Coach Mark Gottfried Press Conference Transcript
1/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 13, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -
University of Alabama men's basketball head coach Mark Gottfried met with members of the media Tuesday afternoon at Coleman Coliseum as the Crimson Tide continues preparations for a pair of Southeastern Conference road games this week at Mississippi State and Auburn.
Opening Statement ...
"I've watched a number of Mississippi State's games, and they are playing really, really well right now. They're maybe one of the hottest teams. They shoot the three really well. I think it was 36 three's in the last three games they've made, which catches your attention real quick. They're playing four guards and they're a tough match up. Obviously playing over there in Starkville will be tough. We know all that, but at the same time, our guys had a good preparation day yesterday, we'll have another one today and get ready to go."
On how the Tide will match up with MSU's four-guard lineup ...
"Well, we're not going to change the way we start a game and we believe in the how we're playing the game. Although we've also at times played with four guards ourselves. We made the adjustment in the LSU game, it was a tough match up for us, but we made the adjustment there. If we have to we'll do it again, that'll be decided during the game and how the game is going."
On how big starting out 2-0 in the SEC would be ...
"I think there's a lot of different ways to get to where you want to be in the end. I think everybody in the league would like to be 16-0. Kentucky did it one year in my 11 years of being here, but that's rare. I say this all the time, but you've got to approach each game as individual game. That's the only thing that matters. Your next game is the most important game. Period. And for us right now, it's in Starkville. I don't think whether a team three years ago if they were 3-0 or 4-0 if that really matters right now. We've got to approach each game one game at a time. And when you win like we did the other day, obviously that breeds some confidence, winning always does. It makes you feel good about what you're doing and so hopefully we can continue that."
On the play of his big men ...
"Well, I like the development of Justin [Knox] and JaMychal [Green]. I think they're improving, literally weekly. I think they're getting better all the time and they've both had different points where they looked really good. So those two guys are just going to keep improving. They're getting a great opportunity to play. I think Yamene [Coleman] does a great job coming off the bench. He knows his role, which is to defend and gets baskets here and there. He's a good rebounder, a good defender. We're comfortable with that. In a game like this, we might have to adjust where we play each one at a time too"
On Senario Hillman's play ...
"He has really improved a lot. He played in a great high school program that played kinda wide open. So when he got here, there were some things that were a lot different for him. How to understand how to really defend, all the different things in college basketball. Back screen, down screens, double screens, stagger screens. So there was a learning curve for him.
"What happened last year was that his athleticism was so good, there were times that he was athletic enough that maybe he didn't have the "know how". Now, you're seeing a guy, he's got both. What's happened is, his confidence has grown, so it filters into every part of the game. A big steal here, a drive to the basket there, a hustle play here.
"He can just impact a game so much, he's a confident player right now because he's got that year under his belt. I think he actually has gotten more athletic since he got here, in the weight room, the strength and conditioning has helped him some in that area. I think he's improved, I believe he can improve a lot more and he's going to continue to improve as we go on."
On facing in-state rival Auburn on Saturday ...
"The same old worn out quote, you know, every time Alabama and Auburn get together to play, we could be playing checkers, and everyone understands how important it is and we know that. They've got a lot of players coming back, a lot of familiar names on that team and some guys that have played well in the past. I think our games this year with Auburn are going to be really competitive. We need to take care of business in that regard. But, we've got a lot of respect for them."
