Men's Basketball
Scott Cross and the Mavericks begin their season on Saturday hosting Hardin-Simmons at 8 p.m. |
MAVERICKS PREPARING FOR SEASON-OPENER ON SATURDAY
Nov. 11, 2008
ARLINGTON, Texas - With just three full days before the UT Arlington men's basketball season-opener against Hardin-Simmons, the Southland Conference preseason favorite Mavericks continue to prepare for their upcoming non-conference schedule which begins at 8 p.m. Saturday night at Texas Hall.
Third-year Maverick head coach Scott Cross took some time out of his schedule to visit about his team during the first three weeks of practice and visited about what has impressed him so far, what needs to be adjusted and how he expects to fill the holes of last season's championship team.
- What have been your thoughts on your team's first three weeks of practice?
"Obviously we have a lot of new faces. The guys have been working really hard and we have definitely made some progress through the first three weeks. I think we have a lot more quickness - especially on the perimeter this year. With our top eight or nine guys, we aren't going to have as much height as we did last year, so that might hurt us a little bit. The guys have had a great attitude, they have worked hard and I think they are going to get better and better as the season progresses."
- Your team has played in two scrimmages this pre-season (at SMU - vs. Lamar), what are the things that have impressed you about your team in game competition, and what are some areas of concern?
"I think the most impressive thing about our team is we have a bunch of guys who are capable of scoring. We are going to have some really good scorers out on the floor. At point guard we have Roge'r Guignard, who we know can score after last year. We know Anthony Vereen can score, Tommy Moffitt will be our power forward, he is capable of putting the ball in the hole. We are going to have Brandon Long, who was the second leading scorer before he got injured last year, he can really shoot the ball and is a scorer. And, of course, Marquez Haynes is also a very capable scorer. All of those guys can shoot it from outside, but they are also five really good scorers. Those are probably the most impressive things about our team."
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"The area of concern - defense - obviously is always an area of concern this early in a season. We need to work on how we guard. We need to try and keep teams out of the paint - whether it is throwing the ball inside or whether it is dribble-penetration. We have not done a very good job of that so far this year. And obviously, rebounding is a major concern because of the lack of height from our top eight or nine guys. I think we have made a little bit of progress from the SMU scrimmage to the Lamar scrimmage, but we have a long way to go."
- This season your team has to replace three seniors from last year (Jermaine Griffin, Larry Posey, Rod Epps) who were all starters last season. Who on this team has stepped up early on to provide leadership and who looks to be ready to step into some of their roles?
"I think Anthony Vereen has been the guy who will be that vocal voice of the team, kind of like (Larry) Posey was last year. I really expect him to take over there. Marquez Haynes has also showed signs of leadership for us. I'm really expecting big things from him. I think he can pick up where Rod (Epps) left off from last year. Jermaine, we don't have anyone who is similar to him at all, he is a guy with size and athleticism, so we will have a tough time replacing him. From an intangible aspect, Larry Posey was a guy who did all the little things. He played defense, bought into the team concept, played hard, played with intensity - I'm hoping Tommy Moffitt can fill that void."
- Coming off such a successful season in 2007-08, what have you been telling your players the last three weeks that will help them handle the expectations that people have and also prepare them to handle having a target placed on their back each game this season?
"I really haven't visited with them a whole lot about that, it might be something I need to do. Once school started I really haven't mentioned the NCAA Tournament to our guys. Occasionally if they aren't playing hard, we'll use it as `hey, do you guys really want to get back?,' I think the guys already know there is going to be a target on their back. I just try to not put any added pressure on the guys. If we can just try and take it one game at a time and try to get better every single day that is when we will improve as a team."
- What player on your team do people not know about that might be one of your biggest difference makers this season?
"Marquez Haynes is the guy that a lot of people probably know about from a lot of the hype, and a lot of the hoopla that has been going around about him. If they don't know about him, he is the guy that is really talented offensively, can shoot the ball really well, is really quick and explosive and can get to the basket - he is also a lock-down defender and does a lot of the little things, he gets other people involved, he is very unselfish. He is one guy that obviously we are expecting big things from."
"LaMarcus Reed is another guy. He redshirted last year and does all of the little things for us. When we have him and Marquez in the game I think we will really be able to shut some teams down. He is about 6-foot-5 - long and athletic - he has a nice pull-up jump shot, runs the floor extremely well and is a great defender. Jeremy Smith is another guy who came onto the scene a little bit late last year, and I think he is a very important piece of the puzzle for us as well. Hopefully he can be a difference maker for us as well."
- What newcomer has elevated himself through practice, hard work and what he has shown on the court this preseason?
"I have been really impressed with J.D. Davis. As I have watched tape from practices and scrimmages, he is a guy that is doing all of the little things that we ask of him. Trey Parker was kind of that guy last year. He doesn't get caught up in the glory of how much he plays, or this and that. He is a guy who is always going to block out, play good defense, rebound and block shots. And back to Marquez, he is a guy that I knew had it offensively, and I thought might want to be a real dominant guy who shoots all the time. He has been a team player, his defense has impressed me a whole lot in the preseason and his ability to sacrifice some of his own scoring for some of the other guys has been really impressive so far."
- What can fans expect from your team and their style of play this season?
"The fans can expect for us to get up and down the floor this year. We will definitely be a team that will have to run, shoot a lot of three's and use our speed and quickness and our athleticism because we don't have a lot of height. Obviously when we have Vereen in the game we will play a similar style as we did last year to try and get Vereen a touch every single time we get down the floor. When he is not in the game, or when we are in transition, we will really try to push it and get some easy baskets in transition or maybe even some easy 3-point shots off the break."
