Thursday’s Myrtle Beach Invitational Quotes – Villanova 98, Middle Tennessee 69

Myrtle Beach Invitational – Villanova vs. Middle Tennessee Quotes, November 21, 2019

Villanova 98, Middle Tennessee State 69

Villanova head coach Jay Wright – “A good start for us. That team has two dangerous scorers. We knew Antonio Green and C.J. Jones can really get it going. I was a little concerned early not letting them get hot. I thought we did a pretty good job. The leadership from Collin (Gillespie), Collin’s had a real tough preseason, so see him get off like that to start the game was important for our team. Our whole team looks to him for his energy and they watched what he went through in the preseason, so I know they feel great for him. I’m most happy about Cole’s (Swider) seven rebounds, he’s more than just a shooter.”

Villanova forward Cole Swider – “I’m just trying to play defense and rebound for my teammates and coaches. Coach Wright has always talked to me about worry about defending and rebounding and that’s what’s going to get you on the court.”

Villanova guard Collin Gillespie – “It was tough, there were injuries, but they happen to everyone. I just had to deal with that, get back in the swing of things, playing in games. Obviously, I missed our two scrimmages but I’m just trying to get back to game situations the best I can and I’m starting to come around and get used to it. The preseason was tough for me, but I had my guys, everybody was working hard so I think I’m getting back into it a little bit.”

Middle Tennessee State coach Nick McDevitt – “First of all congratulations to Villanova, they just got off to a great start. Gillespie opened things up early in the game and were in a double-digit hole early in the game. Doing that against a team that’s that good with quality players, you’re going to have to play well the rest of the way. They have elite size with great shooters and any short close-out or decent close-out results in 3 points. They were throwing a lot of size at (Antonio Green), they’ve got a lot of interchangeable parts, so they were switching just to never let him see space.”

Middle Tennessee State guard Donovan Sims – “We just saw a couple shots go in, really and we got into the flow a little better. I feel like we were dealing with their length a little better in that little stretch. Once we saw a couple go in, we started to feel better.”