October 30, 2003
Head men's basketball coach Melvin Watkins, along with seniors Andy Slocum and Leandro Garcia-Morales, were in Dallas Thursday for the Big 12 Conference's annual Men's Basketball Media Day. Here are selected quotes, along with audio, of A&M's press conference.
The Aggies host a maroon and white game on Saturday, Nov. 1, before playing exhibition games on Nov. 12 and Nov. 17. A&M opens the regular season at home on Monday, Nov. 24 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
HEAD COACH MELVIN WATKINS
Do you have a fairly good idea of your rotation at this point?
"I'm just happy that we've got a rotation, that we can even use that word. I'm not ready to give names yet because we're still in the early stages, but I can tell you I think we've got 10 or 11 guys in practice that are saying that they want playing time. If that's the case, we will take advantage of that. I think Andy (Slocum) mentioned the word 'team,' and that's a word we'll rely on quite a bit this year in order to be the type of team we need to be. We need 10 or 11 players making consistent contributions night in and night out. If early indications are true, I think we'll be able to get that. I'm not sure who our starters would be if we started tomorrow though."
Are you a better team without Bernard King?
"I think we're a different type of team. I think so because we won't rely on one person as heavily as we did on him. That's going to end up being a good thing for us as we go through the season. We got some indications of what we'd be like without Bernard on the foreign tour, and what we saw was a more balanced attack and probably a little more unselfishness in terms of moving and distributing the ball, which is the way I like to play anyway. So from that standpoint we do have a chance to be a better team which hopefully equates to more wins."
Talk about the difficulty of moving up through this conference, a conference that's just been terrific the past few seasons.
"It really has been terrific and it's going to be terrific this season. That's always a concern of coaches that are not in those top five or six teams...how do you make that move? Those top five or six are not going to sit back and give it to you. Last year we picked to finish last, and we finished seventh. We've got to go out and earn it. We know our work is cut out for us. I think we've got the personnel and more importantly we've got the attitude that says (to those top teams) 'Guys, move over, we've got to make room.' We've got to figure out how to get into one of those spots. That's what our focus will be. That means if we move in, someone else has to move out, and I'm sorry."
Who will be your main distributors of the basketball?
"Leandro (Garcia-Morales) obviously has logged some minutes there. Antoine (Wright) played point for us on the foreign tour, and he didn't look bad. I think we've got some new players that probably will log most of the minutes there, one being a junior college player, Bobby Leach, and then a freshman, Acie Law, from the Dallas area that I think is really going to surprise some people with his ability to play the game. I think this is going to be be our best chance to have more consistent play at the point position than we've had in a long, long time."
How beneficial was the summer trip to Italy?
"As a team, first of all, it was educational. We got to see and visit so many places. But some of the things I was looking for was, one, I wanted to see that the team was a little disappointed in the way we finished the season. I think we were probably one win away from getting to postseason play, and that didn't happen. They were ready to get back on the hardwood.
"Also, I was looking for how we bonded, the chemistry of the team. I was really, really pleased with that. Anytime you take out a player like Bernard King, you don't know how that will affect the returning players. Would our guys be afraid of taking the big shot because Bernard always took it? Without a doubt, that was not a problem. I was really pleased with how we bonded and played unselfish basketball. It was a very, very positive trip for us and I think it will carry over into this season."
Are there any one or two guys in particular that have improved a lot?
"One you probably wouldn't know about is Luis Clemente. He's a kid that sat out for us last year. He was big surprise on the foreign tour, averaging 16 (points) and 10 rebounds for us. I don't know if can average that for us during the season, but the point is for a kid that hasn't played Division I basketball, we were really very excited about seeing that. He's one I think that will give us some inside scoring consistently.
"Andy Slocum played very well over there, very consistent. If he stays healthy...We haven't seen his true abilities to play the game, because he's been in and out of seasons and missing practice and all that. Thus far he hasn't missed practice and has really shown us leadership. Most of our seniors - Kevin turner, Leandro (Garcia-Morales) - all those guys have made contributions. You need to rely on leadership, and the senior leadership that we've missed in the past I think we're going to get this season."
How good can Antoine Wright be?
"He's a very talented basketball player. My phone has been ringing off the hook...with early entry to the NBA ranks now, they all come to see him. He's generated that type of excitement among those at the highest level. He worked really hard during the offseason, he's a lot stronger than he was. There's still things he's got to learn though. Anytime we get those type of players in our program, we're surely making the right statement. He handles the press and the media well. I think he has the whole package. We're surely going to lean on him. Then again, being a sophomore, I don't want to force too much on him this year. I'm a little selfish...I want to keep him around for a while."
