Online Q/A with LU basketball coach Clif Carroll

[Mike]

He's agreed to do an online Q/A session with our members in an attempt to answer any of our questions concerning the LU Mens Basketball team.

The format is still being discussed with one being Coach actually logging into our site and answering your questions from right here in the Above the Rim forum, another with me sending him the questions and replying. We'll see how it turns out but either way it's time to post questions so get started. When we decide how we'll post his replies I'll let you guys know.

So for now........Fire away!!

[CardAmbassador]

Any thoughts on who will be this years big time players that we don't know much about? Who will be a fan favorite?

Are we planning on sticking to practicing defense only early in the season, due to the limited amount of time we get to practice?

Talk about scheduling this year, is there any portions of the schedule that you can tell us about yet?

[Big T]

First off thank you Mike for getting things like this set up and thanks to Coach Carroll for agreeing to do this. I hope he decides to come on here but either way thanks.

How many freshmen are going to see significant playing time this year?
Are any of the players coming in going to be redshirted?
When are all of the players going to be on campus?
How is the team chemistry with all of the new players?

[Big T]

How is Hondo's broken foot from last year? Is he at 100 percent? If not is he expected to be before the season starts?

[ScreamingDeane]

my questions are about the bigs:

i thought that osas came a long way towards the end of last season specifically in the slc tournament. would there be thought to playing him and stan brown at the same time if you guys decide to go big?

what kind of progress has norman made this offseason and do you expect him to be more a factor in the upcoming season?

is muepo a 4 or a 5?

thanks for doing this for the basketball fans.

[coachacola]

Do you think Doty will see much action this year?

[clifcarroll]

I thought I would get a jump on everybody and post a welcome message, but I was beat by a mile! Lamar has the best fan-base for any college basketball team in Texas and I am excited to get to interact with you in this environment. I have to let you all know upfront that there are certain topics that I will not and/or can not comment about. Do not get you feelings hurt if I do not answer your question or have something removed from the forum. I will be as forthcoming as I can and hope that I can give you all a little insight into LU Hoops. Let's have some fun!

[CardAmbassador]

I thought I would get a jump on everybody and post a welcome message, but I was beat by a mile! Lamar has the best fan-base for any college basketball team in Texas


It really is true, for such a small school we have a real passion for Hoops.

[TBonesLU]

I thought I would get a jump on everybody and post a welcome message, but I was beat by a mile! Lamar has the best fan-base for any college basketball team in Texas and I am excited to get to interact with you in this environment. I have to let you all know upfront that there are certain topics that I will not and/or can not comment about. Do not get you feelings hurt if I do not answer your question or have something removed from the forum. I will be as forthcoming as I can and hope that I can give you all a little insight into LU Hoops. Let's have some fun!


Thanks for getting on BRI with us!

[clifcarroll]

Any thoughts on who will be this years big time players that we don't know much about? Who will be a fan favorite?

Are we planning on sticking to practicing defense only early in the season, due to the limited amount of time we get to practice?

Talk about scheduling this year, is there any portions of the schedule that you can tell us about yet?



As for who will be our big time players that you do not know about? We think very highly of Rhon Mitchell. He was able to practice with us for a short period of time last year before the NCAA stripped his eligibility. We felt he would have been a major part of our team last season. I think he will be a special player for the next 4 years here at LU. The other player that I look to playing a major role it Amos Wilson. He played for one of the best coaches in JUCO for 3 years and was one of the top players in Texas last season. His experience will be invaluable to our young team and his experience in a similar system to ours will allow him to play huge minutes right off the bat.

It is hard to figure out who the fan favorite will be. I got the feeling that last season everybody loved Lamb because of the relentless nature in which he played. I think if you follow that mode, the fans will love Hondo Webb. Hondo has the same kind of toughness that Lamb showed, however they do it in different ways. Hondo also is a very personable kid who loves doing community outreach and will be a high academic kid. Jim Sigona, his JUCO coach just called to tell me that he was selected as a NJCAA Academic All-American. The kid has an incredible story about where he was born and on top of all that, the kid is named after Hondo Crouch, who is the man that started Luckenbach, TX. How can you not love a kid with that kind of story attached to him.

Pat will always stress defense early no matter what type of team we have. If you do not defend, you will not win championships.

Scheduling has been a challenge this year. We made some changes in last years schedule that we felt would help that team be ready to compete for a SLC Championship, knowing that it would make scheduling this year a challenge. We do have dates set with Baylor, Purdue, and Alabama this season, which we are really excited about.

