Jan. 18, 2011
Listen to today's press conference
Head Coach Craig Robinson
On injuries to Oregon players ...
"It's the Civil War game, so I suspect that everyone will play, even guys who are hurt or under the weather. It's just one of those games where the adrenaline gets going and helps you feel better. We're prepared for all of their guys to be able to play, unless we hear differently."
On Oregon's style of play under head coach Dana Altman ...
"Their style of play this year, you know, they play tremendously hard. What we've seen, we know we're going to see some zone, that's going to be a big deal. We're preparing for that. We know that they're going to 1-2-2 us in a full-court trapping press, and we have to be prepared for that. Finally, their energy level, in spite of what their record is, has been just outstanding. We have to be able to match that enthusiasm, that physicality, all of those things, those kind of intangible things, when we play them on Saturday."
On Oregon forcing UCLA's Reeves Nelson into his worst game of the season ...
"It was amazing to watch that game. It just seemed like whenever he got the ball there were more than one guy around him in that low post. It looked like it was a focal point of their defense to make sure that when he got the ball, he either got it away from the basket or he got it close to the basket with two guys around him. It was an outstanding defensive performance, because I think that kid is hard to guard around the low post."
On if Oregon State will use the same starting lineup ...
"I don't know yet because the great thing about having practice is that it's an audition every week. It will depend on what happens at practice this week. I suspect that without any kind of major shifts in the way guys practice, it will probably be the same line-up. I'm not certain of that yet."
On Calvin Haynes' ability to play off the bench ...
"What I will say about our guys is that every single one of them understands the concept of team play and the importance. Our goal is to win the game, it doesn't matter who starts or who finishes. They all know, even the guys who don't play regularly know, that we couldn't be where we are without them. It is a tribute to all of them that they can all kind of go in and out of roles and it makes it easy for me as a coach."
On whether or not Calvin will continue to help Roberto Nelson in practice ...
"The day after I made my comments to the team in the locker room, so they knew ahead of you guys that there was a change afoot, nothing changed about their behavior, which makes me happy as a coach and proud of them. Calvin's going to be as helpful, and Lathen (Wallace), Omari (Johnson) and Daniel (Deane) are going to be as helpful as they have been in the past."
On being aware of the players' egos ...
"What I find is the he only time when things get delicate is when guys don't really know where they stand. I try to make it very clear to everyone, one through 15, where they stand, vis-a-vi my opinion or vis-a-vi the other guys on the team. They know where they stand, so there are never any real surprises."
On the intensity of the Oregon State-Oregon rivalry ...
"It puts more pressure on us. This is, to some folks, shoot, to most folks in this state, as important as any game you could play anywhere. This isn't a national championship game, but it is really important to every single person in this state, so I have gotten a feel of that in my first couple of years here, and being fortunate enough to have won the two games last year, just puts more pressure on us to play well and win again, because our fans are starting to think this should be a regular thing. While we would love it to be, the other team thinks it should be a regular thing on their part. We have to be sure we are absolutely well-prepared for this game, because it doesn't matter where it's played, both teams are going to play the game hard, it's going to be hard-fought, it's not a gimmie-game at any point in time for either side, no matter how good or bad the other teams are playing."
On Coach Altman taking over a tough situation at Oregon ...
"I understand coming into a tough position. It's going to be hard for me to compare the situation here with anybody else because this situation is tough, but I know how it is to come into tough position and have to sort of start from scratch, so to speak. I don't know if he feels he was starting from scratch, but it's a tough time when you come in from the outside, and the outside meaning not this conference, not this state, and you have to come into a situation where you have some history, some winning attitude, and you have to kind of help get back to that. I know he's going to do a good job. I just see how hard his team's play. That's always a very good sign of good coaching, and as we take a look at them this week, we'll probably get to know it a little more intimately. As the recruiting gets better, as he gets more time in, I'm sure they're going to get back to where they were."
On his reaction to the intensity of his first Civil War game ...
