University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Southern Miss Head Coach Larry Eustachy 2004 Media Day Quotes
10/28/2004 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Southern Miss Head Coach Larry Eustachy 2004 Media Day Quotes
On how practice has been going:
?It?s been okay. Our team really lacks mental and physical toughness; they don?t have it right now. It can be developed through tough, stressful practices. It is going to take some time. We really don?t play hard enough or, when things go wrong, handle it mentally. We just kind of cave in to fatigue and things like that. It?s pretty typical for situations I?ve been in, but it?ll get better.?
On how much improvement the returning players have made:
?I didn?t coach the player?s last year, so as far as the progress on the returning players, I really don?t know. I know since we?ve taken the job over, they?ve made a bigger commitment to strength and conditioning. I think Jasper (Johnson) has lost over 22 pounds or so. He?s got a long way to go to play the game the way we want it to be played. But I?ve been impressed with the returning players. They?ve got a good base to them. James Green?s a very good coach, and they?ve got a lot of discipline to them. You add the returning players with the new guys, and it makes for good competition.?
On the team?s mental toughness:
?Some, by nature, their mental makeup is not great for competitive athletics. There?s a Brett Favre mental makeup that I think you?re born with, and develop, but I think it?s almost God-given. You have a Favre and then you have a guy who shies away from competition, and we?re somewhere in the middle, and we?re trying to move closer to Brett. So, they have some, but a long way to go. When you put the new guys and the returning guys together, you have that kind of mix that I?m talking about.?
On playing in Conference
?I think the league is arguably one of the best in the country, and the coaching, when you start going around the league, is phenomenal. It?ll be fun, it?s something that I?m used to and looking forward to.?
On where the new players are mentally:
?They don?t realize, or understand, what it takes to play at this level, but they?re willing to learn. I think they have a lot of respect for this coaching staff, and for the most part buy into what we?re trying to do. I?ve seen tremendous growth in 10 practices, so I think we?ll get it.
On how it feels to get back to coaching:
?I?ve enjoyed it. I?ve got a feeling that I really haven?t had. I?ve never been more rested, never felt better mentally, or felt so comfortable in my own skin. It?s not weird, but it?s different. I just like to go out there and teach and correct, and if there?s a problem with some kind of attitude, then it gets addressed. I think we?re getting a lot more done than we have in the past.?
On what the fans can expect to be different this year:
?To compare really isn?t fair, because the team doesn?t know what to compare it to right now. They don?t know exactly what it?s going to be like. I think it?s going to be different, but James Green and I have a similar philosophy, so some of the things we?re doing they?re familiar with, but some are different.?
On the biggest challenge he?s faced so far:
?I don?t think I?ve ever coached at a program with such a lack of fan interest. It?s going to be a real challenge to create interest. And once interest is there, they?ll come, and when they come, they?ll like what they see. There?s tradition here, but it?s way back. When I coached at
On speaking with other C-USA coaches:
?I got calls from some of them when I resigned from
On the state of basketball in
?Well, basketball?s changed a lot since I?ve been here, years ago at
On if he thinks lack of financing has affected fan interest:
?We don?t have a budget problem here. We don?t need a lot. We have the ability to go out and get what we need through fundraising or what have you, all different avenues. When given the okay to have golf tournaments and things, we?ll have money left in our budget every year, particularly with the proximity to players. NCAA rules don?t allow you to spend a lot of money, and there?s limited days to when you can go out and do those types of things. Guys have a full scholarship here, and they can live in an apartment or dorm, get free meals. It?s really pretty standard. Facilities, I wouldn?t want to change a lot in this coliseum right here. A lot of tradition here, it really reminds me of Purdue. I like the benches, we?re adding some seating to the floor this year. We could get some bigger offices or a finer locker room, we could get some upgrades. I?ve never been a big facilities guy. I?ve never signed a kid because of a gym or a locker room. It helps, but what?s inside that locker room, inside that coaching office, inside that gym with the team is more important than what?s on the outside or on the actual floor.?
On creating interest in the program:
?I think anyway we can get interest is welcome, even if it?s negative interest sometimes, not deserving interest, that?s fine. I just think interest. I?ve always wanted to give the people who really deserve the credit, and that?s going to be our players. If and when this program becomes one of the better programs in the country, it?s gonna be because of the talent. I?ve never made a basket with any of the teams I?ve coached. It?s just my nature to tell it like it is, and that?s how it will be.?
On Rashaad Carruth:
?He?s doing fine. He?s been a pleasant guy to coach. We need more guys like Rashaad, people who question you every now and then and rattle the cage every now and then. These guys are too nice around here. We need to compete a little bit, it?s always helping guys off the floor, tying each other?s shoes, and getting guys water. I like it when they throw water at each other, and when a guy?s shoe comes off they throw it into the bleachers. Those are the kind of guys we?ve got to make them into.?
On if he?s doing anything different after a year away from coaching:
?I?ve noticed that I don?t have the anger I had. It?s kind of a peaceful feeling I have now. I haven?t had a drink in over 18 months now, and like I said earlier, I?m more comfortable in my own skin. So coming off that time out and not coaching, I?ve observed some friends and most importantly observed myself, and went back and got involved in a 12-step program that really turned my life around. I think I?m better for it, and I think I?ll be a better a coach for it.?
On recruiting:
?We?re out there. We?ve had a couple commitments from high school kids in the state, and we?ve had one from outside the state. That?s the whole thing now, recruiting. That?s what?s so great about this job. When you talk about the drawbacks, and the lack of interest, it?s no problem. You can create interest, but you can?t make players. In
On Henry Salter:
?He left. It was tough for him not to be able to practice and play, so he went out to a junior college in
On how the junior college transfers are adjusting:
?They?re doing great. The one thing about junior college players is that they?ve moved away from home, so there?s no homesickness there. It?s the high school kids that are finally away from home that you have to worry about, but they?re doing fine.?
On David Haywood and the possible starters:
?David would be a starter if we played today. I think he?s going to be in the mix all year, which is saying something because some equally as good players that might lack some of the things I prefer won?t play. We can?t play 14 players. We?ll play eight or nine players, depending on foul trouble or injuries. We?ll have a set rotation once we get this team right, and Haywood, I think, will be in that. But it?s almost a fine line, whether you are or you?re not. That?s the best part of this team, the competition. The biggest problem right now is Dwayne Brown, he had surgery at the beginning of the year (cartilage) and he just went back in today. They went back in to take another look, because it was really bothering him, so he?s gone to be out another three weeks. He had a real chance to start on this team, so that really hurts us.?
On how the inside looks:
?It?s fine. I think Jasper?s real good, but our strength will probably be our perimeter guys also. We have more perimeter guys than we do big guys. Forte?s going play inside some, and we can move smaller guys around.?
