University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
From the "Greenhouse"
10/22/2001 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
From the "Greenhouse"
Senior Guard Brad Richardson (6-1, 185, New Orleans, La.) Richardson played in all 31 games last season, starting three. He averaged almost 20 minutes a game, 5.1 points, 1.1 rebounds and was second only to Mel Cauthen in assists with 55, 1.8 a game. He also shot a team-best .773 (68-88) from the free throw line and was one behind Cauthen in steals for the season, with 32. He is being counted on to play even more minutes this season and to fill the role vacated by Cauthen. He had the following thoughts on the coming season as the team got into preseason workouts.
Are you excited about the upcoming season?
?We finished last season strong, even though we didn?t end up where we wanted to be. We want to build on that momentum and use the new freshmen and junior college players we have to be an even better team this season.?
You played a lot last season but come into this season in something of a new position, almost the designated starter at the point. What does that mean to you?
?It means a lot to me, knowing that coach has confidence in me to run the team. I felt confident last season that I could do that but I knew my role and the position I was in. I feel really positive about this season.?
Have you set yourself any goals for the coming season?
?I try to keep a positive attitude when we do anything, weight training, and so forth. I
try to do a little bit extra myself because I don?t know how many minutes I?ll have to play
this season, so it?s important that I be ready to play however many minutes I have to play. By doing the extra work, I also hope I?m setting a good example for the new players.?
What do you see in the new players?
?They all came in with a positive attitude, but most of them don?t know what will be
expected of them, so, in that regard, they?re like a deer in the headlights. But, you can
still see the potential in every one of them.?
What?s the strong part of your game?
?I like to get everyone involved. That was one of my roles last season, even though I
feel like I can score well myself. I tried to do that maybe a little too much at the start of last season, and coach asked me to lay back a little and get more people involved. This year I think we?ll go back to that atmosphere of scoring as the opportunity presents itself.?
Is winning the C-USA championship last season a plus or minus for this season?
?I see it as a big plus. If you want to go to the tournament, the easiest way to do that
is to win the tournament. Winning the conference is important, it?s a big deal, but it?s a national thing when you go to the NCAA tournament.?
How hard are the early practices?
?They?re always hard with Coach (James) Green. He demands a lot from us, but we also know that we have to work hard in practice if we?re going to be able to play as hard as we need to in the regular season.?
Is it harder mentally or physically?
?It?s harder physically, at first, but once you get your body used to that kind of
treatment, then the mental thing becomes easier.?