University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
"Best First Practice We've Had"
10/12/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
"Best First Practice We've Had"
Hattiesburg, Miss. - Southern Miss opened practice for 2002-03 season with a typical James Green, fast-paced session that the seventh-year head coach called "one of the best first practices that we have had since I?ve been here."
Green was impressed with the effort, but maybe even more impressed with the attitude, and the players' ability to listen and adapt quickly. "In our typical first practice day, we, as coaches, are talking with the players a lot, trying to build a solid foundation defensively. And, we have a chance to be really good there, because our guys are into playing defense, we have people who can play defense and we should be able to push that aspect of our game more than we have in recent years.
"Offensively, things were equally impressive. You look here and you look there and you see guys putting the ball into the basket. That's something that we haven't had in recent years. We've always had one or two guys who could shoot the basketball, but this year, we'll have enough scorers that defenses won't be able to concentrate on one or two of them."
Green also says the squad came back for the start of practice in great shape physically. "Our players worked extremely hard in the offseason, allowing us to move quickly into the teaching phase of the game without having to spend too much time working on conditioning," he said. "We have a lot of athletic players on this year's squad, and will be able to get up and down the court and make some easy baskets."
Green also was hesitant to point out any particular player after one practice. "The players are committed to a group effort this year," he said. "The coaches, I think, were impressed with the interaction between the old and new players. The returning players, who have been through the early-season workouts before, are there offering encouragement and advice, and that helps the new players work through this difficult period, and get more out of it. I think you'll see us play with more unity this season than we have since I've been here."
Junior forward Goeff Brown missed the first practice with a nagging shoulder injury, doing just the running drills.
Green was pleased both with the intensity of the practice and how quickly the new players picked up the routine. "I'm sure some of our drills, such as the rebounding drills, were somewhat overwhelming for some of the new guys," he said. "The intensity of our workouts is something most of the new players haven't seen before, but I was impressed with how the older players helped the new players, in that regard. If we can continue to work hard when we go against each other, that will make us a better team, and we have the chance to be something special."
The first week of practice will continue to be a hectic one for the Golden Eagles, who were scheduled to work again Saturday afternoon from 1-3 p.m., and from 7-9 a.m., and 5-7 p.m., on Sunday. The weekday schedule is even more demanding, with 6:15 a.m., workouts scheduled for Oct. 14, 16 and 18, a day off on Oct. 15, and an even earlier 5:30 a.m., session Oct. 17.
The Golden Eagles will scrimmage for the first time Oct. 19, from 10:30 until noon. That scrimmage will follow an 8 a.m., Commitment Education breakfast that will be held in the Elam Arms dining room. Current players, their parents, former players and friends of the program are invited to attend. Reservations should be made through the Basketball Office at 601-266-6355, by Oct. 14.
Following that week, Southern Miss will have just over two weeks to prepare for Nov. 4 and Nov. 12 exhibition games against Spirit Express and Global Sports, respectively. Alcorn visits Nov. 22, for the first regular-season game, while Jackson State is in town three days later. Troy State and South Alabama round out the November schedule, the team will play in the Gazette Hawkeye Challenge in Iowa City, Iowa, Dec. 6-7, and the schedule then remains busy throughout, as the team starts its run through the Conference USA schedule and into the league tournament, Mar. 12-15, in Louisville, Ky.
Season tickets for the 2002-03 season currently are on sale through the Athletic Ticket Office located in the Ferlise Center on West 4th Street, or by calling 601-266-5418 or 1-800-844-TICK.
