January 10, 2005
Selected quotes from Texas A&M men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie's weekly media luncheon with state and local media members on Monday at Rudy's Barbeque:
OPENING STATEMENT: "Last week was a tough week. We learned a lot about our team as we continued to grow. We have another tough week coming up and about 10 or 12 more tough weeks ahead. That's why you want to play in the Big 12.
I?m really looking forward to the challenge of facing two great teams this week (Texas and Texas Tech)."
Is it possible to gain confidence from the loss to Kansas?
"I think so. You talk about moral victories and we absolutely don't play for that, but I think we know where we are and I do think we gained some confidence. I think our team is a confident team and we are probably exhibiting that confidence to a lot of people who don?t have a great deal of confidence in us. I really do believe our team is a confident team and a close-knit group, but I think any time you can go to Kansas and have a legitimate shot to win -- even though they were off their game and not
making as many shots as they normally do -- I think that?s why we don?t like moral victories. We definitely know that we're taking steps in the right direction."
How did playing in that atmosphere prepare you for the other road trips? Obviously, there are many other tough places to play in the Big 12...
"Everywhere is tough, believe me. I hope that it was a learning experience for us knowing that you have to be totally prepared to play, you have to be totally focused mentally and you have to totally eliminate any distractions you might have. I think we are learning how to be more mature about those kinds of things and we are gaining experience in those kinds of areas. But we still have long, long way to go in every area."
Can you talk a little bit about Joseph Jones and his development? A lot of people were interested in seeing how he would adapt to the college game coming from a small high school...
"I think it?s difficult to go from any level to college, especially in a Big 12 situation because the teams and the players are so good. But to go from the smallest classification in our state and to be able to make a
contribution -- a great contribution -- you have to have a certain kind of make up. Joseph has that make up. He really respects everyone we play against and he is a really quick learner. You only have to tell him to do
things once and he doesn?t make the same mistake twice. I think that he's not afraid of too many things and he has great confidence for a guy from a smaller classification. I don't think he lets things get him down when he
does poorly. At Penn State last week, he really was not that good in the first half but he made some adjustments against a really good player and he was really good in the second half. That allowed us to have a chance to win.
I think that you can talk about putting the ball in the basket, rebounding and doing all those kinds of things, but I really think it?s all those other things -- like being a good teammate, always being happy, not letting things get him down when things don?t go his way -- that really give him a chance to develop as quickly as he has."
Will Texas strong inside game be a good match for him?
"I don?t know if Joseph is good enough to battle all those guys all day long, but he won't back down. They've got a fifth-year senior who plays the same position that Joseph does who's really good and has developed into a great player. They?ve got two or three McDonald?s All-American guys and we?ve got Joseph. It will be difficult. As he gets better, people will start to pay more attention to him and they are definitely not going to let him do
anything they don?t want him to do. We?ll see how well he adjusts to that."
Since the first time you laid eyes on him, did he have to change his body to be able to just jump in and play college ball?
"He has a good body now. He dropped 20 pounds since school started, but he still weighs 245. He is really, really strong. He might not be the strongest guy in the weight room -- even though he?s very strong in there ? but he has
not been just sitting around the house in Normangee. He?s a naturally strong guy who will continue to get stronger. His body looks great. He?s a great 'second-jumper' right now. He can really tip the ball and can control balls
on the tips as good as anyone I have seen. His second jump is so much quicker. He can get up and get down and get back up and he can tip balls with either hand, which is really something you can't teach. He's going to learn how to play. We?ve got to do more to get him help. We've got to get more production out of Edjuan Green and Marlon Pompey. Chris Walker is doing about as much as he can, but we got to get some guys playing better with him to give him the best chance to be good and give us the chance to be good."
It says in the media guide that Joseph chose A&M because his mama could see him play and his family could see him play. Is he a little bit of a poster child for you in the recruiting process because he's from Normangee?
"We want to get every player they have in Normangee."
But in terms of recruiting Texas, because in the past few years there have not been many guys who have been marquee players from the state or from this area who came to A&M?
"We'd like to get as many as we can and we are grateful not only for him, but the other guys we have on our team. The former staff did a good job of getting those guys here and we're not taking credit for recruiting them. We appreciate those guys being here and staying here. You talk about Acie Law and Joseph Jones, I think that they have enough grit and determination that they wanted to come here and help build a program. They came here for that
reason. I've asked and they said 'we want to help to turn A&M basketball around.' I think that you would want to play with Joseph Jones if you are a recruit. I think that you can see him playing and know that he is going to
guard the biggest, strongest guys on the other team for three more years and you know that you can guard somebody else out on the perimeter. So, those guys making those decisions really helps us. Hopefully, were going to be
able to build our program with great players like that from around here."
