February 03, 2003
Audio and selected quotes of Texas A&M head coach Melvin Watkins' media luncheon, held Monday at Cain Hall:
Is your team still high from Saturday's win against Tech?
"'Forget' was the word we talked about because we have to move on. We've got Baylor sitting if front of us now. That's on the road and we know how difficult that is. It's hard no matter who you're playing and we've got to move on. We have got to build up momentum as we go through this conference race. If we can go up and get that one at Baylor that would really send a message to our team that we can be competitive night in and night out. That is what it would represent for us."
What does getting off to a 3-3 start in league play mean to your team?
"I think it is a step in the right direction in terms of us sending a message that we are doing some positive things and that we are taking some strides in terms of getting this program where we want it to be. To have a full house against Tech and to get that win validates to our fans that this team is worth supporting and worth coming out and seeing because we have some exciting players and we do some exciting things out there on the floor. Just to have that type of environment and what that game represented more to Texas Tech than to us, in terms of (Coach Knight's) 800 wins, it just felt good to go in there and play in front of our home crowd."
Did your team learn anything after blowing the big 12 against Tech?
"That is something that we have to learn as we go. It is a process we are going through now where we have to understand clock management and possession of the basketball. We had some let down in that game on Saturday where we let them back in the game because we didn't value the basketball as well as we should have. We've got some new players who are still learning and getting comfortable with what we want in those situations. Once again, you look at where this program has been to what we are trying to get to, those are some things that will continually get better as we go through the season."
What's the update on Andy Slocum?
"He's back in practice and we want him around the team. That is what he is doing right now."
Although Baylor is 0-6 in the league, you expect a stiff challenge don't you?
"Well that's the interesting thing. If you look at it and break it down and see the teams that they have lost to, even with the games against Oklahoma and Texas, those are games they were in. We know that when we go to Waco that we have to be ready to play because Baylor is due to get out of that little slump and start winning basketball games. We don't want it to start with us."
Are you using last year's big loss in Waco as motivation?
"I don't let them go back and deal too much with history because our new players don't remember that. I don't want to dwell on it. I know we have got some things we want to accomplish this season. We tend to stay focused on that instead of going back and making this some type of grudge match or revenge match. I don't think that would be good for us. We won't look at that tape from last year. We will just say 'hey, this is a tough place to go and play.' We know they've played some people close. We just have to make sure that we are ready to do what we have to do to go in there and win that ballgame."
How do you slow down John Lucas?
"That's going to be a match up because he is one of their key offensive weapons. We know we have to do the job on him because he can shoot the basketball. He has quicks so he can beat you off the dribble. We just have to stay in front of him. I think that match up of Bradley (Jackson) and Lucas in terms of size and speed will be comfortable. We have to know where he is at all times and make sure he's not getting any easy looks at the basket. We won't allow him to get going in transition. If we don't turn the ball over or take bad shots, we can defend the transition of baskets a lot better."
What about Lawrence Roberts?
"We have to make sure he doesn't get great position down low. He can hurt you there and get you in foul trouble among other things. We have to make sure we push him off the block a little bit. He's also really capable of stepping out and trying to shoot jump shots. He has some really good moves down low. We have to do our job, which may mean we have to double team him a little bit if he gets it going."
Talk about how your offense has developed.
"We like to maybe create some match up problems by putting Bernard inside a little bit where he works low and high, but also that lets Kevin on the floor possibly at the same time. If we have Bernard, Antoine, and Kevin out there, those are three scorers who we feel can hit a bucket any time. The way Bernard passes the ball and the way he draws attention to himself when he gets it will allow him to continue to make some of those plays that he's been able to make. We also have Kevin making some shots, which really adds to what we can do with our team."
How do you decide when to substitute players?
"It's sort of how the game is going and whether one kid is tired or not. There are a lot of little factors like that will dictate it. It is not something we knowingly have planned out of when that is going to happen. I don't look up at the scoreboard and say it is five minutes into the game so I want to do this. It depends on how the game is going. If we are running smoothly on offense or we are not getting some of the looks that we want then I might want to move Bernard around a little bit. That's the good thing about having a kid who is flexible enough to move around in different spots. We can create some mismatches or some disadvantages for our opponents by moving him around."
How do you stop Baylor's perimeter game?
"Initially, we would start off wanting to defend that line but the danger is that because they do have a player like Roberts, they could spread the floor and allow him to go a little bit more one on one. We have to evaluate that as the game goes on. If he is on top of his game and we are defending three and not dropping down that could be something that could hurt us as well. Baylor presents some problems for us because they do shoot well from the outside and they do have some inside game. So we have to see which one we are going to try to take away and which one gives us the most problems."
Baylor can really shoot the three pointer. How do you slow that down?
"I think you can affect them when you run at them, but they have some kids who can hit threes so you have to be close enough to them that you are there before they get into that motion of shooting that shot. I think in transition if they can get you to turn the ball over or take bad shots, that allows them to run the floor. A lot of teams, when they go in transition, are going to run toward the rim and go for a lay up. Baylor will stop behind the three point line and look to shoot the jump shot. I think they are more effective when they can just get you in transition, spot it behind the three, penetrate and pitch to that open shooter."
You out rebounded Tech, which has been a problem area.
"We have lost a big man (Slocum) who could help us rebound, so other players have to step up. We are doing that by committee. Of course, when you get a kid like Antoine Wright, getting double figure rebounds for you, that is always a plus. If you look at our stats, you will see different players are contributing two, three, four or five rebounds here and there. That is helped us as a team in rebounding. If you can do that, then you shouldn't have much drop off if you rebound as a team."
Have you started thinking about postseason possibilities?
"We don't consume ourselves with it because sometimes what can happen is that you lose focus on what you need to be doing. We have had conversations about that and we try to take that one game at a time and stay focused and maybe at the end of the rainbow we can have some success with some of the post season tournaments. It's a conversation I have had with this team and in the past I haven't really had that talk with the other teams. You know our RPI and those types of things are a part of the conversation that we have had this year a lot more than in the past."