Howland, Bulldogs Conduct Annual Media Day At The Hump
October 28, 2015 | Men's Basketball
STARKVILLE, Miss. - With only 16 days separating Mississippi State men's basketball from the 2015-16 season opener, first-year coach Ben Howland and select players met with the media for the program's annual Media Day.
Mississippi State opens the season Nov. 13 at Humphrey Coliseum against Eastern Washington at 8 p.m. CT on the SEC Network. Prior to that, the Bulldogs will play an exhibition contest against Fort Valley State on Nov. 6, 7 p.m., at the Hump.
Below are quotes from today's press conference.
Head coach Ben Howland
Opening statement…
“I want to thank every one for being here and thank everybody for coming and being a part of this day. It's very much appreciated. We're getting ready to start our 17th practice today. We have our first exhibition game a week from this Friday against Fort Valley State. It's all coming upon us really quick. We continue to have nicks and bruises. Fallou (Ndoye) broke his nose last week and has been wearing a mask the last week-and-a-half but is fine playing in it. Malik (Newman) has turf toe that he got yesterday in practice, which is a tough deal because you don't know how long or how severe that is going to be. Fallou actually sprained his ankle yesterday. Travis Daniels had his wisdom teeth pulled out Monday, so he's going through that. In terms of our practices, I have been pleased with the effort. Our guys are working really hard. I think they are really focused at both ends of the floor to get better each and every day, which is what we want out of our team and out of our players. It's exciting to have 10 guys out there because for quite a while we didn't have 10 guys, so that's been a positive. We have a long way to go and a lot to do.”
On practicing through injuries…
“We have been going 5-on-5. We use our walk-ons. We have some solid walk-ons that I like that help us everyday. Fallou couldn't do any contact the first week of practice. By then, he's missed a week already, so our last 12 practice we've been going 5-on-5 everyday. Yesterday, Travis couldn't practice because of the pain from getting his teeth pulled. We expect him to be able to practice today but he won't be able to talk. It will be difficult not to talk on defense. It's something that we want, but we'll make up with that. He needs to go through things we are doing right now. We are continuing to add things offensively, defensively and things we need to know, and the best way to know it is to be out on the floor. It's been a challenge.”
On guard play…
“I like our guards. In terms of our depth, I think that's where our depth is. Starting with I.J. (Ready), Malik, Q (Quinndary Weatherspoon), Fred (Thomas), Chicken (Craig Sword) and then Demetrius (Houston), we played Demetrius some at the four (position) yesterday because Travis is out, and we may see him play some minutes for us during the year as a 4-man as well. He did a nice job yesterday in practice. Our depth, knock on wood, is at guard position where those five guys essentially will play the bulk of those minutes at the one, two and three spot.”
On seniors…
“Our seniors are the key to this year's team. We have five seniors, three having been here for their fourth year in Fred, Gavin (Ware) and Chicken, so three are four-year seniors and then Travis and Johnny (Zuppardo) are junior college transfers. Every day when we start practice, you'll get to see this today, we start in five-man weave and I have our five seniors out there starting us off every time. We expect a lot out of them. They have been great and very coachable. I will say this, we have great kids. The kids who are on this team have been really great kids and really receptive of coaching and everything that we are doing that is different from what they have been used to. I'm really pleased with their attitude and excited to be their coach.”
On leaders teaching younger players…
“We're doing a lot of things different than probably what they did a year ago, so it's kind of new for everybody in a sense. The fact is those older guys have experience, and you can see their bodies are much more mature than the younger kids which obviously gives them an advantage. They have played at this level for us and understand the intensity. It's so much different at the college level than at the high school level. You have to learn how to play harder. That's the biggest thing I want them to impart upon our younger players is how much harder you have to play to be successful at this level. It's a whole different level of intensity at the college level versus at the high school level.”
On freshmen guards…
“Both Malik and Q have been very good in practice. I really like both those kids very much. They are both good shooters, good passers and they are both getting better defensively. That's probably the area they need the most improvement in, to understand the intensity level that's needed and to be solid and not gamble. There's a lot of new learning at that end of the floor for both of them. Overall, they have been fantastic. I expect them to have really good years. They are both going to be in the rotation every night and I expect them to play huge roles.”
