December 07, 2000
How excited is your team about Saturday's game against North Carolina?
"It's here. And I think our kids our excited. It's good for our program to play a nationally ranked team with such a tradition as North Carolina. Hopefully, this is just the beginning of what we're trying to build this program into. We want to be one of those teams, and the way you do that is to play them.
What is your impression of North Carolina going into the game?
"They're pretty good. And we're not up to full speed. We don't have all of our bodies. They're awfully big inside and this would be a good game for Andy [Slocum], to have his body in there and bang them around a little bit. But, we don't have that so we can't worry about it. We've got to try to come up with a game plan that will suit our needs and the personnel that we have and give our best effort."
Is the key to go out for the first 20 minutes and hold your own, maybe ahead or only down a few going into the locker room at halftime?
"I think that's the way we should approach it, to go out and play our possession, actually. We've got to limit our mistakes. I was telling the kids today in practice, when you play good teams, they're thinking that they are going to make you make mental mistakes. And the team that makes the fewest mental mistakes is usually the team that is going to win ball games. So now, our challenge is a lot greater, playing a talented team like a North Carolina because they don't normally beat themselves. If we are going to go out and beat them, we'll have to beat them with our execution."
Are you concerned about Keith Bean getting into foul trouble against the bigger guys?
"Well, that is a concern. If you look at the bigger guys North Carolina has, that concerns us. The thing that we tried to address today is that Keith has to play with his feet and not with his hands. That's something we're working on and it may cause us to play more zone if we have some early fouls. That's an area we know they are going to try to attack us. We've got to accept that challenge by not fouling and playing good post defense."
You grew up in Reidsville, North Carolina. Talk about the basketball tradition at UNC?
"Growing up in that part of the country, I saw it at a very early age. It's a perception. Everything is North Carolina basketball and so when you are so inundated with it, you buy into some of those perceptions. Even in years when they were down, you just knew that they were good teams and would have a chance to beat most teams that they played. And the kids buy into that. Just like here [at Texas A&M], and the football traditions, you have the same stadium and you bring in new pieces and they buy into it. And people say, eeHey, This is what people before me have gone through and these are the people before me who have laid their souls on the line.' Carolina has that in basketball. The next kid comes in there and sees all those jerseys hung up in the arena such as Phil Ford and Michael Jordan and says eeI've got to perform at this level. I don't want to let people down.' They [Carolina] get a lot of that and that's what tradition is all about."
Have you talked to your kids about not being in awe of seeing something like that?
"Oh, definitely, without a doubt. That would be one way to get me upset, to see our kids to start looking around. We talked about that today and I think our kids understand what this is all about. What I told them, is that I don't want to see us get high just to play North Carolina, we need to get that way to play every night. Don't give me this high emotion for Carolina, and the next game it's like it's not fun to play anymore. We've got to manufacture our energy to a level and keep it consistent throughout our season."
After playing a bunch of ranked teams last year, has it prepared you for this?
"We've addressed that. The Big 12 put six teams in the [NCAA] tournament last year where the ACC only put three. We've faced some good teams before and I don't think North Carolina is any better than the Oklahoma State's or the Kansas's that we face on a regular basis. That should help us some. We shouldn't go into this game as if it is a once-in-a-lifetime game. So, we will approach it a little different."
How much better is Carolina than last year? They barely made it into the tournament, but once the bell rang, they went to the Final Four?
"I think they are probably a little better than last year. But still, I think they are trying to find themselves. They have the talent, the same system, but a new coach. We just hope they don't find it come Saturday night."
What are your thoughts on Brendan Haywood and his triple double earlier this week?
"I recruited him out of high school when I was at UNCC. I am very familiar with him. He's a handful inside. He's big and plays well within himself. He's very capable of having those [triple-doubles] and that was the first one in the history of the university. So think about all those great players that have come out of there, that let's you know how amazing that is. But when a young man is seven feet tall, is agile as he is and has great hands, I think one of the first things people look at is whether he can catch the ball around the basket. So what we have to do, is try to get him to step out onto the floor away from the basket and then he becomes a different player. "
How much has Jamaal Gilchrist improved in regard to setting the tempo?
"He's still improving. There are still a lot of things that he needs to continue to learn and he works on those everyday. But, he can surely get us running and set the tempo as to the way we want to play it. So, we will call on Jamaal to be his best and if he is at his best, I like some of the things he that he can do out there. He likes a challenge, so I look for him to have a good game. When I was a point guard, I put a lot of pressure on myself to be the guy to set the tone for the team in terms of leadership. So, from that standpoint, I put a lot of emphasis on our point guard being the guy that can be the coach out there on the floor as the one that's talking. And that's one area Jamaal needs to improve on. He needs to be a little more vocal out there. And he is working on it. He's going to have his hands full this game and most games this season, especially when we get into the Big 12 season. As a player, you want a challenge and Jamaal is going to get challenged."
Any thoughts on individual matchups in the game?
"We really try not to look at it that way. We talk more of team and executing and I want the kids to stay focused that way because we're not good enough to get into individual advantages. I'm very careful in staying away from that kind of thing because we need to rely on each and every one of our players. I will be concerned that we might come out too high and try to do too much and not look very good. We've got to just come out and play our game."
How will this game effect recruiting?
"It's going to be great for recruiting. It's a great opportunity for our team and our program. We need to take advantage of it. Some times you get limited opportunities and when one comes along you need to take advantage of it. It's going to send a message not just locally, but nationally as well. The Highlights will be on ESPN and all of that, so it will be a great opportunity for our program so we need to put our best foot forward."
What can you take out of a game like this before going on long road trip against some good teams?
"We really need to play well so you can go out on a positive note. We actually have a little break for the holidays before we get back into practicing before we head out to California. You always like to finish up on a positive note before you start a break. Obviously, the way to do that is to get a win. Not only that, but play well. We've been playing much better the past few games. I would like to see us continue to do that and not take a step back because then you begin to question yourself and kids can get into slumps. We're playing pretty good as a team."