"I was warned, duly warned, many, many times, so I was not surprised. I remember the first press conference I did, and I walked out of there and some older woman came up to me and she said, `well, you sound like you know what you're doing, and I'm glad you're here, but let me just tell you, you can lose every other game you play this year, but you just have to beat the Ducks.' She had to be at least 75-years-old, and I was thinking, `Oh, that's cute,' until the next person said it, the next person said it and the next person said it. I was prepared for it, and I'm sure he's getting the same thing. But then once the game got here, you cannot imagine that excitement until you see it the first time. I'm sure he's going to think, `well, we had our first game at the new court and it was really exciting,' but there's a different feel when it's a Civil War game. At least that's what I felt when I was faced with my first game here."
On the Oregon State-Oregon rivalry being the most contested rivalry in the history of college basketball ...
"That surprised me, because I would always think it would be something like Harvard-Yale or one of these older colleges. It kind of explains the intensity of the rivalry. I mean, this has been going on for years. It is not a friendly rivalry. It's amazing to me. Coach Altman, I don't want to speak for him because I know he's an outsider and I'm really an outsider, it's a lot of pressure on two guys who aren't from around here."
On the preparation for this week when there isn't a Thursday game ...
"We'll do the same thing. We'll just feel like we get an extra day, so that's good. Some people like to schedule something in between here, and we thought about it, but it always depends on when this game falls within the schedule and since we're close to the middle, we thought that having the week off and getting our legs back was more important than playing another game. We had practice yesterday, and we'll practice all the way up until Saturday, and it just gives us more time to rest our legs, make sure we have everything covered that we think that they're going to do, and have everything implemented that we want to do."
On how much Oregon film they have watched ...
"The way we do it, each one of the assistants is assigned a scout, so I'm sure Doug (Stewart) has watched them play a lot. I didn't start watching them as a scout until after we played USC, but because the games are on television and I'm up late, I have seen bits and pieces of each one of their televised games. We've probably watched a lot of film. I don't know how our film-watching compares with other people, but there really aren't any secrets anymore with the way we exchange film, and the games are on television, so we've watched our share. You think about this game, they're going to play hard. The thing that's been consistent in the games that I've watched, they play extremely hard, and it doesn't matter what the score is. They can be up a lot, down a lot, or the game could be close; their level of play is consistent."
On making sure the players maintain their composure during the game ...
"We do that all year long because we play our share of road games in preparation for games like this and games in the conference, so our guys know not to get into it with anybody. Our guys don't do a whole lot of trash talking. When I see that, it's usually with guys who are friends with each other, so if they have any friends on the other team, that's when you kind of get that. I don't mind that, it's kind of the old neighborhood stuff. When I say that the rivalry is bitter, it's usually the fans. The players aren't from around here either."
On Jared Cunningham handling himself against USC's Marcus Simmons ...
"Jared was prepared for that. We knew Marcus was going to guard Jared at some point in time. We didn't know if it was going to be right at the beginning, because they would have had to put a small guy on Devon (Collier), which they did. Jared has gotten good at just playing through what happens. When he gets knocked down, he gets right back up and makes his two foul shots, no matter how hard he's fouled or how little he's fouled. He and Marcus ran into each other accidentally, about as hard as two guys that didn't have any football equipment on in that one play where Jared was going to the basket and he stopped and turned around and Marcus thought he was going to still go, and they just slammed into each other, fell down, and Jared got up, made the two foul shots, and finished the game. I know his shoulder hurts, but he won't let on. That means we're toughening up."
On the value of Kevin McShane ...