[CardAmbassador]

Wow, thanks for that detailed response.

I just thought of another question that maybe you could answer after you get to everyone else's questions.

Alot of fan discussion has centered around what we should expect from such a young team. What are the player's and coaches expectations for this year?

[clifcarroll]

First off thank you Mike for getting things like this set up and thanks to Coach Carroll for agreeing to do this. I hope he decides to come on here but either way thanks.

How many freshmen are going to see significant playing time this year?
Are any of the players coming in going to be redshirted?
When are all of the players going to be on campus?
How is the team chemistry with all of the new players?


I am excited to do this. I do want to also thank Mike for thinking of this idea.

There will be quite a few freshmen that will need to play a role for us this season. A team can not sustain the loss of production that we lost last year, and not have any type of production from new comers and still be a good team. Freshmen are funny creatures, sometimes they show flashes of what they can do and then it will go away for a few days or weeks. The key is to keep the confidence of these guys high, while bringing them along in the system. I am excited about the group of kids in the freshmen class. I think they have a chance to be a special group.

There is a very good possibility of red shirting players. We are going to have to get the kids on campus and figure out who would benefit most from an extra year, but I could see one or two guys who could use a year to grow and work on things.

Most of our players will be here July 10. We have one newcomer who is finishing up some things academically and Sebastian will be playing for the Swedish National team this summer. Other than that, all will be here.

Chemistry is a funny thing. It's not whether you have it or you don't. There are degrees of team chemistry and sometimes it comes and goes. Pat is really good at getting teams to work together. I also think that the returning players are bringing a really good mindset to the group right now and will set a good tone in the locker room for the new guys.

[clifcarroll]

How is Hondo's broken foot from last year? Is he at 100 percent? If not is he expected to be before the season starts?


I talked to Hondo this morning. He tells me that his foot is 100% and that he is working out on it everyday. We are going to keep a very close eye on him and make sure that the foot is staying healthy.

[coachacola]

Will Lamar have a hard time getting enough home games each year by not scheduling non-D1 schools? If true, what would make it easier?

[clifcarroll]

my questions are about the bigs:

i thought that osas came a long way towards the end of last season specifically in the slc tournament. would there be thought to playing him and stan brown at the same time if you guys decide to go big?

what kind of progress has norman made this offseason and do you expect him to be more a factor in the upcoming season?

is muepo a 4 or a 5?

thanks for doing this for the basketball fans.


Last season, we weren't able to play two of our bigs together for any amount of time. The team never figured out how to get into any offensive flow with two bigs in at the same time. I think that the problem was caused as much by the guards as it was the big fellas. Personally, I like playing with a smaller, more versatile line-up. Generally, we are going to value skill and toughness over pure size. All of our returning bigs have put in a lot of work this off season and are getting better and that could translate into getting two of them in together to get more minutes for those guys.

Sebastian came in last year in a tough situation. We didn't get him here until late August and he was a young kid on a team of mostly upperclassmen. He has worked his tail end off over with Josh Miller in the weight room getting stronger and quicker. When his body gets to the point where things aren't moving so fast around him, I think he will contribute more. He is really skilled for his size, things just moved a little fast for him this year. I think playing with his national team will do him wonders this summer.

We don't play the numbers game, meaning we don't have 1,2,3,4 and 5. We have guards, forwards and bigs/posts. Muepo is a forward/big. He is a versatile players with a lot of tools. He is still a little raw, but will be a terror in the SLC for years to come.

[clifcarroll]

Do you think Doty will see much action this year?


I love Doty. His first practice last year we started off doing our alley drill. None of our players liked to guard Lamb in the drill. Doty jumped right in, got knocked on his ass, jumped up and did it again. He is a tough kid that didn't get to spend much time on basketball until this season. He needed a lot of work on basketball skills and has been in the gym everyday since he put on a LU uniform. It will be interesting to see what he does this summer in workouts.

[clifcarroll]

Wow, thanks for that detailed response.

I just thought of another question that maybe you could answer after you get to everyone else's questions.

Alot of fan discussion has centered around what we should expect from such a young team. What are the player's and coaches expectations for this year?


We are realistic. We will have a young team and a difficult non-conference schedule. We have an uphill battle in front of us, but I love the attitude that our returners are bringing. I really like how we recruited this year. If we have some things come together, don't be surprised if the SLC isn't looking up at the Cardinals again at the end of next season.

