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| Tim Buckley |
| On what Paris McCurdy, Curtis Kidd,
and Scott Nichols coming into the locker room after the Detroit game meant
to the team |
| "Well, I think it's always special no
matter who your alumni are. Obviously, those guys being there with their
history and what they accomplished was great, but I think anytime you have a
former alum from your university come and talk to the guys, and it's
heartfelt, and that they still keep and eye on the things that are going on
there now, I think that is really important to your growth as a university
as well as a program." |
| |
| On what he wasn't happy with after the
15 point win at Detroit |
| "Well, I was upset with the fact that I
didn't feel like we played with the kind of passion and enthusiasm that we
are kind of known for; and encouraged at the same time that we didn't play
with that and still played some pretty good basketball. So obviously we feel
like we have chance to be an even better team than we were going into that
point." |
| |
| On the potential for his team to be
effective with a press defense this year |
| "Yes, only because of the ability to
impose your will on somebody - making them feel like you're there all the
time. People don't realize what the press is. If you're pressing people,
you're usually pressing their guards, who are pretty good ball handlers;
unless they're bad ball handlers, and you can pretty much do anything you
want with those type of guys. So I think to wear on people mentally more
than anything else is important. If you were really going to press people
and try to turn them over, you would try to trap their big guys when their
big guys have the ball in the post, because their turnover to assist ratio
is about four to one. So you have a better chance of turning them over that
way. I would say just to be a presence out there, which is why we want to do
it. 'Ok, here's that guy, he's waiting for me when I try to bring the ball
over.' I think you want to pick and choose a little bit. At the same time,
try to let them know that you're always going to be there. And I think
sometimes that wears on you, whether you do it all the time or not, you
think that it's there. Central Michigan is one of those teams that doesn't
really turn you over in the press, but as soon as you take the ball out of
bounds they're right there with you all the time. I think to some degree
that wears on you a little bit." |
| |
| On the match-up with Wright State
being a match-up of two of the best point guards in the country that nobody
knows about |
| "I'll tell you after the game. I would
like to believe that. I really like our guy (Stovall). I think he's a really
good player. I think he's an even better person. And I think he's continuing
to grow as a player. We still need for Peyton to spearhead our defense in
the way that he's capable of. At the end of the day you watch him play and
you say, 'I wish he would have some more things defensively,' and he's got
eight deflections. So I think he's one of those guys that can continue to do
that and make a presence out there for himself and for our team just by
spearheading it. I think he's done an adequate job (defensively). I think he
can continue to improve and continue to put more pressure on the ball, but
we also ask him to do a lot. We ask him to do that, we ask him to push the
ball up the floor, we ask him to create, so there are times where he's going
to have to take breaks. He plays quite a few minutes. Maybe what I need to
do a better job of is finding some time for him where he can get some
breaks. I just don't like having him on the bench too much." |
| |
| On Peyton's game |
| "No I don't think there's a lot of flash
to his game at all, other than he's really doing a good job of changing his
speeds. He didn't have a very good week shooting in practice, so I'm hoping
he has another bad week in practice (laugh), but his focus was terrific. To
go and shoot the ball on the road like he has in the past couple of games is
very impressive." |
| |
| On senior Dennis Trammell now
understanding the phrase "fool's gold" after last year's game at Wright
State |
| "I'm sure he does (laugh). I had Tom
Howland explain it to all of them. He is a history major. Yeah, that's what
last year's game against Wright State was in the first half, fool's gold,
and nobody knew what I was talking about at halftime." |
| |
| On the free throw (36-10) disparity
and other stats in Wright State's home win over Toledo Saturday |
| "Yeah, if I remember correctly there was
a difference in the number of free throws shot in that game last year, but I
think what you have to be aware of is, and we're going to do a good job of
this, you can't take too many first side jump shots against Wright State.
Because you look open on the first pass and you're not, because you're not
in rhythm. You've got to swing the ball and give their defense a chance to
break down. We did not do that last year. Ninety percent of our offense was
first side shots and first pass shots. Yeah, (patience is a virtue), and the
right kind of patience and having the right kind of rhythm when you shoot
the ball, because shooting is a rhythm exercise." |
| |
| On the team's three point shooting at
Detroit |
| "It's probably indicative of what we're
capable of , what our potential is. I think some of the other guys will make
more threes than they did and Peyton and Dennis probably won't make as many.
We're capable of that. There's no doubt." |
| |
| On the team's lack of free throw
production |
| "We've got to get to the free throw line
more and try to score some points at the free throw line, because the free
throw is the most efficient play in basketball. We're a pretty good free
throw shooting team, so that is something that we've really got to focus on
- getting it inside, whether it's off the dribble or the pass - and try to
draw some fouls. Because we've made outside shots (we have played well
without free throws), so I think that's probably a good thing." |
| |
| On his concerns about the lack of post
play |
| "I would say it would, but if you could
show me throughout the country that people were consistently getting points
inside - I don't think they are. Your big men have got to defend, rebound,
and take care of the basketball. They're doing some of it; they're not doing
enough of it. I mean Anthony Kent and Tom Howland have got to do a better
job of defending, they've got to do a better job of taking care of the ball,
and rebounding. Terrance and Michael have done an adequate job, or a better
than adequate job, but that's an area that they've got to continue to do.