"He turned out to be a tireless worker, wonderful off the court, good interpersonal skills, just a very driven kid. As you guys know, his freshman year he ended up playing a lot because we didn't have many pieces. Sophomore year he played a little bit more, and this year he's playing less because we've gotten better players. We as a staff still wanted him a part of the leadership of this team, being a junior and having played for a couple of years. And now, his role has changed because he wants to be out there more but he understands that right now he's not playing better than the other guys who are out there. When he does get in, he is still as energetic, he is still as important. He's played his way up to being back-up to Omari (Johnson) at the top of the 1-3-1. He plays the other team's best player in practice, so he doesn't get as many cracks at what we do as a starter does, but I feel confident that I can put him in the game in short spurts and he knows exactly where to go at all three positions. It's just a real tribute to his intuitiveness, his discipline. He's a good student. He's on the Student Athletic Council here. And finally, the way the crowd responds when he gets in the game, it gives us a lift. Especially at home. It gets him going. He's always diving for something; he makes the game exciting for the fans. That's a lot for a guy who's just a walk-on."
On the play of Omari Johnson ...
"We couldn't play our 1-3-1 if we didn't have Omari. We were set up to have a couple of guys be the replacement to Seth (Tarver), and both of them got hurt - Eric Moreland and Rhys Murphy, along with Omari. We were planning on doing it by committee because it's hard to replace a defensive player of the year up at the top of that zone. When both of those guys went down, Omari's minutes had to go up. I take the blame for his slump because I think we just wore him out at the top of that zone. People do not realize, and I know that you guys follow us and watch us, but you really don't realize until I put you at the top of that 1-3-1, how hard it is to play on a daily basis, because you have to practice it every day and you have to play with a level of intensity to make it work in the games. That just wore Omari down, but to his credit, his scoring may have slipped, but he didn't let his rebounding slip. He didn't let his hustling slip, and every time I take him out he says, `I'm okay,' even though I know he's exhausted. That's leadership. That's what the young guys need to see, because that takes a lot of heart and a lot of character, because I know he's exhausted. That leadership is what you expect out of seniors. And the other thing to point out is that Omari has made a very close to Most Improved player jump with what his contribution was last year compared to what it is this year, and it has everything to do with the amount of work he put in over the spring and summer."
On balancing a struggling senior with younger players ...
"It's tough. Like I said before, my guys know this isn't a popularity contest. They know that I love all of them and that the guys who are playing are the guys who give us the best chance of winning on that night. I'm really lucky, because when I make moves where guys play less than they want to or less than they thought that would, they understand that it's not a personal attack on their character, it is that we're trying to win the game and it's what I think is the best way to win the game. They are really easy to deal with."
On the first Civil War game being home rather than away ...
"I'm on the fence on that. Playing two games, I'm trying to figure out still what I like better, to play at home first or to play at home second. I think it depends on the way we're playing; it depends on the team we're playing. In this case, I'm glad we're playing first, but not because of the home court. I like playing first because I think we're coming off of playing well, so I'm glad we're playing home next. If we were playing at the new arena first, it wouldn't bother me because it's a new arena. As a matter of fact, it's as new to them as it is to us, so I might want to get that out of the way first, and know what I have to do the second game. I wish we had 18 home games as a coach, but since we don't, would it be better to play nine home and nine away? I don't know. Some teams you like playing at home first, some teams you like playing away first."
On painting the court at Gill Coliseum ...
"You're being facetious now. No, I'm a traditionalist; I like the wood look of the court and not too many designs on it. That's just my personal taste. I would do what our players wanted. If it helped our players win games, I would be all for an orange court or whatever. I'm not saying I hate their court. I don't have to like it or dislike it; I just have to make shots on it. Baskets are what I'm worried about. I'm sure the half-court line you can see. It looks like a really nice place and I can't wait to see it, actually."
On winning to get above .500 in conference ...
"It's a shame, because we haven't done something like that in a long time, that that's a big deal. But that's how it is when you're rebuilding something. We're not even talking about it, that's how important it is. You can tell how important stuff is to a team or to a coach by how much they talk about it. The fact that it is just coming up right now means that it's really important. Now that's a big deal, to be able to go over .500 at this stage of the conference is meaningful and important. We're trying not to make it a big deal, we're trying to downplay it and just play hard and win the game and celebrate it after, and then try and go two games up."
