Coach Davis Teleconference

March 18, 2003

In the Big Ten Tournament your defense really improved, did you make adjustments or are the players just more focused?
"They just started focusing in, that's been the problem with this team, they'll listen to everyone else but me. When you go through struggles, it's easy to listen to the other people or even try to play defense the way you want to play it, rather than playing good team defense. Our team defense has definitely improved."

Is there someone on the team who took charge?
"We just talked a lot about team defense and showed them a lot of things that we wanted them to do and for some reason it's getting better. It could still improve ten-fold from where it is."

How important is shooting in the NCAA Tournament?
"It's time for us to shoot the ball well, we haven't really shot the ball well all year. That was a strength heading into the season and for some reason, we just haven't shot the ball well. Sometimes we just hurry the three-point shot. We definitely have to shoot the ball well to win some games."

Talk about George Leach, did you think there were flashes of better play in Chicago? Have you finally figured him out?
"If you figure him out, you tell me. George has a chance to be a really good basketball player. George just needs to be disciplined. And he doesn't understand the difference between making a mistake and being disciplined. I don't mind when guys make a mistake. I try to stress to George that he doesn't have to try to block every shot and he doesn't need to draw back and swing at the basketball. Sometimes taking a charge is a good thing. It's nothing he can't do or correct, but it takes discipline to correct it. It's a situation where guys are driving in and he'll leave his man and try to block the shot.
"It's taking everything I've got to get him to understand that discipline is so important. We are definitely going to need him, but playing the way we need him to play and the way we've taught him to play. When guys are trying to block shots and everything, we just need him to be solid. (Jarrad) Odle and (Jared) Jefferies would take a charge. Until this (Big Ten) Tournament, it was a long time since anyone on our team had taken a charge."

Regarding why he chose Alabama over Auburn.
"Alabama is 43 miles from where I live. I used to go and play with the players all the time. I thought since I knew the players better at Alabama, that's where I should go."

What is your fondest memory of playing at Alabama?
"We beat Kentucky in the SEC championship game at Rupp Arena which was pretty nice."

Can you identify your problems during the five-game losing streak?
"Our best player got hurt. How good were the Lakers with Shaq out? They were an average basketball team. When our best player came back we had 6 of 8 games on the road. We had to play Michigan State, who needed to win and Louisville, who was playing the best basketball in the nation then. It didn't matter who we played when we lost to Northwestern because anytime you lose two straight games in college basketball, it's really hard to come back from that. Our spirits were just really low in that Northwestern game."

"Of our last 10 games, we've won six of 10. We played bad against Penn State the last game of the season. But the first half of the Wisconsin game was good and the last five minutes against Illinois we played really well."

Are there advantages for having been through the NCAA Tournament?
"The teams that we have to play, Alabama and if we're fortunate enough to beat them, Pittsburgh both of these teams were ranked number one at one point in the season. That's a tough feat, if you're fortunate enough to win the first game, to beat a team that was ranked number one. They don't just rank a team number one for no reason."

What does this season mean to you?
"It means a lot, a whole lot to be honest with you. We were sitting here last year with the exact same record, 20-12. We struggled this year a lot and when you struggle and everything is thrown out of proportion. I'm looking at Steve Lavin's resume and he's gone to the Sweet Sixteen many times and he has one bad season and he's gone. At a school like Indiana, Kentucky, UCLA there is a lot of expectation."
"The first two years, the players wanted to fight for me and didn't worry about the expectations. You could tell in the players faces that something was going on with them. That was the first time I could see and tell that they were going through some really, really tough mental situations. You lose to Purdue and Michigan State and people are counting you out. It was good to go through that as a young coach, because what happens is that if you're never faced with a situation, you don't know how to handle them. I was really bitter and upset with the way people were talking and the things they were saying.

"Our leading scorer went down with a back injury and I was saying that's unfair, but that's life. But for us to make a comeback and win 20 games, I'll guarantee that no one thought that we would win 20 games this season. Right now the players have something to prove, the coaches have something to prove. When we play good basketball, we don't have anything to prove and we tend to relax a little bit."

