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Cooley on Dunn, URI, and More

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PC held a media session Tuesday afternoon in preparation for Thursday night’s game at URI. Foremost on everyone’s mind was the status of injured point guard Kris Dunn and the two suspended freshmen. No new information was given and their status basically has not changed. Listed below are some quotes from Ed Cooley during the media availability:

On playing URI at the Ryan Center: “This is one of those games that really coaches itself. The players know what they are up against. I have to manage this game, manage our emotions. We are in a similar situation to where we were last year with all the injuries. They are a better team than they were last year, but we are improving and learning to play hurt.”

On playing shorthanded on Thursday: “I think we have depth, we just don’t have it in certain positions. I think we have great depth up front and you have to play to your strengths. You have to be strategic in managing your backcourt. We may not be able to extend the floor the way we have shown. I think we may have to use some timeouts. You just have to manage it the best you can and its not easy. Once you get to the last four minutes of the game and it is close adrenaline gets you to the finish line.”

On Carson Desrosiers play against Kentucky: “Carson gave us a presence that we desperately needed. He guarded the rim, and he was physical which is important with him. Carson belonged on the floor the other night. When he got in foul trouble you saw they started attacking the rim again.”

On the play of Kadeem Batts: “Kadeem and I met today for about an hour. I talked to him about needing to relax. He seemed to be in a rush. I told him to slow down, be patient. Take the shot you want to take, not the shot the defense wants you to take. I think you will see a much more relaxed Kadeem on Thursday night.”

On Kris Dunn: “Kris is not in practice today. He needs an emotional day. Kris needs some time off. He is trying to handle the adversity the best he can. He came in as one of the most touted kids in the country, then he had to deal with an injury, then he came back from the injury and started to improve. He had an unbelievable summer, great fall, then he gets hurt again and he needs a lot of support.”

On the crowd support at the Kentucky game: “It was phenomenal. I was blown away by the Friar fans and can’t thank them enough. Wow, that was a great setting for Providence College. We may have lost the game, but we gained a lot of respect from the people that saw us there.”

 

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