December 05, 2005
Head men's basketball coach Billy Gillispie met with members of the press Monday at his weekly media luncheon held at Cain Hall.
Click the link to the right to listen to the press conference. A transcript is posted below.
Billy Gillispie Press Conference Quotes
Was it a positive that your team had to fight off the Penn State rally?
"I think that the stress that we went through at the end of the game as good for us. If you could fix your schedule to where you knew every game was going to be a four or five point game, that's what you'd want to do. You don't want to play so many close games that you're going to win half and lose half. We definitely needed that. Other than missing free throws, I thought we executed very well. I know the game got within three points but I felt good the whole way about it. I think the mistakes we made weren't forced by stress. It's nice to come out with a win against an experienced team."
Josh Carter was struggling but made a big three in the last couple of minutes. How big was that for a freshman?
"He wasn't afraid to miss and that's how I want our guys to be. We don't want them to miss, but we want them to shoot it the same as if we had an 18-point lead. I think he missed seven shots in a row and then had the courage to shoot it when the game was close. He also got two really big defensive rebounds down the stretch. Those are just as important as the three point shot that he made."
How tough is it to play another game just a couple of days after the last one?
"We'll try to make the most of it. We had a good practice yesterday and I assume we'll have a good day today and get ready to play a talented team. They are just coming off a really big win. They have a bunch of really good offensive players that are definitely going to be hard to guard. Our defensive percentage on three point shots is around 17 percent, which is close to the best in the nation right now. It will be severely tested tomorrow night because they have really good shooters."
How has Antanas Kavaliauskas progressed?
"He played by far his best game Saturday. He didn't play very much. Last week he had a really good week of practice. The game just didn't dictate him getting a bunch of minutes. He needs a bunch of minutes. I think he'll be a much better player tomorrow than he is today. I really believe he's trying. I really believe he's making a lot of progress. I have no question that he's going to be a real good player for us in Big 12 play. He's like most guys that are making the jump from junior college a conference such as the Big 12. The expectations are great from the coaches. He's thinking too much instead of playing, but he's getting more comfortable. I think he'll start playing real well for us before too long."
Does you coaching style make the adjustment even tougher?
"I think it's anyone's coaching style. I think it takes a while with the coaches that are going to correct players. As a junior college player, Antanas was used to starting every game. You have to adjust to be able to come off the bench. Practices weren't nearly as intense. You're academic situation wasn't nearly as intense. The importance of rest wasn't nearly as important. Everything is different. The athletes at this level are so big, strong and well conditioned. There are just so many adjustments that a player going from one level to the next has to make. It just takes time to adjust. I think Eddie (Smith) has adjusted a little more quickly. He plays a position that he can adjust to a little more quickly. I'm not disappointed in either one of them. Both of them are making really good adjustments. They're going to be really good for our team."
Does the same apply to a freshman like Martellus Bennett?
"I think by playing football he understands the importance and critical nature of each and every play. I think most freshmen don't consider it life or death to give up a basket. He's already got 11 games under his belt and those games were for high stakes. I think his sense of urgency is already there. That's one of the things we do the most teaching on. As far as basketball, he still needs to understand a lot of things. He's going to play hard. He's very capable because of his athletic ability and competitive nature. He is way ahead of the game in some of those respects. The block he had in Saturday's game was significant to me because he wanted to go into the game. He didn't have an ego. He wanted to help his team win. That's what guys should be playing for. He's a very intelligent guy. It just takes a little time, but he's developing well. I think he'll get better day-by-day. These guys have been practicing for a while and their timing and togetherness is pretty good. He'll have to adjust and they'll have to adjust to him."
How good of a rebounder can he be?
"I think it's a natural instinct. Martellus has a natural instinct to rebound. I think Eddie Smith has it. We have some guys on our team right now that will be in pretty good position but don't understand where the ball goes on a miss. They don't anticipate the ball. So, they might be tall but they don't see the ball and they don't anticipate. I do believe that rebounding is a skill. It's not something that everybody can accomplish. Martellus has a real ability to see where the ball is going to go and go after it. I think that he can really help us in that respect. You need to have two really good defensive rebounders at least. If you have three, you have a chance to be a real good team. Right now, I don't think we have anybody that's exceptional."