Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Player Reaction to the Hiring of Painter
05/01/2003 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
May 1, 2003
Stetson Hairston:
"I'm happy he (Matt Painter) got the job. Things won't change with him here, and hopefully we can move forward and keep the tradition of the last two years going and keep winning."
"As a whole, we all felt good about Coach (Painter) being hired because he's who we wanted to be here. It's good for us, we don't have to learn a new system or get to know a new coach."
"I think he'll be a great head coach. I think he's a great motivator. A few games last year and my freshman year he motivated me with his speeches. I'm looking forward to playing for him next year."
Darren Brooks:
"I'm happy for Coach Painter. He's worked hard and proven himself. The transition will be easier for the players as well as the recruits. It should be a lot of fun."
"I think he'll be a great head coach. I see leadership, determination, a competitive attitude and he wants people to work hard. That's his main thing, so I see him doing well as a head coach."
"We (the team) haven't discussed the hiring as a team, but the guys I live with (Jermaine Dearman & Sylvester Willis) talked about it, and we're happy things will stay the same and a new guy won't be coming in to change things. We're happy."
Brad Korn:
"Actually I just found out when I came over to the arena today. My roommate (David Carney) told me, so I haven't known too long. I thought that's what would happen. It's good because it stays in the family and coach (Painter) knows what's going on."
"This is what we wanted. We're all familiar with Coach (Painter) and we all like him. It's good. Things just fell into place."
"I think he'll be a good head coach and I know time will tell. He's done a good job as the top assistant, and hopefully he continues the good work."
Bryan Turner:
"This is how I wanted everything to turn out. I wanted it to be an extension from Coach Weber down the line to his top assistant, Coach Painter. I'm real happy and pleased with the decision."
"I think he'll be a good head coach. Just from my experience, I've learned so much about the game of basketball in my first year here compared to my whole playing career, and I owe a lot of that to Coach Painter. I hope to continue to learn from him."
"This team is a family, and for us to express our feelings about who we wanted as a coach, and have our choice selected, says a lot about the University and how they feel about the team. That's real important to us."
