“It was a crazy experience because she is a woman who everyone in the world looks up to, ... I mean, you walk in there and one of the first things you see is a picture of Nelson Mandela on the wall. That's when you realize just how big a situation it is. To go in there with my mother, whose been watching Oprah for years, it was just a really exciting experience, something I won't ever forget.”
“He's followed my career through high school, college and through the NBA. You want somebody who knows your game inside out, who knows what you like to do in certain situations. I'm excited about this opportunity and truly blessed.”
“This is an opportunity right here, ... You pray for situations like this. To be put in a situation where you are with a [general manager] who has followed you since high school and knows the ins and outs of your game. Not only that, but he knows about your personality. This is a great situation for me and my family and I'm going to embrace it.”
“Mr. Grunfeld and Jordan have accepted us with open arms, ... I've had phone calls, and I've felt like was a lottery pick all over again so I feel great. We're very happy, and I appreciate this.”
“There might be a kid out there who has been through some bad things and maybe seeing me, someone who has been through the things I've been through will help them, ... I don't necessarily mean playing in the NBA. It can be school. It can be music. It might be helping other people. There are so many better things that you can do with your life. We all go through some difficult things, but once those things happen, the question is: How are you going to respond?”
“He gave me an opportunity when everybody turned their back on me. He gave me a chance to come to school. He accepted me into his family. It was a great experience for me at UConn and I am grateful to him for that. I wouldn't miss this for anything.”
“What an event like this in any community accomplishes is bringing people together for goodness,'' said Leito, who was an assistant at Connecticut when Butler played there.”
“Defense can help you get on some magnificent runs and put teams away. That's what we're looking forward to because we know we can score. We have a lot of offensive-minded guys that can fill it up so, if we get stops, we'll have no problems on the other end.”
