December 05, 1999
VCU HEAD COACH MACK McCARTHY:
"Melvin (Watkins) got them very patient and playing under control. We helped them by missing a lot of shots. They played good defense and they did a nice job on offense by being patient. This is the first game we've been ahead early-we're usually behind, but we've managed to come back and win some of those. I think we got antsy today. We forced the issue and we made a lot of bad passes. I'm not disappointed with our shot selection, but missing wide-open shots stands out more.
(on Texas A&M) "When you have a young team, you're going to see a different team each time out. I was not surprised about how they played today.
(on VCU's inside play) "I'm disappointed with the output from our inside people. I thought we had a considerable size advantage and we could establish something inside. In the ultimate scheme of things, that's where we lost the game."
VCU GUARD BO JONES:
"They played real good defense on us in the second half. They made it hard to get open shots, and we fell apart. We knew they were going to make a run in the second half, they're a good team with a great coach."
VCU GUARD LAMAR TAYLOR:
"We've been playing with a lot of emotion in the first couple of games, but that will only carry us so far. We have to play harder for both halves. A&M's young, but they play hard. They have a lot of talent and they're going to be a very good team."
A&M HEAD COACH MELVIN WATKINS:
"We left that team in the locker room and brought a new one out for the second half. Seriously, getting Jerald (Brown) back was big, not in terms of stats, but in what he brings to the team. It's very unique to get young guys to step up and hit free throws. You've got to do that. It's free points for you when the clock's not running.
(on Jamaal Gilchrist's injury during the game) "Jamaal's a tough kid. I knew he would come back in. We want him in there to handle the ball and make decisions for us.
"Each time out you're going to see this team improve. We're learning. We challenged our guys at halftime, and they accepted it. We used a junk defense in the second half to throw them off-balance. They had open shots they normally would hit, but they didn't because they couldn't get back in the flow. I told these guys before the game that these would be Big 12-type guards. If they could go out and play with these guys, they'll know what to expect later in the season. We're young and we've had some tough losses. Jerald kept our guys in the game by telling them to keep their head up.
(on Carlton Brown) "We think he was our spark off the bench. He's very athletic, and he presents match-up problems."
A&M GUARD JAMAAL GILCHRIST:
"We didn't get our heads down. There are so many new faces on this team, it takes time to get everybody to play hard. That was a very good team we beat. Coach (Watkins) stressed defense before the game. It was a personal challenge for each player. Coach told us not to get mad when you make a mistake, get mad when someone scores on you.
(on college basketball) "It's very different from high school. It's a longer game and it's more physical. It takes some time getting used to."
A&M GUARD BERNARD KING:
"At the beginning of the game, they played zone defense, plus we didn't play hard. In the second half, we played hard. We knew they liked to block shots, so we wanted to take the ball to the hole. Playing teams like this will prepare us for bigger games. It feels great to get a win. We're just getting better every game."
POSTGAME NOTES:
Carlton Brown posted his first career double-double with 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds. His rebound total was the most by an Aggie since Shanne Jones had 14 early last season against Sam Houston State.
VCU's 32 fouls tied for the eighth-most by an opponent in A&M history, and set a Reed Arena record. The teams combined for a Reed Arena-record 50 fouls (A&M 18).
VCU entered the game ranked No. 75 in the RPI ratings and No. 90 in the Sagarin Ratings.