December 06, 2004
ON PRAIRIE VIEW A&M WIN:
"It was fun to win again on Saturday. We played okay in the first half. I thought we played hard, we just didn't play with much purpose. We didn't make the most of our possessions offensively or defensively. We played really hard, but we were kind of just running around out there. In the second half, I thought we played every possession with a purpose, offensively and defensively, and I think that really contributed to the margin of the win. We have a long way to go, but I do see us doing some things better as we go."
ON TEAMS PLAYING ZONE DEFENSES AGAINST A&M:
"I think the reason people are playing zone defense against us is because they think that we have better players than they do. I am not being disrespectful to anyone. I do not think that is going to be the case when we get to the Big 12. I think teams will definitely pressure us all over the court, much like Prairie View did the other night. We didn't really handle the pressure very well, either. You try to take something out of every game. We won that game by a large margin, but we had to play extremely hard to do that. We didn't initially handle the (defensive) pressure very well. We have to get better. They were quick but they just weren't as big as we will see. I don't think we will see very much zone defense in conference. The Big 12 is a predominantly man-to-man, rugged, athletic league. That is what I expect people to do against us, but I could be wrong. We will see."
ON HOW A&M MATCHES UP AGAINST BIGGER TEAMS THAT WILL PLAY MAN-TO-MAN DEFENSE:
"We will have a lot of problems. We have to continue to get better. We have to handle the basketball better and we have to be stronger with the ball. We will have seen it for two hours, or two-and-a-half hours every single day in practice, so you would suspect that is what you would be best at. All of our teams in the past have been really good at running man offenses and that is usually because we play very good man defense. We usually struggle against zone because we don't play a great deal of zone defense ourselves. We don't spend as much time practicing against it. Every team, it comes down to man-to-man half-court offense and man-to-man half-court defense. For the most part, there are not too many teams who are going to determine their season by playing zone all the time. There are a few, but not very many."
ON WHERE THE AGGIES STAND AS A TEAM RIGHT NOW:
"We are gaining confidence. We are a team that is learning. We are a team that is less reluctant to learn because they have confidence and are starting to believe in each other and in what we are doing. They have been great about being faithful and saying, 'Okay you have our faith coach..." None of us are going to just give total faith in someone until they start to see results. I think they are starting to see results and are starting, instead of just talking about it, to believe in what we are doing and that you can do things a particular way and have a better chance to win. I think that I see a team that is gaining confidence in themselves, in their teammates, in their coaching staff and also in their whole entire program. That is a general answer, but I think that is the most important and prevalent thing that is going on with us right now."
ON IF THE TEAM HAS PROGRESSED AS HE EXPECTED:
"We are ahead of where I thought we would be because of the lack of experience. We haven't done anything great. I am not saying that, but I am very, very surprised that we have an understanding of defensive positioning like we do so far. Generally, on our offensive possessions we know where we are supposed to be and we are understanding the intensity with which the game must be played. I think we are ahead of the game a little bit. Again, I believe that when you win some games you gain confidence and so practice means a great deal more to you and you are a better listener and you are a better teammate. You are a better everything. It is easier to buy in when you are winning games. I think that they have done a really, really good job of doing what we are asking them to do."
ON THE MESSAGE IT SENDS TO YOUNGER PLAYERS WHEN WALK-ONS SUCH AS CHRIS WALKER GET CONSIDERABLE PLAYING TIME:
"Chris should be an inspiration to anybody, not just the players, but the fans as well. What he says is that if you work hard and you have a good attitude, you are going to get an opportunity. And that is really all any of us ever asks for. His talent is what it is. He has talent. He is not an untalented guy, but he is a totally under-sized guy at his position. What he brings to our team is his toughness, his great attitude and his spark. He has been great. I really believe they wanted to play great on Saturday because of what Chris has done. He typifies the kind of guy that I want to have here. I don't want every guy as a walk-on, but it also is an opportunity to walk-on and have a chance to play, too."
ON HOW HE FOUND CHRIS WALKER:
"He has been here for I think three years and he is an outstanding student. His high school coach is a friend of mine and he said, 'hey, there is a kid on campus over there that you may want to check out.' He had played some pick-up games with our guys and he came in the gym shortly before boot camp and asked if he could play. He has been a good one. He has been a real nice helper for us. The smarter guy that came in is Brian Gahan, because he came in after boot camp was over. He is a lot smarter than Chris. Brian has been bringing a lot to the table as well."
ON WHY WALKER AND GAHAN DON'T HAVE NAMES ON THE BACKS OF THE JERSEYS:
"I asked them if they wanted them on there and at first they said no. Then, I think, Chris said he wants his name on there. He will get his name on there this week. I said 'It is up to you guys. If you want it on there, it is up to you, and if you don't want it on there then we won't put it on there.' But Chris said he wanted his name on there. I think his girlfriend told him he needed it on there."