Jan. 10, 2011
College Station, Texas - Head coach Mark Turgeon and members of the 13th-ranked Texas A&M men's basketball team met with the media today to talk about the upcoming games against Oklahoma State and No. 12 Missouri this week at Reed Arena.
Tickets start at just $2.50 for Wednesday's matchup against the Oklahoma State Cowboys. More ticket information is available by clicking here.
The Aggies opened the Big 12 portion of their schedule with a 69-51 victory over Oklahoma Saturday in Norman, Okla.
Audio from today's press conference is available to the right in MP3 format. Selected quotes are listed below.
HEAD COACH Mark Turgeon
You commented heading in to the Oklahoma game that you weren't sure what you had. Now after the OU game, where do you think things stand?
"We just didn't perform very well for two games, that's why I felt that way. We practiced better. We played well Saturday, but it's just one game. Hopefully we learned from it. We learned a lot from the film of the game--different ways they guarded us, different things they did, different things we did defensively--so hopefully we'll mature from it and continue to get better. That's the key. Sometimes with this group it's been inconsistent, but hopefully they're ready to grow up some and keep getting better the rest of the season."
Does it help when you have the week of practice you did and the team sees the results on the court?
"Yeah, no question. It helps, like you said. They worked really hard. Sometimes people get caught up in the records, but I get caught up with how were playing. So they were struggling with me a little bit last week, but the results were definitely there. We just did a lot of little things that made us look more like a team and act more like a team. Not just Xs and Os, and what happens X-and-O wise, but in being a team and being a good teammate we did a lot of good things too."
On the team "flying under the radar" nationally so to speak up to this point...
"To me we haven't really started yet. I know we have some good wins out there, but I told the players that. When the league starts, that's kind of when you make a name for yourself. I think that's what everyone's kind of waiting to see on us, (to see) if we are any good. We beat a really good Temple team, beat a really good Washington team, and beat an Arkansas team who played really well that day. So now they're just waiting to see if we can continue to do it. That's kind of where we are. I think people are aware of us and what we're doing and what we've done."
On the 11-game win streak matching the longest of his career...
"Well, I don't look at it as a winning streak. I look at it is as how we're playing. I enjoy it when we play well like we did against Oklahoma. That's kind of how I've judged it. But if you'd have told me before the year we'd be where we are today, I'd have never thought that's where we'd be. So I'm happy with what we've done and where we are, but the exciting thing for me is I just think we can get a lot better. We've learned to play a lot of different ways. We've played fast, we've played slow. We've played big, we've played small. We've played with experience, we've played with youth. That's exciting to me. The thing I'm excited about is you're seeing tiny steps out of the Naji Hibberts, the Dash Harris's, the Ray Turners, the Kourtney Robersons, and they're making our team better. If those guys can continue to improve with the leadership we've had from the upperclassmen, then we can get better and have an exciting year."
In what area has the team exceeded your expectations the most this year?
"Just winning. And as you guys know I'm on them hard. It's been a tough team to coach at certain times, but just winning close games and continuing to stick together and figuring out ways to do it. That's probably why we're where we are to this point. Nate's (Walkup) had a fantastic year so far. B.J. (Holmes) is having a great senior year so far. And then our young kids have played better than I've expected. Naji Hibbert--he's come a long ways, just in the last month or six weeks. So you know, it's exciting, and that's allowed us to be where we are today. With that said, there are a lot of really talented teams in our league and we have to play well on game day to win."
Is it hard to keep the team balanced and grounded?
"No. So far no, we'll see. We've got a tough week ahead of us. They really practiced hard last week. And you know, you look at it, we've played three or four or five teams, and the other games we were scheduled to win. Our players understand that and our coaches understand that. We're not really caught up in ourselves. We know the rankings right now are about the schedule you've played and that the ball's bounced your way. But we know the way we're really going to be judged is how we play over the next eight weeks. We understand that. And we've been there before. My first year we were 15-1 and we had to win at Baylor to get in the NCAA Tournament. We were 13-1 our second year and we were 3-7 in the league. So it can change quickly. We've learned from those experiences more than anything else we've talked about. And I think we're more mature and we're much further along of where we want to be, and in consistency, and how we're going to play, and that type of thing. But it can change quickly and we understand that. So we stay pretty focused."
On the next stretch of games being a big judge of where the team is...
"I want to see truly where we are. I think Oklahoma State's phenomenal. They had a game that they lost, Virginia Tech, that they probably should have won. They were ahead seven with about four to go, and had a tough break. Something happened, or they'd be like 15-1 or whatever and they'd be ranked too. I think they're really good. Then you play a Missouri team that's ranked, then a Texas team that's ranked, then a Kansas state team that's ranked. So it'll be good for me to see where we really are. I know we've beat some good teams, but consistently for four straight games to do that...we'll see how tough we are and what we're all about."
On what makes Marshall Moses such an effective player...
"He's just so strong. He's got a great base and just overpowers you. He can turn and face. He's got a quick first step. He can get you deep and he can score, and get second chance points, (he's) just real physical. He's really good at posting up. They do a really good job of getting him the ball and they usually have some good shooters around him, so they can space pretty well too. He's good. I remember we played him there his sophomore year and we'd never really heard of Marshall Moses. And he just lit us up at their place that game and ever since then he's really never looked back. He's having a phenomenal senior year. That's why they're doing so well."
On OSU losing players like James Anderson and Obi Muonelo off last year's team and still playing so well...
"They're bigger and stronger. They're a whole different team. I think they defend really well. Keiton Page is playing really, really well and having a great year. He's gotten better. Jean-Paul (Olukemi) sat out last year and practiced, and he's really giving them good minutes. They've got some good depth, good players, good guards and are well-coached. They have a plan and a purpose every game and they execute it, and that's why they are where they are. It will be a real physical game Wednesday night, which we need to prove we can play in."
On Oklahoma State's offensive strategy this year...
"Get the ball to Moses or get the ball to Keiton Page. That's what they're trying to do. They only shot 10 threes the other day against K-State, and only made two, but they shot 40-something free throws. So it was a combination of a physical game and it being called closely, but also (them) getting to the foul line. So they're doing a good job of that. It's good coaching when you can play one way one year and win, then play different the following year and still win. That's the sign of a good coach. Travis (Ford) has done a good job with this team and they create some problems. Defensively they're real solid and always have a game plan. They're playing different, I think they're averaging 69 a game or something, where last year this time I'm sure they were in the 80s. So they're playing differently. They're rebounding better. They look more like us probably."