Seventh Annual Puerto Rico Tip-Off
November 21, 22, and 24, 2013
Coliseo Roberto Clemente, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Sunday, November 24 Results & Schedule (daily attendance, TBA) Atlantic Time Tip-Off........ Network
· Kansas State (3-3) 52, Long Beach State (1-6) 38
· Georgetown (3-2) 84, VCU (4-2) 80
· Florida State (5-1) 62, Northeastern (2-4) 60
· Championship - Charlotte (5-1) 63, Michigan (4-2) 61
2013 Most Valuable Player
No. Player, School Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr.................................... Hometown (Previous Schools)
11 Nik Stauskas, Michigan G 6-6 205 SO........... Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (St. Mark's School [MA])
2013 All-Tournament Team
No. Player, School Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr..................................................... Hometown (Previous Schools)
11 Nik Stauskas, Michigan G 6-6 205 SO........... Mississauga, Ontario, Canada (St. Mark's School [MA])
3 Shawn Lester, Charlotte G 6-3 175 SO........................................................ Mooresville, NC (Mooresville)
30 Ian Miller, Florida State G 6-3 198 SR........................ Charlotte, NC (United Faith Christian Academy)
43 Scott Eatherton, Northeastern F 6-8 219 JR........................................ Hershey, PA (Hershey/St. Francis [PA])
4 D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera, Georgetown G 6-3 218 SO...................................... Indianapolis, IN (North Central/Oak Hill)
PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF
GAME 10: GEORGETOWN VS. VCU 84-80
Georgetown Coach John Thompson III: “Obviously that’s a very, very good win against a terrific win. To speak about VCU, you know, they did what they do. We had 26 turnovers. That being said, I think we focused in and did what we had to do and made the plays when they were necessary. We get down – they go on a run hit a couple threes – I think seven or eight, I forget. Then we gathered ourselves and weathered that run. D’Vauntes (Smith-Rivera) and Markel (Starks) are going to sleep well tonight. The effort that they had dealing with that pressure at both ends of the court. Everyone always talks about VCU’s defense, but they always have five guys on the court that can attack and score. They always have five guys on the court that when we’re on defense can put pressure on you. I thought the key to the game wasn’t necessarily handling their pressure, I thought it was making it hard for them to score.”
“I think we just settled down. The way they play, they make runs, they’re going to make a run. I think to have success against them you have to limit those runs, and for the most part I think that was there run of the second half. We settled down a little bit and were able to score.”
“With the way that the games are being officiated now, games are going to be longer. In theory, the thought process is, if we call the touch fouls and clean up the game, they have more flow and higher scoring games. You probably are having higher scoring games, but the games are uglier. We shot 37 foul shots, they shot 47 foul shots. That’s slowing the game down.”
“Aaron Bowen was very, very good today. I thought Aaron gave us some very good minutes, hustle plays, energy plays. Reggie (Cameron) was in there Reggie was good, Moses (Ayegba) was good. The guys we put in there we either have confidence in or are rapidly gaining confidence in.”
Georgetown Guard D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera: “The biggest thing was taking care of the ball. We had 27 turnovers. Come tournament time, or even the next game, that has to come to a limit. A team like that, that’s what they feed off of. At certain times, when the team needed me to be there to score, I just felt the need to step up and make plays along with Markel (Starks) who did the same today. Like I said, just being a leader on the team and taking care of business today.”
“For this team, Markel (Starks) and I have to be aggressive a lot of the time. We do have other guys on our team who need to be more aggressive, make more plays and continue to drive. Today was a time where we both needed to make plays for our team. Down the stretch, that’s what we did. We knocked down free throws and made plays at crucial times.”
Georgetown Guard Markel Starks: “As we were going to the line in crucial moments, D’Vauntes (Smith-Rivera) and I would look at each other and say, ‘6 a.m.’ because that’s the time of the morning he and I often get up. Those consistent mornings of getting up extra shots showed up today. The free throws, it’s the mental part of the game. Especially with the free throws. You can consistently work on them, which he and I both do – as coach mentioned the two of us were 15 for 16 from the line. I’m not saying I’m going to go through the rest of the season and not miss a free throw in a crucial moment, but the consistency and mental drive to put those in is important. How the game is being officiated, you’re going to shoot a lot of free throws.”
