Oklahoma State University Athletics
Media Day Quotes
October 27, 2011 | Cowboy Basketball
Oct. 27, 2011
Head Coach Travis Ford
"I've just really enjoyed working with this team for the past going on two weeks now. The attitudes have been good, the work ethic has been great and it's just a very close basketball team which is fun for coaches this time of year, because there is so much going on preparing for a season this time of year and so many different stresses and so many different concerns and so many things going on that we deal with on a daily basis. It is good to have a group of guys that you can count on as far as being on time, working hard every day, good attitudes. It is a very good group and they are fun to be around. With that said, we are making a lot of mistakes in practice right now, it's a bit sloppy, but I do see improvement each and every day. I do see that, which is exciting. We have a long way to go but I think with the attitudes we are working with we have a chance to really get better."
On the team
"We worked on it and we saw it coming. We try to do our part as a coaching staff to try and correct some of the problems we had last year that we didn't enjoy. It wasn't about wins and losses, we did win 20 games last year and did some things win/loss, but I've always said I love the game of basketball so much and it's not always just about winning games. I like having fun, I like getting up at 5:30 in the morning and look forward to going to the office, look forward to creating a practice plan, look forward to getting in the gym with our guys and that wasn't always the case last year. We had so many distractions, but I can say from day one this group has been fun to work with. They are all good guys, they all like each other, they are no egos on this basketball team and I just think they are all-around - I think they believe in the right things and I think they all want to kind of accomplish the same things. There are no guys that have their own agenda so far. We tell our guys every day we haven't turned the lights yet as far as games and we haven't faced adversity yet, but so far it has been a great group."
On the character of players
"You focus on character a lot. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work out. Unfortunately, we don't get to spend a lot of time with these young men in the recruiting process. We are only allowed a very, very limited amount of contact. We can go watch them play during the wintertime up to seven times a year, but we are only allowed to have contact with these guys I think three times, so it is very tough a lot of times to really, really understand the character of a young man. You try to do your background work, you try to do the best you and with some of the things we experienced as a coaching staff last year made us evaluate even more on things we want to build our team around. Not to get into those things, but things you guys know and things you don't that we were dealing with on a daily basis to try to create a great environment for our players. You don't always get it right, you don't always - you think you might know a young man, and again we are dealing with 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 year-old men now, let's keep that understood, but you do the best can. But it is an important ingredient, no question and it is an important ingredient to any success, whether it is basketball, football, everyday life that you have a group of young men or group of people that you can count on, that are accountable and responsible. I think, as I have told our team, we have good attitudes, they work very, very hard, they are a very close-knit group. Probably my closest team I have coached other than my last team at Eastern Kentucky that went to the NCAA tournament, it is probably neck and neck. All those things I think probably are the base for success. That alone is not going to win us games, we have got to add a little bit more to it, but it is a great base to work with and a great, great part of the ingredient to having success. But I told them I keep pumping them up, telling them how much fun I am having with them and what a great group of guys there are, but that is not going to scare Pittsburgh, that is not going to scare Kansas and Oklahoma and people like that. We have got to have a bit more to it and I think we will."
Biggest concerns
"I've got two concerns right now. The one is we are a relatively young basketball team, six guys that have never played Division I basketball and five of those will make play what I would call impact minutes. Marek I don't know, but the other five will play impact minutes so that is always a concern when you are that young. The other concern is our schedule. Our schedule is a little tough for this basketball team. It is an extremely tough schedule non-conference wise and obviously everyone knows we are playing everybody in our league twice now so that makes it even much more difficult. Those are two big concerns, what I would call on the outside the lines."
"Inside the lines, boy we are turning the ball over way too much right now. I wouldn't call it careless as much as, as close as they are off the court and it has been amazing - James Anderson, who has been with us for a couple weeks practicing and has gone back to Arkansas just for a couple days and is going to come back, he was like, `Coach, I'm sure you know it, but in the locker room this is the closest team I have ever seen. It is fun to be around this. They are really close.' As close as they are, it has not been reflected on the court yet. I'm not talking about selfishness or them not getting along, it is just that they don't understand each other very well right now which I am a little surprised, but I guess it is going to take a little time to get used to. That said, with the played we are playing at, that makes it a little more difficult. That's a concern, the turnovers, and I think once they learn to play with each other I think they'll get better at it. I don't think it is necessarily just careless turnovers, it is a lot of bad decision turnovers and just not understanding each other, not understanding the offense. I'm hoping that is just the case. It has been a concern. That is the thing to us that has stood out as far as what we have got to really get better at."