[Big T]

Toward the end of the year last year Osas "The Black Hole" really became a fan favorite on the defensive end with what he did in the tournament. The big question about him has always been his offense. So my question is how is he progressing with his offensive skills and do y'all see him as a starter or as a sixth man?

[clifcarroll]

Will Lamar have a hard time getting enough home games each year by not scheduling non-D1 schools? If true, what would make it easier?


It would be easier to pay bunch of NAIA and D3 schools to play here in Beaumont, but it does your team no good to play walk over teams. We have to test ourselves every time we step on the court or we don't get better. I have worked tirelessly to try to get quality D1 games here in the Montagne. The Bracketbuster helps with that. We will have George Mason come play us here in 2013. I have talked to teams like Valpo, San Francisco, Louisiana Monroe, Indiana State and countless others about home and home series. The key to getting good teams to come play here, is not to be afraid of playing good teams.

I have also kicked around the idea of hosting a pre-season tournament here. The earliest it could happen would be 2014 or 2015. SFA has a tournament called the ETech classic. I would like to do the same thing here at Lamar.

[clifcarroll]

Toward the end of the year last year Osas "The Black Hole" really became a fan favorite on the defensive end with what he did in the tournament. The big question about him has always been his offense. So my question is how is he progressing with his offensive skills and do y'all see him as a starter or as a sixth man?


My big question mark with "The Black Hole" (I like that by the way) has been consistent effort. He played as well in the 2nd half of the SLC Championship game as any big guy in the country. On the flip side of that, he was absolutely awful against Vermont in the NCAA's. Offensively, all we need him to do is screen and be disruptive on the offensive boards. We don't need him to score us 20 a night. We DO need him to play like his hair is on fire every time he steps on the court defensively. If he ever figures out how to do that, watch out!

Adding a note here:
I love Osas. He is a great young man with tremendous upside. Admittedly, I coach Osas pretty hard. He has the ability to dominate games, and I have faith that he will get to that point.

[Big T]

What are your thought on the SLC bringing in Oral Roberts, HBU, and possibly UNO?

Does this hurt, help, or not effect LU recruiting?

[clifcarroll]

What are your thought on the SLC bringing in Oral Roberts, HBU, and possibly UNO?

Does this hurt, help, or not effect LU recruiting?


I like that the SLC is being pro-active and replacing teams that have moved on from our conference with quality schools. Obviously Oral Roberts is the biggest dog in that pack. They have amble resources to work with and Coach Sutton does an unbelievable job. They will raise the level of play in the SLC and I like it. I don't think it changes the way we recruit.

I am also excited about UNO coming to the SLC. It never hurts to spend a little time in the Big Easy and Coach Slessinger (former Northwestern State Asst) is a great guy and will be a great addition to the SLC coaching fraternity.

I am personally pulling for Abilene Christian to be added as well. I grew up in that area and it could be neat for that area to have another D1 team to root for besides Texas Tech. I am also very close the the head coach there and would love for him to get the call up..

[clifcarroll]

This has been great. I have to run to some meeting on campus, but continue to post questions and I will stop by from time to time and answer them. A big thank you to Mike and BRI for allowing me to do this.

[LAZEEK]

LeBron took his talents to South Beach..........when is Clif Carroll gonna bring his talents to the golf course??? :D

[TBonesLU]

What role do you see for each newcomer in the event they get extensive playing time? (Feel free to combine a few if they are like in attributes)

Wilson
Blanks
Webb
Muepo
Hancock
Smith
Minton
Mitchell

[CardinalClaw]

Coach Carroll tweeted that his wife is in the hospital and it looks like their first child is coming a little early. Congrats to both of them.

[lamar1]

Any truth to opening season with 1o consecutive road games? Wow! Are we joing the SWAC or MEAC?? Who will we be playing at home non-conference?? Thanks

[clifcarroll]

It's 4:00 am and I'm laying on a glorified cot in a hospital room. My wife surprised me with a call this afternoon and told me that we were having our baby 3 weeks early. She did great, Waylon is doing good, and I couldn't be prouder of them both. Thank you all for the well wishes posted on the site. We'll have at least one more Cardinal fan in the Montagne this year!

[clifcarroll]

LeBron took his talents to South Beach..........when is Clif Carroll gonna bring his talents to the golf course??? :D


I don't have many talents to bring on the course. I think me and Barkley could make a great twosome. With the recent development, I don't know if my wife will let me out of the house until we hit the road recruiting in July. I would love to come out and play though.