VCU Coach Shaka Smart: “The number one thing we learned down here in Puerto Rico is that we have to get better. I think we already knew that, but now we’ve been smacked across the face with it. If there’s any silver lining, it’s that there should be a very clear realization that right now after these three games that there’s a lot of improving to do individually and collectively. We’re excited to get back to Richmond and work on that.”
“I want to be careful what I say as it relates to the way the game is officiated, but I will say it is very difficult to continue to play aggressively when all of the sudden the game is called much closer than it had been earlier in the game. So I would that’s probably a factor. You’ve got to give Georgetown credit. They’ve got two really good guards in (Markel) Starks and (D’Vauntes) Smith-Rivera. They did a nice job down the stretch handling the ball. But I think the foul trouble, getting in the double bonus so early, that’s the fastest I’ve ever seen a team get into the double bonus, ever. It was a combination of things.”
“I don’t think a game like that is entertaining. I think between Georgetown and VCU, there’s some very good players on the court this afternoon. As much as possible, when you let those players play, that’s what creates basketball that’s fun to watch. That second half was the opposite of that. You had 62 free throws from both teams in the second half. They did a better job of making free throws, I thought that was a factor down the stretch. It’s a choppy game when there’s so many fouls called, and I didn’t think it was particularly physical game relative to other ones we’ve played.”
“We’ve got a lot of good shooters. We have not shot the ball well down here in Puerto Rico. You always have to give some credit to your opponents, but at the same time I think we had some really good looks that didn’t go down. Our best three scorers are Juvonte Reddic, Treveon Graham and Rob Brandenberg; those guys combined were six for 28. They were good shots they were getting for the most part. Juvonte forced a couple but they were pretty good shots, we just didn’t make enough of them.”
VCU Guard Briante Weber: “The shooting percentage was in the front of everybody’s mind. They were passing up open shots that they would normally take and sometimes that forced turnovers when they’re not taking the open shots that they were given. The ball not going in in this tournament really affected how we played.”
VCU Guard Rob Brandenberg: “We just have to get better. It was definitely a reality check coming down here. We didn’t accomplish our goals. There’s a lot of season left. Our guys, we won’t hang our heads, we’ve just got to get back in the lab and get better. Watch some film, and have the urgency to get better.”
Georgetown prevails over VCU in “choppy” game slowed by 84 free throws
San Juan, Puerto Rico, November 24
– They kept whistling while Georgetown and VCU were trying to work on Sunday. The two teams were called for a combined total of 61 fouls and paraded to the free-throw line
84 times in their final-round matchup in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
Georgetown
made more of the foul shots when it counted most, going 30-of-34 from
the line in the second half (compared to 20-of-28 for VCU), enabling the
Hoyas
to emerge with an 84-80 victory in a game that took 2 hours and 41
minutes to play.
“It was a choppy game,” VCU coach Shaka Smart said.
Despite
all the fouls, the Rams (4-2) still were able to use their pressure
defense to force Georgetown into 26 turnovers. But after VCU used a
quick 8-0 run to
take a 48-41 lead with less than 14 minutes to play, the Hoyas (3-2)
did a better job of handling the ball down the stretch.
“VCU
is going to make runs,” Georgetown coach John Thompson III said. “To
have success against them, you have to limit those runs. That was their
run, and we were
able to settle down a little bit after that.”
Georgetown
guards D’Vaunt Smith-Rivera and Markel Starks were primarily
responsible for the Hoyas’ improved play in the second half. The duo
scored 36 of their
combined 49 points in the second half, with Starks making all 10 of
this free-throw attempts.
“These
guys are going to sleep very, very well tonight, from dealing with that
pressure at both ends of the court,” Thompson said. “Everyone always
talks about
VCU’s defense, but they always have five guys on the court who can
attack and score. So the key wasn’t necessarily handling their pressure.
The key was making it hard for them to score.”
It
definitely was hard for VCU’s three best scorers to find their shooting
touch, as Juvonte Reddic, Trevon Graham and Rob Brandenberg went a
combined 6-of-28 from
the floor.
“Shooting
percentages were in the front of everybody’s mind, and that affected
how we played,” said Reddic, who finished with seven points, five below
his average.
