Texas A&M Men's Basketball Press Conference
Selected Quotes
HEAD COACH BILLY KENNEDY
Opening Statement…
“This is a big week for us. Our kids are going through final exams and that's an important time for us and for our guys to finish strong in their classes. We're also gearing up for the Kansas State game. They're a good opponent, a team that went to the NCAA Tournament a year ago, and are led by two really good players in Marcus Foster and Thomas Gipson. Gipson is a senior and we played against him a couple years ago. He's similar to (Baylor's) Rico Gathers, maybe not as explosive, but a big-bodied kid who can cause us some problems. Foster is one of the top guards in the Big 12, so we're going to have to do a good job of guarding him.”
On having a break between games…
“It gives us an opportunity to get some things in offensively that we haven't had a chance to work on. We were able to add some offense and work on some things defensively that we haven't worked on because we've had so many games in the last 10 days or so. Hopefully, it gives us a chance to get healthy all the way around, both physically and mentally.”
On Kansas State…
“They're different than really anybody we've played. They're a very good man-to-man defensive team, they pressure like most Bruce Webber's teams do and they're really well-coached. They're factoring in some new guys, last year they lost a couple of guys, so they're a team that's trying to find their identity as well. They've had trouble scoring at times, like we have. It'll be a good defensive game and the team that takes care of the ball and finds a way to score is going to have a great shot to win.”
On what he's seen from K-State so far…
“They're still figuring their team out, like a lot of us are. I watched them beat Purdue, who at that time I thought was a really good team. They played really well against Arizona and maybe just ran out of gas there against Pittsburgh. They're not playing their best basketball at this point, just like we aren't. Playing in the Spring Center, it will be the team that shoots the ball the best and who can take score. Taking care of the ball is going to be critical because I think both teams will play good defense.”
On playing at the Sprint Center in Kansas City…
“This is basically a road game. I saw where Kansas played in the Sprint Center last week against Utah. They like to do this because that's where they play the Big 12 Tournament. We're going to find out if we've matured from the Baylor situation. That's why we played Baylor to give ourselves a chance to learn how to play on the road in a tough environment. Can our guards have to control the game? Not get rattled or sped up and turn the ball over or take quick shots. Can our post guys rise up to another big-bodied kid, like Gipson? Can we perform and compete better than we did against Baylor? These are the guys you've got to win if you're going to give yourself an opportunity to go to the postseason.”