[clifcarroll]

What role do you see for each newcomer in the event they get extensive playing time? (Feel free to combine a few if they are like in attributes)

Wilson
Blanks
Webb
Muepo
Hancock
Smith
Minton
Mitchell

I hope that Wilson can come in a be a leader along with the returning guys. He has good experience in a structured system and has the ability to be one of the better players in the SLC.

Blanks is lightning fast and plays with a lot of creativity. He can really get up and down the floor and defend the ball 94 ft. He will find minutes because he will defend and he could see significant minutes when he gets control of the offense.

Webb is a very versatile guard. He can play point or off. He is the best passer I have ever recruited. Because of his size and strength (kid weighs over 200 and can bench over 300) we will be able to,let him guard almost anybody on the court which allows us to play some crazy lineups. He will give us a steady hand at the guard spot early on in the season and allow the young guys to develop. On top of all of that, he is a basketball junkie and his enthusiasm for the game is contagious.

Muepo is a freak physically and athletically. He is a big 6-7, and can move. He is a little raw offensively and hasn't played in a system like ours. He is the type of player that could dominate the SLC for a few years once he figures out what he is doing out there.

Hancock is a flat out knock down shooter. He is a basketball junkie and a gym rat. It will be interesting to see how he transitions to an American style of basketball.

Smith is a dynamic guard who has a tremendous upside. I could see a scenario where he could be a significant player if he catches onto the system. He has every tool to be an all SLC guy by the time he leaves LU.

Minton is the kind of kid that doesn't get a lot of respect because he doesn't pass the eye test. He is too small to be a D1 guard. He doesn't look like he shoots it all that great. There isn't a lot of flash to him. But, he has that something different about him that makes him a winner. He is tough as nails and has ice water running through his veins. He is the kind of kid that I will take on my team any day. I have a feeling that he will use pure guts to get on the floor.

Mitchell is a super talented, tough, and competes his ass off. He doesn't say much or show much emotion,but he comes to win. No doubt he will be a big part of what we are doing next year.

Half the battle for new guys is to learn how to compete everyday. The kids that figure that out will get to play. Some of them will take longer. You have to remember that most of these guys have not been in strength and conditioning programs and study hall programs like we have. The kids that can get everything straight off the court have the best chance to get on the court.

[clifcarroll]

Any truth to opening season with 1o consecutive road games? Wow! Are we joing the SWAC or MEAC?? Who will we be playing at home non-conference?? Thanks


We aren't joining the SWAC or MEAC, but we will not have many non conference home games. It was a combination of things. Taking the non-d1 schools off the schedule, adding the Charlotte home game last season, playing in the Pre-Season NIT, playing guarantee games, and the SLC adding 2 conference games have made our schedule challenging. I have been pounding the phones trying to get some things worked out, but it looks like we will not be in the Montagne much until December. We had a change in philosophy in all facets of our program, including scheduling and we are working hard to get our schedule to the point where we are bringing in quality teams to play at the Montagne.

[TBonesLU]

What role do you see for each newcomer in the event they get extensive playing time? (Feel free to combine a few if they are like in attributes)

Wilson
Blanks
Webb
Muepo
Hancock
Smith
Minton
Mitchell

I hope that Wilson can come in a be a leader along with the returning guys. He has good experience in a structured system and has the ability to be one of the better players in the SLC.

Blanks is lightning fast and plays with a lot of creativity. He can really get up and down the floor and defend the ball 94 ft. He will find minutes because he will defend and he could see significant minutes when he gets control of the offense.

Webb is a very versatile guard. He can play point or off. He is the best passer I have ever recruited. Because of his size and strength (kid weighs over 200 and can bench over 300) we will be able to,let him guard almost anybody on the court which allows us to play some crazy lineups. He will give us a steady hand at the guard spot early on in the season and allow the young guys to develop. On top of all of that, he is a basketball junkie and his enthusiasm for the game is contagious.

Muepo is a freak physically and athletically. He is a big 6-7, and can move. He is a little raw offensively and hasn't played in a system like ours. He is the type of player that could dominate the SLC for a few years once he figures out what he is doing out there.

Hancock is a flat out knock down shooter. He is a basketball junkie and a gym rat. It will be interesting to see how he transitions to an American style of basketball.

