From OU Athletics:
ROCHESTER, Mich. - The Oakland University men's and women's basketball teams addressed the local media one last time before leaving for Sioux Falls, S.D. for the 2009 Summit League Tournament at Sioux Falls Arena. Head coaches Greg Kampe and Beckie Francis, along with selected players spoke about the upcoming championship.
Men's Head Coach Greg Kampe
Opening Statement
"This is the time of the year you play for. You talk about the three days in March and being able to play on Tuesday night. That's just the saying we've had for years now, since our championship game is on a Tuesday night. Every drill we do, every time we do something, we talk about playing on Tuesday night. That Tuesday is five days away. It's an exciting time. We've played extremely well, our last loss was in January. We've practiced very well in the month of February. That's been key for me. I don't think we've had a bad practice in February and that's probably why we've played so well.
"Going into it, we like our team and like the way its grown. Our advantage we believe is that we've got 6-11 (Keith Benson) and can score on the block. There isn't another team in our league that has a 6-11 guy. We have a guy that can make shots from everywhere (Erik Kangas), we have a point guard (Johnathon Jones) that can distribute the ball as well as anybody in the country, as evidence by the fact that he leads the nation in assists. We have some young kids that can come off the bench and really play. We have Dan Waterstradt sitting next to me here who I think is a very, very important player for us off the bench defensively and rebounds, and if you leave him alone he's going to make a shot.
"We have so many offensive weapons that when you have your role players make shots is probably one of the reasons why we are winning. We score at a very unbelievable rate. We don't really run, we walk the ball up the court, and average over 80 points per game during this win streak. So our offense efficiency during this win streak has been very good.
"Defensively we have gone from an average defensive team to a pretty darn good one. We are not a great one yet, but for us to win this week, we are going to have to play great defense. I think we are a good rebounding team that is getting better. If we continue to improve in those two areas, that will really be good for us. The ability to play offense can go away for a half, and if you don't defend, you're going to be in trouble. I like our chances, I like everything about what is going on, we're very excited to go and feel very good about our team."
On IPFW
"They lead the league in three-point field goal percentage, so it's very important for us to smother them on the three-point line and not all them to get going. So obviously we are going to have to play man-to-man and you probably won't see our zone in that game, unless we have a large lead and have to waste time. I think in order to stop them, as good as (Ben) Botts is, (David) Carson is the key and we have to take him out of the game. I think our defense will start there, work through Botts, and Nick Daniels is a very good shooter, I think he is at 49 or 50 percent from the three. What I told our team is that in tournament play, field goal percentage is really, really important. You can look at that one of two ways. You can say ok, we have to shoot better than they do, or we can limit the looks they get. You have to make every shot they take a difficult one. It's not like it's the middle of the season and a guy makes a shot and it's not that big of a deal. Every possession matters. JJ will be on Botts, and I think he's one of the better defenders in the league, so I feel good about that match-up. Will Hudson will start on Carson. We played (Blake) Cushingberry on him when they played here, which is a funny match-up, but he did a great job on him, I think he was 1-for-9 at one point. We feel like we know what we have to do, now we just have to go and get it done."
On the leadership of the team
"Two years ago, we got beat on a last second shot in the championship game. We had great leadership on that team in Shawn Hopes and Vova Severovas who were all-league post players and we lost those. I thought last year we really wondered leadership wise, JJ was a sophomore. So this season Jeff Tungate, my associate head coach, put together a leadership program and I really think it has made a difference with our team. We met every Thursday with our three captains and they were on a teleconference with people that we believe are in leadership roles in the community and sports world, and they would have a 30-40 minute conversation. I think it really made a difference on our team this year. Our leadership has been phenomenal. I don't worry about that at all. We've seen all that you can possibly see. When you lose a guy that is preseason player of the year (Derick Nelson) and you overcome that. How good did Oklahoma do when Blake Griffin was hurt, they didn't lose they got killed. How good did Davidson do when (Stephon) Curry was out, the Citadel beat them. Marquette hasn't won since Dominic James got hurt. The reality of it is when you lose a great player, you don't win. Yet our team was able to overcome that. Now his nickname is Wally Pipp, we don't talk about it. So we are on our way and on our own. We would have never gotten to that point without the leadership of those kids that are sitting here. Erik (Kangas) has done a tremendous job of that. That's one of our strengths. With the adversity we've had. How did you get to 20 wins with all the things that you went through? Well, it's our leadership."
