Big 12 men’s basketball coaches talk about 2003—04 season
December 15, 2003
Big 12 North
Quin Snyder
fifth year — No. 3 Missouri
2003-04: 5-1 2002-03: 22-11 (9-7)
Q. What are your thoughts on opening the Big 12 season in Ames?
A. It’s a really tough place for us to play and for everybody to play. Iowa State’s got a good club. I know Wayne, I’ve known him for a long time. He’s going to light a fire under them and it looks like they’re playing really well and they’re comfortable with each other now.
Q. Missouri was the source of the infamous pictures of Larry Eustachy. Do you think the heckling will be bad when the Cyclones come to town?
A. I hope it’s not — I think it’s distasteful. I’m still embarrassed that it happened here. Larry’s a friend and it’s just an unfortunate situation. Some things are part of playing on the road, but there are certain things in my mind that do cross the line and we should have the same amount of sportsmanship in our arena that we demand of our players.
Barry Collier
fourth year — Nebraska
2003-04: 6-1 2002-03: 11-19 (3-13)
Q. What do you think of the possibility of a Big 12-Southeastern Conference matchup similar to the Atlantic Coast-Big 10 Conference games that are played early in the season?
A. I think it would be a great thing for our league. It would put more focus on the Big 12.
Q. How important is nonconference scheduling in preparing you for league play?
A. It’s very, very important for each team. Some teams are ready for more of a challenge on a consistent basis. You look up and down our league and you’ll see different levels of strength of schedule, but, in the end, all of us are playing Division I athletes on Division I teams and we have to execute in order to succeed.
Ricardo Patton
ninth year — Colorado
2003-04: 5-1 2002-03: 20-12 (9-7)
Q. You’ve beaten some teams out west on the road like Oregon State and California; what’s been the biggest thing in winning these road games?
A. Our kids have just stepped it up. The road caused us problems last year and I think the kids are doing the little things better than they did last season.
Q. Your team sneaked into the NCAA Tournament last year; who do you see as possible bubble teams climbing out of the bottom of the Big 12 this season?
A.Texas Tech will make a run. KSU and A&M have both gotten better. That just makes this league that much tougher — these teams scratching and clawing to get out of the bottom.
Jim Woolridge
fourth year — Kansas State
2003-04: 5-1 2002-03: 13-17 (4-12)
Q. In your eyes, how does the Big 12 stack up this year compared to past seasons?
A. The last two years, our league has been the best in the country. The top half have been to Final Fours. Also, there are teams like Colorado, who didn’t lose a game at home. Top to bottom, our league has been the best.
Q. Do you see your team making a big improvement from last year?
A. Hopefully we can play better and do more in our league. We have a lot of younger players and hopefully we can develop them as we get ready for the Big 12.
Bill Self
first year — No. 5 Kansas
2003-04: 5-1 2002-03: 30-8 (14-2)
Q. What do you bring to Kansas that’s different than last year?
A. I don’t think there are many big differences, but you’d have to ask the players more so than me. When there’s change, you have to put your own stamp on some things and we’ve done that. It’s mainly just material things that have changed.
Q. Is it hard taking over a program when you’re expected to win right away with great talent?
A. I’d rather take over a healthy program than one that’s not; we’ve got great players. Coaches put pressure on themselves to perform at a high level, and as the new guy you need to experience success early.
Wayne Morgan
first year — Iowa State
2003-04: 5-0 2002-03: 17-14 (5-11)
Q. Although it’s early in the season, can you start to feel the Hilton Magic return with your up-tempo style of play?
A. I hope so. I really hope that as the fans see the talent level of our kids, their interest will grow and they will tell their friends to go to the games. I think the way we play has precision, but at the same time it’s meant to entertain. Once the word spreads, I’m hoping we’ll completely fill Hilton Coliseum every game.
Q. What have you liked best about your team so far this season?
A. I like our depth and our team speed. We have a group of guys who are really trying hard to work together and on a daily basis, they’re coming in and practicing, trying to get better together. If they continue to do that, we’ll have a good chance at some success.
