Bill Self Press Conference Quotes
Feb. 18, 2010
LAWRENCE, Kan. –
Press Conference Quotes
Head Coach Bill Self
February 18, 2010
On playing Colorado:
“The reason we won over there in Boulder in overtime was not because we weren’t ready. I’m not going to say that. I’m not going to say it was a big letdown. It was because we didn’t play well and they were a big reason that we didn’t. I thought we played tired. My goal for Saturday is for us to play fresh and play with great energy. We really need to do that because I thought we played tired against [Texas] A&M. I thought they set the tone because to me, we looked slow. To help us start the game faster, I’m going to start Tyshawn [Taylor]. He will start and Brady [Morningstar] will come off the bench. I think Brady can handle it either way just fine, but we will have a little bit more speed with Tyshawn starting.”
On Tyshawn Taylor’s recent play:
“I think he has played pretty well. Starting him is not a reflection of Brady [Morningstar] playing poorly, but we have to get more out of Tyshawn [Taylor] in order for our team to do what we want to do. He has got to become one of the premiere players on our team. I am hoping starting him again will help him get to that point. That’s what we’re going to do short-term to see if that works out a little better.”
On being outrebounded by Texas A&M:
“I thought they were quicker than us. I really thought that Cole [Aldrich], Markieff [Morris] and Marcus [Morris] really did a poor job in that particular game as far as blocking out and attacking the ball. And then our guards didn’t do a good job of cleaning up, but the thing about rebounding is, you can be a good rebounding team and get outrebounded. I felt like we had some unfortunate bounces in that game, but with the game on the line we rebounded like men. And that is a positive that we can take away from a really pitiful performance, because we were awful on the glass against A&M. When it really counted, we stepped up and that tells me we can do it. We just have to put more emphasis on it or get a little tougher and more disciplined about doing so.”
Sophomore Guard Tyshawn Taylor
On returning to the starting lineup:
“Yeah, I am excited. I think I can do well starting, but I have also been playing well coming off the bench. It was just something Coach (Self) felt he needed to do or wanted to do. I’m happy and I’m going to make the most of this opportunity.”
On what Coach Self has told Taylor he wants out of him in his starting role:
“To bring energy, to pressure the ball, just to play the game. He wants me to do the same things I’ve been doing coming off the bench.”
On if he felt Coach Self was trying to motivate him by taking him out of the starting five:
“I think he definitely wanted to see how much he could get out of me coming off the bench. I think I have been playing pretty good coming off the bench. So I’m just going to continue that as a starter. I don’t think it is how we start, it’s more about how we finish a game.”
On if he thinks the team has increased their defensive efforts in the last few games:
“Yeah, I think we have gotten big stops when we needed to. We are a good defensive team. I think when the game gets to crunch time and we buckle down, guys have been playing good defensively and that is what Coach (Self) wants from us and we are starting to get that accomplished.”
On how the team has been preparing for Colorado, who is known as a methodical team:
“They are hard to guard because they run a lot of back screens and you have to be on point because if you’re not, they will catch you on a backdoor. So you have be ready. It is not something we haven’t guarded before or can’t guard, but we have to change how we guard them (compared to the game in Boulder) and their backdoor screens. We can’t play as high on the court. We have to kind of be under them. We can still pressure them. If we just do what we’ve got to do, we’ll be fine.”
Junior Center Cole Aldrich
On Colorado and the role of Alec Burks:
“Whether he [Alec Burks] is playing or not, I think it is still going to be a tough game. He didn’t play against us in Boulder, but obviously they were still a heck of a team because they brought us to overtime. We do not overlook anybody we play, because we know how tough the Big 12 is. We have seen over the last month and a half so many teams going and winning on the road or getting upset at home. Anything can happen in the Big 12 Conference.”
On the key factors for this KU team to have successful games:
“We still have a lot to work on. One thing we noticed from the [Texas] A&M game that we need to work on is rebounding. We got outrebounded by double digits. Allowing them to grab 20 offensive rebounds is just too much. That falls on our big guys to just make sure that we secure the rebound.”
On Tyshawn Taylor returning to the starting lineup against Colorado:
“I think it is good. I like Brady [Morningstar] in the starting lineup too; anybody that gives us the best chance to win. Brady and Tyshawn will totally agree that it is about just getting out there and playing. It doesn’t matter if you’re starting or coming off the bench, as long as you are playing and out there doing everything you can to help us win.”
On the depth of the team:
“Our whole team knows that really anybody can lead the team in scoring. I have led the team and there are probably six or seven others have who led the team in scoring on a given night. It is tough to have a scouting report on that because anybody on our team can go for good numbers.”