On OU's depth versus other teams in the league
"I would have a hard time with other teams in the league, because I don't pay that much attention, I worry about us. That's an issue for us. Johnathon Jones is top four or five in the country in minutes played, and I think Kangas is too. One averages 38 minutes per game and the other 37.5. That's an issue for us. If there's a fault, it's mine. I have a hard time not having Johnathon on the floor. I mean I want to win and he's really good, so I try to put my really good players on the floor. It's an issue, and a big issue. I think if we get to Tuesday night, it won't be. The adrenaline of playing on national T.V. for the Holy Grail in our league, getting into the NCAA Tournament, will take care of that. Every kid that I have ever recruited that is their goal, that and playing in the NBA. If we're there, 40 minutes away, I would think that they will give us the best 40 minutes they have. Getting there is the issue. There's lots of ways you can rest a guy. There's eight-and-a-half minutes left in the half and the ball goes out of bounds and I yank JJ out. In 26 seconds there is going to be a media timeout, and then he gets a little extra rest. So you can do those things and it doesn't look like he rested becaue it says 39 minutes in the stats. You cannot win a championship unless you play Tuesday night, so we are not going to do anything trying to be cool, and smart, whatever, and then cost ourselves. We had an 11-point lead and then it went to six when I sat him for two minutes and they got the momentum and it couldn't stop it and we lose. Most likely my 30 years of experience tells me leave his a$$ in there and we will worry about how tired he is on Wednesday. He's got the rest of the year to rest."
On the seed that the tournament champion will get
"Last year Oral Roberts was a 13, and unfortunately they got the worst draw in Pittsburgh, who was no way a No. 4 seed. It's all luck. What happens and who is in that room. I think they are projecting North Dakota State to be a 13 or 14 right now. I've seen them 15 too, I look at those tings a lot. A lot is going to depend on who they beat. If they beat Centenary, IUPUI and us or Oral Roberts, their RPI will probably drop into the 80s. If we lose to Fort Wayne and Oral Roberts loses to South Dakota State, and they end up playing a team that RPI is not very good, then their RPI isn't going to improve. It's not a deciding factor, but it's something that is there so that they can justify what they do. They will do what they want, and justify with those numbers. I think with North Dakota State being new, not a household name, I think they will be disappointed in where they end up a 15, and feel like they should have been a 13 or 14. I hope they are a 13. Now with us, again it will depend on who we play. If we beat Fort Wayne, Oral Roberts and North Dakota State, our RPI will be down to about 110, maybe lower. Then we will be a minimum of a 15, and if we are lucky, maybe a 14. Then it will depend on what takes place in the other tournaments. Maybe somebody is leading their league and they are a 90 RPI, and nobody else is very high in the league, but they lose and the 150 gets the bid and that will bump everybody else up. Right now, if we were to win, based on RPI we would be a 15. A lot of that could depend on the new system of putting you close to home. They can move you one line up or down. Maybe they will keep us in Dayton and make us a 16. Or maybe, the heck with Oakland, who are they, and they will put us in California because that is where they think we are from and we get to move up to a 14."
On the advantage of having a frontline that shoots a high percentage
"I said that field goal percentage is the key and we lead the league in field goal percentage in league games only. I never look at all the stats, really you have to look at the 18 games you play, because we play Oregon, Michigan, Michigan State, Kansas State and Syracuse, and you look at who North Dakota State played that they didn't play that type of schedule. You throw those stats away and you look at lea.gue stats and we are shooting over 50 percent. That is an advantage to us heading into the tournament. Yes I really like our chances because we can get easy baskets. We score a lot of our baskets with four of five feet. When you do that you get to the free throw line and you have a better chance of making it. Now, I don't know how the game is going to be officiated. It's such a toss up when you get to this point. What if Keith Benson gets into foul trouble, what does that do to us? You just don't know what is going to happen. If they let things go, then it's an advantage for us because we are big and strong. If they call touch fouls, then we are going to be in trouble. You just have to be prepared for both. Have different strategies on how the game is going to be officiated."
On whether the theory of it being tough to beat a team three times
"When you have lost twice to somebody, you tell your team they can't beat us three times. When you have won twice, you tell your team hey it's going to be hard to beat them three times. That's what you talk about. The reality of it is that those games are independent of this one. Those games mean nothing, because those games were played earlier and these are the games that count. The pressure of that changes on how this game is played. Whoever wins this tournament has to win three games. Doesn't matter who you play. Nobody gets to be the champion without playing three games. You have to go in there and it doesn't matter who shows up, you have to play. We don't even talk about who we are going to play next becaue we don't care. Somebody is going to show up, we are going to have to play them and we have to score more points then they do. Then on Tuesday, somebody else is going to show up. A lot of times a good team will get beat in a tournament and a lot of people will say, 'Oh you have it easier now,' no, the good team got beat by them and that means they can beat you too. I don't think it means anything, it's just a psychological thing that coaches use."
