I think using the chair is one reason my free-throw percentage is getting better. I have better mechanics.

Those are shots I can make. They just didn't fall.

Those were still the same shots I normally take, but my shot wasn't falling. But in no way was this a bad season for us.

We worked out everyday at SMU. We trained on the track in the morning, and then we worked in the gym at night.

When I was working out with them, I knew I'd be OK.

We thought that might be a momentum shift for us.

When the football team came back to Austin, some of them were telling us what the experience was like and how great it was to win it all. We took what they said and decided that we wanted to try to do the same thing.

We've had some good wins and some tough losses. Now it's time to play. We ought to have learned enough over the season to come out and take care of business.

This team is showing a lot more toughness down the stretch. I don't want to say those other games weren't as important. But we know the importance of everything right now. We know we have to fight for everything we get.

Big Baby pushed me out of the lane. I didn't do what I was supposed to do. I missed shots. I tried to do other things, like rebound and block shots.

Coming into the game, we had everything laid out on offense. If they played zone, we had to get a lot of movement and screening to get our shots. We did a good job of that.

I shot a lot of free throws in practice with Coach watching me.

It was very hard just watching the games and seeing the team struggle at times. I felt like I could have done anything just to help, but I couldn't even walk.

It was an exciting thing. I was with a couple of the guys, watching it at a teammate's house.

Our defense has done a great job the last couple of games. I think that has been a big difference from our play in the beginning of the season. That allowed us to go in and get some good buckets tonight, so we just kept pounding them in.

Coach shows me spots where I disappear, where I'm too passive. If I don't want the ball, if I'm not aggressive, I'm out there for no reason.

Coach says this is winning time. We're not just trying to get in the tournament. We're trying to win every game till the end of March.

Coach always says, if someone is hot, keep going to him.

As far as I know I'm coming back. But I'm not going to get into that right now.

They're, like, super long. I don't like giving him a high five after a good play because he ends up slapping me on my elbow.

It was really hard to sleep with it because you can't move at all.

Davis has that big body and is a big guy. He wants to keep his body on you all the time. So I knew I had to keep moving, which was the mind-set I went into the game with. I tried to help with rebounds and defense and do what I could. Most of those shots I took tonight were shots I make often.

That's our goal. We talk to them all the time, and they tell us to keep going and put it out on the line just like they did.

The two games in the tournament, I've been aggressive inside. If I get the ball and can't take it inside on a dribble, I can kick it back out.

It was just leave the middle to me and get to all their shooters.

I'm not going to get into that. We just finished our game. That'll come later.

I'm not going to get into that right now. This is not the time.

I'm just like a kid in a candy store.

I'm just excited to be on the court. I wanted to play last year, I wanted to help us win. I'm glad I have the chance now.

I'll check every now and then and see how many P.J. has so I can try to get more. That's why at the end of the game we're fighting for them.

In no way was this a bad season for Texas basketball. We still did great things and broke a lot of records. We just didn't end it the way we wanted to. I feel disappointed. I had high expectations for us.

I'll watch the good things and the bad. I'll try to take what I learn and apply it to the next game.

I don't think someone would recognize me on the court now if they had seen me last year. My biggest improvement is my strength.

I don't want to just say I made it. I want to be great.

I call him a silent assassin. People always forget about him but he always comes through for us.

I've always been a workout type guy. So if I'm feeling down or I'm not happy with something, I go to the gym and I get a shot of energy. If things don't go well in any aspect of my life, I'm going to the gym and I'm going to shoot. That's my one type of place that's a safe haven where I go and it's just me, the basketball and the hoop, and I'm just doing something I love to do.

When I was born, the umbilical cord came wrapped around my neck, so when I came out, I wasn't breathing. The cord had cut off my oxygen - not the entire time, just at the end, when my mom was giving birth. When I came out, I wasn't conscious, so they had to work on bringing me back. It was a crazy moment.

I grew up in low-income areas and I've seen people take negative energy and just accept it. They give into and end up living a pretty rough life. At a young age, I just knew I wasn't going to give in because I didn't want to end up being one of those people in the neighborhood that didn't have anything and lived a hard life.

The Spurs really are a family. They have a bunch of good guys that want to win, and the way they play is so unselfish. I’m looking forward to being involved in it. I feel that teams with players who are very close end up winning.

I feel like half the battle is not giving up and staying positive. If you don't have anyone in your corner or anyone in your ear, being positive helps you believe that you can get through it.

I take pride in just knowing how to do things. Whenever a coach tells me to do something, I always try to do it the way he said or do it to my best ability.

I don't really need bulk, just strength. I can get strong without putting on weight.

I'm a very good 15- to 18-foot shooter.

I'm a fighter. So if you're going to doubt me or say that I can't do something, I'm going to prove to you I can do it. And when I do it, hopefully I earn your respect and you'll know it didn't come easy to me.

The best part about being a Blazer is the fans. The fans here are so loyal it feels like a college team with how close the fans and players are. They have such a great passion for the team that it makes it fun to be a part of and makes you want to work harder to make the team successful.

I move very well. Being able to go at different types of players, that's where I have an advantage.

I can't just tell the guys I want the ball, I have to do it with my body language.