Oct. 31, 2004

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Bruce Weber, Illinois

On starting the season highly ranked:

"I don't think that it has made that much of a difference. Last year, we were 13^th in the preseason.  This year we have moved up a little bit. The nice thing is that that you get on the cover of all the magazines. I would worry about it if we had a young team, but we have a veteran team. Last year we were mostly in the top 25, so they have been through it. I think what we did at the end of last season, making a run in the Big Ten Tournament and going to the Sweet Sixteen has helped prepare us. I am not sure we were ready for the Sweet Sixteen last year, hopefully we are ready this year."

On the talented upperclassmen around the Big Ten:

"We are picked because we have four seniors and three juniors coming back. We were pretty much a young league last year. The big thing is that the middle and bottom of the league is getting better. I think our whole league is going to be better. Veteran players getting older will help the league."

On Illinois starting the season with the target on its back:

"At first it was depressing, but after thinking about it for awhile, it is a good thing for a program. The kids like it, they dream about being on the cover of a magazine as the No. 1 team, but it does not mean anything until there is only one team standing at the end. It is a long journey and we have high goals and expectations. We know we are good; we do not have to have anyone tell us that. We have veteran guys and guys who have made progress. Hopefully it is a driving force, if anything."

On managing the high expectations:

"I think I can be more demanding of them, especially early because they know what is on the line. I keep reminding them where we are going and how hard it is to get there. I think last year reminds us on how vulnerable we are as a team and a program and how to stay humble. We try to do both things, be demanding and be humble."

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Mike Davis, Indiana

On the play of junior guard Marshall Strickland:

"Marshall has been great. He has been improving everyday in practice and I have been very pleased with his progression. Last season, he was thrown into the mix against some very tough teams and it could have been a little tough for him to handle."

On the offense:

"Last season was tough for us offensively because we lacked a true post presence for much of the season. If you expect to win in the Big Ten, you need to have a post presence. This season, we hope that freshman D.J. White can come in and provide that type of a presence for us."

On the teams' preseason practices:

"Sometimes there are days where I think we could be pretty good and than there are days where I don't know where we are as a team. Over the last three days, I have been very impressed with the intensity our team has shown in practice. We just need to find some sort of consistency. The key for us this season is to play as a team and if we can do that I think we will be fine."

On the schedule:

"Our schedule this season will be very tough, but we had a tough a schedule last season. I have always believed that you need to play tough teams before conference play because it really lets you know where you stand."

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Steve Alford, Iowa

On the difficulty in finding balance in a non-conference schedule:

"I can tell you I don't want to play the schedule Michigan State did last year. But I think schedules vary. A team like UCLA isn't a Northern Iowa, but playing at Northern Iowa has some of the same problems as playing UCLA at home. Maybe they don't match up talent for talent, but we play all of our in-state rivals. We play at Iowa State, we play at Northern Iowa, and I think a very difficult game for us this year maybe playing at Drake. We just try to look for a good balance in our schedule."

On his favorite Gene Keady story:

"I had committed to play at Indiana after my sophomore year of high school, and he had my father and I come over and work at his basketball camp. So here's a kid who has committed to his in-state rival, and he has my father and I come to his basketball camp. I think that shows the kind of class he has, and that was a great honor for my dad and me."

On the role of new Associate Head Coach Craig Neal:

"I'm getting further and further from the pro game, and he's just out of the NBA having been there for almost ten years. He has incredible ties to that league and when we watch film, he can sit there and tell Pierre Pierce some of the things that Vince Carter would work on. That gives Craig (Neil) an instant credibility with Pierre (Pierce).

On the outlook for this season:

"I think our strength is that we've got leadership in the upper class that comes from our best players. Pierre has been in our system for four years, Jeff and Brunner are in their third year, each with an awful lot of playing time, and they are our three captains. We added Adam Haluska, a transfer from Iowa State, who was a freshman all-Big 12 selection, so that gives us somebody who can shoot from long-range. Mike Henderson is back after some academic problems from a year ago. Erek Hansen has improved as much as anybody on our team. I think our freshman class could be a special class. They will get to learn as freshman should learn, at a slower rate."

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Tommy Amaker, Michigan

On outlook for upcoming season:

"We are very optimistic and hopeful. Those are two great words to have, whether it is in life or in basketball, and it is a great feeling to have as well. We are very proud of what we have gone through to revamp."

On last season's accomplishments:

"I think last year was good for us. To win 23 games, to win the NIT, and to raise a banner in our facility is a heck of a year for us. It is a great accomplishment to raise the banner, but now the bar has been raised. We are now looked at in a higher realm and we are proud of that, but we still have work to do."

