Additional Quotes >> USA 67, Russia 63

June 29, 2009 - Belgrade, Serbia

USA head coach Bo Ryan, University of Wisconsin
On tonight's game:
Well, when you think about it this way, Brackins couldn't play because of an injury (elbow to the eye). Booker had four fouls on him, so he was in tough shape. We rotated some different guys to help at the four and five spots, and then we went small at the end to make sure we had ball handlers and free throw shooters on the line when we knew they were going to foul.

The guys got it done tonight with hustle opportunities. (Evan) Turner, (Robbie) Hummel and Deon (Thompson), those guys, especially at the end, they were everywhere. Corey (Fisher) and Talor Battle. I just really like the way they stuck their noses in there.

On the USA's foul trouble:
We should worry more about playing than we should trying to get the officials to call it differently. I just don't know how they are calling it, and I'm going to have to get a better feel for it. So is our team. We've just got to get better.

How important were Jarvis Varnado, Robbie Hummel and Deon Thompson attacking the glass and getting some second-chance points?
They were guarding so well on the perimeter, for us to get a good look, it was really tough. And then when we penetrated, they are a really good team at help and recover situations. Long arms, very active feet, they play defense the way I would like to have a team play defense.

Did you feel like your defense improved tonight?
Our defense spearheaded some of our offense tonight no question. Guys picked each other up, that's the main thing.

Da'Sean Butler (West Virginia / Newark, N.J.)
How important was this win tonight heading into the actual tournament this week?
(Russia) is a very good team. We watched them play against Serbia, and they pushed them to the limit. Going into the real games with a win will keep everybody's confidence up.

Corey Fisher (Villanova / Bronx, N.Y.)
Was there ever any doubt in the fourth quarter that you would be able to knock down your free throws?
Not at all. You have to give credit to Russia. They played hard. We played hard. We work on free throws every day in practice, and it's just something that you have to do to win ball games down the stretch.

How important was this win tonight heading into the actual tournament this week?
It was real important. First of all we got the win. But it doesn't matter if we win or lose, we are just trying to come out here and compete and get ready for the real competition. It's helping us get better. No matter if it's a win or a loss, you always can learn from it. This is something that we learned from tonight with the win.

Do you feel like the USA's defense was better tonight?
Our team defense got better. We came out with a lot of energy. That is one thing we talked about in the locker room before the game - to come out with toughness and play for each other.

Robbie Hummel (Purdue / Valparaiso, Ind.)
Can you talk about your tip-in following Deon's missed free throw late in the game?
Deon made a good move to the basket, and he got fouled. He was at the line shooting two, and he missed the first one. So I was thinking maybe he would try to compensate with the second one. It came off the rim, and my guy didn't really box me out, so I just did the best I could, and I was fortunate that it went in.

Was being aggressive a focus for you tonight?
Anything that helps the team win is important on a team full of guys that can score like we have. Tonight rebounding just happened to one of the things I did well. I didn't really shoot well, so I had to make contributions in other ways.

Have you seen a lot of growth in this team over the past three games?
Definitely. I think we learned a lot from our loss to Serbia last night. That first game with Canada, I think we were still trying to figure out the time zone and everything. I think we learned a lot from that game last night, and we will continue to learn.

Russia went on a run in the third quarter, was that a lull in energy for the USA?
The last two games, we have struggled coming out of halftime. We've had leads and blown them. We need to figure out a way to stay on that level we were at in the first half and not slip up.

How important was this win tonight heading into the actual tournament this week?
Anytime you win, your confidence is going to go up. I think it will be big for us. Two-and-one is a respectable record. Obviously we want to be 3-0, but we lost to a very good Serbia team and hopefully we will face them again.

Deon Thompson (North Carolina / Torrance, Calif.)
Was being aggressive a focus for you tonight?
We got beat up in the game last night, so that was something after the game we thought about and I thought about. We got dominated inside, so we definitely wanted to be aggressive. Jarvis started the game and gave us a lift. We wanted to make an emphasis of dominating the boards.

Can you talk about Robbie's tip-in after your missed free throw?
When I saw him tip it in, I was so happy. That's why you have teammates. Teammates help you out when you mess up. Robbie definitely gave me a lift when he tipped that ball in.

Do you feel like this team started to come together more tonight?
We definitely did. Guys started to make plays. Corey played big down the stretch. As time goes on, you are going to see us come together more and more. We've only been together for a few weeks, so as time goes on and we play together, we will get more comfortable with each other on the court.

How important was this win tonight heading into the actual tournament this week?
It definitely was important. Especially the way last night's game went. We didn't perform like we wanted to, so to respond in a close game like this and be tough enough to pull it out, that says a lot about this team.

Jarvis Varnado (Mississippi State / Brownsville, Tenn.)
Was being aggressive your focus tonight?
I just had to bring my energy tonight. Coach said we needed some guys to step up, so that's what I did.

How important was this win tonight heading into the actual tournament this week?
It's a real confidence booster. Russia is a good team. We played together, we faced a little adversity and we stuck with it. We got the win, so that's a big confidence boost.

Do you feel like this was a better defensive performance tonight?
We didn't let them score (from the field) in the last four minutes, so that was real good for us. I think we are buying into the defense side now.