Murray State University Athletics
Cronin addresses media conference
1/23/2006 6:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
The Racers host Tennessee Tech Thursday at the Regional Special Events Center in a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. The Racers are in second place in the Ohio Valley Conference along with Samford at 8-2, while the Golden Eagles are in first place at 9-2.
Here are Cronin's comments:
On Saturday's 79-73 victory at Tennessee-Martin: I thought we played hard Saturday. Going back and looking at the film, with the way UT-Martin shot the ball, we could've been in big trouble. My biggest fear was UTM shooting the ball well from the perimeter, with as big and as strong as they are inside. For us to overcome that, control the game as we did and get a contribution from all the guys, it was a positive for us. I was real happy with the way we responded after losing at Eastern Illinois.
On how MSU's leadership will make a difference: Our seniors have got to carry us from here on out. We have a month left in the season. We're in position to compete for the conference championship, and we have to step up and get it done. You have to have players make plays, and I thought our guys did that Saturday. All you can do as a coach is to get guys in position to make plays, and that's what they did. We have to be looking to do whatever it takes to get a win so we can try and have a special season. That needs to permeate down from our seniors.
On Rob Kennedy's contribution of six points and six rebounds coming off the bench at UTM: I've been pounding Rob on a lot of things. No. 1 is maturity, on the floor, as far as being accountable in every spot and every possession, playing with strength and making good decisions and playing with toughness. He's a first-year player, and it takes a while to get him acclimated as far as what I expect on the defensive end. I challenged Rob all week because I knew we needed him to beat UTM. We need him to start playing better. Rob is capable of scoring. His shot selection is such that he takes the easy way out. He tends to reach or take a quick shot instead of moving his feet or attacking the basket. You're going to have to dig in and get yourself better shots, and on defense, be in a position to stop someone.
On MSU's recent slip in rebounding: One thing we're not doing is rebounding the ball on the offensive end the way I would like. When Shawn Witherspoon gets zero offensive rebounds, we're going to struggle. But we made some shots (against UTM) and were efficient on offense. We were able to win without him having his best game. We had no offensive rebounds out of the 4-spot. It's something that can't happen on Thursday (against Tennessee Tech).
On the game against Tennessee Tech: Tech is an explosive, athletic team; they get to the ball quickly. They trap a bunch: in the back court, in the front court, in the post. They play to their strength. They get after you on the defensive end and they go after it when they shoot the ball. They are very dangerous when they shoot the ball well. Against Austin Peay, they started on fire and were up by 24. They were knocking in shots, tough shots. Combine that with the way they can play defense, and they are tough. We're going to have to get the right guys defending them on the perimeter and be prepared for what they can do to us on defense.
On a big week of games in which the Racers host Tennessee Tech, play at Southeast Missouri and return home Monday to host Samford: I'd say this week is big, but you have to play them one at a time. It's a long season; you're not going to be hitting on all cylinders the whole time. We've hit a lull here where we haven't been playing as hard as we need to play and with the right passion and fire, and it's time for us to pick it back up. It's time for us to be the team that played against Cincinnati and Tennessee early in the year. There are peaks and valleys in a season; it's time to peak again. If you're talking about winning your conference, you have to win your home games, especially when the two teams (Tennessee Tech and Samford) are as good as those, you can't expect them to lose at their home court. This is why you work so hard, is to put your team in a spot to play some big games. The turn of events over the next three games will decide where we'll end up in the conference.
On any particular match-up the Racers must key on: Belton Rivers is a guy that you must make sure you find. He's a guy who can get 25 on any given night. They are similar to us in that they get production from their bench. The team that has a better night from their bench may determine the outcome of the game. We both go nine or 10 deep; they play 11 or 12 at times.
On playing at Southeast Missouri State Saturday: It's a rivalry game and it's on ESPN-2 at the Show Me Center. I would expect it will be a great crowd, and they play well at home. We've been able to win there the last two years, and I'm sure Coach Garner will remind them of that, and they will be looking to get after us. In both of our wins over there, we've had to come from behind. Our guys have realized the game is going to be tough, no matter who we're playing.
The OVC race is at the halfway point. Any surprises? Not really, not for me, which is unusual, because someone is usually a surprise. I'm sure some people think Samford is a surprise, but I'm the guy who voted them first place in the pre-season, so I'm going to keep reminding everybody of that.