On coaching in the Big Ten:

"Whether you have been in the league for one year or 25 years, it is the league. You are fortunate to be a part of it. This league takes a back seat to nobody whether it is in basketball or any other athletics."

On Daniel Horton:

"Last year he had a year that was probably not up to his standards. He set the bar so high in his first year, which might be a little unfair. With all the things that he accomplished and the way he did them, being the freshman of the year in the conference, being thought of as maybe the player of the year, he had so many expectations of him for his sophomore year.  He'll be the first to tell you he was a marked guy. We did not need him to be Superman, we needed him to be consistent and that is the area of his game he is working on."

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Tom Izzo, Michigan State

On the importance of playing a tough non-conference schedule:

"I don't believe, like some people say, that a schedule in November and early December toughens you for March. When you're playing in major conferences, I think that's baloney. But, I think it does stuff for your program, your conference and your university. When you're looking at building a team and building a program, playing a tough non-conference schedule is the smart thing to do."

On the impact of losing underclassmen to the NBA:

"I have a problem where of the four players I lost, two were freshmen and two were sophomores. That's so bad because you don't lose four players, you lose eight because you also lose the players you could and would have gotten. They say it happens to everybody, but it doesn't happen to everybody. Maybe if one of our kids leaves after his junior year instead, we would have been back in another Final Four."

On whom he thinks may show the most improvement from last season:

"I think Shannon Brown and Maurice Ager will bring a lot to the table. I think Shannon is really ready to step up and play a big role on this team. And Paul Davis is doing a lot more searching for contact inside instead of avoiding it. He's a lot more aggressive in a lot of ways, he's rebounding a lot better, and I think he's shown me a lot in the way he acts and the way he plays."

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Dan Monson, Minnesota

On the 2004-05 season:             

"I think a successful season for us would be for us to get better and better each game this season. I do not think that our year should really be judged on wins or losses this season, what we need to do is form a solid foundation for years to come."

On the teams' opening practices:

"So far I have really liked the work ethic of our guys and I can tell that they are having fun. I like what our young guys have displayed in practice so far and I like the energy they bring."

On the strength of the conference:

"I think people sometimes evaluate a conference a little too much on the number of Top 5 teams in a conference. The Big Ten is a very good conference and I think that over the last couple of seasons it has just been very even and that has caused a lot of close games."

On the end of Purdue head coach Gene Keady's tenure at Purdue:

"It really is the end of an era in the Big Ten. I do not think you will see someone spend that amount of time at one school again. In college basketball today, there are just too many demands. For me it is sad that he will no longer coach in the Big Ten, I have known coach Keady for a long time and he has served as a mentor."

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Bill Carmody, Northwestern

On the importance of Vedran Vukusic:

"If Vedran can stay healthy, he'll have a nice year like he did last year. But, people are going to go after Vedran (Vukusic) now. Last year, it was `Okay, you have Jitim, what else are you going to do?' Now, people are going to say that they have to get on Vukusic and stop him. That'll be a little different for him, but he has to be up to that challenge."

On the improvements of T.J. Parker:

"He's definitely gotten a lot stronger. T.J. (Parker) had a good year last year, except he just didn't make shots. He started out offense, he ran things well and he played great. But, the first night after the season ended last year, he came into my office and said, `Hey coach, I need to work on my shot', and I think he's shown a lot so far."

On the expectations at Northwestern this year:

"People are talking and there's a little buzz this year. Last year, we had a solid year. We went 8-8 in conference, we had a solid year, and people at Northwestern are jumping up and down. So now we have to go a little further. But I say we haven't done anything yet, so let's take that challenge, and don't listen to any of the outside stuff. Hopefully, the players are wise enough to realize that."

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Thad Matta, Ohio State

On why the decision to move from Xavier to Ohio State:

"Coaches are normal people and like anyone else, we all have aspirations and goals that we would like to attain. I think being a coach in the Big Ten Conference is a dream job. I grew up in the Midwest and watching Big Ten basketball. Xavier has a tremendous head coach in (current Xavier head coach) and will remain a strong program."

On goals for the upcoming season:

"I think above anything else, it's important to have a vision for what we are trying to do, which is make improvements and continue to move forward. I know that it's not going to happen overnight, but it's more important that progress is being made. We represent a great university and we have great facilities in place at Ohio State for progress to be made."

On convincing fans on progress:

"It is difficult for fans to understand sometimes that the process will not happen overnight, but I try to keep in mind the advice I was given from Coach K. He just told me it's important to do things the right way--recruit great kids, coach every day and good things will happen."