While
the Hoyas bounced back from an opening-round upset loss to Northeastern
to win their next two games in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off, 10th-ranked VCU
leaves the
island with a surprising 1-2 tournament record.
“The
main thing we learned in Puerto Rico is we have to get better,” Smart
said. “We already knew that, but now we’ve been smacked across the face
with it.”
PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF
GAME 11: FSU VS. NORTHEASTERN 62-60
Florida State Coach Leonard Hamilton:
“For
most of the game Northeastern out-played us. They had a tremendous game
plan, they were patient, they executed very well. They were energized
and played with tremendous
focus. For the majority of the game they probably out-played us. We
were very fortunate to win the game at the end. These are the kind of
games you look back at the end of the season and say, ‘wow.’ This is a
very, very good team. They’re going to give a lot
of folks a lot of problems; you can ask Georgetown about that. So we
were very fortunate to find a way to win there at the end. The game
could have gone either way.”
“We
didn’t seem to have an answer for their big guy (Scott Eatherton). He
was very smart in how he played and he was very energized; he might have
had six offensive
rebounds the first half. We didn’t do a very good job. Our guys would
rotate over to try to catch one of their penetrating guards and he would
just crash the glass. None of our guards were picking him up on the
outside. That’s a very smart headed player who
is taking advantage of the opportunities that are available. For the
most part, a team like this, we were very fortunate we were able to make
the adjustments. When you run into a big guy who is as mobile and agile
as Eatherton, sometimes it negates our size
and we have to go with a smaller lineup. He was a little too quick for
our two seven footers.”
“You’ve
got to give these guys credit…they did a great job and had a great game
plan. We were just fortunate to have the ball in our hands with the
clock running
down. Whoever had that ball with the clock running down probably was
going to have a chance to win.”
“We
haven’t been out-rebounding people all that much. I’ve said all along, I
think we’re a work in progress. I think we’ve got potential that we
could be a pretty
good basketball team, but we have not been as consistent as we need
to.”
“The
game could’ve gone either way. Northeastern is a high-caliber team. I
don’t know who they’ve lost to, but I know they played awful well down
here. If they
continue to play throughout the year as well as they’ve played in this
tournament, somebody’s in for a handful. I can guarantee you that.”
“We
could not have had a better situation in Puerto Rico, other than I
would have loved to play in the Championship game. I don’t think we
could have asked for
better competition to get us ready for our conference race.”
Northeastern Coach Bill Coen:
“We came down to this tournament to find
out about ourselves and compete. In that sense, we’ll consider our trip
to Puerto Rico a success. I know we didn’t get the victories we were
looking for, but I couldn’t be more proud of my team with their effort,
their intensity and their togetherness. We
told our team in the locker room that is we can build on that, we could
end up having a special year. If we can keep believing in each other,
keep competing and trying to improve each and every day, we’ll get where
we want to go. Right now we’re obviously
a little disappointed; we thought we played a winning effort but really
just didn’t earn the win. You’ve got to give credit to Florida State,
they made some great plays down the stretch and we lost to a terrific
basketball team.”
“They
have an extremely athletic club, they’re athletes up and down their
lineup. They have great size and rim protection, so they have everything
they need to
be a post-season team. I thought some of those turnovers and errors
were self-inflicted. We had a few things where we mishandled the
basketball. That’s the wear down effect of the pressure. They put a lot
of pressure on our guards. For the most part, I thought
we executed fairly well, but we had a couple possessions that we could
improve upon for sure.”
“We’re
an execution basketball team. We’re not going to out-athlete anybody,
we’re going to compete. As the year goes on, we need our execution to
get better and
I thought during this tournament it did. We were able to run our sets a
bit better, a little more crisply and get the ball to Scottie
(Eatherton) where he can do something with it. He was able to deliver. I
thought he had an outstanding tournament against
some of the best teams in the country. He’s played as well as you
possibly play in three games.”
Northeastern Forward Scott Eatherton:
“I think that we realized how good
we can actually be playing at this competition and actually being able
to compete. Our effort, if we can have the effort for every game no
matter who the team is, I think we can be a really good team. I’m
excited to get back and practice and get ready for
the next game, and I think the rest of our team is too.”
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – Considering that Michigan was the runner-up in
last season'’s NCAA Tournament, it was expected that the Wolverines would
have a good chance to advance to this season'’s championship game of the
Puerto Rico Tip-Off.