Junior Johnathon Jones
On what this team looks like when on defensively
“Really anticipating and just playing the whole possession for 35 seconds. When we do that, we’re unstoppable. When we play defense well, that helps our offense. When we get out on the break, we can get shots. It really eliminates what the other team wants to do. We just have to keep doing that in the tournament.”
On seeing his name on ESPN for his assists
“It feels good, but I have to give a lot of credit to my teammates, with everyone knocking down shots. When I see that, it’s really a team thing. I give a lot of credit to my teammates for knocking down the shots and really stepping up in key moments. It’s a good thing for me and my school and the recognition that we are out there and people notice that.”
On making the All-Summit League first team
“It’s a big deal. Coming into the season, that was one of my personal goals. Now, I have to take that into the tournament and keep leading the team like I have been and hopefully, we can come out with the championship. It’s a big goal, but I’m not going to take it as much. I’m just going to keep playing well and keep giving my teammates the ball so we can win this whole thing.”
On reaction to finding out they were playing IPFW in the first round
“They’re a tough team and it’s hard to beat a team three times in a row. We have to prepare like we have been the last couple of times and go in there with a mindset that they’re not going to roll over because it is just one game. We have to out there and play hard, because they’re not going to give up and it won’t be an easy win. We have to go there and execute.”
On what IPFW presents offensively
“They really pressure on the wings and pressure on the ball really well, so I have to get past the initial wave of defense to set up our offense and get Kangas and the rest of the shooters and bigs on the inside really involved to help eliminate that.”
On what Oakland brings to the table
“Going into the tournament, we really have to go inside out. No one can really guard our height and then, coming off the bench we have a lot of depth with Stradt (Dan Waterstradt), Blake Cushingberry and Matt (Samuels), so I think they’re going to play a large role in keeping the players rested. I think with Kangas hitting a lot of shots, it’s going to open things up a lot more for our bigs, so they’re really going to get a lot of open looks and one-on-one coverage.”
On feeling whether they feel extra pressure in March
“There’s not much pressure. We’ve been doing this the whole season and we’ve been getting better every day. It’s going out there and executing what we have and really minimizing the mistakes and that’s what we have to do in the tournament. Take away the mistakes and execute.”
Senior Dan Waterstradt
On what this team looks like when on defensively
“I think when we play defense that well, the thing that we’ve committed to this year is communicating. When we’re out there talking, pointing and telling guys coming on whether we’re in zone or not or switching screens, it’s kind of like an anaconda. When they get their prey, it’s just suffocating. They see that and think that’s good defense.”
On mindset of the team entering the tournament
“Right now, like you said, we’re really focused and glad we’re on this seven-game win streak. But, I look at it as part of my job to keep these guys grounded. In years past, I think we got two or three wins under our belt and we started getting over confident and getting a little cocky, thinking that we’re going to come into this building and roll over or win a game just because we’re on a win streak and playing well. Now, we don’t think that. We think we’re going to go in and win, whether we’re down in the first 15 minutes or at halftime, we think we’re going to win and I think that’s what’s different from last year. We went to the tournament and hoped we were going to win, but I don’t think the entire team was behind it. We’re going there now with a good belief that we’re going to take home the championship. We’re really confident, especially with our young guys coming off the bench and playing really well. Matt Samuels is playing really well right now, working his butt off in practice. It’s more confidence than anything and to be able to work hard and have fun at the same time because when you win, you have fun.”
On confidence of being able to win on the road
“Well, in the beginning of the year, I think it was really funny because people said we were a scared team on the road and couldn’t win. It’s funny, because we played Oregon and beat them at their home. That’s one of the toughest places, I think, to play in the country. We played Cleveland State that’s made it in the mid-major poll and we should have won that game. We should have won at Iowa, we lost by eight or nine points. We played Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, which is a tough place to play and we played Kansas State at their place. I think we overcame that tremendously, especially when we went into Las Vegas and took two out of two wins out there. Yeah, we lost to Southern Utah, but I think that was the tail-end of that two-week road trip we were on that was pretty tough. Coming back to now, like I said, we’re playing with a bunch of confidence and everybody is playing extremely hard whenever we’re out there. When you can play hard and play smart, that’s a pretty deadly combination out there.”
