February 11, 2002
You lost to Oklahoma in a close game, but what positives came out of that?
"I thought we played really well in the Oklahoma game. I liked some of the things we did out on the court. Everyday you go into practice after a game like that, you feel like you have something to build on. Hopefully we'll go into Kansas State with a little bit more confidence and see if we can get the job done. "
With all the team has gone through this year, how tough is it to prepare and remain focused as the season winds down?
"The season has been up and down, but as a coaching staff we have to focus on the ups more than the downs and stress to the team that this season is not over with yet. There is a lot still to be determined, especially in the conference race with those teams that are kind of bunched there in the middle. We can control our own destiny by taking care of business at Kansas State and down through our remaining games. There is a lot of basketball left to be played. We've seen that we can play at this level and we just need to continue doing those things. "
Kansas State has been a tough place for a lot of teams this year...
"Kansas State is not an easy place to play, but there is no place in the Big 12 that's easy to go to. They have played very well at home, beating the likes of Texas and Oklahoma State, so it will be a difficult challenge for us. It's an important game for them, too, and one they need to win, so we need to go in there and be at the top of our game. Hopefully, we can come out with the win."
With Jesse King sitting out this game, in addition to all the injuries, it puts even more pressure on your bench...
"We've got to look down the bench and see who we can put in there. Larry Scott, Dylan Leal and Andy Leatherman will have to log more minutes than they have in the last few games. We'll probably play a little slower than I'd like to play and try to stretch the game out. All of those guys have given us some quality minutes this year, they'll just have to do it for longer periods of time. But they are capable of doing that and we'll go in there with a lot of confidence in them."
Has this team grown tougher as they have endured all the problems?
"One of our concerns early this season was that we were not as tough as we need to be. To be honest, that's still a concern of mine. But this team has endured quite a bit this season with the injuries, so you can look at it another way. For example, look at Bernard and what he's done with the injuries he's had all season long. I'd say he's a pretty tough kid to go out there and play. But there's other times I think we've given in and that's why we've been inconsistent. We haven't been tough enough. That's something I know we've got to get better at and we will as we mature in this season and in future years."
With Michael Gardener and Daryl Mason gone, it opens up two more scholarships for you. Any plans yet?
"We are out beating the bushes as hard as we can. We've identified some players that we like. Now it's a matter of getting the paperwork together."
What is the status of the Andy Slocum (broken hand) and Nolan Butterfras (strained calf)?
"Andy will be evaluated today after class. He doesn't have class on Tuesday, so he's going on this trip but we won't play. He thinks he will, but I'm sure he won't. Nolan didn't practice on Sunday and I was thinking he would be back, at least for practice. It's one of those things where he just needs time to heal. He's till pretty sore and his calf is still swollen."