Mark Rydbom Quotations

We squandered a few possessions when they made that run. A five-point lead in a game like this is huge. If we would have been in their situation, we would have been able to finish them off the same way. When you get behind the 8-ball like that, it's hard to climb out of it.

When he gets into a rhythm like that, he's a tough kid. He was able to pull us out in the second half and create space to drive and dish. That's where he hurt us.

Our game legs have been on vacation for a couple of weeks. We battled through that, and we didn't panic. That's a mark of a veteran team.

Our big guys got in foul trouble. Our bench probably won this game for us.

That was Nick going and getting it, but it could have been anyone in a black jersey doing that because we're a hungry team. We've been in these games before and it doesn't come down to skill. It comes down to heart and determination, and we had a half more ounce than Villa.

You haven't heard the last of these kids. They're very successful individuals, and they'll go on and prove it.

Andy is still battling the flu. His uniform was drenched in the first half and he started to get the chills. So we put a dry uniform on him in the second half.

Adam is an explosive player. You can't give him an open look.

They've become my surrogate sons. They're real good kids and you hate to see it end like this. But when you dare to dream big, you set yourself up for something like this. They'll rebound from this and you haven't heard the last from them.

It started to sink in, because they're like us. I knew it would be tough to get a steal and come back against them. They're all great kids. But when you dare to dream big, you set yourself up for something this like this.

No matter what adversity is thrown at us, we find a way to get through it. We're battle tested, and we're warriors. We proved that.

It's neat to be a part of what they are a part of. They have memories that will last a lifetime. It's something special that they'll never see again. The memories of them playing together, though, will always be alive.

These guys have no quit in them. These guys are 100 percent warriors. That's coming from an ex-Marine here, and I'll take these guys in a foxhole with me any day.