And we've got to do a better job of trying to find some easy baskets for
those guys. Anthony has got to take advantage of his athleticism and his
speed and he's got to get out on the break and we've got to get him some
easy buckets. He's not going to be a guy who you're just going to grind it
out in the half court with and get him shots." |
| |
| On the team |
| "The beauty of our team is the balance of
our team. I think that's (the quickness and speed) the strength of our team.
So I think what we have to do is take a look at this night, what are we
going to be most efficient with and most effective with?" |
| |
| On Wright State |
| "I think they're very well coached.
Paul's a good friend of mine. He's a guy that worked for Jim O'Brien a lot
of years when he was at Ohio State and Boston College. He's always had great
success, good defensive teams, they share the ball, very patient, one of
those teams that likes to work you and work you. We can't let them score in
the first ten seconds of the shot clock and we can't let them score in the
last ten seconds of the shot clock. That's where they can hurt you most.
They're an opportunistic transition team. If it's a bad shot, long rebound,
or it's a turnover, they'll go run, otherwise they really like to use their
patience in the half court." |
| |
| On what pace Ball State prefers |
| "I'd like for everybody in the arena to
have to wear a neck brace, to be honest with you, because they're turning
their head so fast because we're going up and down and playing quicker.
That's an emphasis for us. I think our best basketball can be played at a
quicker pace, because I think we have that kind of player and that's what
we've recruited too." |
| |
| On Landon Adler's status |
| "We'll have to wait and see. Last week
was the first time he went out and practiced a full practice, so hopefully
we'll see sooner rather than later. We'll take it day by day. We don't
necessarily have a drop dread point as to when he's going to play, but we'll
just have to wait and see." |
| |
| On Tom Howland starting to get his
legs under himself |
| "Yes. Tom has done an admirable job in
that he hasn't always been able to practice as much as he wants. We've had
to back him off the skill development things in order to preserve him for
practice, so his offensive game is going to struggle a little bit. Here's a
guy that hasn't been able to shoot the ball all summer or fall, as far as
injury-wise. He's trying to do the things that we need him to do to help us
be successful. Him getting 20 minutes the other night (at Detroit), I was
very proud of how hard he played and competed." |
| |
| On the rotation and minutes |
| "We've got three guys on the perimeter
that we need to start making some headway in terms of consistency of minutes
instead of somebody have three, five, eight minutes. We'd like to see one or
two of those guys eventually emerge. At this point in time no one is
separating himself. Right now I would say (those three) are McCollom, Yates,
and McClung. I think when you talk about consistency, meaning how many guys
you're going to play, you'd like to play eight or nine guys. I think that
makes for great competition. It would be nice if it was little league and
everybody got an at-bat in every three innings, but those days are over. You
know, it's more about competition and earning those minutes, battling and
fighting for them, and I think that's what makes you a good basketball team
when you have that depth. We didn't have that the past couple of years. To
have the guys battle and compete like that has been refreshing, and they've
been good about handling it and coming back and continuing to practice
well." |
| |
| Tom Howland |
| On whether or not he's starting to get
his legs under himself |
| "I can feel them coming. They're not
quite there yet. I'm still working on stamina. I don't think I've played up
to my potential yet, but I can feel it coming; it's just a matter of time." |
| |
| On the training staff and doctors |
| "I think we've got one of the best
training staffs in the country. I don't think there's anybody in the country
that cares more about (the athletes) than TC (Tony Cox) does. I think he
works harder than just about anybody during practice to get us back into
playing shape." |
| |
| On the work he's done on his mid-range
jump shot |
| "Yeah, that was a lot of what I could do
this summer, just catch and shoot. I couldn't move, so I've worked a lot on
my jump shot. I've picked up my range a lot." |
| |
| On the difference between playing
Detroit's and Kentucky's post players |
| "I thought Kentucky was a lot bigger,
while Detroit was a lot quicker. Their center was, I think, six-seven. That
was a challenge for me and Anthony to guard him. The center for Wright State
is also six-seven, but he is definitely not as quick as Detroit's." |
| |
| On playing 20 minutes at Detroit |
| "I'm just trying to get back into shape
and I'm starting to feel more at ease." |
| |
| On getting over the natural hesitancy
that comes with coming back from an injury |
| "A lot of it is mental. If I start
thinking about it slows my whole game down. I'm trying to work through the
mental part. Once I can do that I'll be ready to go." |
| |
| On his game at Detroit |
| "I thought I screwed up a bunch. I think
there's a lot of things I could have done better. I left my feet a couple of
times and I shouldn't have. Overall, I did alright. I'm just going to
continue to work hard and hopefully get better." |
| |
| On his goals for the rest of the
season |
| "I think I'll continue to get better. I
want to continue to work more on the mental part of my game. It's all mental
right now." |
