Additional Quotes >> USA Blue 100, USA White 81

Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball Chairman
Did you accomplish what you wanted out of this mini-camp?
I think entirely. We were able to get as much out of it as we possibly could have dreamed possible and primarily because we had a good group of coaches willing to put in the time and the players committed to putting as much into it as they did.So it was a big success.

The players seemed to to work hard through two practices and the game, Is this a start for them in the national team program pipeline?
Well that's what they were told after the game. We thanks them for coming, we thanked them for the effort and they're now part of the family. They're in the pipeline and we'll be back in touch with them They have equity now in USA Basketball

Looking down the road, what the next step for the program?
Were going to preen our national team roster. We'll do that some time in the fall. We'll be making some deletions and then watching our players during the course of the NBA season and there may be some additions when it's all said and done to the 25, and make some invitations available sometime in the spring.

Mike Krzyzewski, USA Head Coach
Speak a little bit about Rudy Gay's performance tonight:
One, he played like a start today. Especially with his team down trying to get them back in. I didn't know he was that explosive offensively. He played really well, really well.

How about the bigs? Which of the bigs stood out to you today?
Actually I thought with (Greg) Oden being hurt for so often, he gave such a presence, then (Brook) Lopez gets I think 18 and did a really good job, and (JaVale) McGee, if he makes that one dunk then the Thomas & Mack roof would have come down. Even Jay Triano got up, he thought it was going to go.

What did Durant show you this week?
Durant is just an exclusive player. He got a double-double (actually finished with 20 points and eight rebounds) and it was quiet, plus with 10 seconds to go he's blocking a shot. Even thought he hasn't been on a team he's a veteran of three summers.

Having gone through this mini-camp did it achieve what you hoped?
Jerry (Colangelo) had the idea to do this and we all felt it would be good, but I think it was great. Jerry just got through talking to them and I said a few words and you could feel the sense of pride from all the guys. We had four really good days here, all these guys have built up USA equity, let's put it that way.

Jay Triano
On tonight's Game:
I thought the intensity was the same as it has been in practice throughout the week. I thought that guys played extremely hard and sometimes tried to do a little bit too much in the first half  but settled down in the second half. I thought it made for a very entertaining game.

Did anyone standout to you tonight?
Kevin Durant was very good. I thought that Rudy Gay put up great numbers and was very efficient with the basketball. Iguodala played well. If a couple guys surprised us, it was Brook Lopez. He just did a nice job of catching the ball, and keeping it high. Westbrook was very good too. Probably the same guys I thought played extremely well throughout the practices.

On the four USA Blue and USA White coaches:
They worked hard all week, and it was nice for them to have the reigns for the two teams and take them through the shoot arounds this morning and the game tonight. That is just a small reward for the work they put in this week. I thought they did a great job. Very positive with the players and tried to help the players out as much as they could.

On USA Blue winning:
I just think they got turnovers and deflections and created some fast break opportunities and shared the ball well. I think they probably shared the basketball a little bit better than the other team and were very unselfish.

On mini-camp:
I think it was great. Without your top guys having to expend themselves after what they have contributed to the Olympics and over the past three years, these guys come here and they have a passion for the game and a passion to want to play for their country. I think that showed over the past four days.

Kevin Durant
Did you do what you wanted to do?
I just wanted to play an all-around game " rebound, score, pass, play defense. So, I could have done better on the defensive end, but I think overall we played a good team game.

What was it like playing that game?
Man, it was a lot of fun. We got that lead closed down a little bit and gave us some momentum going into the second half.

What did you get out of this week?
I learned a lot from the guys, played hard. I was like a sponge all week, and I'm looking forward to doing it again, hopefully.

What changed for your team in the second half?
We passed the ball, shared the ball with each other, got stops and fast break buckets. I think that second group did a great job closing it out in the second quarter, and we got it going after that.

Do you feel you made your case to be on the National Team?
I only control what I do, so I think I came out and played as hard as I could. I could have played a little bit harder. I could have done things a little better. But I gave it the best that I could, and we'll see what happens. I really don't know to be honest.

RUDY GAY
What did you show tonight?
Hopefully, I showed enough to make the team. It means a lot to me. I still think of some things to work on, but I think I pretty much showed what I have worked on.

What did you learn over the past few days?
People that can do more, they are more successful in this league. So, just talking with Coach K and the other coaches around, they are just telling me to do the helpful things. They know I can score, just try to rebound, just try to pass it off to people open.

Were you feeling the 3-point shot?
We were down, I was just trying to get us back. You know, whatever it takes.

