Nov. 17, 2008
Recap | Box Score | AP Photo Gallery 
Kyle McAlarney – Sr. – G
On the Notre Dame’s unselfish play… “That’s part of our identity, a huge part. That’s something we emphasize every game, coming in unselfishly and I think they mentioned that we had 25 assists, I think and that’s huge for us. We want to be up around 20 the whole year because that’s the way we play and we want to do it consistently.”
On the significance of the plaque regarding leading the nation in assists last year… “It’s definitely something this team takes pride because that’s the way basketball should be played and we really emphasize that on a daily basis. We see it in practice everyday and we guard ourselves everyday and that’s a tough thing to do. It’s a lot of fun playing that way.”
On USC Upstate’s guarding him tight… “I’m expecting that the whole year. I’m not going to worry about that because the main thing is that we get out there and get a win and I helped lead this team to victory and I can be effective in other. It’s just something I’m expecting every game this year.”
On the team having 25 assists in the first game… “The guys we have here, we could put up 30 (assists). Coach said at halftime, “Try and go get 30”, so we did. When we sat down, the starters sat down the bench players got in and did the same thing. They distributed the ball well with each other and had fun. Carleton Scott got in there, Jonathan Peoples did a great job, everybody, Luke Zeller coming off the bench knocked down some shots, it’s a great feeling.”
On Luke Zeller’s production off the bench… “He’s our sixth man. He’s like Leandro Barbosa of the Phoenix Suns. He’s a spark. We look to go to him once he’s in and we look for him to contribute quick once he’s in the game.”
On the team having 25 assists in the game…. “We just know how to share the ball. We have a great basketball I.Q. as a team and guys really hit shots. It was just a lot of fun playing out there and the atmosphere was awesome.”
On facing USC Upstate’s 7-3 center Nick Schneiders… “He’s a great, highly skilled player. He can move up and down the court really well. He had some good moves inside as well. He’s going to have a good career. It was like going up against a BIG EAST body tonight.”
On the team’s burst to start the second half… “We just got up on them on the defensive end. Ryan (Ayers) tapped a ball away, and we just got it going right there and never looked back.”
On Luke Harangody’s impressive night… “I just looked at the stats and was kind of surprised. I didn’t realize he had that kind of a night. It’s becoming routine for him. That’s the kind of player he is. He takes advantage of every opportunity, and we just need to get him the ball as much as possible in the right areas.”
On winning the opening tip against Nick Schneiders… “I was thinking about it during warm-ups. He reminded me of Hasheem Thabeet (from Connecticut). You see 7’3″ on the scouting report, but you don’t really know what that looks like until you are standing next to a guy of that height.”
On helping to fill the void left by Rob Kurz… “Rob brought a lot to this team. I don’t think any one person can do what he did. Being able to step up and do my part is huge. I know I have to rebound better than I did tonight. I’ll continue to work at it and try to get better each day.”
On getting off to a good start with 18 points… “I think it’s just continuing my play in Ireland. To be able have the confidence of the coaches is huge for me. To have the head coach’s confidence and the other players’ confidence makes it a piece of cake for me. Then I can just go out and play.”