 

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Ed DeChellis, Penn State

On outlook for upcoming season:

"We're trying to improve our team and trying to improve our program. In terms of wins and losses, it's important for us to show improvement. We only won nine games last year and it's important that we improve in that regard. How many games, I'm not sure, but it's important that we show some kind of improvement."

On newcomers and their expected contributions to this season's team:

"You should see some contribution from our new kids. We have five new faces in the fold and I think they will be playing and playing early. We are a very young basketball team, but are young kids are very good basketball players, so they will be challenging for some time on the court as much as they can. We really need our young players and I look forward to them playing."

On seniors and returning players:

"We only have three seniors and honestly, none of them have a lot of minutes. We need those guys to step up and throughout their careers they just have not been in the position to play a great deal of minutes. We're looking for one or two of those guys to provide leadership and some on-the-court time--that's really important."

On strongest position on the court:

"I think it's our backfield right now just because we've got numbers back there. We have three or four kids we think can really play and really help us out. We have two sophomore guards that played about 40 minutes per game last year and even though they only sophomores, they have a lot of experience in terms of game time and minutes, so we think that we'll be a strength for us."

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Gene Keady, Purdue

On the 2004-05 team:

"This season we have four new guys and three guys, who return from a year ago. I think we have a very athletic team and I think we can be a lot of fun to watch. If we stay healthy and continue to improve throughout the year, I think we will have a lot of potential to contend for the Big Ten title and make a good run in the NCAA tournament."

On what he will miss after he retires at the end of the 2004-05 season:

"I am going to miss a lot of things after this season. I am to miss going on the road and trying to win in front of an opposing crowd. I am going to miss the challenge of winning and I am going to miss practice and working with my players."

On the current coaches in the Big Ten continuing its basketball tradition:

"This league is about getting degrees and pride. All the coaches in this league really understand that and I think they will do a great job in carrying on that tradition. All the coaches in this league are good guys and I wish them nothing but success except when they play against us."

On the schedule:

"Our schedule this season is very tough. I think this is one of the toughest schedules we have had since 1981 when we had one the toughest schedule in the country, but I think that is great because it really will let us know where we stand once conference play begins."

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Bo Ryan, Wisconsin

On his coaching system:

"When it comes to being competitive and having a system, it only works when the players buy into it. The talent level can be higher, but if the players do not buy into the system, you are not going to be as successful. Once the players buy into the system, the competitiveness level stays high. That is what we hope to establish at Wisconsin. As long as we buy into the system and believe in each other, we will remain competitive.

On the upperclassmen in the Big Ten:

"It is absolutely going to make the Big Ten tougher this year. We all know that ratings for leagues are cyclical. Every league in the country has gone through that. Maybe it is due to having a lot of juniors and seniors. I have not looked at everybody's roster yet, but I do know of several teams with more juniors and seniors this year than there have been in the past.

On replacing Devin Harris:

"We never talk about replacing, we talk about opportunities. This has created an opportunity for probably a couple of people, because it will not be just one person, we will have two or three guys play at the one spot. You like to have your guards interchangeable when possible, but you really like to have a guy run the floor and become a leader that everyone rallies around. It will play out in November and December."

On preparing for Big Ten conference play:

"Coaches still have to keep in mind that November and December is to get your ready for the league, even though those games can become extremely important later on. If you are not competing at a high level in the Big Ten, you won't have to worry about the other factors. We are trying to prepare for the league, like every team I have ever coached."

On the team's height:

"Because we have two seven-foot guys, they bang against each other in a lot of drills. When they go against each other every day, you do not see a big difference, but we know they are getting better and learning some things. It will be good to go against somebody else and find out where they are."

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Jim Delany, Commissioner

On upcoming season:

"I am very excited about the upcoming season. This is my 16^th year with the conference and I think are getting better. Seasons have a tendency to be very cyclical and I think that as a conference, we have the fundamentals in place for a promising year. When talking about fundamentals, I basically mean leadership in the programs regarding the coaches being good teachers, a great media package with good exposure and a solid fan base with strong interest in each program. It's hard to be competitive without being strong in these areas, and as a conference, we have all the fundamentals in place for a good year."

On recent setbacks felt in Big Ten Programs:

"Producing a disciplined team, higher graduation rates and a better retention of players who are opting for early departure are all challenges being felt in college basketball across the board. As a conference, the academic troubles at Minnesota, recruiting problems at Michigan, and the recent issues at Ohio State are all setbacks felt by the Big Ten in recent years. However, as a conference, I feel that we have still done good job taking on these challenges and will continue to produce in these areas."

On Gene Keady's last year:

"Coach Keady has meant a lot over the years, not only to Purdue, but to the conference as well. He is still as passionate as ever of the game and I greatly appreciate the wisdom and knowledge he has brought to the conference."