FIBA U19 WC - Quotes of the day

PUERTO MONTT (2011 FIBA U19 World Championship for Women) - It was an exciting first day at the FIBA U19 World Championship for Women in Puerto Montt, Chile, and here are some of the more notable quotes from the tournament opening:

"I thought Chile played a very good game in defence, and we found it very hard to find good shots and score a lot." - Jerome Fournier, France coach, acknowledged the defensive efforts of Chile, after his team defeated the host nation in front of a large and boisterous crowd of well over 2000 people.
 
"Being away from home, not having you cell phone, is the hardest thing, because we live with those. Being here, it gives us the chance to enjoy the other parts of life like getting to know each other better and being able to communicate with each other." - USA guard Ariel Massengale told USA Basketball of one of the tough adjustments she has had to make so far. 
 
"I think they are very fast, and very smart and very disciplined. They know their strengths and they play to them, I thought they did a phenomenal job." - USA coach Jennifer Rizzotti pays tribute to a fearless Japan team.
 
"We rebounded very well. You would think we couldn't do it because their players were so much bigger" - Eiki Umezaki, Japan coach, enthusiastically praises his team's ability to recover 17 offensive rebounds against the much bigger USA.
 
"Japanese teams are so small, we have to pass and pass and pass the basketball, and pass quickly. We do it every day in practice" - Umezaki again on his team's impressive ball movement.
 
"The coaches there have prepared me really well, and taught me a lot about the point guard position. I am just trying to bring what I've learned to this team" - Diana Lee, Canada guard on her first year at Boise State University.
 
"The players will be more comfortable playing against the European teams, but we should be ready for any type of game at a world championship." - Wang Guizhi, China coach, after her team's heavy first up defeat to Canada.

"We told the girls the only way we had a chance was to rebound the ball and we had no chance if China got out of the 50s." - Canada coach Rich Chambers on the secret to his team's impressive first up showing.
 
"It's going to be a learning experience, as we know the European opponents, but we don't know the other teams." - Italy guard Francesca Dotto speaking of her expectations for the tournament.

"It was a mental thing for us coming out of the locker room. Argentina came out ready, we had a problem," Russia coach Olga Shuneykina after her team nearly surrendered a 20-point half time lead.

"They key to the game was at the end of the second quarter, we had the game we wanted but then we allowed them to run and run." Spain coach Carlos Colinas after his team gave up a nine point second quarter lead to lose to Brazil.

 

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