With all the coaching changes around the country, is that grueling?
"Very grueling. I can't explain it. Larry Chapman, the basketball coach at Auburn-Montgomery told me `If God had it written down when I was 12 years old and told me where I'd be at 42, I wouldn't be able to sleep at night. That sort of lifted my spirits. I'll make a quote about something or share about something that was able to lift my spirits up. It's tough when you think about Steve Lavin losing his job because of one bad year. Coach Chapman telling me what he told me, it helped me to put things in perspective."

Has it been a long path from playing at Alabama and going through what you have gone through?
"It makes you have more appreciation where you are. Sometimes you don't appreciate it, you lose sight of everything in what's going on and what people are saying. You forget it's a blessing to be here and to be in this situation. People like to be critical and no matter how strong I think I am, I'm weak. I've been fortunate to have people around me that are really good at saying things in different ways to get me over the hump sometimes. It's so important to have people around you who can help you through it without talking about whether people like you or not."

Coaching Indiana basketball is it like following Alabama football coach Bear Bryant?
"I remember growing up and Coach Bryant was the man. When he walked in the cafeteria, there wasn't a word said when he was in the room. It was kind of like a movie. If you were on the other side of the cafeteria because you couldn't see around the corner, you knew he was in there because everyone got so quiet. I remember seeing him walking around the Coliseum when I was playing ball there. The next guy to come in was Coach Perkins and he was successful, but no one cared. I always felt sorry for the next head coach at Alabama. I was there with Coach Bryant and here I am sitting in that same chair now. I know what those guys went through. You've got a group of people, no matter what you do, they are going to be upset about something. I was reading the Big Ten media guide and I didn't realize that we had won more games in the first two years than any other first year head coach. It's good to go through this, you never know where I may be later in my coaching career but I feel like I can handle anything in my career now."

There are some interesting defensive match-ups with Alabama. Can you evaluate the task Marshall Strickland will have to guard Maurice Williams?
"Williams is really fast with the basketball, he can shoot the basketball. But we have a game plan. The thing we haven't done this year is execute our game plan defensively. That's the frustrating thing because everyone is trying to guard their own man instead of just playing team defense. He can score 25 points on us easily if we don't play good team defense."

How has Marshall Strickland developed since moving into the starting lineup?
"He's coming along well. He's had some good games as a starter and some where he wasn't playing that well. I think more than anything it's helped (Tom) Coverdale. It has helped him get his legs back and his thoughts of how to run this team. I'm really happy with how Coverdale is playing."

In the second half of the Illinois game Marshall was out and Coverdale moved back to the point guard, is that something you will stick with?
"I'm going to go with the same lineup but play Coverdale at the point position a little more. He got us to the championship game last year. He's been there. I can see in his eyes that his spirits are definitely back."

As head coach, there is not any time to rest. How do you like dealing with it?
"I may be wrong, but I think there's 75% of people that really appreciate me and like me, I could be wrong. The small percentage that don't like me make the most noise. Sometimes you get tired of people saying 'I'm on the hot seat or I'm not the right guy.' That's frustrating, to know that we have worked so hard. Things can always go wrong, look at Notre Dame, they have great players, but haven't been playing their best."

"Alabama has struggled at times this year and they have three pros on their team. When it happens other places, it's different than when it happens here. Ask anyone about coaches in the Big Ten. (Ohio State's) Coach O'Brien and (Michigan State's) Coach Izzo are great coaches, and they've had their struggles. You get tired of it when you hear it all the time. My oldest son, Mike, hears it all the time and I can look in his eyes and see that it bothers him to hear it. My four-year old, Antoine, could care less. Last night, he came in crying because Indiana won by nine on Playstation. Antoine doesn't have a clue Indiana is supposed to win. I wish I had his mindset that `that's the way it goes".

Regarding Kenny Winston.
"He's a pro player. Anytime you have a guy 6'7 who can play a lot of different positions you're going to have trouble guarding him. I tried to recruit Kenny Winston and with players from the south, you make a courtesy call but you know how it is in the south, he's not going to leave."

Regarding the possible postponement of the NCAA Tournament with the war in Iraq:
"The war is definitely more important than a basketball game when there are lives at stake. It's always a sad time when things like this happen. Basketball should definitely take a backset to that. My prayers are out to everyone who is participating in it."

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