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DIRECTV WOODEN LEGACY MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 13, 2013Dedrique TaylorTIM SIMMONS: I know you're in Seattle getting ready for a game tonight against Seattle, but you had a pretty good start to your season, a big win at Montana State. COACH TAYLOR: Yeah, that was good for our kids. Our kids played really well. I thought they executed the game plan almost to a tee. We hit all of our statistical benchmarks and played really well, and I thought it gave our guys a good deal of confidence in what we're trying to do and how we have to play in order to have some success. TIM SIMMONS: It looks like you're spending most of the preseason on the road. You've got four of your first five on the road with only one home game. Kind of how has your team been developing with the early start to practices? COACH TAYLOR: You know, I think for us it's been great. You know, just an opportunity to get on the floor a little earlier than normal just to continue to spend time with our guys to implement our system, both offensively and defensively. They've bought in full go up to this point. They've done everything or tried to do everything we've asked them to do, and up to this point it's been great for us. Just the extra time to be around each other, to get a feel for each other and understand what the expectations are, it's been really good for us. TIM SIMMONS: Who's been standing out for you? What players have made a pretty good contribution not only in practices but in the games for you? COACH TAYLOR: You know, I think Alex Harrison has gotten off to a really good start, and ironically with Alex he's played and performed the last two games, including our exhibition game, exactly how he practiced, from the first time that we were on the floor. He's just been full of energy, full of effort. He only knows one speed and that's to go really hard, and I think because of that he has duplicated that in the games and his numbers dictate that, and he's jumped off the page for us. Really, really good defender, really got himself going, shooting the ball well early in some of our games. He's been a pleasant surprise. Q. You're the new kid on the block with this field. You've got a pretty experienced coaching crew out there. How is your first go around as a head coach? COACH TAYLOR: I'll tell you what, it's been interesting. It's been a great deal of fun, just to be around our guys and be on the floor with them, and once again, just trying to learn about them and learn how they respond to certain things and really trying and implement our system with them. It's been a lot of fun. I'm sure we'll have some long days ahead of us, and they're coming, but up to this point it's been a lot of fun just trying to get these guys to understand that we have enough to achieve a level of success. TIM SIMMONS: With Fullerton hosting the first two rounds, obviously there's going to be a lot of television coverage of all the games and so forth. Do you feel you have a home court advantage for those first two rounds? COACH TAYLOR: You know, I think we'll be familiar with‑‑ more familiar with the building than anyone. We'll know where all the dead spots are and where all the rims are shorter on one end than the other, but I think we'll try to do what we can. I think it'll be a little bit good for us to have an opportunity to have that type of competition, that type of coverage early in our year, which I hope will help us prepare for our conference run. I think it'll be a good opportunity for us to have familiarity with the building the first two days. TIM SIMMONS: You've probably got the toughest first‑round assignment. You're playing No.17 Marquette. What do you think about the Golden Eagles? COACH TAYLOR: You know, when I saw the film when I was at Arizona State, I kind of stood back, and now that I'm running the show at Fullerton, it's quite daunting of a task. But nonetheless, the reason why we play the games is to see what we can do. We're going to put on our uniforms just like they are and we're going to have a game plan and hope like heck we can execute it and see what happens. Marquette is a great program. Buzz does an excellent job with his kids. They play hard, they play with a great deal of energy, and if we can get our kids to understand that and emulate that, I think it'll help us in the long run. TIM SIMMONS: Your second round you play either Miami or George Washington. Any thought about either one of those opponents? COACH TAYLOR: You know, the days don't get any better. Both of those programs are formidable foes, and one again, we'll try and lace it up and get a feel for what they're doing the day before, and obviously from days leading into the program, but Coach Larranaga doing what he's done down there in Miami and George Washington being what they are coming all this way, I don't expect anything less than a very, very tough test all three days quite frankly. TIM SIMMONS: What do you think about if you had a chance to play Arizona State on that Sunday? Have you put any thought into that? Have you had any dreams? COACH TAYLOR: Of course you dream about playing one of your mentors, and Coach Sendek, we exchanged some texts after our first win Saturday night, and I exchanged with him and just told him that there is no one out there that could have prepared me more than he did over the last seven years for this opportunity to sit in this seat. So to have an opportunity to play him on Sunday would be humbling, but it would be an awesome experience to play against one of your mentors if that opportunity presented itself, just to be on the same floor opposite of him and see what happens. TIM SIMMONS: You have your home opener against Santa Clara coming up on Saturday. COACH TAYLOR: Yes, Saturday at 3:00 p.m. TIM SIMMONS: Any newcomers on your roster that have been standing out to date so far? COACH TAYLOR: You know, Mikey Williams, we actually have, I think, three of them, and they all red‑shirted last year at Cal State Fullerton. Mikey Williams is a guy who transferred from USF who's very capable of putting up some big numbers when he's locked in and finds himself in a rhythm. He's a point guard for us. He's got to put up some points and get himself going. But he's been really good for us so far. Steve McClellan is another guy who red‑shirted last year, got really good size, and he's coming around. He got banged up a little bit early but he's coming around. And then Marquis Williams is a guy who had shoulder surgery early in the year last year and ended up red‑shirting, so all three of those guys have given us some experience and some stability moving forward as we undertake four of our first five games on the road. Q. Is LaBradford Franklin part of your program? He's a transfer from San Diego State, I know he's up there trying to go to school and he would have to sit out a year, but is he going to be part of your program? COACH TAYLOR: Right now he is not currently a part of our program. Q. So you can't speak to him‑‑ you couldn't speak about him? COACH TAYLOR: Yeah, other than saying he's right now not a part of our program. I think that's all I legally can say. TIM SIMMONS: Coach Taylor, thank you very much, and good luck tonight in Seattle. Thank you for taking time away. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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