June 6, 2009 • Belgrade, Serbia

USA head coach Bo Ryan, University of Wisconsin
On tonight's game:
We know Greece can shoot. Look what they have done in other international competitions. They are a basketball country, and they play very hard.

They gave us their best in the first half. In the second half, once we made our push, we got them out of any rhythm they could establish. The rest of the game we were pretty much in control, but in the first 20 minutes, they did the things that make them so good. If we didn't shut that off, we were going to be in trouble. But our guys did what we needed to do, we responded better. We got them in foul trouble in certain positions, and that helped us quite a bit. We got on the glass, and didn't turn the ball over, so we were getting shots every time down. All the fundamental things that you need to do to beat a team, we did, especially in the last 20 minutes.

Did you see improvement in the USA's defense?
On some things. Still, with our hands we are grabbing or emphatically fouling - bringing our hands down hard. Whenever that happens, they call fouls. I think we could have kept them off the line maybe six, eight more times and make them make tough shots rather than bail them out.

On Serbia:
If we are not better defensively against Serbia, then Serbia can really get to the line better than any team here. People might think that is because they are the home team, and they get favored, but it's because they play smart. They can drive and finish. They get post touches. That's why they get to the line a lot, and that's what we have to do some of tomorrow night, too.

James Anderson (Oklahoma State / Junction City, Ark.)
On the USA's third quarter surge:
I think we had more energy. Right there at the end of the first half, we started picking up our energy and started coming together and getting defensive stops. That carried over to the second half, and that's what changed the game.

Does this win against a tougher team feel better than some of your earlier blowouts?
It feels way better. From what I hear, along with the wins, sometimes it comes down to the points. It feels good to get a big win in a more important game.

On Serbia:
We just have to go back and look at the film and see what we did wrong in the last game and execute tomorrow in practice and go over the game plan.

Do you think the USA has improved since your last game with Serbia?
I think everybody is mostly on the same page now. When we first go over here, we were still trying to get a feel for each other, but now every body is on the same page.

Trevor Booker (Clemson / Whitmire, S.C.)
On tonight's game:
It feels like we did some better things, but we will look at the tape and figure it out.

In the first half we had six turnovers, and in the second half we had three, so that was a big difference. We just took better care of the ball.

On the team's chemistry:
Everybody is bonding well, so that is going to take us far.

On Serbia:
They beat us pretty good last time, so we just have to come out and fix the things we did wrong last time.

Da'Sean Butler (West Virginia / Newark, N.J.)
Can you talk about those two threes you hit to start the third quarter?
It felt good. The last couple of games, I haven't been shooting the ball that well. I trust in my teammates, and they found me in the right spots, and I took it from there and just tried to make the shots.

On the team's chemistry:
It's a definite difference the first exhibition game we played, or even the second game we played, to here and now. Guys are accustomed to each other. They are learning to work together. They are enjoying each other and playing for this team.

We didn't understand what coach wanted in the beginning, but now everybody is starting to grasp his idea of what we need to do, and we are doing it. The first game, we didn't have that many post touches, and now we are pretty much working out of the post and playing through the post, and things are working out for us.

On the USA's defense:
It's a team effort. Nobody can do the job by themselves. We are always going to need a team effort to get a win against the kind of teams we are up against.

On the USA's third quarter surge:
It was just a matter of effort. We played hard, but we didn't execute as much in the first half as we did in that third quarter. We came out and set our mind on what we needed to do, and we ended up doing it.

Are you looking forward to playing Serbia again?
Definitely. I feel like they got us the first time. They have been playing together for a while, and we are starting to get the hang of playing with each other and knowing what people's weaknesses and strengths are. I think it will be a better match up than last time.

Quincy Pondexter (Washington / Fresno, Calif.)
How much fun was tonight, getting a big win over some good competition?
It was a lot of fun, and it was another step towards us becoming a really good team. We are learning. We are getting better every game.

Did you feel like you played more as a team tonight?
Our chemistry is definitely improving. Instead of bickering or getting frustrated or something, we are doing a lot better job of digging down and fixing problems on the court. I think our team is really coming together pretty well, and I'm ready for tomorrow's game against Serbia.

Do you think this team is adjusting to international rules and officiating?
We are handling the officiating a lot better -- attitude wise and learning how to move on from a bad play or call. That's part of basketball, and it's part of American basketball that we have to get better at. We just have to keep playing as hard as we can.

What are your thoughts on playing Serbia again?
I'm more confident this time in our team. If we get down or anything, I will have more confidence in us to rally up. We are a lot closer now, and we know how each other plays. We have a little bit of a rhythm now.

Deon Thompson (North Carolina / Torrance, Calif.)
On the USA's third quarter surge:
We wanted to cut down on the turnovers in the second half and continue to play our game - work the ball inside and continue to be patient on offense. We did a great job of executing that.

We definitely started to have fun out there in the second half as the lead started to grow. Guys we generous and genuinely supporting each other.

Does this win against a tougher team feel better than some of your earlier blowouts?
It definitely feels good to see your team go out there and play well against a high-caliber team and get a good victory. It helps us build our confidence as a team.

What are your thoughts about playing Serbia again?
We need to get our rest tonight and be prepared for a war tomorrow.

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