Rick Barnes Quotes

"Because of what we've been able to do the last couple of weeks, I think they've got confidence knowing we can play a number of different ways."

"The biggest thing we need right now is consistency."

"He really can shoot college threes."

"If he hadn't gotten hurt, we wouldn't have watched him play tonight. I think he'd be in the NBA."

"That's stupidity. We're six games in. That's just something for people to write about. There are plenty of good teams in this conference."

"Fran and I spent a lot of nights watching summer league games throughout the D.C. area. I've got a lot of respect for him. You've got to marvel at the job he's done once he arrived there. His teams are very intelligent. They're not going to beat themselves. They're going to play extremely hard. They're probably more athletic than people think."

"I don't know if it's an advantage or a disadvantage. I told the guys were only going to worry about the game in front of us. From there, you move on to the next one if you're successful."

"We were really swarming and helping each other. I liked most of all we had seven turnovers. I thought we looked like a team."

"You're not playing this time of year if you're not a good basketball team."

"Back in the beginning of the season when I was looking at the schedule I knew it was going to be a tough finish for us."

"I don't know if guys have to quit, but it does help that P.J. is going to class,"

"[A few days before the start of the NCAA tournament last March, Texas coach Rick Barnes looked on as reporters fired questions at guard Brandon Mouton, most of which were a variation on one theme:] You play so well during the season, but then you disappear in the tournament -- what's up with that? ... Brandon, I've heard all those questions. I know you don't choke. But if you don't play well in this tournament, that's what I'm going to tell the world you did ."

"I think they know I'm upset because I think they know how much I want execution. It's always disappointing when you don't execute."

"The environment was great and to come in here and find a way to get it done is huge. I feel good for our guys. Memphis is a very hard team to defend because of the way they play."

"He loves this game. I knew he would be a person that would come back from it."

"The game is important to him. He wants to be really good at it."

"That's just stupidity. It's like the Indianapolis Colts (who won their first 13 games). We're six games in; teams are going to get better."

"(Kelvin) lost some games when he didn't have his whole team there. Coming in (to the season) they were like us, a team that was up there. And they're a good basketball team."

"I don't know if anyone can really understand the stress of coaches until you go through it. I love this business, as we all do, but it's a tough profession. There's a lot of stress."

"It's obvious he's been in pain. I've been worried all year just watching. I knew he was having a tough time."