Oct. 21, 2007
GREENSBORO, N.C. -
Wake Forest head coach Dino Gaudio, Harvey Hale and Cameron Stanley met with regional and national media at ACC Operation Basketball Sunday afternoon at the Grandover Resort and Conference Center in Greensboro.
Head Coach Dino Gaudio Quotes
On the coming season...
"My wife (Maureen) told me the other day, as I was going to my first practice, that `everybody is hoping that this has a happy ending.' And I told our players, that all of us, every player and every assistant coach, we're the ones that need to make it happen.'"
How will you replace Kyle Visser?...
"When Darius Songaila graduated, everybody said `who is going to score inside for you?' And Eric Williams came in and did a great job for us. Then last year, people said `Eric's gone, who's going to play inside for you?' And Kyle Visser emerged and did a terrific job. He might have been one of the most improved post players in the country. I think one of our big guys will emerge. Jamie Skeen is doing a terrific job. I believe that big guys need room to operate inside. We like to put four guys outside and one guy inside. When Eric left and Visser moved inside, everybody could see what he could do. Skeen was such a good three-point shooter, he could stretch the defense. Now, we're putting Jamie inside and he's done a good job in all of our practices with his back to the basket."
Are you spending more time on defense?...
"We have 10 scholarship players. Those guys are all good players. A big factor in our success this year is how healthy we are. If we're healthy, we'll surprise some people. Part of keeping us healthy is making sure that practice isn't three hours long. Because it's a long year. Last year, we were last in the ACC in field goal percentage defense and 10th in three-point field goal percentage defense. We're a pretty good rebounding team. We know, that in order to be successful, we have to be better on defense. Subsequently, we're spending more time on that side of the basketball."
"We've changed our defense a little bit, in terms of philosophy and how far we're extending out on the floor. We've spent a lot of time on it and they're buying into it. In the past, there haven't been as many consequences as there will be now for defensive errors."
"From an offensive perspective, we're still going to push the ball like we did. You know how fast Ish Smith is and how fast he can push the ball up the floor and how he can create. Jeff Teague could be as fast if not faster. He really pushes the ball. And we'll play those two kids together. We've always been a good rebounding team. We do a pretty good job of how to handle the backboard. In 2003 we led the league and the nation in rebound differential. It is imperative that we get better on defense and we will."
How has the death of Coach Prosser affected the team?...
"Once we get on the floor, we're okay. We can change our emotions and focus on getting the team ready for the season."
"In the evenings, I'll sit down with my practice plan and I'll pull out last year's practice plan. It will have Skip's name on it and that's hard, I get a little bit choked up. What we've tried to do is make it a celebration of his life. I talked to Pat Fitzgerald, the head football coach at Northwestern. We all know what happened with Randy Walker (died of a heart attack). (Pat) said `it can't that every time his name is mentioned, you get heartbroken.'"
"(Skip) had all these sayings and we put them up in our locker room. And we're trying to keep him in a positive way in our mind. Pat Fitzgerald said that's what they tried to do with Randy Walker, they wanted to keep his memory alive in a positive sense."
When does this become your team?...
"This is my team. It became my team on the day I took the job. I told the kids that nobody had a bigger impact on my professional career than Skip. I was 23 years old, fresh out of college, and I became his assistant at Wheeling Central Catholic. But our personalities are very, very different. I'm a little more emotional and hot-blooded. In practice, I'll bark at kids. If a kid did something wrong at practice, Skip would pull them aside and talk to them."
"We have one senior, Cameron Stanley, and one junior, Harvey Hale. We have five sophomores and three freshmen. The young kids are really talented. Of the sophomores, Ish Smith started for us last year, L.D. Williams started last year, Jamie Skeen started for us last year. And the three freshmen on campus this year are pretty good players."
Harvey Hale Quotes
On the Deacons playing better defense...
"I think it's consistency. One day we'll be great, and the next day might be not as great. I think the biggest thing we're going to try to do is be more consistent every single day. I think that's the biggest thing--trying to be consistent on every play, trying to be consistent on every possession.
On Coach Gaudio...
"He's so much different. He's very intense. When you mess up he'll let you know. He'll confront you in front of the team. He'll do some things that Coach Prosser didn't do. He's a very good coach. He likes to have fun also, so that's always good."
On whether Coach Gaudio's demeanor has changed since transitioning from assistant to head coach...
