George Washington University Athletics
Men's Basketball Hosts Media Day
11/11/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2009
Basketball Media Day Photo Gallery
WASHINGTON, DC - The George Washington men's basketball team hosted its annual media day Tuesday afternoon in the newly renovated Athletic Director's Club of Charles E. Smith Center.
GW Head Coach Karl Hobbs
Opening statement
"They [team] have been coming around quite well. It's part of the reestablishing our style, our foundation, our brand in terms of how we like to play. And they are making great adjustments. They are very mature in terms of their approach to how they come to practice everyday and getting better. To say they are getting better this early in the stage, without playing a game, is a terrific sign. All five guys [freshmen] are going to make an immediate impact, with Daymon hurt right now. We anticipate those guys to get off to a great start."
On Daymon Warren:
"I tried to have him in a drill yesterday to just stand there and the trainer, he yelled at me to get him off the floor, so I have no idea. It was actually kinda funny. I was just wanting him to stand there. I think he has a couple of weeks before he can do anything. It has to be a bit frustrating that we have six guys who have been there since July and then right before practice was about to start is when the injury occurred. I'm pretty sure it's been a frustrating ordeal for him to say the least."
On Travis King as sixth man:
"Speaks volumes about Travis. And the nice thing about this team is the chemistry and most importantly all the guys are putting the team before their own personal things. Travis has been a tremendous leader in this program. I think that he understands the big picture and I felt that we needed some experience coming off the bench. He's doing a fabulous job at it; he competes every day. I think he's looking to have a good year."
On Damian Hollis:
"I would like for him to be a little bit more aggressive in his overall play. And the key for Damian is for him to get off to a good start. If you look at his stats in the first game of the season, you know he just wasn't consistent. It really put us behind the 8-ball. But in the last part of the season, he really stepped up and really played well. But at that time we were so far behind that we were really playing catch-up. The thing that he can't do is get off to a slow start. We talked about him getting off to a fast start. I think it is important for us. I think it will take some time for the young guys to come on, so he is going to have to carry us in those early games."
On Smith Center renovations:
"That's what is exciting for me. We're in the process of reestablishing the energy of the building and rebuilding our brand, our style of play and we got a bit away from that and that system. I have always believed that a consistent system is a big reason why you have success. It all starts with recruiting and recruiting the right kind of players that can play in that system and getting the right character guys that can believe in that system. I think it coincides that the rebuilding, the renovation and what they have done to the building, I am very excited, motivated, thrilled about these new guys, about the team. I told the team that I want to coach the team with the best attitude of any other team in the country this year. We'll see how it goes."
On Damian Hollis' leadership and team's freshmen:
"I think that speaks to the chemistry of the team. Here's a guy that is a senior, just speaking about how he sees his role and how he sees himself. He's not a vocal leader; Damian is not going to be the loudest guy in the gym. I think he's referring to the energy the young guys are bringing to the team. Those six freshmen just bring a level of innocence and energy. Those are positives. Those are the things you need, I think, to reestablish the style of play. The nice thing about those six new players is that they are very versatile players. They can all play a few different positions and all add something special to the team."
On how long it takes to reestablish the system:
"I think the goal for us is to focus on the process and daily on our principles. Try to stay as fundamentally sound as possible. From a stats standpoint, last season we held teams to 40 percent shooting, that's the best we have done since I have been the coach here. That may surprise a lot of people because we have had quite a few good teams here. Unfortunately, we didn't shoot the ball very well last season. We averaged somewhere around 64 points per game and I think if we find a way to maintain that level of defensive excellence, but we have to score points and not turn the ball over. We turned the ball over too many times last season. I think if we fix those things and get back to playing fast and get back to the style of basketball that created a lot of excitement around here. I think we have the players to do it. We most certainly have the depth to do it. Its going to be a process. I think the biggest part is how we're going to take care of the ball. From the defensive and energy standpoint, I think we are just about there right now. Now we have to figure out how not to throw it into Section 115 where my wife sits."
On embracing rebuilding:
"I think the process started two years ago. I won't go a whole lot into it, but there were some guys that were dismissed from the team and my thing as a basketball coach, I'm not going to sacrifice or yield. I'm going to stick to my principles and the principles of the University, not going to compromise that. As a result we had to rebuild the program. We had to reassess some of the guys in the program and we had to go back to the basic fundamentals the program was founded on - building a team around character guys. That means taking a lesser talented player, but taking the high character guys. We think we're heading in the right direction. We think we are back on that road. That's part of rebuilding that consistent system."
On any surprises so far in preseason:
"Not really. I think what has been refreshing is the energy and the enthusiasm that they bring everyday. For me it's the excitement of the journey. It's the excitement of the unexpected. What's nice about this team and these players is that we are unknown. We are certainly the most unknown of the league. They weren't highly recruited. They weren't big name guys. That's what's most exciting to me. I am really looking forward to the journey and where it leaves us at the end of the day. What is exciting for our fans and the student body is that they are going to get to watch these young men grow. I think that's what is great about college basketball. You get the opportunity to see young guys come in one way and see them graduate from this university in an entirely different way. I think that creates enough excitement in itself. And even at the end of the day, we truly understand it's about winning basketball games. I'm not losing sight of that."
On team becoming a force in A-10 and source of pride at University:
"I think the school has always been proud of the teams here because the teams have always given a very strong effort here. I most certainly say that we weren't always happy with the results. I think that since we rose to such success in such a short amount of time that obviously changes the expectations. Here at GW, there is a certain level of standards and we have to get back to those standards. Those standards most definitely have to do with wins and losses."
Has reenergized team rekindled you as a coach?:
"Without question. I think over the past two years it has been about putting the parts together. It's been about eliminating the distractions. This year it's about putting the parts together and that's the fun part. The difficult part is evaluating your program, making sure that you're staying close to your principles and making sure that you have guys committed to those principles. Difficult part of the last two years is weeding out the distractions, weeding out the guys that aren't committed to this university on and off the court. First commitment is to the university. So that is what has been hard for me the past two years. As a coach you want to coach basketball. I am overly enthusiastic because we are back to playing a fun style of basketball - the way I enjoy coaching, the way fans enjoy watching basketball. And it's an opportunity to reestablish our brand. That's what's fun."
