Feb. 21, 2011
Half-price tickets are still available for Aggie Basketball's "Family Night", presented by KBTX and the Old Army Spirit Company, this Wednesday when No. 17 Texas A&M plays host to Oklahoma at Reed Arena. Tipoff time is set for 6:30 p.m.
Half-price tickets can be purchased in all seating areas of Reed Arena for as low as $5. Fans can buy them online at oldarmyspirit.com or aggieathletics.com, at the Kyle Field and Reed Arena box offices, or by calling 888-99-AGGIE.
Texas A&M students who don't have an all-sports option may purchase $5 half price tickets located in the student section. Students who have purchased an all-sports option can attend the game by simply presenting their student ID at the north or south student entrances to Reed Arena. Additional student ticket information for the game is available on the men's basketball page at aggieathletics.com.
The Aggies (21-5) have won four straight entering Wednesday's game and sit alone in third place in the Big 12 at 8-4. A&M has just two home games remaining, against the Sooners on Wednesday and Texas Tech on March 5.
Audio from today's press conference is available to the right in mp3 format. Select quotes are available below.
HEAD COACH Mark Turgeon
Did David (Loubeau) show you something more on Saturday?
"We've always had confidence in David. He did it in Colorado, hit a few big shots there, and he did it at Tech. He really wanted the ball (Saturday). He was just feeling it. I was proud of him the way he stepped up and made free throws. After missing his first 2, he made his next 8. I thought defensively he played well too. That's probably what's important. It was good to see David have a game like that. He's worked hard, so he deserved it."
Did he bring that hook shot with him when he got here, or did he develop it here?
"David's a very skilled basketball player, the kind of player we look for. I think he had the right- and left-hand hook in his game but I think it's gotten better. He was well-coached and well-groomed coming in here, and I think he's added strength and all that to go with it. I think it's commitment to it, and working on it, and he's just become a lot better. But he made some real tough ones on Saturday. He made one to start the second half that was about a10-foot jump hook, with contact. I thought that was one of his better games."
Can you talk about how he's improved defensively...
"He's played smarter defensively. It's been more of a challenge for him (this year). Bryan (Davis) always guarded the biggest, smartest guy last year and David's had to do that a lot this year. We're starting to play Kourtney and Ray's getting healthy, so that's helping David to not have to guard the biggest body out there. But I thought he did a really nice job Saturday. I thought his help defense was good. He's become a better position defender. His understanding is better and he puts himself in better position to take charges. He doesn't like to take them, but more of our guys are doing that. I thought his help-side defense the other night was really, really good, the stuff that Bryan was giving us last year. I thought our team defense was exceptional on Saturday night and David was a lot of that."
Talk about the play of Dash Harris on Saturday night...
"I think he's had three out of four really good games in a row. All three road games I think he's been really, really good. Colorado, Texas Tech and then the other night (at Oklahoma State) I thought he really defended. He's running our team. Of course, the last couple of games he's made some shots, which helps his confidence. He's really running the team well. I appreciate him the way other people probably can't. His teammates and his coaching staff appreciate him. He just does all the little things for us. He really saved the game at the end there. We had a guy help up the lane and Dash went down there and stripped the kid. And then he told me he was switching over to Reger Dowell at the end of the game, which might have saved the game too. Sometimes coaches get too much credit, but I think they players really gutted that one out and got it done on Saturday. The switch really controlled their penetration, which helped us win the game."
Is he playing where he was last year when he was healthy?
"Not quite. But his legs are back, he looks good, he's playing confident. He's got his speed back. To me it looked `slow for Dash' for a long time. And now he's in shape. He had to take the whole summer off basically. He couldn't do a lot, and started practice in September. He was out about 5 months, and that's a long time to be out. There's a reason we're winning right now, because Dash is playing well. He's real important to us. He doesn't have to score for us to be successful. But every time he does score, it's icing on the cake. And he's really been shooting free throws well. I felt bad for him the other night because I think he really expected to make both those free throws, and he didn't. The great thing was it didn't affect the rest of the game. He was actually better after those missed free throws. He was more determined I thought, which is a sign of a young man growing up."
Are you going into games now thinking, "what different way are we going to win this one" or "what different player is going to step up tonight"?
"No (smiling), I don't go in thinking that way. I go in thinking that I hope we play well and up to our abilities, which I think we're starting to do more consistently. We didn't obviously play well at home last Wednesday against Iowa State, but we did what we had to do at the end to win that game. I think we're coming together. After we lost to Texas at home, our practices have been so much better. And then you see guys individually getting better. You see Nate playing at an unbelievable level. (You see) BJ playing at a great level. Loubeau continues to get better. You see our bench--Naji Hibbert (had) 4 assists and no turnovers (Saturday). He figured out a way to help us. He's defending better. Kourtney Roberson just gets better every time. The more minutes he gets the better he gets. Ray had his best minutes in 6 weeks against Oklahoma State. He's still not healthy--he missed the dunk, we all know he's not healthy--but he helped us. Keith Davis is getting better in practice, which is making us better. I thought our scout team had its best preparation for Oklahoma State that we've had. So you're starting to see some signs of us starting to figure it out and be a little more committed. That's exciting because if that continues we can really get better down the stretch. That was the frustrating thing for me for a long time, because there were a lot of guys that I was coaching that I didn't think were improving at the rate I thought they needed to be. And our team wasn't improving at that rate because we got so caught up in winning, we weren't caught up in getting better. Now we're caught up in getting better and I think it shows."