"I don't think his demeanor has changed at all. Coach Prosser was always an older guy who sat back and really didn't say as much. Coach Prosser knew the game, so when he said something he meant it. As far as practice goes, I don't think he (Gaudio) has changed a bit. He has that head coach swagger."
On starting practice without Coach Prosser...
"I think it was right at the beginning of the season when we had a little prayer thing and guys started really feeling it again. Right before practice started we met as a team and sat down and talked about it. But I think that's when it really hit us again. I don't think guys really bring it up as much as I thought [they would]. People say it's going to hurt us. But I think we're rejoicing. We're still working hard. Like a lot of people say, Coach Prosser wouldn't want us to sit back and let us get punched in the face. He wants us to rejoice and keep moving on with life and keep working hard."
On answering Coach Prosser questions this season...
"I'm going to just be real with everything I say. I know I'm going to get Coach Prosser questions because he was a great man and meant a lot to the Wake Forest program. I'm going to be real about what type of guy he was and what type of guy Coach Gaudio is, how our players felt about him. That's how I'm going to approach it every single time."
On improving from last year...
"I'm just trying to be that consistent guy so my team can always count on me. At the beginning I was having a great season and then we lose to Air Force and boom we have another loss. All of a sudden, I forgot about how well I was playing. It's not even about me, it's about how the team was when we started losing. I wasn't playing well.
On his confidence level shooting the ball...
"I think now me noticing that my teammates have a lot of confidence in me helps. They know I can explode. I hit two in a row, I might hit two more. That's four threes. I miss a three, I'm going to shoot another three. If I miss that three, I'm going to shoot another. I don't mind about missing, as long as they're good shots and I know my teammates want me shooting. As far as me as a shooter, that's a great thing to feel."
On if his performance against Georgia Tech in the ACC Tournament was his signature game...
"If you're saying fan-wise, then yeah they remember that Georgia Tech game because it was such a memorable game. Everybody played well in that game. Ish (Smith) had 15 assists. People don't realize. Kyle (Visser) and David (Weaver) didn't even miss. It wasn't just me, I think everybody played well. Mike Drum hit five or six threes in that game also. I just thanked God that I had the opportunity to come in when he fouled out. I came in and I was excited about how the other guys were playing. Ish was getting me open, and I hit them. And all of a sudden I hit two or three and got hot again."
Cameron Stanley Quotes
On this year's team...
"We have guards that push the ball, that's the style of play that coach likes. We're going to be a running team. I feel like everybody is going to be on the same page. This team has chemistry. There's a lot of positives and a lot of upside to this season."
On his favorite Skip Prosser quote...
"He always stressed being on time. That goes beyond basketball. He said `If you can't be on time, be early'. That applies to class and especially practice. Everything he said you could take it past basketball."
On the difference between Coach Prosser and Coach Gaudio...
"We still feel Coach's presence, but at the same time Coach Gaudio is our coach now. They have some of the same views and some of the same emphasis. But Coach Gaudio isn't Coach Prosser. They're different people. It's hard to explain the differences, but you can tell."
On his knee injury early in his career...
"The only time that hurt was my true freshman year. That's the reason I redshirted. My knee wasn't 100 percent, and I knew it would be better if I took that year to rehab and practice. I just go into every season wanting to contribute. Whatever I can do to help the team win, I'm going to do it. Whenever my number is called, I'll go out there and work my hardest."
"You always think about it, but my knee has been 100 percent since I've been cleared (to play). It's always in the back of your mind, maybe it takes away a little bit of your explosiveness. But I feel like I'm the same player I was before I got hurt. I'm just looking forward to an opportunity to help the team this year."
On his playing time last season...
"I'm just looking for any opportunity to do whatever the coaches want me to do. Of course I probably would have wanted more minutes, but I'm sure the coaches were doing whatever they had to do to win the game. I'm not looking back with any regrets. I'm just happy I'm getting another opportunity this year."
On the upcoming season...
"I'm looking forward to this year probably more than any other year. We've got guys coming back. We've got some very talented freshmen. We just think we're going to be very competitive this year in the ACC."
On being a veteran on the team...
"It's cool. I try to help out the younger guys with what the coaches expect. Coach Gaudio, Coach Battle, Coach Kelsey and Coach Muse, I've been around those guys almost four years now. I know what they expect and the high expectations they have for our team. I try to just help the freshmen out to help them instill the values the coaches try to."
