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Texas A&M Basketball

Billy Kennedy previews SHSU, assesses his roster

December 2, 2014
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On how he feels about his team now compared to this time last year...
"We know our team. We're deeper, we've got more confidence in the makeup of our guys, I think we're more talented. When you have two freshmen come off the bench in the third or fourth game and one gets nine assists and the other gets 16 points, that gives me confidence in the depth of our team."

On what SHSU does well...
"They shoot the ball extremely well. They're balanced in their scoring ... seven or eight guys averaging six points or more. They shoot the three extremely well and they're small on the perimeter. We've got to stay out of foul trouble and keep them off the free throw line."

On whether he's settling into a particular lineup...
"We've got eight or nine guys who can start for us, which is a good problem to have. I'm more concerned with who's going to finish games for us. Who's going to be the go-to guy inside or outside or be out there in the game's final minutes? I'm still trying to figure that out."

On avoiding looking past SHSU to Arizona State and Baylor...
"I'd hope not. I have a lot of respect for Sam Houston. I've coached in that league. ... You hope our young guys understand that. Guys like Alex Caruso ... we know what we're going to get from those guys day in and day out. It's the younger guys you're not so sure about at this point."

On whether there's a drop-off from his No. 9 player to No. 10...
"I haven't given it a whole lot of thought. I just know we've had nine guys be very productive for us this year. You look at the five guys starting and four guys coming off the bench, they've done quality things for us. I don't give it a whole lot of thought to be honest with you, but I"m very confident in our bench and our depth this season."

On Alex Robinson thus far...
"He was really good yesterday in practice. I thought he was really good against New Orleans. We just have to get a consistent effort out of him and he has to be our best on-ball defender, because he can be a really good defensive player. If he does those two things it'll be hard to keep him off the floor, because offensively he can create and he can score and do a lot of things to help our team. Young guys ... it's hard to get them to embrace what we're doing teaching-wise on the court."

On this upcoming stretch of games...
"It's a big stretch. We told our guys, next week we play three games against three really good opponents. We'll look back on the season and think back on the preseason and split hairs, 'who beat who' and who didn't beat who. This is a very big week and it started yesterday. I think our guys understand that and hopefully they'll show it tomorrow night."

On how big a large crowd for ASU would be...
"Hopefully it starts tomorrow night for Sam Houston State, against a team that went to the NCAA Tournament last year and has quality guys back. Our fan base has been good so far this year and hopefully they'll continue to grow."

On the 2015 Battle 4 Atlantis field...
"The first year I was here, we were approached about that tournament and we jumped all over it because it's one of the top tournaments in the country. When you look at that field, we knew some of those teams would be in it but we didn't know it would develop into that. It's a great recruiting tool for us. Just to be a part of it and part of that field is going to grow our program. We were hoping when we got into it a few years ago that we'd be having our best teams to compete at that level and I think that's (happening)."

On this team having more scoring options like freshman G Peyton Allen...
"We had to live with a lot of things (last year). Peyton Allen epitomizes what you want in a student-athlete: excited every day to be a part of A&M and the team. Whether he's starting or coming off the bench, he prepares. He just wants to play. The only thing I get upset with him is if he passes up a shot. I want him to shoot if he's open.

"Coach Keller saw him in the fall last year; he didn't play the summer going into his senior year, he had Mono or something and not a lot of people saw him. We knew we needed a shooter and we saw him, I went up and saw him, and his recruitment took off like fire. Fortunately we got him in here and saw he could do more than shoot. ... When I saw him, I was like, 'We've got to get him.' Fortunately we got him down here in January or early February last year and it had been zero for weeks in Illinois; he got off the plane here in shorts and I new we had a good chance."
Discussion from...

PRESSER: Pre-SHSU & Arizona State

7,208 Views | 2 Replies | Last: 9 yr ago by txag72
Beau Holder
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AG
Billy Kennedy previews SHSU, assesses his roster
Morpholino
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Funny quote about Allen's recruitment.
txag72
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If this were to be the game someone snuck up on us, it won't be because the team wasn't warned. BK seemed to stress that hard in the interview and to the team.
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