Oklahoma State University Athletics
John Smith Previews NCAA Championships
March 17, 2010 | Cowboy Wrestling
March 17, 2010
OMAHA, Neb. - Oklahoma State wrestling coach John Smith met with members of the media Wednesday at the Qwest Center in Omaha to preview the NCAA Championships which begin tomorrow. Here are some of the highlights of what he said:
Regarding his team going into the NCAA Championships:
"It has been a fun year for us, from where we finished last year to where we have brought this team. The one thing we recognize and that we realize is that the things you remember are what happens here and not what happens during the regular season. I do believe that our best wrestling is still ahead of us here."
Regarding if he thought after his loss at Iowa earlier in the season that Jamal Parks would emerge as the number two seed at NCAAs:
"No. Probably not at that time. I think he had a time in the season after that where he was either going to do some things or he was not going to be competing for us. A lot of it was disciplinary issues that go beyond the wrestling room, but I like the way he responded to the ultimatum. It's been good for him since then because he has been focused on the things that really make a difference in his style of life and his performance on the mat. I think when you look at his weight class, several of those guys have four, five or six losses and he probably had the right tournament at the right time to put him in that position to be number two."
Regarding freshmen Jordan Oliver and Alex Meade:
"They have added a lot to our lineup. It's extremely important for them to have success for the team to have success. Oliver first: coming in as a freshman with a 28-2 record at 133 pounds is a fine record, especially at a weight class that historically has been very competitive and very tough. Alex Meade is a work in progress. He's been a great challenge for me. I've had to show patience and I'll probably have to continue to do that, but he is growing and showing responsibility in the things that we are looking for. They're fun to watch when they're competing hard and I think both of them are looking forward to this weekend. Those are two key guys. For us to do well, we need them to wrestle like juniors and seniors this weekend and I do believe they're ready to do that."