"And then everybody understanding their roles is a concern. Not because they don't want to, it is because we have got at least three guys that are going to play at least two positions. I'm talking about for significant minutes. Le'Bryan Nash will play the three a lot in a game, he will play the four a lot in a game. J.P. Olukemi will play the four a lot in a game, and he will play the three a lot in a game. Those two in particular are having to learn two positions. C.J. Guerrero got back on the court yesterday full-go and boy he made an impact immediately. He is the fastest guy on our team with the ball in his hands, not even close. He was really impressive yesterday at practice for his first day back. The other players blamed it on that he had fresh legs and everybody else was tired. He has got to play the 1 and the 2. Literally he can't just learn one position, he has got to learn both. I can think of a few other guys, that's a concern is how long is that going to take. I think by January I am sure we are going to have that down. My teams in the past have always been better late, but our schedule - we have not played a schedule quite like this. Our first year we had a Top 10 schedule - at the end of the year was Top 10 RPI I think, but can we survive that while we are really, really learning. You hear it from every coach this time of year that we are going to get better as the season goes along. I mean, we are picture-perfect for that, going to get better as the season goes along, I hope but we are so far right now from being what I think we can be, which is natural but there is a lot of room right now. There is a lot of space between where we are at now and where we think we can get to."
Senior guard Keiton Page
On team chemistry off the court
"This is definitely one of the closest teams I've ever been a part of. I've been a part of tons of basketball teams, but this is the closest team I've ever been a part of. It just seems like we've meshed really, really well since L.B. (Le'Bryan Nash) stepped on campus, since C.J. (Guerrero) stepped on campus. We got big Phil (Jurick) in. Everybody just fit in great right when they got here. We do everything together. When we're not here in the gym, we're always doing something, whether it's just going out to eat, going to a movie, going to do something. It just seems like this team always wants to be around each other. And it's a good step, a good foundation. I think that's where it starts. When you're that close off the court, I think that translates back onto the court."
On C.J. Guerrero, his injury, and his competitiveness
"C.J.'s extremely competitive. Since the very first day he stepped on here, and we started playing pickup games, you can tell C.J.'s one of those guys who's going to go right at you no matter who you are. And it's good to have a guy like that on your team, rather than play a guy like that. Since C.J came here this summer, he's been competing and working extremely, extremely hard and, like you said, went down the other day, which was scary...for all of us, but we're glad he got back. He bounced back really well, bounced back really quick. His first day back on the court he was back to being old C.J., just going right at people. C.J.'s going to work really hard, he's going to fit in this program really well, and help us out and win some games."
On having more options and if it will take some pressure off of him
"I think so. I think this will be an extremely versatile team and, like you said, with guys like L.B. (Le'Bryan Nash), and J.P. (Jean Paul Olukemi) getting another year under his belt and just growing and maturing out there on the court. And even our younger guys like Markel (Brown) getting experience like he did last year. A lot of freshmen don't get that, so just for Markel to get to see the Big 12, see a postseason, that just helped him mature a ton. Having those kind of threats out there, it's not only going to open up things for me, it's going to open up things for everybody else."
On how relationship with Coach Ford has grown over the years
"It's grown a ton. Obviously, I committed here to play for Coach Sutton, and then Coach Ford came in, and I couldn't have been put in a better situation with Coach Ford. He's helped me out extremely every single year...And, like I said, I couldn't ask to play for anybody else. Coach Ford's been there every step along the way, through the ups and downs, through adversity. And playing for a coach that's been through the same thing you have been through. He's been there to show me the things I can do, the things I can't do on the court to make me be successful."
On unpolished potential the team has right now
"I think that's early on in every year. We're not going to be perfect right now, and we're not trying to be perfect right now, but when you get new guys in, in Coach Ford's system, everybody, even me. I've been here for four years, and there are things I'm still learning right now and things he's still teaching me. I think the sky's the limit for this team. I think we can be a really, really, dangerous team in the Big 12 once we all get what he wants down, start perfecting it, we could be a really dangerous team."
RS Freshman guard/forward Brian Williams
On sitting out a year
"I am ready to go. It has been a year. I have been working hard during the past year. I am ready for the season. Tipoff is less than a week away and we are ready to play. Sitting out last year, allowed me to learn patience in my game."
On Michael Cobbins
"Mike Cobbins is a racer inside. He beats it off the glass and has a nice jump shot. Cobbins is beast, because of his patience for the game. He demonstrates leadership on and off of the court."
On Keiton Page
"Keiton leads by example. He does everything right on film. If you want to learn anything, just watch Keaton. He doesn't have to say much to be a leader."
On the team
"We will be able to play both ways this year. We have a lot of things going. We have a running game and a strong inside game too."
On flying under the radar
"I am ok with flying under the radar. It motivates me to work more. It has given me a chance to better my game. I think I am finally where I need to be."
RS Freshman forward Michael Cobbins
On sitting out last year
"At the beginning of the season I was down on myself. I realized that even though I was not playing, I could still contribute to the team. You have to give it everything you have during practice, to help make the team better on the court. Sitting out last year, helped me realize how aggressive the Big 12 is. Playing in the Big 12 is a completely different world, than high school. You have to be a beast on the court."
