Quotes From Ricky Stokes' Preseason Press Conference
November 08, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Head Coach Stokes Addresses The Media
Nov. 8, 2006
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina University head men's basketball coach Ricky Stokes addressed members of the media prior to the beginning of the 2006-07 season. The following are selected comments:
Opening comments:
"We are very excited about the season. I am excited to get started, excited about this team and how hard they have worked. One of the things that my staff and I did this summer was evaluate everything that we did within the program and decide what changes needed to be made to get better. We have assembled a group of young men that have worked extremely hard. From the first day of school we really started practicing and preparing. One of the things we have done in order to prepare is to make preseason really difficult. We have so many new guys that we couldn't wait and wanted to start implementing what we do. With freshmen you want them to grow up so that in the middle of the season they are no longer freshmen anymore. We have so many freshmen that they are going to have to grow up a lot sooner than that."
"I have an excellent staff. Part of a team's success is having consistency and a good staff. I am thankful to have that with Coach McCarthy, Coach Ferguson, Coach Dixon, and Coach Shyatt. Our strength coach Michelle Boswell has been a nice addition to us and has helped us get stronger and made us work harder."
"The guys have worked extremely hard. I can't say enough about our four guys that are returning. They will be the core of the team and we'll really lean heavily on those four. Jeremy Ingram, Taylor Gagnon, Sam Hinnant and Courtney Captain, all have experience and we look for those guys to be our leaders. It will be challenging but I am looking forward to the excitement and the energy with so many new faces. We are a little deeper, a little bigger and a little stronger. We have a lot more pieces depth and skill wise and we are shooting the ball better. The thing that we are lacking is experience and we will gain that from day one. This is a group that gets along very well together. They have pushed one another and they rely on each other. I think that good things will happen for this team."
"I think a realistic goal for this team is to have a winning season and that is something that we are all shooting for. Darrell Jenkins and Cory Farmer should help to provide us with some leadership along with the other four returning players. I look forward to the season. It's a new beginning for us and a new foundation for us."
On the starting line-up:
"We don't put a lot of emphasis on who starts as to who finishes. We still have a few more days of practice so it doesn't really matter. This team will play a lot of different guys. More importantly it is who is playing well and who is helping us at that particular time. All positions are open."
On preparing for Saturday's season-opener:
"We have been preparing ourselves to play winning basketball. One of the things that we have stressed from day one is execution and being better defensively. You win championships with your defense. We have concentrated on team defense, stopping your man and rebounding the basketball. Without Corey Rouse this season we have to learn to rebound by committee."
On offensive scoring options:
"Offensively we are divided. A lot of different guys can score and that's one thing that I like about this team. Our perimeter guys have a lot of experience and our inside guys are pretty green, but they're talented. It is going to take some adjustment and some patience from our perimeter players. For us to be good we are going to have get some inside scoring and have a presence inside."
On being a fast paced team:
"We are looking for easy opportunities to score. This is a team that likes to push the ball. We are going to look to accelerate the pace, but also realize what is a good shot and when we can score. I harp on them everyday that if they want to push the basketball then we will be a fast paced team."
On the preseason polls:
"We have to control what we can control. We can't worry about what we can't control. We have to worry about ECU basketball."
On the team's defensive sets:
"We like to play man, but we will also play zone and press some. With this team we have to do different things. We are so young that I don't think that we can play one defense the entire game. Sometimes we will have three guys on the court that are all freshman and we have to realize that they were in high school last year. It will be a process but it excites me because they will be here for four years. We are taking our time knowing that this is the foundation of our program. We have to take baby steps and not get ahead of ourselves and not get discouraged."