Smith is a dynamic guard who has a tremendous upside. I could see a scenario where he could be a significant player if he catches onto the system. He has every tool to be an all SLC guy by the time he leaves LU.

Minton is the kind of kid that doesn't get a lot of respect because he doesn't pass the eye test. He is too small to be a D1 guard. He doesn't look like he shoots it all that great. There isn't a lot of flash to him. But, he has that something different about him that makes him a winner. He is tough as nails and has ice water running through his veins. He is the kind of kid that I will take on my team any day. I have a feeling that he will use pure guts to get on the floor.

Mitchell is a super talented, tough, and competes his ass off. He doesn't say much or show much emotion,but he comes to win. No doubt he will be a big part of what we are doing next year.

Half the battle for new guys is to learn how to compete everyday. The kids that figure that out will get to play. Some of them will take longer. You have to remember that most of these guys have not been in strength and conditioning programs and study hall programs like we have. The kids that can get everything straight off the court have the best chance to get on the court.


Thanks for the long and detailed post!

EDIT: By the way, congratulations on the baby boy!

[coachacola]

Coach Carroll, congrats on the new baby and thanks for answering our questions on such a busy day for you!

[clifcarroll]

Coach Carroll, congrats on the new baby and thanks for answering our questions on such a busy day for you!


It didn't become a busy day until about 4:00 yesterday afternoon. We thought we had another 3 weeks till Waylon came, but we were pleasantly surprised yesterday afternoon.

[LU4LIFE]

Congrats Coach Carroll on becoming a new dad.

[Reddykilowatt]

I've had season tickets since '85. Looking forward to new players and new season, I have always enjoyed the summer pick up games to learn the new players. Coach would you keep us informed when the pick up games start.....Thanks

[planoallen]

Coach, I had the pleasure of spending some time with you this past year. I love the story of how you got your job at Tech. I don't know if that is something you would want to share, but I think some people would love to hear it? I look forward to taking you to Rudy's the next time you come to Plano.

[bigred360]

Coach Carroll you basically already answered any question I might have had because I know you can't go into recruiting. Congratulations on the birth of your first son and thank you for taking time to answer our questions and joining BRI. Cardinal's for Life!!!!

[clifcarroll]

I've had season tickets since '85. Looking forward to new players and new season, I have always enjoyed the summer pick up games to learn the new players. Coach would you keep us informed when the pick up games start.....Thanks


We are bringing all but 3 of the guys back on July 10. We are allowed to have team instruction this summer, so we will have open practices a few days a week. I'm sure that the guys will get together and play most every day though. Email me at Clifton.carroll@lamar.edu and I'll give you the days and times when we figure them out. just to let you guys know, all of our practices are open. Any of you are more than welcome to come and hang out at any time.

[clifcarroll]

Coach, I had the pleasure of spending some time with you this past year. I love the story of how you got your job at Tech. I don't know if that is something you would want to share, but I think some people would love to hear it? I look forward to taking you to Rudy's the next time you come to Plano.


What's up Allen. Allen found me standing in line at Rudy's in Allen. We had a great talk that night. The story about how I got my job at Tech is best told in person. Haha. We have a few guys on our recruiting list from your area. I'm sure I'll be back in Plano soon

[clifcarroll]

Coach Carroll you basically already answered any question I might have had because I know you can't go into recruiting. Congratulations on the birth of your first son and thank you for taking time to answer our questions and joining BRI. Cardinal's for Life!!!!


I can speak generally about recruiting. All specific names have to be left out. Thank you for the well wishes. We got to take Waylon home yesterday and he actually slept a lot last night. He is a blessing and we are going to enjoy him.

[Mike]

First off, thanks again Coach for joining and giving such detailed and quick responses to the questions asked.

Second, congrats again on the baby boy. Good looking kid, I know you're proud. We cant wait for ours in late August.

Third, I have a couple questions. Is the coaching staff coming together with the departure of Coach Price and the promotion of Kermit Holmes? And with the departure of so the seniors of last years team who do you hope and who do you guys expect to step up and take a leadership roles on this team next season?

Thanks again!

[bigred360]

Okay Coach, generally speaking is there anyone in the area worthy of recruitment of Lamar? No names or schools needs. I was just wondering if we might add a local at somepoint..Again, like Mike said that for everything and again congratulatons on the birth of Waylon.

Mike, let us know when your baby is born. I'd like to send a gift!!!