Talk about Naji Hibbert. When he is missing shots is the rest of his game stepping up?
"Yeah, and you can see it. The whole thing with young players and guys that like to score is that you just constantly fight them about not letting their offense affect their defense. Naji's a great shooter that right now can't buy one, so he's like, `Okay. I'm going to guard, I'm going to rebound and I'm going to make plays for people", which he really can. He made 4 just big time assists (Saturday). He spoon-fed David for 3 lay-ups. David got some easy ones to get to 22, and Naji made 3 of those passes to him. Naji's a good playmaker with the ball, and we try to get the ball in his hands off screens a lot. We think he can make plays. He's like, `I've got to help this team somehow', and that's what he's doing. I've got all the confidence in the world that Naji's going to have one of these breakout games soon shooting the ball and not look back."
OU's playing relatively well given their preseason expectations...are you surprised they are doing what they're doing?
"No. Jeff's doing a great job. I think he's got a group of 8 or 9 guys...well, the whole team...but 8 or 9 guys that play, that have really bought into what they're trying to do. You can look at teams this time of year and they can throw in the towel, and you can look at teams and you see just a lot of fight in them. And you see a ton of fight in Oklahoma right now. I was watching the Oklahoma-Oklahoma State game the other day preparing for Oklahoma State, and I had to turn it off because Oklahoma was playing so well. They really fought K-State hard the other day, it was a 5-point game and it all got away from them in the last 5 minutes. They play really hard, are running good stuff, really defending. I'm happy for them because when I left that building (on Jan. 8) I didn't know what was going to happen for them. It hasn't shown up in as many wins as they'd probably like, but if you're a Sooner fan you've got to be happy with how hard their team is playing and how together they're playing on both ends. They're going to come in here and be fired up to play against us."
Is this a game where you have to be careful with the players because they know they've already beaten this team on the road?
"No, I don't think so. I don't. There's too much at stake. I told the guys right after the game Saturday that the reason we're playing better is because we're practicing hard and we're more committed. (I told them) Monday's going to be a hard practice, so get ready for it. Get yourself mentally ready for a tough practice. If Oklahoma beats us Wednesday night it's because Oklahoma came in here and beat us, because they're capable of doing that. And our players know that, especially after playing Iowa State. Our players know that anybody in this league can beat us in any building. We'll be ready and we'll be prepared. We want to play well at home. We really want to play well at home. We're really looking forward to Wednesday night and hopefully playing well."
Is it really hard for a program to be consistent today, with A&M just recording its seventh-straight 20-win season?
"Seven straight seasons. Yeah, it's hard. The reason I think we've been consistent is because we have really high-character kids. Kids that consistently put the program first and consistently do the right things. And that's how you do it. It's just so hard. It doesn't mean it's going to continue. With only 13 scholarships, you have a little bit of bad luck and it can change pretty quickly. I hope no one around here takes winning for granted. I know I don't, because I've been on the other side. I took it for granted when I was at Kansas. It was all I knew. And then I went other places. As I get older I really try to enjoy the wins and appreciate them more, because it's not easy. You look around the country and it's tough every night. So yeah, I'm pleased with the consistency we've had."
Are you surprised some fans think you won't be here another 25 years?
"Look at me (laughing). I look awful. It's a grind out there. I don't know if I want to put my family through it, to be quite honest with you. I love coaching. These last two weeks have been so much fun for me, just being around these guys, watching them compete and figuring out a way to win. I love what I'm doing. I'm at a great university. Since the second I stepped on this campus I became a better coach, because it's a great school in a great league. And I understand that. I don't see myself doing it 25 years, that's what I meant. And that was all due respect to Shelby (Metcalf) too. I mean 28 ½ years? Wow, that's a long time. And to have the personality he had to do it? That's probably why he was able to do it. I'm not quite as funny and don't have as much fun in life as he did. I know he was real serious when he got between the lines, Barry Davis tells me stories. But that's a lot of wins, 438 or something like that? I think at this rate I'd have to be here another 16 or 17 years. And if you look at it, you could say, `Yeah, you could coach that long'. But, we'll see. A number is not important to me. 300, 400, 500 (wins)...that' s not important. What's important is while I'm doing it, trying to be the best I can. We'll see. You don't know where you are going to be, or what's going to happen in life, and all that stuff. You just try and enjoy the moment, and right now it's fun."