March 9, 2009
Audio: Listen to the entire teleconference at SECsports.com
Vanderbilt basketball head coach Kevin Stallings and Alabama interim head coach Philip Pearson fielded questions about their matchup Thursday with the national media during Monday’s SEC Teleconference. Find out what each coach had to say about the matchup.
Kevin Stallings, Vanderbilt head coach
Opening comments:
We’ve played the best basketball of the season here in the last couple of weeks. So, we’re excited about that. I think that we’re getting ready to play an Alabama team that can definitely say the same thing. They’ve played very well as of late also and had some very, very impressive wins, including their win in Knoxville, Tenn., yesterday.
We had a very competitive game with them the first time around at our place. I don’t think that either was playing as well as they are now. It should be a good game. It should be a game of two teams that are playing well. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out, but we know it’s going to be difficult. They’re shooting the ball very, very well. So, we’re going to have to try to defend them well enough to get them to miss some and maybe do a little better job rebounding than we did against them the first time.
Are you paying attention to the NCAA Tournament projections for the SEC?
I have not looked at any of it. I couldn’t tell you what our RPI is, where it is compared to other people in the league. I have not looked at it. It doesn’t feel like we’re getting a lot of respect. I would certainly say that we are deserving of a number of teams getting into the tournament. I’m not saying that we are one of them. I’m just saying that I think our league will show well for itself in the NCAA Tournament, whoever it is that does make it. I would be really disappointed and surprised if Auburn with 10 conference wins didn’t get in. It seems a little crazy to me that you can win 10 games in this league and not get in that tournament.
What have you heard from your fan base about the SEC Tournament being played in Tampa, Fla.?
I think the schools that traditionally travel well and have good teams this year will probably have some fans. I would be surprised if it was as well attended as it is when it’s in Atlanta. Atlanta’s probably an easier place for the majority of our conference fan base to get to. But, our conference office made the decision to have it in Tampa this year, and I’m sure it’ll be well done and hopefully well attended. But, I don’t think we’ll know until we get there.
Does anything about Alabama jump out now as opposed to when you played this earlier in the season?
I just think they’re shooting the ball better. I think they’re shooting the ball better from the perimeter than they were the first time around, and I think that’s really enhanced what’s gone on for them offensively. So, that seems to be the thing that’s standing out.
Are there other factors, outside of A.J. Ogilvy’s play, that have contributed to your recent success?
I think that there’s a level of accountability with our team, and I don’t know if I talked about this last week or not, but I think the players are starting to hold themselves more accountable for their play. I think when you get player-to-player accountability that’s much more powerful than coach-to-player. So, I think we’re getting some leadership within the team, better leadership than we were getting earlier in the year and more of it. I just think that those things have made a big difference for us, obviously in addition to the fact that Ogilvy and Jermaine Beal have played really well here of late.
Which players have been instrumental in holding others accountable?
I think they’ve all kind of done it, which has really been interesting because we really had a discussion about it a couple weeks ago. I think they’ve all taken it upon themselves to not be afraid to hold a teammate accountable. Our problem is that we just have too many nice guys. We have nothing but nice guys, and so nobody wants to step on anybody’s toes and hurt anybody’s feelings. We had a discussion about the value of it and how just because you hold somebody accountable doesn’t mean that you don’t like them or are putting them down. I think there’s a trust factor there, because they all really like each other. So, I think that’s helped us grow a little bit.
How even is the playing field for the SEC Tournament this season?
Obviously, LSU had that huge run. It really goes back to something that I learned a long time ago, and that is it’s not who you play but when you play them. For instance, there was probably a much better time to play us, and Alabama for that matter, than right now. So, we obviously expect a very difficult game, but I would say that this tournament has the appearance of being the one in the 10 years that I’ve been in the league that has more teams that could win it than any other that I can remember. At least that’s the feel that is has to me. I would think that there are a much larger number of teams that could win this tournament than what we’ve seen in the past, although nobody would have said that Georgia could have won it last year and they did. Obviously from a theoretical standpoint, any team can win it. But, if you look around and say who can put together three or four day, I think there are more options this time around than any years I can remember.
Why do you think it’s been so difficult for teams to maintain an edge, with no dominant team in the league?
I think part of it has been youth. I just think in general we are a young league. I think we have outstanding young talent. I think youth tends to be inconsistent. We are probably a poster child for that. I think that’s part of it, and I think there’s just more balance in the league this year aside from LSU having a remarkable 13-game winning streak. That shows real consistency. But, I’m of the mindset that more teams can win this tournament than the ones I can remember in the past.
Philip Pearson, Alabama interim head coach
Opening comments:
We’re looking forward to a brand new season and having a chance to play in Tampa, Fla. in the SEC Tournament. I feel like Vanderbilt is playing really well. I haven’t had a chance to watch lot of tape on them just yet after our game yesterday, but I know they had a good win against Arkansas. I did see just a few minutes of that. Again, having won three in a row is very impressive to me. They beat teams at the top of the divisions, had a good win against South Carolina and a great win down at LSU. We all know how tough it is to play down in Baton Rouge, La. So, we’re very impressed with what they’ve been able to do at the end of the season.
We had a good basketball game with them a few weeks ago up in Nashville, a game we felt like we were in and then Vanderbilt made a few more plays than we did in the second half. So, we’re excited about having a chance in a brand new season in the tournament.
What’s changed about Vanderbilt since you played them earlier this year?
I think they have some young players. When you’re going down the stretch and playing better, I think obviously from a confidence standpoint they’re probably playing much better. I see they scored 96 points against South Carolina, which tells me that from an offensive standpoint they’re jelling. They’re doing a lot of good things schematically. They can be difficult to guard and put you in some difficult situations for guys like JaMychal Green and Demetrius Jemison and Justin Knox. Guys are going to have to guard away from the basket, maybe a little bit more than usual… those sorts of things. So, we’re very aware of those kinds of guys, Jermaine Beal and A.J. Ogilvy, and I think Jeffery Taylor has really come on for them as a player here this second half of the year.
Talk about Anthony Brock’s ability to rise to the occasion in clutch situations.
He’s a basketball player, and he’s a winner. He’s won in high school. He played on a junior college team last year that advanced to the national tournament. He’s been around a lot of winning. He’s a point guard by nature. That’s the position he’s grown up playing. As I’ve said from day one, I’ve had no hesitation, reservation in giving him minutes and him playing.
Does Brock’s ability to play show that going to every practice is overrated?
Our players were excited yesterday, first off with the win and the way we won. So, they came in the locker room and said, “Hey Coach, Brock doesn’t have to go to practice any more. He just comes to the games.” So, everybody got a kick out of that. But, he’s a nice young man, and I was very happy for him individually and all that he’s been through and certainly for our team to get a win like that.