Huggins press conference quotes

[michigancat]

God love him.

http://www.kstatesports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=400&ATCLID=682254

On players leaving college after one year for the NBA...

“It’s about having a career; it’s not about making the league because a lot of guys make the league. You want to have a career. Kenyon (Martin) stayed a year and he would have been (pick) 18-22 in the draft. He made a great decision, came back and went (No.) 1. Lamar Johnson did the right thing. He left after his freshman year, and he should have. Danny (Fortson) left after his junior year, and he should have. We’ve had some other guys that have left that probably needed another year. I try to be honest with them. There’s enough data out there. The NBA does a great job of projecting where guys are going to go. My experience with it shows that it has been very accurate – within two or three spots of where they’re going to go. I think you sit down and make an intelligent business decision. People don’t want to hear it, but it is a business decision. The people who say don’t do it, it’s not their kid. If it was their kid, they’d be right there trying to find out where they were going to go and how much they were going to make. You just try go get them to do what’s best for them. I had a guy I told not to go, but other people were telling him ‘well, he’s going to try talk you into staying because he needs you.’ I told him ‘I really don’t need you.’ We just won 31 (games) the year he left. We were 31-3. It wasn’t about that, he was about doing right. He made it in the league for a year or two, but he didn’t have a career.”

“We were getting ready to play North Carolina in the elite eight one time. My dad came up to me before one practice and gave me an index card that had these things on it that he thought we should work on. I was looking at them, I had my practice schedule, and I said ‘Dad- I think I’m getting better because I have all of these covered.’ He said ‘Well turn the card over.’ I went in before the game and put all of these keys on the board. I was still writing and (Nick) Van Exel just said ‘Screw this. Let’s just go win.’

“It’s probably long overdue. It’s kind of like around here. I keep looking around, and I guess the Final Four trophies are over in Vanier. I don’t know what the hell they are doing over there."

 

[ksu_FAN]

Interesting, on Beasley:

He’s never really been a post player, so to speak, and I don’t think he’s going to be a post player.

Wooly's influence?!?! (on the open scholarship):

“If we could get a big that can score, that would be terrific, or just the best available. We still need to be able to score the ball. I think people that advance in the tournament are great defensively, but they have the ability to score the ball. We need somebody who can score the ball. It doesn’t have to be a big because we are okay there. We’ve got enough guys.”

On everyone's "other" favorite coach:

“I think it’s terrific. I feel bad for Ron (Prince) because they play last. I’ll do it and be over with it, and I’ll get to go enjoy watching them – he’ll have to worry all day. If it was the other way around, I’d have to worry all day. I’d have a hard time enjoying the (football) game. I think it’s great. It’s a great place. There are a lot of places where I wouldn’t want to do this in all honesty because somebody is feeling like somebody else is infringing on their day in the sun. Everybody here is so much on the same page and going in the same direction. I told our guys after the game that I hope we can improve as dramatically as what the football team has improved. (Prince) has done an unbelievable job. He’s getting those guys better on a week-to-week basis. Hopefully we can do the same things.”

[michigancat]

Wooly's influence?!?! (on the open scholarship):

“If we could get a big that can score, that would be terrific, or just the best available. We still need to be able to score the ball. I think people that advance in the tournament are great defensively, but they have the ability to score the ball. We need somebody who can score the ball. It doesn’t have to be a big because we are okay there. We’ve got enough guys.”

Heh.

[michigancat]

LOL!

"I feel like Vince Gill," cracked Huggins, who was out of coaching last season. "Vince Gill took a year off, kind of worked at his trade and came back. I think he had a gold album, didn't he?"

We only can assume Huggins was referring to a four-CD collection titled "These Days," which Gill released about 13 months ago.

Truth is, the legendary coach didn't have a clue.

"Somebody told me to say that," he admitted a few seconds later. "They said people in Kansas could relate to Vince Gill."

[ksu_FAN]

FWIW, barring the miniscule chance OJ chooses the Cats, that player who can "score the ball" is clearly Tyree Evans if he keeps his nose clean.

Also, I think another ship will open.  I think a message is being clearly sent to Yearby.  Kent is hurt for a week or two leading up to the WU game and he plays 10 minutes.  Yearby played 1.  And Huggins was looking to throw anyone on the floor "he could trust".  Granted, Yearby could "figure it out" and come on, but I doubt it.  I don't remember reading a word about Yearby from Coach, but he's mentioned Kent a couple times.  I think Kent will make it way before Yearby.

[sys]

i agree re. kent/yearby.  not sure where yearby would see time behind beasley/hoskins/sutton/walker.

ksu needs evans.  they have some great pieces coming in for ´07, but they don´t have a great shooter.  evans would be that, and would make everyone else better.

[michigancat]

He sounds like he wants to make Kent a post defender...which would fill a definite need.

Did you like his Clent Stewart quotes, sys?

[ksu_FAN]

On Clent Stewart...

“I thought he was (limited) until I had to play him 40 minutes. That’s probably enough. Clent tries to do what you ask him to do. I didn’t think I had a whole lot of guys doing what I had asked them to do. So I kept playing him. I thought he was fine. We would all like for him to make a few more shots. He made more than most, actually.”

Clent is still the same guy he was for Wooly.  He's a guy you can trust and who works extremely hard, but can be a liability athletically at times.  I think he'll get plenty of minutes for Huggins though b/c of the positive attributes he has and his experience.  He's never going to be an all-league guy, but he's a solid role player and I think Huggins sees that. 

Seriously (and I usually don't say things like this), if Clent was a white kid from Kansas, most people would think he's a wonderful player.

 

[sys]

yeah, i thought his comments on stewart sound about right.  it sounds like huggins is pretty open to letting stewart slide into plenty of minutes by default.  if stewart can hit 35% plus from 3 and keep his a/to ratio above 2, he´s going to keep the starting job all season long - no matter how limited some fans think he is.

[coitus]

sounds like huggs is serious about getting post help, especially on the offensive end.

[Wildcat Jack]

"I feel like Vince Gill," cracked Huggins, who was out of coaching last season. "Vince Gill took a year off, kind of worked at his trade and came back. I think he had a gold album, didn't he?"

We only can assume Huggins was referring to a four-CD collection titled "These Days," which Gill released about 13 months ago.

Truth is, the legendary coach didn't have a clue.

"Somebody told me to say that," he admitted a few seconds later. "They said people in Kansas could relate to Vince Gill."

Coach Huggins,
Don't listen to what anybody tells you about relating to the people of KS....be the good 'ol Bob Huggins, you're relating just fine.

[AzCat]

We still need to be able to score the ball. I think people that advance in the tournament are great defensively, but they have the ability to score the ball. We need somebody who can score the ball. It doesn’t have to be a big because we are okay there. We’ve got enough guys.”