Texas is good inside and they shoot a lot of threes as well. How difficult is that to defend?
"They are totally balanced. They have great three-point shooters and are shooting about 43 percent as a team. They shoot a lot of threes and they make them. Their balance is good and that's why they are a Final Four contender. If they get going at the right time and get the right draw in the tournament, they have the experience and the talent, along with the young players, to get them there. It's extremely difficult for us. Kansas played without Simien and they had a good inside game, but not as good as the one
we?ll be facing on Wednesday. I know we're going to play hard, but that may not be good enough. We?ll play hard and try to play well together and we'll see if we're good enough to win, not only on Wednesday but throughout the
season. I just want us to play hard, play smart and play together. We'll see what happens at the end. I admire what Rick Barnes has done and the way he's gone about it and what he stands for. They do things right. They are tough
and they play the way I think you have to play to win."
Growing up in this state, you?re aware for the A&M-Texas rivalry, but have Aggie fans been reminding you of that this week?
"I?m sure they will, but every game is important. I'm sure the former students place more importance on this game, but you have to take one game at a time. I know that's coachspeak, but it?s really true for our team. We have to get maximum effort to have any kind of chance to win or any kind of chance to be in the game with them. We know it's a big game to a lot of people, but we're going to try to make each game the most important one on our schedule. I went to an A&M-Texas game once in Austin when Bob Weltlich was there and I was still coaching at Killeen. There were about 4,000 people at the game and since that time basketball has really taken off in the state."
If someone had told you back in October that Chris Walker would be starting for you, what would you have thought?
"I would be hoping not, but he amazes me. It says a lot about our team. I don?t think we would have the record we have without Chris. When Edjuan was playing real poorly and when Marlon was not playing very well, that's when
he got his opportunity to play. When he got that opportunity, he played very well. He gives us toughness and is going to go after every loose ball. He tries extremely hard and is always in the right spot, and he knows what his role is. He's really helped our team. Not taking anything away from him, but we need more production from those other two guys, as well as Luis Clemente,
for us to do what we want to do before the season's over. But I never would have thought he could walk in and do what he's done. He?s not even playing his position. We call him a powerless forward. We give him a hard time, but
he takes it all the right way. He knows how much we all respect and appreciate him. He's deserving of the playing time he's been getting and if he continues to deserve it, then he'll get it. It has created a better work environment for some other guys on the team and hopefully they'll develop."
Would you rather have a week off between Kansas and Texas or would you have rather had a game?
"I wish we had a week between every game, but it's only like that in football. I'd like to have more time, especially with our team, but we don't. It was good this week if we used our time in the right way and I
think we have so far. The players would rather play all the time and the coaches would rather practice."
Had you ever been to Normangee (Joseph Jones?s hometown) before you came here?
"It was my first stop last spring when I got here. Really, I knew where Normangee was. After his freshman year, we were going to recruit Joseph at Illinois. He ended up being recruited at Kansas by coach Self and those guys. I thought Joseph would be a great player when I first saw him as a freshman. He was playing in an AAU tournament, so I wasn't in Normangee. But I like Normangee. Joe and I have a bond because I was at a Class B school (Graford), and Class B is now Class A. All the guys on the team give us a hard time for being from small schools, but Joe and I hang together on that. There's good players everywhere. The guy who'll probably have to redshirt for us because of injuries, Slade Weishuhn, is from a 2A school and he's got
a chance to be an outstanding player. Had he not been hurt, chances are he would have had a great chance to be starting for us now. If he turns out to be as good as I hope he can be, that will be a 1A and a 2A guy out there for us who can be awfully good before their careers are done. Slade's already gained 18 pounds and he needed that. He weighs 217 now and will weigh 230 by next year."
You've said in the past that Jones and Dominique Kirk never have a bad day. Is that rubbing off on the other guys?
"I think it has. We talk about those guys because people ask us, but I think everyone is feeding off of Antoine Wright. He hasn't had a bad day since the Alabama A&M game (Dec. 11). He's been great all year long. He's been a great
teammate and a great leader. Antoine is fantastic to be around. Acie Law has really matured, too. I'm so proud of our guys because of the way they try hard and play together, and just the way they go about things off the court. Antoine has been as good as any I've ever been around as far as being a teammate and a leader. He played bad against Alabama A&M because of the way we practiced going into the game. I practiced them way too long and he
wasn't very good and neither was our team. That's why we didn't play well. But he also made two big free throws. He didn't play well, but after the game he was the first one to say 'good game, coach.' He could have been brooding because he didn't start. I'm proud of everybody, but especially him. They've all been fantastic to coach. I hope they are enjoying playing. They sure seem to be."