Charlotte, on the other hand, was not expected to be there. Not with a
field that included VCU, Georgetown and Kansas State. But the 49ers proved
that they more than belonged in Sunday night'’s title game by upsetting the
14th-ranked Wolverines 63-61.
Charlotte nearly gave the game away, blowing a five-point lead in the
final minute when Michigan’'s Mitch McGary made a layup to tie the game at
61-61 with only eight seconds remaining.
But the 49ers quickly pushed the ball downcourt, where Terrence Williams
missed a layup but got his own rebound and put it back for the
game-winning basket with only 0.4 seconds left.
PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF
GAME 12: CHARLOTTE VS. MICHIGAN 63-61
Charlotte Coach Alan Major:
“you
almost don’t know what to say after that one; that was one of the most
incredible basketball games I’ve ever been a part of. I just can’t say
enough about these kids.
Every game got sticky, all three games of this tournament got sticky.
Teams have gone on runs and guys don’t come to the time outs with their
heads hanging, they maintain their poise. The thing that’s been the most
fun and encouraging for me to watch is just
them coming together down here and being a team. It’s the hardest thing
to do in sports these days is to legitimately root for the next guy on
your team and not care what happens for you. They’re really trying to be
a team so I’m just really thankful to God
for them. They’re a tremendous bunch and they deserve this. A lot of
conditioning in the fall, a lot of running and weight room stuff,
everything that they’ve done – they deserve it. Hats off to this crew.”
“We
just figured we’d let them play. Pierriά (Henry) did a good job of
finding Terrence (Williams) on the back door, they do it all the time.
Terrence just kind
of had a nose for it, was almost probably shocked how open he was at
first but he stayed with it and put the thing back in.”
Charlotte Guard Terrence Williams:
“I
saw Pierriά (Henry) driving down the lane, so I stepped down on the
baseline and as he dumped it off to me I missed the layup. I just stayed
with it.”
Michigan Coach John Beilein:
“Well, another March game played in November.
Charlotte was really good; I was really impressed with their personnel
and defense. They played a terrific game. Pierriά Henry did a great job
on Nik Stauskas. He’s a really, really good defender. I think he’s one
of the best defenders in the Atlantic 10.
We’re embracing this and saying, ‘What a great opportunity to grow?’ We
had adversity tonight like we hadn’t had, and we just kept plugging
away, it’s all good. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s all good to come
into that environment, play as hard as we did
and fight back to have a chance to win.”
“We
had two starters out for most of the game. The first two fouls on Caris
(LeVert) were a tough break for us, then Glenn (Robinson III) goes
down, then we can’t
make a shot. Here’s what I like: I like that Zak Irvin didn’t stop
shooting even though he couldn’t make a shot, because he hit a huge one
for us late and in the first half. So these are all things that I see
positive from the loss.”
“Jordan
Morgan went in there and played his tail off. He had five offensive
rebounds, he worked so hard. He had a big bucket for us and made two
huge foul shots.
I’m really happy for him becauase finding playing time with Mitch in
there is tough.”
“I
don’t know if I’ve seen a better offensive rebounder in all these
years. That kid (Willie Clayton) is unbelievable, number 21, Clayton.”
Michigan Guard Nik Stauskas:
“The injury was tough, especially defensively,
because they noticed it real quick and whoever I was guarding just
started running around a bunch of screens. It was definitely difficult
just to move around and put pressure on them, I was kind of limited.”
“We
had to play solid defense, I think our big helped up a little bit and
the guy (Terrence Williams) got an open layup. Luckily he missed it, but
we couldn’t capitalize
on a rebound and he put it back in on the buzzer.”
“We were right there at the end and gave ourselves an opportunity to win; it just didn’t work out for us.”
Michigan Forward Jordan Morgan:
“We just take one possession at a time.
We know it’s a game of runs and they’re going to go on their run, but
there was a lot of time left. We just take it one play at a time, one
stop at a time so we can have a chance at it.”
“I thought it was going in, I just wanted to be there in case the free throw did come off, and it did.
Photo Credit: ESPN/Phil Ellsworth
Puerto
Rico Tip-OFF 2013
Por
Daniel “Mr. Clutch” Mercado Castro
