Melvin Watkins Media Luncheon Quotes and Audio
Feb 10, 2003 | Men's Basketball
February 10, 2003
Audio and selected quotes of Texas A&M head coach Melvin Watkins' media luncheon, held Monday at Cain Hall:
"We dropped two games back to back and that's something we hadn't done all season. And now we need to get back to our winning ways. We did a lot of positive things in the Texas game. Texas did a lot of things well and did enough to get the win. But I was really pleased with our effort. And that's something I always evaluate‹where we are with our effort? I was pleased with our effort in that game. A couple of plays didn't go our way and we didn't make it happen so we didn't get the win. But we did a lot of good things and we can continue to build on that and it's going to make us a better basketball team."
You lead the Big 12 in free throw shooting, but your guys missed a lot of free throws late in the Texas game and you are continuing to struggle on the glass...
"We've done a pretty good job recently of hitting our free throws and we didn't do that. Rebounding also has been a problem for us, not having (Andy) Slocum in there for another big body as well as Nick (Anderson). And so we've had to talk about rebounding by committee. But we got beat up on the boards again and we know that's something Texas takes a lot of pride in, offensive rebounding in particular. So we've got get back and look at cleaning some of that up and try to make sure we box out a little bit better.
What did you do well against Texas?
"I thought we did a pretty good job at handing their pressure, got good looks at the basket and we hit shots. And we've always said that for us to be a good team, we've go to hit some buckets. Our scorers and other guys stepped up in a big way and made buckets for us."
What are your thoughts on Missouri?
"I think Missouri will be similar to Texas in the sense that they've got four or five good offensive players who can really hurt you and have big nights. And so we've got to focus in on those players and make sure they don't go too much over their averages, or even get to their averages. I think the difference would be that their depth is not as good as Texas, and hopefully that plays to our advantage. Still, we've got to play some of our best basketball to get a win against Missouri. Ricky Clemons, coming from a junior college, has made the transition fairly smooth and he has had the ball in his hands quite a bit and he's making plays for them. We know we've got to be aware of where he is. The thing about him, as I've looked at tape, is he doesn't have a range on his jump shot. He can shoot it from anywhere. So, for a while you can think that you've taken him out of the game and then he may hit two or three quick threes on you. We've just got to be aware of him. In some ways this game will be the biggest challenge for our inside guys because Arthur Johnson surely demands a lot of attention and he can put the ball in the basket down low. We may have to even double team him at some points."
Was this the atmosphere at the Texas game the best since you've been here?
"I think it was. That was just one of those games. I think anytime you get Texas and A&M together, you're going to have some fireworks. And this particular game was a great basketball game if you're a fan. The outcome wasn't what we wanted it to be, but if you just sit back and look at the game, there were a lot of lead changes and just a lot of good basketball being played. The atmosphere was great and we surely felt the crowd and that helped us out. When you look back at the Texas Tech game, the crowd really helped get us back in the game. Without a doubt it helps when you've got that building full or close to being full. We feel the energy in there and it makes your players take another step up. That surely helps."
Evaluate your teams progress to this point...
"I've felt we've played some pretty good basketball. We've won, but we're short of where I'd like us to be. That's not a knock on Baylor but I just felt like we didn't play well in that game. Baylor probably had something to do with that. Other than that, I thought we've played some good basketball. We've talked about trying to protect the home court. We've dropped 2 at home now but we've just got to get back on track. I think we're still right in the middle of things. We're at the halfway point right now. Most times in the past, we've been at that halfway point and its like we're out of it and we've just played the season out. But now it feels like we're playing for something. That's the difference this year."
Bernard King struggled against Texas and seemed nervous about setting the Big 12 scoring record...
"Initially, I didn't see any signs of it but after the game I think there were some comments made that he was nervous about the game. I really haven't sat down to talk with him about it, but that may have had more effect that I initially thought. Because I didn't tend to dwell on it, and I assumed he didn't, we didn't talk much about it. But I did hear that he was nervous about it coming into the game and he may have pressured himself more than he normally would have. If he did, then that was unfortunate because he's been in big games and we know what he can do on the floor. And he didn't have one of those Bernard King-type games. Had he had one of those games, I think the outcome probably would have been a little bit different, particularly with the way other guys played."
How has Tomas Ress's recent re-emergence helped the team?
"It changes our rotation and now that he is giving us quality minutes that's something that we hoped Tomas could do for the team. Now he's putting in quality minutes and we need him out on the floor. Unfortunately, he got into some early foul trouble against Texas. We had to take him out and it changed our rotation. He has been an integral part of what we're trying to do now and we need him out on the floor. Particularly since we are a little thin now in terms of height. It hurts us when he gets in that early foul trouble."
How about Jesse King...
"Jesse's coming around but if you'll notice, he's coming around a little bit more at the three position. Initially, we played him in the four and he didn't adjust quite as well as we'd like so we put him back more on the perimeter. I think he's a little more comfortable there in terms of the execution of our offense. It helps that he's playing a little better but we could use a little more help on the glass, rebounding and some of those type of things."
Antoine Wright continues to amaze...
"I've used the words 'special player' when referring to him. For a freshman to come in at any level, especially this level, and have the impact as early as he has, then I think that word 'special' is something we can use beside his name. He's one of those kids who is not afraid to work at his game. I think that anytime you get a kid who's talented and will spend time in the gym, the sky is the limit. It helps to have some star power on your roster that people can identify and he's a national name. Another thing is helping out with recruiting and those type of things that will make more people aware of Aggie basketball. That's the kind of impact we hoped he would have and now we're actually seeing that happen."
How will Antoine's success affect recruiting?
"One way is that we're having some success this year on the court. That's a big thing that will help -- we're winning some basketball games and we're beating some good teams out there. Two, the fact that he said he would come here and now he's here and getting some national recognition also says its okay to come and play in Aggieland. All of those things will be things we will use in our recruiting efforts as we go out and try to get top talent. No doubt, I think he's definitely one of the top freshmen. We're going to see those types of players around the league but we need to have those kind of players for us to be competitive. We think he's a legitimate player. There are a couple of kinds of players out there. You've got those who you can build up to be great players and All-Americans, and you've got kids who truly deserve that and I think that he's one of those who is going to deserve those type of honors."
