	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

76 CLASSIC MEDIA CONFERENCE

October 31, 2011

Kerry Keating

TIM SIMMONS: Coach Keating, thank you for taking time. Just share some thoughts on your pre-season practices to date.
COACH KEATING: Well, they've been extensive since we took our team to Canada. We had 10 days of practice in August. We're a little bit ahead in terms of the timing and the amount of practices. Still can't make up for enough time to get all these freshmen onboard. I don't know if Coach Donahue has been on already. I'm sure he can attest to that.
We have seven freshmen, five of which are going to have to play meaningful time for us. Every guy off the bench for us is a freshmen after losing two more experienced players to knee injuries within a day of each other back in September.
We're happy with our effort. We're not feeling sorry losing Mark, our all-conference foreman. We're excited about where we're headed because our effort is good. We're looking forward and our future is bright with no seniors on the team. Got a chance to find out where we're at yesterday having a scrimmage with Washington. We're excited about the fact that we're getting ready to start the season here and our practices are showing that with a good effort. Need to tighten up a few things.
TIM SIMMONS: You play a format two games, off a day, play a game. What are your thoughts on the format for the 76 Classic?
COACH KEATING: Yeah, it's obviously a little unique with a three-game tournament like that. Usually you have three days in a row. I kind of like it. I like it obviously to build up towards championship day on Sunday, give the teams a chance to catch their breath a little bit and not miss anything in terms of class time. Obviously it's on the Thanksgiving holiday, as it is.
We've played in a lot of different type multi-team events like this, unique to the first one of playing two days, taking a day off. I'm sure it will be helpful for us and our young team to get ready for that third game, whoever it may be, know we're going to have two games before that.
As long as we get through that first one unscathed and okay, give our best effort against New Mexico, we'll take advantage of that extra day, have the families and fans traveling with us have a chance to get together with the team, push our Thanksgiving dinner to Saturday night.
TIM SIMMONS: You don't probably have a lot of thoughts about the Lobos. Have you had a chance to look at their team?
COACH KEATING: We have plenty of thoughts about the Lobos. We're just not worried about it today because we have, as you mentioned, games before. We're worried about our first game. But we know once we get into that week of preparation after our game against San Jose on Friday, it will be all about them, know exactly what people have been saying about them, what the pre-season prognostications are. They're all warranted. Steve has done an unbelievable job taking a great place with great support and turning it into a perennial power in a tough conference and a tough place to play, but getting good players, doing a good job coaching and recruiting.
Obviously it's a team that many people think might be the best team on paper going in, seems like it's the highest-ranked team. As usual, when you get to the tournament, those go out the window.
I know we will give our best effort and know we are going to get a great effort and play a potential NCAA tournament team, exactly the reason why we are excited to play in the tournament. Expect New Mexico to be playing in March and playing for something.
TIM SIMMONS: Obviously, the West Coast conference has a different look with BYU coming in. How much tougher is the conference going to be?
COACH KEATING: I thought even before we added BYU the conference was on pace to be its toughest ever from top to bottom, from a talent standpoint, from a team standpoint, from past success carried over. Adding a team like BYU, who is one of the top teams if not the top team in the Mountain West for a long period of time, bringing them right into our conference with a long period of sustained success makes it tougher and more difficult competition-wise.
Our league is going to be something like it's never been before because of the ninth team, because of BYU, but also because of the other teams that have been building towards this type of success, in a position to compete with Gonzaga, Saint Mary's, having the decade of success they've had. Teams like ourselves, San Francisco, Loyola, Portland, last two years coming off of some post-season success, Billy and Marty at Pepperdine and San Diego feeling pretty good about their recruiting and their teams, it's going to be a difficult season in the WCC this year.

Q. Have you ever had this young of a team with seven freshmen?
COACH KEATING: Well, two years ago we actually had, right after Kevin had his injury in his sophomore year, we were starting four freshmen at one point. It was our transition year. Right after Kevin got injured in November, our first game in December. From that standpoint, we had a handful of freshmen and one newcomer at that time, Troy, a college transfer, playing for us in our rotation.
But more than that, no. We haven't here. But it's very similar in that we have guys that are going to be in our top 10 rotation. The one caveat is I don't know if we're going to have to rely on a freshman for point guard, which is comforting to some extent.
But I think that youth can be good. We don't want to use it as a crutch or excuse. We want to cultivate it and teach it. We like the talent it has and the ability and potential. We just have to try to get it up to speed quicker to take advantage of these opportunities like we're going to have in Anaheim.
TIM SIMMONS: Coach, I think we're in good shape. Thank you very much for calling in. We look forward to seeing you in two or three weeks.
COACH KEATING: Thank you. Happy Halloween.
TIM SIMMONS: Thanks to everybody for joining us.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297