Your thoughts on the game tonight?
I'm still mad we lost that lead. We had a pretty good lead, and I think we were good enough to finish the game out with that lead. But, you know, things happen. Won't get a chance to get it back this year, but at least maybe next year we will get a chance to do something.

You planning to continue your commitment to USA Basketball?
Definitely. As long as I am invited, I'm going to come back.

Was this weekend as challenging and fulfilling as you had hoped?
Yeah, it was challenging, but that is what I like. During the summer, there aren't many things that can challenge you. USA Basketball did this week. But I'm just grateful. It's something I definitely can take back to Memphis.

How does your performance tonight boost your confidence for the future?
For me, I don't think confidence ever was a problem as far as basketball. Off the court, I'm a different person. I don't think it's confidence. It just shows what I have been doing. If you go out and work on something, when you go on the court, it shows you what you have done. It makes you want to work harder.

How much competition is there to make the upcoming USA Basketball roster?
This is bigger than the Atlanta Hawks, Memphis Grizzlies, Chicago Bulls. It's bigger than that. It's about your country, and I think everybody pretty much gave their all and tried as hard as they could. Now it's now up to us. It's up to them to figure out who they want on the team.

Kyle Korver
Was this as challenging and fulfilling an experience as you had hoped?
I had a great time. I took it as an honor to be invited. I came here and gave it what I had, and I had a really great experience. It's a lot of fun playing against these guys. The coaching staffs were great. It's a mini-camp, but it wasn't like they were out here to kill us. We had fun with it, and it was a great experience.

On his shooting tonight:
I had wrist surgery at the beginning of the summer, and this is the first live basketball I've played. That's the first game I have played since playoffs, so I'm feeling a little streaky with my shot. I doesn't feel smooth yet, but it was fun.

Fun Game? Pretty good talent around you?
I had a great time playing that game. Those are some of the best players in the NBA, and we had a great time.

O.J. MAYO
On tonight's game:
Made some and missed some. Wish I could have made them all, but I'm happy that we are safe and we had fun out there. That's the main thing.

On playing at the highest level:
I am (at the highest level), and it's an honor. It's a great opportunity to play for USA and have USA across your chest. Hopefully we can motivate kids to keep the tradition up. Just play hard. You really haven't made it until you get here, and when you get here you have to find your spot, so just keep competing. This is one of the highest levels you can get to. It's an honor, and we are all very blessed.

Was this weekend as challenging and fulfilling as you had hoped?
They actually took it kind of light on us. The first day was pretty tough. The second day was a lot of scrimmaging, and we had a lot of fun -- got an opportunity to compete and get out there and get down a little bit. (It was a) Tremendous opportunity for all of us.

How much fun was the game?
It was lot of fun. You work out hours and hours in a small, hot gym hours and hours a day earlier in the summer, and you get the opportunity to get into a big-time arena here in Las Vegas, a great city like Las Vegas, get into this arena and get back at it - it gets your juices flowing and definitely gets you ready to work out for the second part of the summer and get ready for the season.

Did you feel anything after you made the first two threes and then the third one the fans were waiting for it to go in and they all went 'ahhhhhhhhh' when it just skipped off?
It was feeling good; we had shoot around today and it was a good shoot around for me and I felt like it was going to be a good shooting night. D (Derrick) Rose and the guys did a good job of finding me and getting me open and I wish the ones I missed I could have made also but that's the way it goes sometimes. (Now I've got to) get back into the lab and get better and get ready for the second season.

Looking back, did you ever think you would be here trying to make a USA Basketball roster?
I don't know. I wasn't really thinking that far down the road. But I definitely wanted the opportunity to come out here and get the chance to play on that next Olympic Team or World Championship Team and just show what I can do.

Greg Oden
On tonight's game:
I'm definitely a guy who likes to win, so if we would have won it would have been a lot better.

Looking back, did you ever think you would be here trying to make a USA Basketball roster?
I never really thought about it, you know. I'm the type of guy who just goes out and plays and never really looks (ahead). But since I am here, it's definitely an honor, and I'm happy that I came.

DERRICK ROSE
Talk about this weekend, was it a fun experience and was it a growing experience for you?
Of course it was, I got to play against great player and playing with great players, getting some leadership from some of them and just seeing how they do off the court too. They probably didn't know I was watching them but I was watching them off the court, seeing how they eat, see how they preserved their energy and how they are.

Talk about the game, was it a fun game?
It was fun, too bad that we lost, but it was a fun experience out there. I've got to get back in condition, but the biggest things were trying to push the ball, trying to play defense and getting my teammates open.