Indiana University Athletics
Teleconference Transcript from Feb. 24
2/24/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 24, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head men's basketball coach Mike Davis and senior Marshall Strickland sat down for a teleconference with the media on Feb. 24, before the Hoosiers' nationally televised game against Michigan State on Sunday, Feb. 26. The game is slated for noon on CBS and will be the senior day as the final home game in the careers of seniors Marshall Strickland, Sean Kline, Marco Killingsworth and Lewis Monroe. The following is the transcript of the teleconference.
Senior guard Marshall Strickland
On his four years at Indiana:
MS: "It had definitely gone fast. I have a lot of memories here. I am excited about the game on Sunday just because of what it means for our team and our season, not to mention that it is senior day."
On his development:
MS: "I have grown up as a player and as a person. I am a lot more mature than I was when I got here. The experience has made me a strong person. I feel like I can walk away from this as a man, when I came in as a boy."
On how he wants to be remembered:
MS: "I hope people look at my four years and look at me as a player who played hard. A guy that did whatever it took to help his team win, and a person that loves the game of basketball."
On whether he would change anything about his four years:
MS: "I don't have any regrets. I walked in and gave it my all. It has been a lot of sweat and hard workouts. I look back and I feel like I have grown from all of it."
On his senior speech:
MS: "My plan is to keep it straight, but there is no telling when I get in front of the mic. I haven't written it yet. My dad actually called me earlier today and asked if I had anything prepared, but I haven't written it yet."
On Michigan State:
MS: "Michigan State is going to come in to win. They are a team that plays hard. They are tough to beat whether they are playing at home or on the road. I think we can beat them if we play our game and match them physically and their intensity."
On practice over the last week:
MS: "Practice has been good, and we are having fun. We have been going at each other, and I think the intensity has stepped up another notch. It is what we need to keep growing at this point in the season and to try to get things back on the right track."
On the importance of the Michigan State game:
MS: "It would be a huge boost for us. To get this game under our belts would really get us in the right direction and where we need to go. It would put us one step closer to the (NCAA) tournament."
On reaching the 1,000-point mark and how he wants his final home game to be:
MS: "I would like to win my last game at home. It is definitely a goal, and I want to have a chance to play in the tournament my last season. As far as the 1,000-point mark, I really didn't know where I was. I heard that I was close, but I figured I would give my all the last couple of games and see where I end up."
Indiana head coach Mike Davis
On the keys to playing Michigan State:
MD: "First of all, we have to get back in transition, and we have to keep them off the offensive glass. They are probably the best in our league at those two things. It is going to be important for us to do a good job in those areas because they scored over 80 points against us. We cannot let them score 80 points this time."
On rebounding against Michigan State:
MD: "We have to have all of guys playing well. This is an important game for everyone to come out and play. We need all our guys to rebound the basketball. Last game, we had A.J. and Rod with seven rebounds each. We need those guys to repeat the same thing for us to have a chance to win this game."
On having strong fan support for senior day:
MD: "It is important to have the fans support you all the time, not just for big games. We are looking forward to the game on Sunday. It is a nationally televised game and hopefully our fans will come out and support us."
