Bracey Wright Transcripts

Jan. 14, 2003

How much are you looking forward to seeing Deron Williams on Saturday; how many people from your hometown are coming to the game?
"From my hometown, at least 30 or 40. They are all taking vans and car pooling, coming up to see the game. It should be interesting. I'm looking forward to playing against him. I haven't played with him in awhile, so playing against him will be something different."

How often do you talk to Deron?
"I talk to him often. We went home at the same time for Christmas and we hung out a lot and we talked after the Memphis game."

Have you ever gone against him one-on-one and who usually wins?
"We started playing one on one our eighth grade year, but we never finished any of the games. We played one on one maybe five times in high school but they always got interrupted by practice or someone had to go somewhere."

How well do you know his moves and will that be an advantage to you?
"I know his moves pretty well. It won't really be an advantage, really. Even in high school we couldn't stop each other's moves."

In your one-on-one games, who was usually winning when you quit?
"Usually it'd be tied when we had to quit."

Did you ever look into going to the same school?
"It was brought up a couple of times, the only mutual school we had recruiting us at one point in time was Texas, so they got T.J. Ford and he didn't really want to go there anymore. Other than Texas we had no schools that looked at us both."

So instead of going to school together, you chose rival schools?
"At the time I committed to Indiana, for him it was between Georgia Tech and Illinois and he was going through his whole process and Jarrett Jack committed the same day he was going to take his visit, and he committed to Illinois. It didn't even hit us that they were rival schools but with all the talk that goes around now, we both know pretty well."

Were you committed to your schools during last year's game and did you watch it together?
"We were at his house and we watched a little bit of the first half and then we left. After the game was over, we watched it on ESPN and we saw the record setting thing (referring to Indiana's record-setting 17 three-point baskets, the most in school history) and he was a little upset about that. I gave him a hard time about that once we got to college."

During Indiana's Final Four appearance, did you give him a hard time about that?
"I never gave him a hard time about the Final Four. Anytime I tried to call (during the games), he wouldn't answer the phone because he knew what I was going to say. He kept saying how we were going to lose against Oklahoma and against Duke but then he didn't say that about Maryland, the only team we lost to."

How do you protect against burnout, playing a longer season than you ever have before? Do you think you'll hit a wall?
"To tell the truth, I don't know the first thing to tell you, hopefully I won't hit one. Right now I feel I'm in the best condition I've been in playing basketball and I don't feel that, for me, I'm going to hit a wall anytime this year."

This season you've attacked the basket and been content to pull up for the three - do you feel like right now you need to start taking people to the hole a little bit more?
"I don't think so. I think our whole game plan is to drive the ball and get penetration and kick out for threes. That's something that has worked for this system for awhile. You'll have nights where you won't hit threes, but most nights we shoot the ball well. The amount of threes we knock down, the more open the lanes will get."

Were you surprised to see the two-three zone at Ohio State?
"I wasn't because they ran it against Michigan State and I figured they'd run it against us. I was surprised that they stayed in it for so long because we would end up hurting them, but we didn't end up hitting the shots we needed to."

Do you think you will see the zone more this year now?
"I don't think people will play zone against us. I think people are smart enough to know we won't have many nights like that (against Ohio State) shooting."

Who do you think Coach Thomas will be rooting for this weekend?
"Back in high school he used to say Indiana showed him no love because the Illinois coaches always came down and talked to him and stuff. Him and Coach Davis became really close. Him and Coach Self and their staff are really close. I think everybody from The Colony that aren't Deron's parents and aren't my parents are going to wear a shirt with Indiana on one half and Illinois on the other half."

Will there be a lot of talking on the court between you and Deron?
"Me and him have never been big talkers on the court, when we play on opposite teams, we never trash talk one another, but we always talk to each other. It's like, I`ve been playing with him by my side for so long that it's a habit for me to point out stuff that he's doing wrong and stuff he needs to see and he does the same for me. It's kind of bad now, playing on different teams."

How do you think Deron is playing?
"He was playing really well before he hurt his ankle. He's passing the ball real well and he's running the ball like he should be. He's doing good things that a point guard should do."

Coach Davis commented on the lack of leadership and that it might be hindering your progress on the court. How do you feel about this?
"Earlier today, Coach Davis and I sat down and talked about numerous things that the team is going through. Our leadership is there, it's just right now we're going through a couple bumps in the road. This team will be okay. We always are and we always will be."

Do you think you can step up and be the leader of this team?
"I can be a leader, I think I can be. I've never been the leader, to be so vocal I'll pull you aside and tell you some stuff, I never get down on my teammates and I only encourage them. I leave the vocal stuff to Tom (Coverdale) and (Kyle) Hornsby and Marshall (Strickland)."

After playing against Ohio State and now turning around and playing Northwestern, does it feel that you can't get there quick enough and get back on a good note again?
"I think right now, with the way we played at Ohio State we just really need to take our time and re-evaluate what was working for us earlier in the season. Sometimes we tend to look ahead of opponents and things of that sort. We just got to take it one game at a time."

Are you worried about that with the Illinois game?
"It could be a problem, but now that we're playing the way we are right now. I don't think it'll be a problem and we'll take one game at a time and get our momentum back."

Did you expect to be scoring so much this season?
"I expect a lot from myself, so I did. I didn't expect that I would be breaking a record with consistent double figure scoring games."

Have you talked to Deron about the game at all?
"I'll probably call him up tonight or tomorrow late night and talk to him and conversate with him, nothing too big about the game, just see how he's doing."

As far as three point shooting, do you have the green light on a lot of possessions, or is it just a feel thing?
"I have a green light, but for the most part it's just for anybody on our team, any of the guards, if you see an open shot, you've got to shoot it, you've got to make them respect you. I try to stay away from forcing shots and taking shots. If you give me some room, I'm going to shoot the ball."

Does the team consciously take shots from well beyond the three point arc?
"The shooters have some range and when we're out there playing, it doesn't seem like it's that far."

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