On Brian Williams
"Brian Williams is a beast, because he can create off of the dribble. He has a great jump shot. If it goes up, you think `man why did I let that shot go up?' Nine times out of 10 his shots go in."
On this year's team
"This year is different from last year. Not only do we bond on the court, but we bond outside of basketball as well. Outside of the gym we are always together. We go to the movies. We go bowling. We even hang out a people's houses and watch movies together. We are always together. It is a great experience to be able to bond with a team, like we are able to do."
"This year we have less outside distractions. The team is on the same page. We all understand what we want to do. We all have the same goal in mind."
On the team's versatility
"I like what Brian said. I can see the team getting up and down the court. We also have to ability to slow it down and run a good offense. This year we have two big guys on the inside, which will help protect the paint. They will be able to stop the drives."
On redshirting
"Last season all I wanted to do was get on the court. I wanted to be out there like I was during high school. That hunger built up during every game last season. I am ready to get after it this year. I can see where the coaches were coming from. When I came to OSU, I was small and frail. I was not prepared for the Big 12. I am ready now. The staff built us up, during our redshirt season."
Freshman guard/forward Le'Bryan Nash
On if he is ready to start playing
"I'm always excited to play every time I step on that court, especially being a freshman, it's going to be my first opportunity to see how good I am in college."
On his biggest adjustment
"The speed of the game. It's way faster than high school, the players are stronger and help defense is a big thing in college basketball. So, I just try to adjust to that, work on my game and just try to get better every day with the team."
On what he's expecting from himself
"I'm expecting to win. I want to help this team win as many games as we can. I expect to help this team a lot of different ways - that's the offensive side of the ball, defensive side of the ball, rebounding - everything I can do to make this team win and try to get to the NCAA Tournament."
On becoming fundamentally sound defensively
"Every time a big competition comes up, I always play defense. I try to focus on defense because defense wins championships, so I just try to get better on defense. Coach (Butch) Pierre, he helped me the most because he's a defensive coach and he just tries to get on me all the time about it."
Junior guard/forward Jéan-Paul Olukemi
On what he tried to improve upon during the offseason
"Just being a better teammate and working hard on the defensive end, becoming more consistent and trying to work harder in practice every day to set the tone for being more consistent come road games and stuff like that."
On if he sees the team's summer workouts paying off
"I think it's paying off with everybody. Everybody has a great attitude and they're working hard. It just feels really good to go out there and to have great attitudes and everybody is working as hard as they can."
On Le'Bryan Nash
"Especially on fast break, transition, you definitely need to outlet the ball to him, and get it to him in the half court if he's wide open. I look to pass because it's a team thing and no one person can do it by themselves and you need everybody, and with him standing next to me on the court, you have to look for him."
Junior forward/center Philip Jurick
On the transition from junior college to OSU
"It has been a big transition from JUCO coming in and being a Division I player and just being used to workouts and coach's style of play and stuff, but I think I'm doing a pretty good job and developing well."
On his role
"Just rebound, block shots and protect the paint."
On being the conference dark horse
"I think it is better to be an underdog and to fight from the bottom and then to prove people wrong so we go out there with a chip on our shoulder every night and kind of get after it."
On Stillwater
"I like it a lot, I'm adjusting to it well. It is kind of different to being in Chattanooga and kind of a city atmosphere, but being here, especially with the team and how close we are - we go do things, like we go bowling and stuff so it has been pretty fun."
On Cezar Guerrero's injury
"It was kind of scary seeing him down there, especially him being a younger player and coming in as a freshman. You don't know well he would bounce back, but now that he's back, yesterday was his first day at practice, but he kind of bounced back better than we thought he would. I don't think you could really tell. We weren't timid in touching him or stuff like that. We knew he got injured, but he was just like he was before."
Sophomore guard Markel Brown
On Philip Jurick
"As far as rebounding and getting balls off the glass and putting them back in the goal, he has done a lot."
On what he worked on over the offseason
"I think my attitude and my jump shot. I've worked on that a lot. I think those things are going to help the team out this year."
On his attitude and team chemistry
"We have been a close, close team this year. It's going to be way much better than last year's team as far as on the court, talking and helping each other out."
On last season's distractions and road struggles
"I feel the distractions have been taken care of as far as the players, not saying that that the players that left were the distractions. But as far as coming together as a team, it is going to work out better on the road."
On building the chemistry
"It is something the players have done on their own as far as going places with each other, hanging out at each other's apartments. We've just done it on our own and it has been great for the team."
On being the conference dark horse
"I feel like wherever they put us, we still have to prove ourselves. Even if we were picked 1, we would have to prove ourselves to maintain that spot. Then picked seventh, we still have to work our way up to the top."
