Mark Gottfried and UA Hoops Players Prepare to Host Belmont
11/17/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Quotes from Mark Gottfried and UA Players for Belmont Game Previews
The University of Alabama basketball team plays host to Belmont on Monday, November 19 at 6 p.m. CT in Coleman Coliseum. Following are quotes from Crimson Tide players Demetrius Jemison, starting forward, and junior guard Brandon Hollinger who has been sharing the point guard play, as well as quotes from Tide head coach Mark Gottfried. Gottfried’s quotes are the complete transcript from his Friday, November 16, press conference.
Sophomore Forward Demetrius Jemison:
On Belmont:
“They are a team that likes to push it and spot up and shoot a lot of three’s, so we’re really going to have to guard the ball and come off a lot of fade screens and down screens and contest a lot of three point shots. I guess really their strength. They’re not a team that wants to bang with you, they just want to shoot three’s and get in the break and put up the three pointers, so we’re just going to have to contest.”
On getting his first collegiate starts in the first two games and his play in general:
“I feel like I’m stepping up but at the same time I’m still learning day by day. I’m still talking to Richard Hendrix and letting him teach me a lot of things that I need to know to be successful in this league.”
Junior Guard Brandon Hollinger:
On the play of the guards; Alabama has had 44 assists in two games:
“The guard play has been pretty good right now. Getting an average of 22 assists a game is pretty good. That means we’re sharing the ball. Nobody’s trying to get theirs and get their points or whatever so basically, that’s pretty good for any team when you can share the ball like that with each other like that that’s basically building good chemistry between the team.”
TIDE HEAD COACH MARK GOTTFRIED
November 16 Press Conference Transcript
On Belmont:
“Belmont is a good team. They showed that right away when they opened the season with a very decided win against Cincinnati. We’ve heard a lot this season about the Atlantic Sun Conference and they’re another team that’s going to be a very good team. We’ve got our work cut out for us. We understand it. We know it. Rick Byrd does a great job coaching their team. They are a team that shoots a lot of three’s and makes a lot of three’s. They don’t just have shooters, they have makers. They stretch you out. Stretch the floor out. They do a great job of creating three point opportunities for each other. In their first four games, they’ve made 40 three’s. They are a very good basketball team.”
Is Belmont anything like Troy:
“No. They’re different. Troy, who by the way scored 133 two nights ago, 133 points in the game. They won 133 to 132. Belmont’s different. Belmont is a team that, for one, they are a terrific half court defensive team which probably overlooked because of the way they shoot the ball offensively. But they have a veteran team. If you look at the guys who play for them, most of them are upperclassmen, juniors and seniors. Excellent shooting team. They will push the ball up the floor and run. It’s not a type of game where they’re trying to walk it up and play in the fifties. They are going to try to push the ball. They do a great job of creating three point opportunities for each other. We won’t play a lot of games this year that we’ll shoot it or will have shot it as well from the three as this team. They’re one of the better teams we’ll play all year long from that perspective.”
From a confidence standpoint, how important is the win at Mercer?
“Anytime you win, it helps your confidence. Anytime you win on the road (it helps as well). We went into a (small) gym. It’s hostile. They’re loud. They’re having a good time. They’re barbequing outside; they’re tailgating. It’s a big deal over there, so they were juiced up pretty good. And I thought our guys walked in there and handled it pretty well. Again, like I told our team, Mercer is not North Carolina but you also have to remember that Mercer went on the road and pounded Southern California, so they are what they are. I was proud of our guys for that win. We’ve still got a lot of areas we’ve got to get better at. But we did some good things in that game and hopefully we learned a little bit about playing on the road, too.”
Has he looked at Belmont’s game from when UA and Belmont were both in the same NCAA tournament regional in San Diego two years ago?
“We have one (a tape of the game) but we haven’t really looked at it to be real honest. What we have done is watch their last games from the end of the season last year, Georgetown in the NCAA tournament, and then their games this season. I know Rick Byrd well. He’s a terrific coach. We’ve talked before, a lot of basketball. I know how they play. They are a back-to-back NCAA tournament team two straight years in a very good league, and, again, with a lot of players coming back so they’re going to be a good team.”
On the inside substitution in the Mercer game, Yamene Coleman only played a few minutes. Is that a matchup situation?
“Well, what’s happening right now, I think both Justin (Knox) and Yamene are both going to play for us, and to be honest, they’re both kind of competing right now for that spot as far as who the first guy is off the bench. At the same time, we’ve played a couple of teams here that have played small lineups, and it’s difficult sometimes to play Richard and Yamene or Richard and Justin together just from a defensive standpoint try to match up better. But we have felt better about Demetrius and Alonzo guarding that fourth with a four-man. Sometimes it’s just game to game matchups, but I think both of those two guys are going to help us and there is some competition, I think, between the two of them.”