[Lamar Pride]

Coach, I know in the Knight system you don't designate players as 1,2, 3, 4 or 5s. However, I'm trying to get a better feel for the projected role of Rhon Mitchell. It seems like I remember at one point Coach Knight said if Rhon would have been eligible last year he would have been competing for some of Charlie Harper's playing time. Most on this board think of Mitchell as a 2 guard, but it seems to me he has the size to play multiple positions including an undersized small/power forward position just as Harper did the last couple of seasons. I'd like to hear how the staff projects him. I think regardless of position, he may be in the running for freshman of the year in the SLC.

Thanks for your insights and congratulations on the birth of your son.

Gary Linthicum

[clifcarroll]

First off, thanks again Coach for joining and giving such detailed and quick responses to the questions asked.

Second, congrats again on the baby boy. Good looking kid, I know you're proud. We cant wait for ours in late August.

Third, I have a couple questions. Is the coaching staff coming together with the departure of Coach Price and the promotion of Kermit Holmes? And with the departure of so the seniors of last years team who do you hope and who do you guys expect to step up and take a leadership roles on this team next season?

Thanks again!


Thanks Mike. Young'uns are a blessing, and I'm really enjoying the experience.

The coaching staff is coming together quite nicely. Kermit was incredibly gracious last year when the new staff got to Lamar. He was a huge help to me during the transition and proved that he was a valuable piece to our puzzle. I am really happy to have him in a recruiting role. We actually have a bit of news coming down the pipe as it pertains to the staff. I don't think I can comment on it yet. When the news breaks, then I'll be more than happy to talk about it.

Stan, Donley and Nikko have really showed a great attitude so far. Stan has put in a lot of work in the weight rom and gym. The other two aren't on campus yet, but have been active in keeping in contact wit the other players. I'm not concerned about leadership on this team. I think we will have some great locker room guys this season.

[clifcarroll]

Okay Coach, generally speaking is there anyone in the area worthy of recruitment of Lamar? No names or schools needs. I was just wondering if we might add a local at somepoint..Again, like Mike said that for everything and again congratulatons on the birth of Waylon.

Mike, let us know when your baby is born. I'd like to send a gift!!!


There are a lot of really good players in SETX. I would say there are 6 or 7 high school players in the area that could be D1 players. There are 2 or 3 kids that are freshmen/sophomores that will be recruited by the U Texas, Baylor, LSU, A&m's of the world. There is also a local kid that is at a JUCO that I have strong ties to, in which I will be following closely.

It is nice to recruit kids with established ties to the community,but you have to make sure that the kid is a good fit for the program. I think you do a local kid injustice by signing him because he's local, but he isn't a great fit with the program. I would rather have a kid go somewhere else and be successful, than have him rot on our bench.

That being said, I think there is the potential to see a kid or two from the triangle in a Lamar jersey.

[clifcarroll]

Coach, I know in the Knight system you don't designate players as 1,2, 3, 4 or 5s. However, I'm trying to get a better feel for the projected role of Rhon Mitchell. It seems like I remember at one point Coach Knight said if Rhon would have been eligible last year he would have been competing for some of Charlie Harper's playing time. Most on this board think of Mitchell as a 2 guard, but it seems to me he has the size to play multiple positions including an undersized small/power forward position just as Harper did the last couple of seasons. I'd like to hear how the staff projects him. I think regardless of position, he may be in the running for freshman of the year in the SLC.

Thanks for your insights and congratulations on the birth of your son.

Gary Linthicum


Gary, it's always nice to see you behind the bench. Rhon is a very versatile player. I could Describe him as a smaller Scottie Pippen type guy. He does alot of really nice things on the court, the most important bringing an intensity and engery level He is a long 6-6 and extremely athletic. He handles well and really gets to the rack. He has a nice pull up mid-range game and is capable of sticking a 3. He needs to be a more consistent shooter. The reason he can play a "power forward" type position is that he is really athletic and could guard bigger players and compete on the boards. If Rhon continues to develop he could be as good of a player that has come through the SLC in a while.

I do think that you can put Rhon and Amos on the court together and create major matchup problems. Those two can cover almost anybody on the court defensively and create problems for other teams offensively. They allow us the flexibility to play different types of lineups.

[CardAmbassador]

Clif, do you know if any of last years team will plan on being around when they drop the NCAA banner at the Montagne? I think that would be cool if that team got back together for that.