On senior Gavin Ware…
“Gavin has done a great job in practice everyday scoring the ball. We're really asking him to do more scoring around the basket. He can step out and make jump shots, he likes to pick and pop, but we need him to be an inside scoring threat for us. He's really our best inside scoring threat by a long shot. There is no second to him. He's critical to us offensively. He's got to get better defensively. One thing that has been a huge adjustment, and you guys will see this in the games this year, (officials) are going back to the fouls the way they called them two years ago. To give you an example, we have had SEC officials here working with our team. The first time we had practice while we had them here, we had 56 fouls called. The second time we had 49 fouls called in practice. Yesterday we had 45 fouls called in practice. We're getting a little better adjusting, but you're going to see a huge adjustment this year in how they are calling the game. That really worries me from the standpoint of, we are going to have to put in zone. I hate to play zone. I am not a zone coach. I think we are going to have to do it though because we are going to have to keep giving it to Gavin. We need Gavin in the game. We can't afford to have Gavin in foul trouble. Yesterday in practice I think he had five or six fouls. He would have fouled out of the game. We need him in the game so we have to figure out ways to keep him in the game and get him the ball because he's shooting at a very high percentage from the field in practice everyday. At one point last week, after four days in a row of practice, he was 58-for-75 from the field, which is incredible. He has an unbelievable touch for a kid his size. He has great hands and great touch. We're looking for Gavin to have a really big senior season for the Bulldogs.
On preparing to coach in his first game at MSU Nov. 13…
“I think we're going to have a great crowd here. It's going to be tremendous. I'm just really excited to be back coaching everyday. The fun part for me is out here in practice working with these kids, watching them improve and watching them grow as players and as a team and as a unit. We want to continue to do that throughout the year. It will be a really exciting night for me to be back and coaching a real game again against a tough opponent (Eastern Washington) who was in the tournament a year ago. It'll be exciting. I'll be really thrilled to be coaching that night.”
I.J. Ready, Jr., Guard
On being used in a three-guard system…
“It's a lot different, you have a lot of decision making. It's a lot better, you have other guards that can make plays and it gets me the opportunity to get out and run and look for my shot, too. When Malik has the ball, I run the wing and when I get the rebound, Malik runs the wing.”
On the trying to guard the three-guard system…
“The hardest part about guarding us is there is a lot of scoring between me, Malik, Chicken and Q and also Fred. We have to be able to make good decisions, going back and forth, but its not only with us, it's with the bigs, too. It'll be hard to pressure us. If anybody gets the ball we can start the fastbreak.”
On changing roles within the offensive…
“It's not too much of a difference, because I know sometimes Chicken created opportunities for me. I also scored a lot in high school, so just getting back to being able to score. Coach (Howland) tells me don't pass up a shot. I'm a natural point guard so playmaking is easy.”
Malik Newman, Fr., Guard
On adjusting to the college game…
“I think I have adjusted well, it took some time, but all the guys they are tough and physical. They are SEC players, so they did a good job of helping us freshman adjust to it.”
On his defensive play…
“I think it is improving. I don't think it is where it needs to be, but it is improving. I'm really just working on everything on the defensive side to be a complete player.”
On the competiveness of the guards…
“Because we have so many talented guards, we can always go at each other and it makes practice fun and it makes us better because we are always competing with one another. I think it's a good thing that we have so many guards. Its not like I can only play one position or I.J. can only play one position, all the guards that we have can play multiple positions.”
Gavin Ware, Sr., Forward
On his senior season…
“I hope to make this year one that can really display my talents and help me move forward with my basketball career. Now it is more second nature to me on the court. I kind of already have the feel for what I will be doing on the defensive end. And now I can anticipate where I need to be on the court so it is coming more second nature.”
On being more active around the basket…
“I've just been more talkative and active with my teammates and having the leader role mindset. Also, just running the floor and doing the dirty work that the 'big guys' do in order to set yourself apart.”
On having a lot of guards to help open things up for him…
“It has opened things up a lot for me. Chicken has become more of a shooter rather than a driver and Malik and Q have provided the shot selection that you have to get out and guard, which gives me the one-on-one opportunity and not so much the double team issue.”
On the atmosphere for the upcoming season…
“I really hope and truly believe that there will be an awesome atmosphere inside of the Hump this year. With this being my hometown, it would be amazing. It would have me energized and ready because I feed off of the fans. If the crowd is up and jumping, then I am pumped and feeling like the Incredible Hulk.”
Craig Sword, Sr., Guard
On being a senior…
“It's a lot of work. There is a lot of pressure on me being a senior. I can deal with it, but there is still a lot of pressure.”
On working on his shooting…
“I like to drive a lot. Coach gets mad at me because I like to drive a lot and I don't shoot. He tells me, 'you can shoot, but you don't'. I like to get other people open to allow them to shoot, but my shot has improved.”
On the atmosphere coming off of Maroon Madness…
“I expect the Hump to be packed every night. If we have the crowd into it, then we will be into it. I love the crowd so whenever they come, I play my best.”
On the difference of Coach Howland's coaching and staff…
“There is a lot of running. We had conditioning before we came, but now it's like we are still conditioning.”
On still being able to learn new things in the game…
“Yeah, it is amazing. Coach came in and taught us some new things that we did not know. It is helping. Just to learn things from him is great because he has a lot of experience and has put a lot of guys in the league and he has made a lot of Final Fours.”
