December 15, 1998
What are your thoughts on the Arizona State game on Saturday?
"Arizona State comes in with a lot of talent. Also, probably their best player, Mike Batiste, becomes eligible against us and from what I have been told he has pro potential. But they have some other great players. It is going to be a very big challenge for us. Arizona State has a new coach, Rob Evans. The Aggies have a new coach. So we have a couple of guys feeling their way through things as the season starts unfolding. I have known Rob for quite some time and he is a heck of a nice guy and a good coach. Looking at his teams from Mississippi he will be prepared and will play you until the last second ticks off of the clock. I was hoping that we had played our toughest games and we would be 7-1 and the rest of the games would be easy. Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way. It is going to be a big challenge for us, but one that I am anxious to see how we are going to respond. I think that our kids will give their best effort."
With the first stage of the season almost done, what do you think the team really needs to work on at this point?
"We know that we need to continue to get better. Defensively, there are some areas that have concerned me and the coaching staff. Offensively, we need to continue to work on our execution."
What has pleased you the most about this team?
"The thing that has pleased me the most is that I can see a chemistry coming about. I think that as a coach when you look at the guys and there are about nine guys who are contributing, you want a chemistry there. And I believe that team is developing a chemistry where they have confidence in each other and they trust each other. If we continue to grow in that area, that is going to propel us on to conference play."
What do you do with your ball club with the little bit of time that you have off between your last game and this game against Arizona State?
"We are going to back to some of the basics. We are going to go back to some of the drills that we did earlier on in practice to try to get better. But we also understand that exams are going on right now and there is some smoke coming from some of the kids heads. We have gotten back to basketball but we have had to work around the exams as far as practice is concerned. We are just trying to get focused for Arizona State. After this, the Big 12 is right around the corner. We are focusing on Arizona State first, but I guess they want to introduce us to the conference right, so they send us to Kansas on the road. That is a good way to break the rookies into this league. We can't worry about that yet, though. We have to try to take care of Arizona State.
You have already equaled the win total of a year ago, so things are going in the right direction...
"Well, we think so. But more importantly, the kids are responding. We try not to look at the record but we do play to win. We expect to win. In order to do that, you have to prepare and practice. I have been pleased with the way our kids have come to practice and accepted our coaching."
Who is going to guard Batiste?
"I am not for sure yet. We have to look at some more tape. It may be that we have two or three guys on him. We do not want to give our secrets out just yet."
As a former guard, do you like what you are seeing from your guards so far?
"I think that they are jelling and anytime that you have a tandem like we do, you can do different things with them."
What is the key to good guard play? It seems like Clayton and Cook complement each other.
"I think that in this situation you hit the nail on the head. Surely when Chris (Clayton) is open we want him to take the shot. Clifton (Cook) seems to be able to find the open man and get the ball to them. Defensively, it keeps the teams off balance."
Has Clifton Cook adjusted as well as you would hope coming out of the JUCO ranks?
"Probably better than I would have hoped because normally it takes a little while. He has come in and accepted our system and he has performed very admirably to this point."
Has he learned everything you want him to learn to this point?
"No, but he is working on it. The good part about it is that he accepts coaching. He does not fight you about it. He just says `yes coach' and goes out and tries to do it. That is always good."
He seems really confident out there for a guy that has only played the month of December and a little bit in November...
"Well, he better be. We sure need that and he has surely accepted that challenge. I think one thing that really sticks out is that he seems to be a confident player."
What makes a good overall point guard? What are the top three traits you need to have?
"One, I think that a point guard needs to make everyone around him better. If you look at the great point guards they have all done that. You have some situations when the point guard is pretty good himself but they do not bring that added element to the team where they help the guy around them to be a better player. When I talk to Clifton that is one of the things that we put emphasis on. I think he has done a great job of being the coach out there on the floor."
It seems like A&M gets in trouble when teams press. Do you feel confident that you can avoid those problems with the Big 12 coming up?
"Well, we have been pressed. Tulane did a good job of pressing us. We have handled the press to this point pretty well. I know that teams will try to pressure us thinking that Clifton (Cook) is the only guard that we have who can handle the ball. We will make some adjustments and we will get some other guys involved in ball handling that hopefully does not tear us apart."
Chris Clayton has kind of been considered an overachiever. Can you talk about that?
"When we first met Chris, we were told by some of the coaches around that he wasn't a division I player. I was most impressed with Chris's work ethic. He came in and went to work immediately and has been doing it ever since. It is great to see a kid do that and to see the dividends pay off. He is starting for us and contributing. He is getting a lot of minutes although people told me that he would not play for us."
As it goes the first year you have to play the cards that were dealt you. So far Chris Clayton has been an ace for you, wouldn't you say?
"He surely has. Unfortunately, the other night he went 0-for-10 from the three point line. I told him that if he didn't take those shots I would break his arm. He is our designated shooter and if he is open we want him to get a look at the bucket. There is a big difference, this year as compared to last, on how Chris Clayton shoots and approaches the basket."
Clayton attributes that to you for being a calming influence on the players. Do you not get down on him and keep encouraging him to shoot?
"Well, I think that you have to do that. In practice, we are on the players enough. Like we told the players, `Practice belongs to us (the coaches) and the games belong to the players'. If you don't get the problems worked out in practice you surely are not going to get them worked out during the games. We try to give the kids confidence but we give it to them in practice, so when they get to the game they are ready to perform."
Chris has alluded to an instance in a game when he hit a three and he turned around and you gave him a high five right there on the court. That kind of stuck out in his mind. He said it got him pumped up. Could you talk about that?
"Well, he was kind of just running by me and I was really just pushing him down the court to get back on defense...just kidding! I want the kids to have fun. I think we as players and coaches are entertainers. That just kind of happened. I didn't plan it. He just ran by and I gave him a high five. I get excited, too."