February 18, 2002
What kind of pressure does Nebraska put on your perimeter defense, as they shoot the three so well?
"It definitely presents some different problems for us. Actually, we have defended that three-point line a lot better this year than we have in the past. This will be a game where we surely are challenged in that way because that's what they do. What we are hoping is that as we've seen tape and talked to people is that if they can shoot the three and spread us out but that they won't be able to beat us off the dribble. That will allow us to get up on those three-point shooters with some confidence in that we can defend that shot and not get exposed. If there is one thing that I would say that we'd better do a good job of is to defend the three but don?t get beat off that dribble."
Do they shoot the three as well as any team you've played this year?
"I think they do. And the reason I say that is because their big kids can step out and shoot the three. They present some different looks on the perimeter. You may have Andy Slocum guard a guy on the perimeter of which he's not going to be comfortable with."
Nebraska hasn't won on the road in the Big 12. There are four or five teams in the Big 12 that haven't won on the road. A&M has picked up two Big 12 road wins...
"It's just another example of how difficult it is to win on the road and especially once you get to conference play. And I think you can go to other conferences and see some of the same trends. But Nebraska is going to be thinking that if they are going to get a win on the road it better be at A&M. We've got to make sure that doesn't happen and protect our home court. We've come close to protecting our home court but didn't get the job done. But this is a game where we need to get the job done."
In games that are so close, does the crowd make that much more of a difference?
"It really can. That's one of the home court advantages. Not just a lot of people in the stands but a lot of people getting excited and making noise to get the players excited. But in some ways that can be a cop-out for your players. You've got to play the game whether there's 10 or 10,000 people and be focused and get the job done. That's what we tell our guys. But it does make a difference when you've got the noise. We've been in other venues and tried to close a game out and you can hardly hear yourself call a play. That makes a difference. We're getting there. It's been better than it has been in the past and we know that winning will help solve a lot of those problems."
Can you talk about closing games out and being so close in the final minutes of some of the games you've played this year?
"We've made some mental mistakes in the end of some of our games. And again, that's a sign of the quality of some of our practices and some of our kids are sitting off to the side because of our injury situation. But the more you get into the situations, the more you can gain some confidence as far as what to do when you get put in those situations again. We've got to learn what it takes to win those close games."
In terms of seeding in the Big 12 Tournament, do you use that as motivation to close out these last couple of weeks of the conference season?
"We try to. We have to be careful with our team. We've gone out at times and told our team this is a big game and scared our kids to death. I promised our kids that I would never say that again. Yet still, if you look at the conference, some teams are bunched up there with four and even five wins. So we could be right up there in the middle of the pack. That is a reality and we could jump to seventh or sixth and maybe even fifth if we take care of business."
Do you have an idea of when you will get Jesse King back?
"I would hope tomorrow but realistically maybe Thursday. It's really an unfortunate situation. And I have a lot of respect for Jesse for not allowing his name to be drug in the mud in terms of him not giving a plea bargain and him saying that 'Hey, I want my name in the clear and I'll go to court if I have to do that.' That's what he decided to do and we'll just wait for his return. I spoke with Jesse Sunday and he felt a lot better as the trial has matured that some as things are starting to get out onto the table. We feel good about it and will keep our prayers in his corner. Hopefully, they will have the trial come to a conclusion Tuesday morning and send it to the jury Tuesday afternoon and have a verdict and he'll be back on his way back to College Station."
As touchy a situation as Jesse's is, do you worry about the perception that people are getting, especially with Daryl Mason and Michael Gardener's situation?
"I am concerned about perceptions. I know what kind of program we're trying to build here at A&M. But I also understand that with the way society is today, when you try to go out and recruit you just can't get all the information you need. You may make mistakes sometimes. But that shouldn't be an indictment of all your kids and the program you are trying to run. But I think the fans that know us, know the program that we are going to have. Please understand that some of the things we've had happen are not things we condone. We are going to work our way through it. It is a distraction to wake up and see it in the newspaper the day of a game when you are trying to get prepared. And in Jesse's case it is really one of those things where I was trying not to make a comment. But in fairness to Jesse, I hope people will not allow this to carry over once this thing is over with. Sometimes you read something in the newspaper and a young man is indicted and unless you know all the details, it's really unfortunate for him. We really just want to get him back here and embrace him when he does. Jesse is a quality young man."
Do you ever feel like someone just keeps throwing hurdles at you?
"I tend not to dwell on the negative things. Building this program has been a tough thing. We will get to where we want to get to. We are close now. It's kind of like whether the glass is half empty or half full. It depends on how you look at it. I feel good about where we are. We've come close to beating the Oklahoma schools and we beat Texas once this year. We are catching up on some of those programs. That's the way I look at it. And then you look at the recruiting class that we've got coming in. We've got everybody back next year and if we can stay healthy, I think some good things are going to happen for this program."
What can a win over Nebraska do for your team?
"We need to break this losing slump that we are in. It would put us right in the middle of the pack in terms of seeding for the conference tournament. There are a lot of good things that could happen for us with this game."