BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 8, 2001

Steve Lappas

STEVE LAPPAS: Faster, quicker, tougher, better. That's all I can say about them. They're a really good team. We just weren't up to the task today, but they've -- they're really good, which we saw. You know, we knew that before today, too. But that's why when people say -- I don't know if it's wide open, I don't see that wide open. I didn't see it yesterday, and I see it less today, that wide-open stuff.

STEVE LAPPAS: Tried to play a lot of zone from the beginning but they have so many weapons that it's like, you know, one guy here, one guy there, it's -- there was really no answer in terms of what to do defensively. I knew we couldn't guard man-to-man. I knew that. So we figured we'd try and go, use three, four different zones in the first half. Just tough matchups for us to play man-to-man. Guys like Walls, a four man, Ricky Wright, Brooks Sales got to go out to the three-point line. Even Agbai's a little small but he's quick. So tough matches. Try to play zone, they miss in the first half, but we just did a lousy job rebounding. They were so much quicker to the ball than we were.

STEVE LAPPAS: Yeah, I think that's got a lot to do with it, you know, because same guys. And not only same guys, but it's not like telling -- I was telling Bob Ryan (phonetic spelling) actually before the game, a lot of times you can have the same guys back, they were all freshmen last year, this year they're sophomores, completely different. Kenny Harley was a junior last year, Singletary was a junior last year. So this is one of those metamorphoses that I have not seen really. I think attitude has a lot to do with it. I also think they worked very hard physically over the summer, they all look much stronger than they were last year. Then Bell, when you're that good that you can play off, it makes a big difference. You know, he's able to make the big shot and control the ball.

STEVE LAPPAS: In the second half? You know, at that point, it was almost like I felt like John Chaney (phonetic spelling), went man-to-man, I was like, "This is not good." He goes man-to-man, things aren't going good, that's how I felt, too. It's like the last ditch effort; let's try it. At that point when they were making -- we had our chance in the first half. You know, we even had a shot to be down only four. At half time, in that -- even to be down six, I was like Al Skinner must be upset that they would only be up six in the way they outplayed us in the first half. We were fortunate in the first half, but not so fortunate in the second half.

STEVE LAPPAS: You know what, don't get me wrong, we had 19 turnovers. I don't think that was the story of the game. I thought it was the offensive rebounding that was the story of the game. Turnovers, don't get me wrong, it's not good. But I thought more than the turnovers, you know, Reggie and Derrick had ten turnovers between them, two freshmen out there against a team who's putting a lot of heat on you. I thought the offensive rebounding bothered me more than the turnovers.

STEVE LAPPAS: Sure looks like it to me. You know, they have very good chemistry right now. I got to think that's -- part of chemistry is understanding the hierarchy on the team. I think they really understand the hierarchy on that team. You know, you have a guy like Singletary who's a senior who's ready to defer to Bell as a sophomore. That's big. So they have it all going right now.

STEVE LAPPAS: I just said, you know, I was upset at them at half time, I was not upset after the game. There really is no use. Our fate is in other people's hands right now. There's nothing we can do. We just have to wait around and see what happens.

STEVE LAPPAS: No, I have no feeling. I know we're at the -- we're at the mercy of what happens around the country. That I know. Do I think we're out? No, I don't think we're out. But I think that everything's got to go a certain way and I still think this league can get seven teams. And certainly six - should be. I think we can get seven, should get seven. But that's not for me to decide.

STEVE LAPPAS: Who me? No. No, I don't. I just signed a four-year contract.

STEVE LAPPAS: We've averaged 20 wins a year since I've been there. Graduated all our guys.

STEVE LAPPAS: How many big wins, well Big East Tournament Championship, NIT championship, beat Kentucky when they were No. 1. I mean, we won 26 games one year, was the most in the history of the school. We have one --.

STEVE LAPPAS: I didn't say that. Don't put words in my mouth.

Where are you from? I'm just curious.

STEVE LAPPAS: I just feel like we have won 20 games a year, won the only Big East Tournament Championship in the history of the school, only NIT championship in the history of the school, got a four-year contract, graduate everybody, I don't know, you know, are we happy? We're never happy. Never happy. But I think we do okay.