Coach Mark Gottfried Press Conference Transcript
11/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 12, 2008
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - Alabama men's basketball coach Mark Gottfried met with the media Wednesday afternoon in the Coleman Coliseum Media Room. The Crimson Tide is continuing its preparation for its final exhibition game of the season. UA will face Belhaven on Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:00 p.m.
Opening statement:
"Let me open it up here and say that we're ready to play, we're ready to go. We want to play well obviously when we play. A side note to this game is one of my best friends and a former assistant coach, Tom Kelsey--who worked here at Alabama for us and was with me three years at Murray State--is the head coach at Belhaven. He does a great job, and he's going to bring his team in there Thursday night, and I'm glad for them that they get the opportunity to come over here for the exhibition game, but he'll have them ready to play. He knows our team, obviously, very well. He and I visit regularly on the phone about each other's team. So that will be fun. For us, we're ready to go. We learned a little bit in the first exhibition game. This provides us a second opportunity for a lot of these guys to play again with the lights on, the popcorn popping, the officials and the fans. That's what we're looking for. We want to play hard and keep our defensive intensity up like it was the other night so those are some things for us that we want to key on. "
On whether he was pleased with the first exhibition:
"I think in the first half the team played well, but when we got up by a pretty sizeable margin it was tough sometimes to keep your focus and concentration level to where we wanted it to be. I thought for the first twenty minutes we did a lot of things well. Specifically, our defensive pressure was as good as it has been. We got the ball out and ran pretty well and go t a lot of baskets in transition. When we need to slow down and execute some half court, we did that as well. In exhibition games, you're trying to accomplish a lot of things number one. We've got players that I think need opportunities to play in an exhibition setting. Obviously, JaMychal Green, who is starting as freshman, a guy like Scenario Hillman, didn't play a lot last year so here's another opportunity for him, and I tell people that Ronald Steele is in the same boat. I want him to have these games. Even though he's a veteran, he hasn't played in nearly two years so this is another opportunity for him to get out there and play. Guys like Torrance who is playing a little bit different position. For us, we need to use it to our advantage."
On Belhaven's experience on the court:
"I know they've got a lot of upperclassmen; they start three seniors I believe and a couple of juniors. That will be a little different. Obviously, Faulkner had a lot of young guys in here and I think that Belhaven is a little more athletic, a little better. You want to get challenged, obviously you want to win. We are going to play extremely hard and I think Tom will have his team ready. Again, they're upperclassmen so they should come in here a little bit more prepared maybe than the previous team."
On the recruiting progress and the early signing period:
"As far as our early signings, everything seems to be coming in today. I think when we get the group together and everybody done, we'll release it at one time with all of our signees. We're very excited and so far today everything has gone as planned and very smoothly. But hopefully tomorrow is when can have everything in our hands, which then we'll be allowed to release it at that point."
On scouting Mercer:
"They've got a new coach, so they are a different team, from that perspective, than a year ago. The little guard they have is a really good player. Prior to our game last year, he went out to Southern California and put 30 on the Trojans. We played them the very next day. Some of their personnel are the same and we'll learn a little bit more about them in the next couple of days."
On how the team is shaping up:
"I'm excited about our team. I think we are a lot different. I like our speed and our quickness. We need to utilize that speed and quickness and that's something we talk about everyday in our staff meeting. I think a lot of guys have improved. I think Alonzo Gee is better, I think Demetrius Jemison is better. Those guys have improved as they've gotten a year older. Senario Hillman has improved from a year ago, Torrance has improved. We've still got some questions and concerns about our team, like everybody does, but I'm excited about the potential of the team. That's a scary word, potential, what is your potential? I don't know. We've got to work hard and become a good team. There is great feel around our team every day, lots of enthusiasm and I like that about our team."
