December 16, 1997
SOPHOMORE FORWARD AARON JACK
You are eligible to play for the first time on Friday against Arizona State. How much action do you expect to see?
"Coach Barone told me from day one that if I took care of my business and I got myself in shape, I'd have a chance to play. I'm not expecting a lot. Everything will be a blessing as far as minutes. I just want to win. That's what it comes down to. We want to go to the NCAA Tournament. We've lost two games, that stinks and we're not happy about that. We just want to win. If I don't play a lot and we win, I'm the happiest guy on the team."
Why did you leave Penn State?
"I loved Penn State. It was great. As far as my medical situation, they wouldn't clear me to play. If I wanted to go ahead and play, I would have to leave. I've been cleared by doctors all over the country. Penn State was great. I miss the guys up there quite a bit, and I still talk to them quite a bit. But I love Texas A&M. I'm having a great time. The guys here are great, also."
What role do you expect to play?
"I think I can come in and kind of be a pick-up off the bench and play with enthusiasm and get the guys going. With regard to position, I can play either post spot. I want to be a catalyst once I get in the game. I think that's important for all the guys who come off the bench. It's noticeable when you're sitting on the bench when the guys need a pick-up. Sometimes when you're playing, it's hard to see. We've got a lot of guards. If one of our guys gets in foul trouble, we find ourselves between a rock and a hard place. We've had to play Jerald (Brown) down there a little bit, which isn't bad at all. But Jerald would probably rather be going to the bucket or shooting some treys."
You kind of followed former Penn State assistant Frank Haith when he came back to A&M last year. Then he left for Wake Forest.
"Coach Haith was at Penn State my freshman year. We had a real good relationship there. Obviously, Coach Haith is gone now. We still have a real good relationship, and I miss him a lot."
You haven't played in a game in two years.
"It's come pretty fast, though. It doesn't seem like that long ago that I just showed up here. It's just different to be getting ready for an actual game."
You said a while back that your dad, Bobby Jack, a former All-Big Eight forward at Oklahoma (1972), has been your greatest influence.
"Out of high school, I was 6-7, 190 pounds. Not that I was bad, but I wasn't great. When I was hurt, he kept me up. He gave me different opportunities to do all types of things. He's just always been there for me. We have an unbelievable relationship. I can talk to him about anything."
From you observations, how does Big 12 basketball compare to Big 10 basketball? How does A&M compare to Penn State?
"The conferences are pretty similar. Big 10 ball is known for being physical, but obviously the Big 12 is. That's one thing we had to focus on, was getting more physical. I think we've done a real good job with that in the weight room. If you rewind Penn State to before I got there, they were building, building, building. Then they built the new gym and had a veteran team. My freshman year, we went to the NCAA Tournament, and basically, the veterans coached the team. I definitely think we're building for that here. We've got such a young team. We're learning. Granted, the Colorado State game was bad for us, but we learned a lot through that. That's something that can help us get through the rest of the season.
You helped open a new arena at Penn State. Next year, you'll help open A&M's new Reed Arena. What do you recall about the Penn State situation?
"People were just going nuts. That was just something that was huge. Around here, you hear the same thing. People are always asking if we're going to play in Reed Arena this year or when it's going to be open. People all the time ask me about it if I have a basketball shirt on or know that I play. It's neat to walk around campus and have people ask me about that."
HEAD COACH TONY BARONE
What are you expecting from Aaron Jack now that he's eligible?
"We won't get a read on AJ for the next four games. We play three more non-conference games and we open up conference against Oklahoma State. We're going to bring him along slowly in terms of playing extended minutes. He might play 25 minutes, but he's not going to play 10 or 12 minutes at once. The biggest thing he will be missing is his attention to detail in game.. You tend to forget how precise you have to be in a game. You can get away with some things in practice. In games, the intensity level is so much different, that your attention to detail has to be so much better.
How concerned were you with Jack's medical history at Penn State (three concussions in one year)?
"I didn't deal with (Jack's condition) at all. The issue was an issue that was dealt with medically. When the medical people said everything was okay, we recruited him. I think there was some controversy at Penn State as to whether he should have been allowed to play. There were doctors who he had reports from who said ?Ëœyeah, he can play.' They chose not to play him. That was their decision. I know he was given a green light here, so he's going to play. His dad wants him to play. It's not an issue of whether he's capable of playing."
What does Aaron Jack bring to the team?
"I think he's going to give us toughness inside. He's an excellent passer, and I think he will give us excellent post defense. He's a good scorer, but I think that will come in time. I don't think he's going to come into games right now and score a lot of points. I think he's going to be a rebounder. He plays excellent defense and is really, really fundamentally sound. And he has a really high basketball IQ."
What are your thoughts on the Arizona State game on Friday?
"They have two great guards in Jeremy Veal and Eddie House. They are absolutely tremendous basketball players. They are better offensive players than the Alabama guards were. They are very aggressive and play an up-tempo game. We need to attack their post game and attack their inside players, Mike Batiste and Bobby Lazor."
You come back home and play Maryland-Eastern Shore at home on Sunday before breaking for Christmas.
"Maryland-Eastern Shore is very athletic. We have to be very careful about prejudging a team that's not supposed to be a good team. Who predicted that Iowa State would lose to Drake? Drake came into that game with one win. Our issue is we have to play with enthusiasm and effort."
You're coming off a tough overtime loss to Colorado State. What effect did that have on the team?
"We met the next day and tried to identify 10-12 plays that hurt us. Forget the missed free throws at the end of the game. We talked about not stopping their penetration and giving up threes on picks we should have been getting around. We walked out of the meeting and said, ?Ëœhey, it's our fault.' We have no excuses. We learned a tremendous lesson in that game. There is a big difference in being positive and saying your positive. We've had three great practices in a row."
Any injuries?
"Steve Houston cut his thumb slicing a potato. He mistook his thumb for the potato. He had to have three stitches on the inside and seven on the outside. I'm not sure what three inside stitches are. But he's a tough kid and he'll play on Friday."