Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Chris Lowery press conference transcript
11/03/2010 | 12:00:00 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 3, 2010
By Cameron Krones
SIUSalukis.com
CARBONDALE, Ill. - Saluki men's basketball coach Chris Lowery met with the media before Wednesday's practice at SIU Arena.
The Salukis host Indianapolis on Saturday at 2:05 p.m. in the second exhibition game of the season.
Are you wearing the black uniforms again on Saturday?
"No. That was just for Halloween. It is a different look. There is a lot of maroon and black in the building, so we wanted to see what it would look like and I think it looked great."
What are you hoping to see out of your second exhibition?
"We just want to see effort, especially on the defensive end. I think that we did a really good job of moving the basketball and I think our motion offense is a little bit further along than anticipated, but it also shows that we understand that the ball has to move if we are going to be any good. We saw that Troy could shoot the basketball, and we know that's what he can do, but Gene Teague and our inside guys who were 16-of-21.That is one of our strengths, but it also has to be from perimeter as well."
Did you stress getting the ball to Gene in the second half?
"We didn't have to stress to the players about going to Gene.The players understood where they needed to go and that is a good sign.Gene got us going, but it wasn't because he scored down there. It was because he got double-teamed and would kick the ball out. He got some layups but the ball movement was best part of the whole game."
Is Gene better at passing out of the double team than last year?
"He never really got double-teamed last year until the last two or three, so we never really got to see what he can do. Gene is a very good passer, but he has to be consistent in his progression as a player, and that comes from guys giving him the ball."
What do you need to get better at?
"Defensively, we have to get better on weak sides and we made a lot of defensive plays to make up for it, but when you go up against good teams, that hustle-play might not be in time. We really played hard and stressed being good teammates to each other and that was very clear."
Can you comment on what Nate Mitchell means to the program.
"Nate Mitchell has done a great job for us. He is our team captain because he does everything right from academics to being a good teammate. He is everything that you want from a student-athlete, and in two years he has exemplified that. Nate has gotten more vocal, which is good because he understands what we need out of him and he says what we say. It is always great when you have one of the athletes backing the coaches up and giving new guys the right things."
Comment on him earning a scholarship.
"We have had that happen several times where walk-on players earned scholarships, and I am an extremely loyal person and when you come and things happen, you have an opportunity to give a kid one who has worked as hard as Nate has. We gave him one because he deserved it.
Did you feel like you rebounded the ball pretty well?
"I think we did okay rebounding the ball. I think that we have to do better and some guys have to rebound at a higher clip, and that is going to happen with another game by having more possessions. We really dictated how the game was going to be played. We want to continue to decide whether the game will be played fast or slow."
Have you challenged Carlton to rebound better?
It's always going to be an issue with Carlton to rebound the ball. He has to do more than just shoot threes, and that is where we have challenged him. I don't even know if he took a three in the first game. He has to be willing to do the other things offensively that can help him get to the free throw line and that position has to get to the free throw line."
Are you going to play Davante Drinkard more?
"Yeah, we are going to play Davante more and see where he is. He has a sprained ankle and didn't practice yesterday, so we will see how he is over the next few days."
Can you talk about the point guard battle?
"It is great when we have guys that can play and do the point guard stuff. It's the whole etiquette of that position that makes a great team. When you have guys who are pass-first, we were able to score because those guys facilitated and did a great job of making sure the right guys got touches."
It's always good to have two, right?
It's always good to have two players who can play that position and sometimes we might have to play them together and that might possibly come later on down the road.
Have you tried Troy Long at that spot? "John is the third point guard. Troy really is a combo shooter and that's where we want to keep him at this point."
Will you start the same five?
"No. We won't start the same five this next game."