On what kind of leader Johnathon Jones is
“He’s a lead by example kind of guy. They kind of hand the talker role over to me, so we get out there and he’ll say his words and when he says something, he means it. It might only be a sentence or two, but he’s saying it from the heart and he means it. But when he goes out there, his role as a scorer can be reduced and become a distributer, that’s what helps our team out. He goes out there and does that and gets the ball into Kito (Keith Benson) and somehow finds Erik Kangas and gets him the ball. That’s when we’re an extremely good team and that’s the type of leader he is. He can get guys the ball when the other teams target them. When Kito’s got somebody up in him or when Kangas has two guys on him, he can get them ball and score. That’s something we need and that’s a reason why we have been so successful this last month.”
On reaction to finding out they were playing IPFW in the first round
“It’s going to be extremely tough because every team when they get into the tournament plays with a lot of emotion because they know it could be their last game. Everyone sees March Madness and anything can happen. Especially here, anything can happen. A couple of years ago, they went in a seventh seed and won it. We’re not taking them lightly, that’s for sure.”
On going into situation of going on the court for maybe the last time
“It’s a weird thing, that’s for sure. You try to convey to the young guys how important it is. It’s my last time and I try to let them know that in little ways. They’re playing hard, so I’m happy, whether we win or lose. As long as they play hard, it makes me happy, but I want to win. Going out there every time is like every time since I’ve been here. You give everything you can and all you have and hopefully, you come out with a win. Every game in that tournament is a tough game and there will be no games you walk through. It’s a weird feeling, but you get past it once the game starts. We just play our game.”
On feeling whether they feel extra pressure in March
“Well, Kampe is our coach, so yes (laughs). Yes and no. I don’t really think about it, personally. When he yells out a play, you know it or you don’t. You should know it by now. You get out there and do what we’ve been doing all year. Hopefully, it’s good enough because I think we’ve proven that we’ve a good offensive and defensive team and we can get after it.”
Senior Erik Kangas
On what steps, as a shooter, taken to adjust to a new arena
“Every basket is only 10 feet, so it’s not a big deal, I hope. I’d just like to go there, take a few shots, go through a good workout and try to get a feel for it.”
On the turning point to go from 3-5 record
“I can’t think of anything specifically. I think the mindset of the team all year was ‘Be consistent.’ We had a tough schedule in the beginning and a long road trip for two weeks and we knew it was going to be tough. We just had to be consistent enough and fight through it.”
On added pressure being a senior
“Definitely, but with the pressure, there’s excitement, too. I think since it’s my last chance, I think that would push me even harder, to never take a play off and make a couple of extra plays. There’s definitely a sense of added pressure because I don’t want to let myself down and let me team down.”
On emergence of Keith Benson and effect on his game
“That means the other teams have to play on us all the time. There’s double teams and they can’t really hedge on me as much, so that gives me more room and I think I give him more room down there too, so it goes both ways.”
On turning from a shooter to a scorer
“I think you have to develop a mindset. When I first came here I was a shooter and that’s what I was for a couple of years until Coach Kampe said, ‘If you want to be great, then you’ve got to be more than one-dimensional.’ I took that and wanted to be great. So, I took that in the off-season and learned to catch and go to the basket, rather than catch and shoot. So, in open gyms, I had to develop a mindset to go to the hoop more often.”
On taking the court knowing it could be the last time he plays
“It’s huge, knowing my career is coming to an end. I really want to play my best and I feel like the one thing I haven’t accomplished is getting into the NCAA tournament and getting that ring. It’s really going to push me and motivate me to play hard.”
On moment that brought team together after Derick Nelson being redshirted
“I think when it happened, we thought it was a major setback. But, I think down the line, everyone’s done a phenomenal job to step up and that’s been the key to overcome the loss of Derick.”
Women's Head Coach Beckie Francis
Opening Statement
“This is an exciting time. We’re entering March and March Madness is always fun, especially if you’re in it. We’ve been having really good practices and we’re on a nice roll right now. The team feels really good and healthy and it’s just a blessing to be where we are. I have great leadership with Jessica Pike, April Kidd and Aubrey Freshour, our seniors. They don’t want this season to end and they act like it. So, we’re just excited to get out there. We have one more practice on this court in about 30 minutes, so we’re excited to go.”
On plan to defeat UMKC and biggest concern for tournament
“The way to beat UMKC is the same thing we’ve done to beat them by double digits both times we played them. They like to penetrate, so we’ve got to really work on containing them and keeping them in front of us and out rebounding them. They have a very good all-league player in Chazny Morris and we were able to contain her. April, Sharise Calhoun and Hanna Reising and a couple of other players have D’ed her up and that’s going to be our focus, to shut her down. Our biggest concern, believe it or not, is that this team wants it so much. My biggest concern is us not calming down and going out, having fun and enjoying the moment, because some coaches have to pump their teams up and get them ready. Their teams wants the season to be over and they’re tired. This team wants it so bad that we have to be careful and that we go out and enjoy it and not get too nervous.”