On Richard Hendrix’s start and how it compares to the starts of other players he’s had in his program in the past:
“I don’t know that there are a lot of players nationally who have done what Richard has done in two games. Now, it’s still only two games, but for these two games I think he’s been as good as anybody in the country. He has, I think improved a great deal. I think that we’ve talked enough about what he’s done, the discipline he’s had to lose the weight. We got serious with him about his weight, and I think he took to it. He didn’t fight it. In my opinion, you’re seeing a different player out on the floor. But it’s still early. The season’s early. But I think after two games there are not a lot of guys in the country who have done what he’s done.”
On the team having 44 assists in two games:
“I think we’re going to be a very balanced scoring team. I think our players have done a good job of recognizing when to get the ball to Richard and I think Richard has done a good job of getting himself open. I think our team’s done a good job of recognizing those things. But you also know that teams are not going to play you differently. You’re going to now go into a game plan trying to figure out a way not to let Richard Hendrix get 25 and 19 rebounds, now, what is that going to be? Hopefully then you have a team that’s good enough where other players can step up and make plays and score. We’re going to put him in good enough positions to do that. I don’t think Richard Hendrix is going to do that every night. I hope he does. That’d be great. But teams will do a good job defending him, too. He understands that. He knows.”
Against Mercer you had several players who had a large number of assists.
“As soon as the game was over I offered their statistician crew some extra pay to come over. No. What I like in that game was we had 35 field goals on 26 assists or something like that. I think we’ve just got an unselfish team. I think they’re doing what we’ve asked them to do so far. Again, our point guard position, there, if you look at Brandon (Hollinger) and Mikhail (Torrance) for that particular game they had 12 assists combined. Hopefully we can keep something somewhat like that. It’s not going to always be like that (but hopefully we can keep something like that happening) throughout the season.”
Was Demetrius Jemison a part of that success with his inside play as well?
“He did a good job. And a lot of those were going to Richard. We had some in the break. One thing that we’re doing a little bit more is running the ball. We scored 90 points on the road which 90 points, you’re going to have more assists or should if you’re doing things right. So that’s a result of that as well.”
Regarding the point guard position, is it now Mikhail Torrance’s to lose or will there be interchangeable players?
“You know, to be honest, at the point guard Rico Pickett had a very good day of practice yesterday (Thursday) which is what I wanted to see. That for him, he’s a young player that was disappointed he didn’t get in the game the other night but he came right back and practiced hard. I don’t know that there is a pecking order, one, two three. I think all three guys are a little different. I think all three guys can help us. Brandon Hollinger can play a little bit at the other guard spot as well. Really, all three of them can. So we’re just going to practice hard every day. Kind of look at it day to day, and, hopefully keep all three guys playing at a high level. That’s what we want to do.”
“I think Mikhail will start (against Belmont). But that could change whenever we play. That could change between now and then. It depends on how well they practice. It depends on what happens in practice. Right now I would say it’s Mikhail’s to lose like it was Rico’s to have and to lose. That’s part of competition every day. That’s the way it is.”
On his observations and thoughts on all the early upsets around the country:
“I think in college basketball you’ve got to remember a couple of things are happening. Years ago the big guys were the only ones on TV a lot. I think now every league in the country has some type of television package. So better players sometimes are choosing to go to some mid-major type schools and getting an opportunity to play early on. And that’s more of an attractive option, so you’re getting better players. So the disparity of talent isn’t what it used to be 10 or 15 years ago. There’s still good players everywhere and I think a lot of that has to do with TV. Then the other thing that happens so many times is that the Belmont’s and the Mercers or whomever they may be, there are times when those teams end up with senior-laden teams. They are juniors and seniors. And early in the basketball season, especially this time of the year when the Michigan State’s, the Ohio State’s or the Alabama’s, or whoever that may be, you’re playing a lot of freshmen. And your freshmen are playing against juniors and seniors, and it’s difficult for your freshmen. And a lot of times in the SEC, or ACC or Big 10, PAC 10, USC the other night against Mercer, you know they’ve got three freshmen on the floor at a critical time and Mercer’s got three seniors on the floor. So it kind of evens the playing field a little bit I think. That’s what you’re seeing a lot of right now.”
Was Demetrius Jemison able to practice (Thursday) after rolling his ankle in the Mercer game?
“Yes. He played hard. He played hard yesterday. In my opinion, he’s done with the injury.”
