Feb. 21, 2008
Audio: Listen to the entire teleconference at SECsports.com
Vanderbilt basketball head coach Kevin Stallings and Georgia associate head coach Pete Herrmann (sitting in for head coach Dennis Felton) discussed Saturday’s matchup with the national media during Thursday’s SEC Teleconference. Find out what each coach had to say about the upcoming game.
Vanderbilt Head Coach Kevin Stallings:
Opening statement:
“We’re obviously in the midst of our week off. We hope that we have been able to get rested and heal some things. At the same time, we want to find ways to improve as a basketball team. Those were our two goals coming into this week. We have had extremely hard fought games with Georgia over the past several years. We expect Saturday to be the same type of game. We had a great game with them down there (in Athens). Both teams had a chance to win, and we were able to pull it out at the end. In my opinion, they’re playing better than when we played them the first time. We know we’re going to have our hands full, but we’re looking forward to playing again.”
What ingredients does a team need in order to advance far in the NCAA tournament?
“To advance deep into the tournament, you need really good guard play. You need guys that can handle the ball, take care of the ball, and guard the ball. It’s helpful if you’ve got a guy on your team that can either create his own shots or score on his own without the benefit of a whole lot of offense being run for him. It also helps to have a post guy that commands a double team and is able to throw the ball out so that a team can come up with some baskets that the offense doesn’t have to generate.”
How do you think the 3 point shot has affected the NCAA tournament over the last decade?
“It has impacted the game dramatically. Your team can be behind but get back into games because of the 3 point shot. It’s a little bit of an equalizer between teams that can shoot from 3 but have inferior talent. It gives those teams a lot better chance than in the days before the 3 point shot was such a part of our game.”
Do you think top tier teams are now using the 3 point shot as part of strategy like lower level teams?
“Sure. The best teams are the ones that can throw the ball into the block and get fouled. They can also drive it, get fouled, and score. They can kick it out for 3’s and score. You can look back at the teams that have won the NCAA tournament, the teams that have been to the Final 4, and most have all embraced the 3 point shot.”
Do you take pride in the fact that the state of Tennessee has three great basketball teams this year?
“For the state’s basketball fans, they certainly would be able to stick their chest out a little bit because we have a number of programs that are succeeding at a very high level. It’s a source of pride for the average basketball fan in the state of Tennessee to say `look at us.’ We’ve had tremendous success as a state in college basketball this year. There are other programs in this state that are doing exceptionally well. It’s a great time for college basketball in our state.”
Did any glaring in particular exist that you addressed during this week?
“We’ve had some guys sick. Three or four guys have been under the weather. At the end of last week, sickness was going around, and it carried over into the beginning of this week. This week was a great opportunity to flush out whatever it was. Hopefully we’ve done that. At this time of year, everybody has guys that are banged, bruised, and under the weather. It’s something we have to play through.”
Do you reflect on the lack of major injuries to your team?
“You try not to dwell on it because it could change at any moment. Sometimes you get really fortunate and stay away from major injuries. Some seasons, you don’t. I appreciate it and enjoy it while it’s good.”
Georgia Associate Head Coach Pete Herrmann:
Opening statement:
“We’re coming off of a very tough game at Rupp Arena Tuesday night (against Kentucky). It was hard fought. We got off to a very poor start but came back strong. Kentucky was a little better than us. Now we’re going to another school that is having a great year. Kevin’s team has been outstanding all year long. We always look forward to going to Vanderbilt’s great atmosphere. It should be a terrific game. We had a very strong, tough game with Vanderbilt the first time when they defeated us in Stegeman Coliseum. It’s something we have to get ready for and be anxious for. We will be.”
Why has Georgia had difficulty scoring over the past several weeks?
“The seemingly lack of confidence over the last couple of weeks in the late stages of games has been evident. On Tuesday night, we come back from down 20-4. We get back into the game but don’t score a basket in the last six minutes. The same type of situation happened against Kentucky, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina. When we get to late stages of the games, we’d like for our players to make the other team guard (us). The more we make the other team guard, the better chance we have of getting fouled, getting the ball closer to the basket, or getting the ball to a good spot for an open shot from the perimeter. We get a little anxious because of the previous situations. Maybe we take a quicker shot or think we might be half open and take bad shots. We’ve got to have stronger play inside from Jeremy Price and Albert Jackson late in the game. We have to be able to get a strong three point play or basket in there. At the same time, Sundiata (Gaines) has been terrific. We need to get him into a one-on-one situation. Terrance Woodbury has had open shots but that haven’t converted in that stage. As a coach, we keep trying to get the guys’ confidence up.”