On Oakland’s depth compared to the rest of the league
“When you asked Coach Kampe that question, I had a warm feeling all over because I said, ‘You’re right.’ That’s why this team is so good and why we have won 24 games because we are deep and we’ve counted on that all year. When we go to the bench in the tournament, it’s not going to be a surprise for them. They’re used to the playing time, used to the minutes, used to crunch time. I’m really looking forward to that. I think both ways is good. I think Kampe has a nice situation too, but it’s comforting to know that our bench has produced all year and they know that we’re going to need them there.”
On how important is tournament from the program’s perspective to get recognition
“I haven’t really haven’t thought about it that way. I really don’t want to put pressure on myself or the team. We’re just looking at this as going in and repeating what Pike just said: we’re just worried about a game on Saturday and not caring what name is across their chest. Then, we have another game on Monday and another game on Tuesday. The media and the hoopla is wonderful and we experienced it April, Riikka Terava’s and Pike’s freshman year and that’s good, but we’re just really focused on playing really well for three games and we don’t care who we play.”
On whether preparing for a team takes on different tact after playing them so recently
“Actually, yes and no. We’ve been preparing and that’s why I love this team because we focus on what we do and maybe eight minutes on defending a pick of what another team does. It was a little relieving that we played them so recently because when go out on the floor in a few minutes here, I can say, ‘Remember that pick we just went over a few days ago?’ And they’ll get it. So, it was a little bit easier preparing, but again, we focus on what we do and give them five to eight minutes of what the other team does. We just want to go out, play well and worry about us.”
On whether you thought the this team would set records like they have in the beginning of the season
“I’m not sure. I do remember every time I came home and my husband would ask me how practice was and I would always say, ‘It was great,’ and I would say that every year 69 out of 70 practices. I think the first indication was with the first couple, and I may use this as a measurement for now on, is we have a drill we use at the end of practice called the two-minute drill. We time it and this team has consistently broken the record for what we have ever had for the eight years I’ve been doing the drill over and over again and I just said, ‘We’re really good and really fast.’ We also can break that record in that drill because we had so much depth and we never had any let down. It didn’t matter who we put in there. It was consistent all year and it was really interesting. Maybe that can be a barometer.”
Senior Jessica Pike
On the mindset set of the team going into the tournament
“We’re just really excited right now. We’ve playing some of our best basketball all year, especially as of late, and our defense has really picked up, so we feel like we’re ready and focused going into this tournament.”
On still having to win two other games to get to the championship
“I heard Coach Kampe say at the men’s press conference that you can’t play the championship game unless you get to Tuesday. So, you have to win those first two games to even get a chance to play. It’s UMKC first for us and they’re going to come out with a vengeance. They’re a seventh seed and they have some really great players. They’re going to try and win and we know that seeds really don’t matter at this point. It’s do or die for everyone.”
On ending career at NCAA Tournament, the same place the seniors started as freshmen
“It would really mean everything to us. To come in as a freshman, it’s almost overwhelming to do that all your freshman year. You almost don’t really know what’s going on, you’re just along for the ride. Now as a senior, it’s why you play, to leave with a championship that last year. That’s what we’ve been talking about all this year since we started.”
Senior April Kidd
On mind set of the team going into the tournament
“I actually feel like we haven’t lost all season. I feel like we have all this confidence going into the tournament and I think we’re going to feed off all that and go out with all of that energy, go out and win.”
On whether it’s a positive to have an ‘us against everybody in the building’ mindset
“I think so. We, like MJ said, for the last two years, we’ve played at Oral Roberts and they’ve had some pretty big crowds and this year, we play in South Dakota with the big crowds. I don’t think that’s anything we can’t handle. We did actually did a pretty good job of playing in their place earlier, so it’s something we have to face when we play them. I think we’re ready for anything that comes at us, especially fans.”
On ending career at NCAA Tournament, the same place the seniors started as freshmen
"I think my freshman year when we won, it was an overwhelming feeling and this year, I don’t even know if the feeling can be bigger, but I feel like it can be. I’m nervous because I want it so bad, so I feel like we’ve already won it. I think that it would be a really big thing if we won this, so we’re going to go get it.”
Junior Melissa Jeltema
On mind set of the team going into the tournament
“It’s just nice to win in the end and have more confidence for the tournament. We’re ready to go.”
On playing in a hostile environment in South Dakota
“We’re just kind of used to that because of the last few years. We played at Oral Roberts and that’s their home, so we’re used to having the fans against us. So, we’re not too worried about that.”
