January 22, 2002
Your thoughts on the Texas game?
"After looking at the tape and trying to come up with a game plan, I can tell you that they are playing some pretty good basketball right now. Without [Chris] Owens, they haven't missed a beat. We always have our hands full when we go to Austin. I think our team is playing about as good as we can play right now. So, hopefully we can go over and make it a good game and come away with a "W."
What did you notice different about your guys in practice after the win over Baylor?
"The first thing I noticed was their smiles coming to practice as if it didn't seem as such a chore. The guys have been working hard. And I think the one part that was missing was the fact that we haven't had a win. So that [win] was surely a way of saying 'Keep working hard and some good things will happen.' When you preach that, sometimes you don't get the job done on the court and the outcome isn't always the way you want it. It tends to become difficult to convince players to stay up and stay focused. To get that win against Baylor, as it was a conference game and at home hopefully will give us some momentum. "
When you get a win like you did against Baylor after the schedule that you've had and then you look at the schedule ahead of it, how tough is it to get on a streak?
"I tend not to look at our schedule. I understand the point though, because it is difficult. You come back out after a win like this and you start playing on the road and then all those teams are ranked. The conference is just so tough. It is difficult for any team in the conference to win on the road. And we're so thin that it makes it that much more difficult for us. But you take each game with the same attitude as always and that is that you have a chance to pull out a win if you do the things that you are supposed to do and that you are capable of doing. That is the way we approach it."
The road hasn't been that friendly to the Aggies this year. How important would a road win against Texas be?
"It would be extremely important. Not just because it's Texas, but because it's a conference game. A win on the road would give us some confidence. I guess we haven't done that since the Lamar game. That would be a good way to start it off."
Most of these guys do understand now what the Texas game means to the fans, don't they?
"I think they have an idea of it. We don't dwell on that a whole lot because we try to make sure they understand it's another conference game and a game we want to win and not get too caught up in the 'hoopla' of Texas against Texas A&M. But they understand it. The returning players especially know what it means to suit up against the Longhorns and how important it becomes to our fans. We will surely have that in the back of our heads. But we don't want to just totally focus on it."
Talk about Bradley Jackson vs. T.J. Ford?
"Bradley will have to play hard against T.J. Ford and Andy [Leatherman] will have to play hard against him and anybody else we can find to put on him. He's having a sensational freshman year. That's not totally surprising to us. We knew he was a very good player and probably a special player."
Seeing what Bradley did to John Lucas in the Baylor game, especially in the second half, does that give you a little more confidence?
"He took the challenge and really came out, especially in the second half. He was a lot more aggressive. But we wanted to change our defense in the second half. We wanted to pick it up. I think you will see the same things against Texas. We will change some things up. We'll play aggressive at times and back off a little bit during others. One reason is because of our stamina. It gets tough to play that way for 40 minutes. But Bradley is sure capable of playing that way in spells and spurts."
Do you anticipate Daryl playing any for the rest of the season?
"I would hope so. But again, we're not ready to box ourselves in with a particular date or game. We've got him back into practice and now and we're going to see how it goes."
Were your current guys excited to accept Daryl back?
"Verbally they were pleased to have him back. I don't think that is the problem as to whether they would embrace him or wouldn't embrace him. Everybody went on to the task at hand in trying to get better. Daryl came right on in and fell in line with that. Daryl has been around our players even since the suspesion, so it wasn't been that big of a transition."
How is Andy Slocum's hand?
"The doctors are optimistic about him returning sooner than we thought. He has worked out a little bit. But we don't want to rush that. Now, Andy thinks he can play against Texas. But that isn't realistic."
You talked about Keith Bean logging a lot of minutes after the Baylor game. Can you talk about how that fire was lit underneath him?
"We definitely need Keith to play that well every time. Can he do what he did again? I think so. It may not show up that way as far as double-figure points and double-figure rebounds. But surely, he can play well. There are things he can do every night to help this team. This team needs him to do that every night. It was surely good to see him show up when he did show up. Hopefully, it will give him so confidence."
When you came to Texas A&M, the Big 12 Conference was in its second year. And it has become better every year. It has been argued that it's the best conference in the country. Why has it become better in the way that it has?
"I think it's because of the type of coaching and the type of teams. Teams like Kansas, Missouri and Texas and others have really been able to recruit at such a high level. When you can do that, you are going to have the chance to be one of the better teams in the country. The exposure we've gotten as a conference with TV and things like that add up. So, it has been good basketball. I think the perception when it was a new conference was that things weren't all coming together. But they sure are now. You can see that when you look around college basketball. We don't have to take a back seat to anyone when it comes to the quality of basketball that's played in this league."
Do you think that a Final-Four berth is at the top of the list for the Big 12?
"Yes. And also to put a team in the Final-Four that has a chance to win it. I think this year, there are some teams that could easily make it. But you have to stay virtually injury free and have some luck. It is so difficult to get there, but there are some teams in the Big 12 that could get there. That speaks well for the conference."
Do you keep tabs on (early signee) Antoine Wright?
"Oh, yes. He's having a great season. A difficult thing for him to face is that they are beating teams to the point where he doesn't quite get to play as much. He may score 25 or 30 points, but do it in two quarters and not get to play in the end. He keeps saying how he can wait to get down here to help us out. And the feeling is mutual."
You had two guys come off the bench against Baylor and score in double-figures. Can you talk about that?
"That was very big. Bernard and Jesse are usual starters that I chose not to start. We may do the same thing in the Texas game. Once again, they are both nursing injuries. It has affected their game. I have noticed that Bernard's shot is off. He just haven't been able to get into practice as much with that groin injury."
You mentioned his shot being off, but what about his game overall? It seems like he's more involved.
"You're right. I think that's part of Bernard maturing some. He's learning not to settle for the long three-pointer. There are other things you can do. He started off the year doing that and looked the best I have ever seen him. Then he got away from it a little bit. Now, I think he's understanding that he can do some things besides shoot the long ball."