Big 12 South
Eddie Sutton
14th year — Oklahoma State
2003-04: 4-1 2002-03: 22-10 (10-6)
Q. How does finals week weigh on your players and practice schedule?
A. I think that all coaches will tell you that during finals week, you have to lighten up, so you have to shorten your practices. We’re trying to practice every day, but you’re not going to get your whole squad there for every practice. I’ll be happy when we get through finals because it’s such an exhausting thing for your players.
Q. At this point in the season, what do you know about your team?
A. I know we’ve got a lot of hard work ahead of us, but right now, we’re pretty decent on the perimeter — both offensively and defensively. We’re really hurting on the inside, that was evident in our [76-71] loss to Brigham Young. Rebounding and being able to cover a big-time center are things we really need to work on.
Scott Drew
first year — Baylor
2003-04: 3-4 2002-03: 14-14 (5-11)
Q. Some people may be surprised at your team’s ability to win a few games early. Have you been able to take stock in where your team is at right now?
A. I think after five games, people are starting to get a sense of what we’re capable of. We know realistically that it starts with our effort. If we play extremely hard, it at least gives us a chance to be competitive and maybe win some games. If we slack at all, though, we don’t have a chance.
Q. You have a small bench this season. How does that affect the season?
A. Lack of depth is going to weigh in, especially when you get into foul trouble. We don’t have the talent and depth as most schools, so we feel we need to play hard, which is something we can control. In practice, we can’t simulate a game situation, the athleticism and speed.
Bob Knight
third year — Texas Tech
2003-04: 8-2 2002-03: 22-13 (6-10)
Q. What would be your impression of a possible Big 12-Southeastern Conference early-season matchup?
A. I think that’s fine. I also think that if you check the schedules in our league or any strong league, through the course of November or December there are a lot of pretty good intersectional games being played. There are some interesting things about it, but I don’t have a feeling either way.
Q. Outside of playing ability, what are some things you look for from a freshman on the court?
A. I don’t think you look for anything different from a freshman than you do an older player. It’s interesting when a freshman can come in and do the things that you ask of him right away. We’ve got three freshmen that can play, and good players, but they’re kind of up and down. The biggest difference that a freshman kid has is that every time, at this level, he’s playing against somebody who’s as good as he is and they’re not used to that. In high school, they could coast at times and they can’t do that now.
Kelvin Sampson
10th year — No. 11 Oklahoma
2003-04: 7-0 2002-03: 27-7 (12-4)
Q. The Big 12 has three teams in the top 10. Do you think it’s too early to put a lot of stock in those rankings?
A. Way too early. Once you get through mid-to-late January, they’ll start separating. Other team’s records are really good now because of who they have played, so you don’t know who’s good and who’s not.
Q. Is having a younger team going to be a factor?
A. Our freshmen will play a lot. Right now, we’re starting two freshmen, two sophomores and one senior. I’ve seen certain things that we’re doing good and we’ll improve over time. We’re not at the same level we’ve been in the last few years, but I like this team. The things we’ve been strong at in the past — defense and toughness — are not there yet, but that’s not to say they won’t get there.
Rick Barnes
sixth year — No. 6 Texas
2003-04: 4-1 (before Sunday game vs. New Orleans
2002-03: 26-7 (13-3)
Q. You lost four players to the draft last season. How does this year’s team stack up?
A. We forgot about last year’s team in terms of where we need to go. The best way to improve a team is to improve individuals, whether it’s free-throw shooting or rebounding the ball better.
Q. Do you see this team repeating the same success as last year?
A. We’ve got a chance to be a different team than last year. We know what it’s like to be in the Final Four and lose in the semifinal, but I don’t look that far down the round. The worst thing you can do as a coach is to let your players look down the road and live a lie. You’ve got to build habits and identities. We’re a long ways from where we were last year.
Melvin Watkins
sixth year — Texas A&M
2003-04: 3-3 2002-03: 14-14 (6-10)
Q. What are some good things you’ve noticed your team do this season?
A. We’ve managed the basketball well. We’ve had less turnovers, which is a positive sign. For the large part we’ve had good guard play and hopefully we can build on that.
Q. What can the team improve on?
A. We still haven’t gotten a rotation down. We need to have some sort of a go-to guy, but we still
want to have balance. Through communication and more demanding practices, we’ll get back on track.
— Josh Madden and Tyler Haupt
