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5-HOUR ENERGY PUERTO RICO TIP-OFF MEDIA CONFERENCE

November 1, 2011

Anthony Grant

TIM SIMMONS: Coach Grant, thank you for joining us today.
COACH GRANT: My pleasure.
TIM SIMMONS: How is pre-season practice going for the Crimson Tide?
COACH GRANT: So far they've been pretty good. We've got a lot of young guys, so the focus for us has been trying to get our system in, trying to get them familiar with the style of play, college basketball, what is going to be required. They've done a pretty good job so far of trying to understand what we're asking.
Our veterans have done a good job of leading those guys and trying to get them to understand what will be required. Obviously we'll have a tough, tough slate at the beginning here with a couple of home games before we head down to Puerto Rico to play in your tournament.
TIM SIMMONS: Any players been standing out in the pre-season or exceeded your expectations to date?
COACH GRANT: That's a tough question. Obviously for me, I'm evaluating everybody. I think our veterans have done a good job, JaMychal Green, our only senior, has really kind of separated himself in terms of where he is, his experience, whatnot, which you would expect. I wouldn't say that's a surprise.
I would say all of our young guys have competed, which is what we've asked them to do. It's really too early to say that anybody's separated themselves. We haven't played any games as of yet. Obviously it's a difference when you go from a practice situation where you're trying to evaluate your team to put them in a game where you're trying to win.
TIM SIMMONS: You're used to the format in Puerto Rico. Do you like the format of the tournament?
COACH GRANT: I think it's a great tournament. I think, number one, you get great competition. I think the facilities are terrific in terms of where our guys will have a chance to play. The setup is really good. I really enjoyed it when my team was there at VCU a few years back. I think it was very well-run. I thought the competition was excellent. I thought we had an opportunity to learn a lot about our team early in the year.
TIM SIMMONS: You're in the bottom half of the bracket with Maryland, Wichita State and Colorado. What are your thoughts about Maryland, Wichita State and Colorado?
COACH GRANT: You always have a healthy respect for the Maryland program. Obviously they play in an extremely tough conference in the ACC. Obviously with the new coaching staff, things will be different, a lot of new faces. We have not as of yet spent any time in preparation. I don't know a whole lot about their team but certainly have a healthy respect for their players and their coaches.
Obviously, as you mentioned, with Wichita State and Colorado, a little bit more familiar because we faced those teams last year in the finals of the NIT up in New York. Little bit more familiar with their style of play. Some of the personnel will be the same. Obviously those were great games at the end of the year to try to play for a championship.
TIM SIMMONS: Questions for Coach Grant.

Q. You went to the Paradise Jam last year and it was sort of a disaster. Is that going to be talked about before this trip at all, the lessons you learned?
COACH GRANT: Well, I think this is obviously a new year. But certainly the things for our veterans, we'll try to make sure we're aware of and make sure our guys understand the opportunity that we have, what will be required early in the year.
So any opportunity you have to get your guys' attention, to help them understand, you use that as a coach. This is a new year, so we'll try to match it up as best as we can, understanding this is a different team.
TIM SIMMONS: Coach, thank you very much. We look forward to seeing you in a couple weeks in Puerto Rico. Good luck with the opening games.
COACH GRANT: Thanks, Tim.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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