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DIRECTV CLASSIC MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 13, 2012Mike MontgomeryQ. I know you have a game tonight, so how have the Bears been in the preseason and early season games? MIKE MONTGOMERY: Been a little spotty. You know, there's so many good teams out there anymore. You know, we have won a couple and scrimmaged but not complete yet. We have been down a player that we anticipated having. He should join us, Ricky Kreklow, should join us shortly and we have had a couple injuries that slowed us down. Like most people, I watch games on TV and you can see a lot of people that are not quite there yet. We need to depend a little better and we definitely need to rebound a little bit better and we are still getting to know each other I think. Q. What players have stood out so far in the preseason, and in your first two games? MIKE MONTGOMERY: Well, our two guards have been really good. Justin Cobbs has played well. Allen Crabbe, who is really our three‑man, small forward, but is a returning all‑conference player, has played very well, shot it well. Had 20 at the half the other night. He got injured a little bit and didn't play as much the second half. But those two guys that we knew would be good have continued to kind of carry us, especially offensively. Q. Strengths of the team? MIKE MONTGOMERY: Well, I'm not sure right now to be honest with you. A little bit of everything; I'm not sure we have an identity yet. I think we are still searching. We have not been great defensively. We have been good in spots. We have not shot the ball extremely well yet. Again, we have been good in spots. So I'm not sure what our identity is yet. I think we have to develop our depth a little bit, and I think we need more from our inside people. Q. Your first round opponent is Drake; do you know much about the Bulldogs, or are you concentrating on Pepperdine before that? MIKE MONTGOMERY: I don't really look ahead. We have our scouting assignments to all the coaches and they start breaking down tape, looking at teams from last year what they did, kind of getting the library, encyclopedia, if you will, of possibilities. I really don't know anything about Drake at all. Like I said, there's just so many good basketball teams out there anymore; that you have to be ready to play every night. Q. What do you think about the format, play two games, off a game, day, and then you play on Sunday? MIKE MONTGOMERY: I think we did that in Orlando as I recall. It's an interesting format. I think it puts a lot more emphasis in on the final series of games because you have a day to prepare then. Three games in a row is tough. We have been through that and not been so good on the third game. So, it's good. It's Thanksgiving for us; it's southern California, the weather will be good; it's close by. Good tournament field, a lot of good teams, a lot of good coaches. So should be pretty challenging for anybody. Q. Do you enjoy playing in southern California? Have to make a trip down there anyway for UCLA and southern Cal, another trip for you? MIKE MONTGOMERY: Yeah, shucks, I've been doing this so long, it doesn't really matter where we play. I'd prefer not to go coast to coast, although there's some great match‑ups that you would get if you do that. The closer the games, the better, as far as I'm concerned. Travel is just not easy anymore. It's tough getting a ballclub in and out of an airport and getting all your luggage and stuff. Again, the weather should be nice. You can go for a nice walk outdoors. We play UCLA down there every year, so we have one series that we stay down there. We generally stay close to the beach so I can walk and kind of just get a little breath of fresh air. Q. If I go back in your bio, weren't you from Long Beach originally. MIKE MONTGOMERY: I was. Yep, I sure was. Went to school at Long Beach State, grew up there and in 1968 left and got involved in that doggone coaching business and have not really been back much since. Q. Have much family back there or friends or is it just a business trip for you? MIKE MONTGOMERY: No, I don't‑‑ my family all moved up kind of northern California, and so there's not any family there. You see people but they are not people you've even for a long time. When you left, everybody went about their business and all of a sudden somebody will show up someplace and you'll talk about old tiles. But no, I don't really have lot of people down there. Although I do have a little business down in Orange County, so I do have something, as well. Coach Bennett starts off for 10‑points in the hole for not being on? Q. We do 15. MIKE MONTGOMERY: That's good (laughing). FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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