Additional Quotes >> USA 110, Mexico 59

June 17, 2012 • Sao Sebastiáo do Paraiso, Brazil

Billy Donovan, USA head coach
What things did you see from your team today that you liked?
I thought we came with really good energy. I though be played better today than we did yesterday , which we’re trying to do, play better and better as we go along. I thought we were really unselfish. I thought we kept our turnovers down a little bit better than what we did yesterday. I thought we were well balanced. Jake Layman gave us really good 3-point shooting and obviously our frontcourt did a great job on the glass. When we subbed everybody today contributed and gave us really good minutes. Everybody scored and I think once we subbed we didn’t really have a drop off and like I said earlier everybody really contributed and helped. I rhink Mexico in the frontcourt was undermanned, undersized I rhough have one game to watch them play last night and understanding Estrade who’s the guy who got 33 against points Brazil and Vazquez I think got 19, I thought our guys had a pretty good awareness of where those guys were on the court and we didn’t give them anything easy.

Next up for the USA is Brazil, the host country.
I think its great for us to get into a game like that. It’s going to be certainly a road game, it will be a great environment, there will be some adversity, there will be some things we’ll have to overcome and battle. I think we’ve had two games where we’ve won handily and I ‘m not so sure our guys understand how some of the mistakes we’re making In a close game could really hurt us. I think we’ll be tested in a different way tomorrow and I think it’s probably something these guys need.

Montrezl Harrell (Hargrave Military Academy/Tarboro, N.C.)
It looked like it was fun game out there today.
Yeah it was a fun, we just came together and played together as a team and just took the fight out of Mexico early. We really played together as a tea and had fun out there.

The USA really got out running and played good defense. How important is that for this team?
I think a key for us will be running up and down the floor and playing good defense because a lot of these teams can get to the basket. So we’ve got to get back on D and if they do call a foul move on to the next play.

Are you feeling like the tem is improving with each game and guys are starting to get more comfortable?
I am starting to feel more comfortable, yesterday I was kind out of it on account of it being the first game, but coming in today I feeling more comfortable and I think yeah were doing pretty good. Teams are getting more difficult because of their players and the different things they can do.

What’s it going to take to beat Brazil, the host country?
It’s going to take a lot of effort to beat Brazil because like Coach said, it’s a home game, its probably going to be sold out, it’s a later game so everybody is going to be here and so we have to come in with the heart and passion we have and take the play out of them early like we have done in our two other games.

Jake Layman(King Phillip Regional H.S./Wrentham, Mass.)
You had a good shooting game today.
Yeah, I felt good shooting. They were leaving me open so I took the shots and I was putting them in today.

The team is coming together and are you guys staring to figure out where people are and what you need to do?
Yeah, I think our team chemistry is where it should be right now and we’re playing well.

It will be a good challenge tomorrow when you play Brazil. What are some of the things the team needs to do?
We just need to play together the entire time, have good team play and trust each other that we can all do it.

Rodney Purvis (Upper Room Christian/Raleigh, N.C.)
How important was it today to get out to a strong start?
It was really good for us to come out and get out to a good start and take the fight out of them early. This is a good momentum game for us going into tomorrow and playing against Brazil, they’re the home-country team so it will be a really good game. But today was good for us, it gave us something to build off.

Are you feeling like everyone is coming together and figuring each other out a little bit better every game?
Definitely, it something we all have to get use to. Being like the best guys on our teams, we have to come here and get on the same page and fighting together to win games, it’s just been good.

What things will the team need to do against Brazil?
Stay together because it will be us against them and the entire crowd and all that so we have to come together and win the game.