Murray State University Athletics
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Murray State Media Day Quotes
3/16/2006 6:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Head Coach: Mick Cronin
On if the team's experience factor will have an advantage over UNC
"Have you looked at our roster much? I don't think they're as young a team as everyone makes them out to be. Reyshawn Terry is a junior, David Noel is a senior, and Tyler Hansbrough plays like he is a senior. The advantage they have would be that those guys were on a team last year that won a national championship. As a coach, when you're trying to build a program, if you can win, and then you have young guys that saw what the older guys did to win, saw the sacrifices they made of their own games, of their bodies, of their offseason commitment, attention to detail--all things the coaches try to preach--it's a carryover. Whether those guys played a lot last year or not, the fact that they had guys on that team is a major advantage. It can't be downplayed.
Having been through that as an assistant at
On facing the
"Fortunately, I checked with some people and they said MJ wasn't gonna show up. He had some other commitments. The reality is that it's a twofold process. It's a tremendous challenge to play the defending national champions. UNC is playing really well. That's tough enough, but at the same time we see it as a great opportunity. We felt we deserved a higher seed, and we felt we got an unbelievably tough draw. But we talk about life with our players all the time, that life isn't always fair, and that you have to be able to look adversity in the eye and stare down a tough situation and make the most of it. Sooner or later in this tournament, you're going to have to play a team as good as
What did Keith Jenifer do to regain his starting spot?
"We're not big on who starts. Keith is a guy that has really turned into a defensive player. He's by far the best defensive guard in our conference. At the guard spot, he's a guy that can take another great guard out of the game. He's really become a defensive stopper. It's a credit to his character that he can take that role and be positive about it. He's totally bought into winning. All he's wanted to do this year is win and go to the NCAA Tournament.
It's been tough on him a little bit coming from
On Troy Pearson's development as a basketball player
"His development is a credit to his attitude and work ethic, and his commitment to his body in the summer and putting in the extra work. He was a surfer and cricket player in
Sometimes big guys take longer than others. He's the nicest kid in the world and a wonderful person to be around. It will be a sad day, whenever that day comes, on the last day I get to coach him."
On changing the team mindset from being a conference favorite to being the underdog
"It makes it a little bit easier, actually. It's tough when you keep preparing your team for teams that they've already beaten once or twice and hold their attention. But I think I've had their attention since
We have a veteran group. We had
Carolina is by far the best team we've played in the last two years. We'll have to play a 9.5 to 10 to win the game. We have to win battles for loose balls. We can't have mental mistakes. But that's okay, there's nothing wrong with that, because you have to understand what you're getting into. I don't want these guys ever walking into a buzzsaw and not knowing what they're getting into. So I try to prepare them for what's coming Friday night the best I can."
What led to bringing Keith Jenifer to the program?
"When I met with Keith I saw a guy that had a good heart and was a good person. But more importantly, I talked with coach Pete Gillen, who I have a lot of respect for, and he thought Keith had to get away from home. He thought some things happened there as far as playing time that maybe caused him to not act in a mature fashion. But I sat down with him and knew that he was a good person.
The big thing is, you have to give Keith credit for a guy that took a hard road and went a long way from home. He hasn't had a great offensive career, but he has meant an unbelievable amount to our program. I can't say enough about what he means to our winning. Anybody who knows basketball can understand that, if you look at our statistics, what he's done on the defensive end to the best guards in our conference. Defense impacts winning. His toughness is what this team needed. He has an air of confidence and toughness that helps our other guys."
On what he's learned from coach Roy Williams, coach Bob Huggins, and coach Rick Pitino
"I love coach Williams, have great respect for him and have always studied him. But hopefully I'm not fattening the pig before the slaughter. First of all, I'm fortunate to be born the son of coach Hip Cronin. People from this area know he's one of the best high school coaches southern
Sometimes you have to take the road less traveled to get you where you want to go. The thing that has helped me is not skipping a step, coaching freshman, JV ball, high school ball, being the low guy at
On a Trey Pearson vs. Tyler Hansbrough matchup
"When Pearson's a factor for us we're a different team. To win a game like that we have to play our best game. I gotta get
The best thing
On Justin Orr's development
"He is offensively very talented. He's versatile and he fits right in. He's a guy I can go to late in the clock, he can create some offense off the dribble. He's only going to get better when he adds some size, some weight. As that continues to improve, his overall game will improve. He comes from a winning program and adds great chemistry to our team."
On how
"Having four guys is an advantage.
Keith and Trey's quickness and their ability to handle pressure will be paramount tomorrow. They have to play with poise. Hopefully their previous experience will help us."
Do UNC's upperclassmen get enough credit?
"I'll say this--Wes Miller is very underrated. His defense is underrated. He's a demon on the ball and he plays extremely hard and is a great shooter. I don't know how David Noel and Reyshawn Terry wouldn't be getting credit. Terry is probably the most improved player in the ACC, and Noel is the straw that stirs the drink for them. He understands how to win and how to play hard.
Reyshawn Terry is a future pro on the wing. With him, you're dealing with an NBA player.
Since Wes Miller has been in the lineup his success has been well documented. Nationally, you hear about them as a young team, but I think people assume they are young because people didn't hear about those guys last year.