Who's role has changed the most with Bernard King gone?
"It's still a little early to say. What's probably going to happen, at least early in practice, is that you've got Antoine (Wright). You know what he's capable of doing. Other players now are picking it up, and seeing the opportunity that we need to score points. I think everyone is trying to be impressive a little bit with the scoring. I will tone that down a little bit because I know for us to be good team, we do have to score--but we have to defend and guard people. Players tend to want to shoot the ball and score. We've got to have defensive stoppers. We haven't been good at that in the past, and we've got to be much better this year."
Who would be that defensive stopper?
"Jesse King has done a great job in practice. Surprisingly, Antoine Wright has the ability to really defend well because he's so long and lanky. Kevin Turner (has a chance) with his quickness. We've got several guys that have begun to see themselves in that light a little bit. In the past, we couldn't get them to understand that, it was more of they've got to be offensive players. Now we've got guys saying they wouldn't mind that."
Can you talk about Nick Anderson?
"Nick is going to play the 4 spot, maybe a little at the 3. Right now at the 4, he's probably the leader a little bit, just because he's been through the battles and wants to go out with a bang. He's a very talented basketball player that's probably lost his way a little bit. But he's focused right now and has put a lot into it. When he does that and commits to it, I think you're going to see a better basketball player. If you remember, when he was playing, he averaged double figures for us. He's had different things happen though and hasn't been there for us. Now everything seems to be going well for him, he seems to be at peace with himself, and he's playing good basketball this year."
After all your time at A&M, with a little security now in your contract, is it kind of a refreshing new start?
"Refreshing? I'm always refreshed this time of year because I'm undefeated. I am very excited. I have the advantage of being around these kids everyday and when we were in Italy, and I see a little spark in their eyes that I haven't seen before. That's a good thing, when you see the kids feeling it, tasting it, wanting it. You see it just by the comments that are made in practice. We're creating something right there that I think has the potential to be a little more special than people might think. So get on board, come out and see it. I think it's ready to happen."
SENIOR CENTER ANDY SLOCUM
Is the atmosphere going into training camp maybe different than past years?
"This year, the team is a lot more close-knit and more bonded together than in the past. Everyone's getting along great, there are no off-court problems. Everyone's ready to get to the NCAA Tournament."
Can you talk about the experience of going to Italy?
"We got to go over there and see a lot of beautiful places. We had a lot of time to spend together, and we bonded as a team. We also got lots of playing experience. We got people like Luis (Clemente) playing experience, and he played his tail off, had a real good tournament and got lots of experience."
With all you've gone through in your career, are you looking at this year as a chance to redeem yourself and go out by having a strong season?
"Every year that I start doing well or something, I always get injured. I know it's cost us bunch of ball games because we've had to play with less people out there. When I came here I always wanted to make the NCAA Tournament and this is my last year, so I'm going to do everything possible to get there."
Are the NCAAs a realistic goal this year?
"Definitely. This year we've worked really hard in the weight room, and practices are going real well. I definitely think this year will be our year."
What's life like without Bernard King?
"It's hard when you lose a player of Bernard King's caliber. I think we've got guys that are going to step up. Antoine (Wright) is the guy that will have to step up the most. I think we've got five or six seniors this year and everyone has the same goals in mind. We will work more as a team this year and be more team-oriented."
Talk about your off-court situation...how much has that changed you and is everything now behind you?
"Everything is behind me. I'm getting ready this year to step up and lead the team, help us get to the tournament. I appreciate all the people that stood behind me through all that stuff. It has made me a stronger person."
SENIOR GUARD LEANDRO GARCIA-MORALES
Is the atmosphere going into training camp maybe different than past years?
"I think the tour to Italy helped. It got a lot of us focused and ready to start the season."
Have you noticed changes in Antoine Wright going into his sophomore season?
"I think he's a lot more mature now. He takes a lot more time now and thinks more when he's on the court. He isn't rushing anything. He played a lot this summer and has gotten a lot better, and gotten stronger too. He's going to help us a lot this year."
How is this season different now that you've played a year of Division I basketball?
"I think I'm a lot better prepared. It was kind of hard last year, I wasn't ready and I had to play thru a lot of injures (along with) trying to adjust to the game and the speed. This year, first of all, I'm healthier, and I'm more used to the team and how coach runs things. I think I'll be better this year."