[clifcarroll]

Clif, do you know if any of last years team will plan on being around when they drop the NCAA banner at the Montagne? I think that would be cool if that team got back together for that.


I don't think any thought has been given to a banner ceremony yet. I would love to get the group back together, but as it looks now, some of the guys will be busy playing and making money during the season.

[coachacola]

The scoreboard in the Montagne Center is terribly outdated. Are there plans to update it with a new video scoreboard anytime soon?

[ScreamingDeane]

The scoreboard in the Montagne Center is terribly outdated. Are there plans to update it with a new video scoreboard anytime soon?


I want to add to this question coach carroll. With all the excitement surrounding the program whether there are plans for a new video scoreboard or not what type of game experience enhancements can be implemented and does the staff have any input? I think a new PA announcer would help and obviously if the money is there a better scoreboard as mentioned above. The atmosphere in the arena is much better when the students pack it in so whatever we can do to get them there the better. oh and thanks again for taking your time to answer our questions.

[clifcarroll]

The scoreboard in the Montagne Center is terribly outdated. Are there plans to update it with a new video scoreboard anytime soon?


I want to add to this question coach carroll. With all the excitement surrounding the program whether there are plans for a new video scoreboard or not what type of game experience enhancements can be implemented and does the staff have any input? I think a new PA announcer would help and obviously if the money is there a better scoreboard as mentioned above. The atmosphere in the arena is much better when the students pack it in so whatever we can do to get them there the better. oh and thanks again for taking your time to answer our questions.


Call me crazy, but I kind of like the old school scoreboard. I can hear some of you screaming at the screen as you read that. :D ;) I do realize that a video board would greatly enhance the fan experience, so I do hope that we can get a new one. I do know that there has been an effort by Montagne Center administration to raise money for a video board. I am in complete support of that, though I do not have much to do with it. The only thing I want is for them to do it right. I do not want to spend a significant amount of money on a little dinky screen, when a)we could have waited and raised enough money for a screen worth it and/or b) the money raised could have been put to better use in other areas in which we sorely need upgrades.

Our job is to build a program in which we are proud to put out in front of our fans. We leave the promotions to our marketing department. We hired a guy last fall who is in charge of promotions during games. He did not have enough time to fully implement his ideas last season. He runs his thoughts by me all the time and I know that he is full of ideas that will get more tail ends in the seats, and then keep them entertained once they get there. With a full year to handle his budget and implement his ideas, things will be better on that front.

As far as getting more students to come to games? That will come. I think we get more students to games than people realize. Our students tend to scatter into the empty seats around the stands instead of packing themselves into the "student section". As our attendance continues to rise, the students will be concentrated into the student section. Our promotions guy also has many great ideas to get the students involved with the program.

In my mind, attendance comes down to this: you have to put kids on the court in which the community can be proud to associate with and you have to win games. If you do those two things, more people will want to associate themselves with your program. Within the past year, I think we have done those two things.

[BigRed2010]

Winning cures a lot of ills. Lamar fans will come out when we start winning consistently. Good things are coming for Lamar basketball in the the future. You gotta believe!!!

[austin badbyrd]

Coach, Thanks for the opportunity to have this forum. It gives us outside of Beaumont a chance to get an inside look at the program. Congratulation on the little guy too.
I am glad that there is more of an effort to schedule D-1 teams, I feel it will help the team not only in conference, but may eventually produce better seeds in the NCAAs. I attended the TCU game last year and will attend the Baylor game this year - I live in Austin. My question is if you get any suggestions from fans on certain players that some feel would be a good fit and if this type of thing would be considered illegal under NCAA regulations?

[clifcarroll]

Coach, Thanks for the opportunity to have this forum. It gives us outside of Beaumont a chance to get an inside look at the program. Congratulation on the little guy too.
I am glad that there is more of an effort to schedule D-1 teams, I feel it will help the team not only in conference, but may eventually produce better seeds in the NCAAs. I attended the TCU game last year and will attend the Baylor game this year - I live in Austin. My question is if you get any suggestions from fans on certain players that some feel would be a good fit and if this type of thing would be considered illegal under NCAA regulations?


We have talked with the Horns about playing a agame in Austin, but the dates have not worked out. I get recommendations on players all the time. So long as you aren't going out and buying those players corvettes, it is perfectly fine to shoot me an email giving me the heads up about a player.

[jdcurran235]

How often are those leads actually helpful

[clifcarroll]

How often are those leads actually helpful


About half the time they are kids that we already know about. There are some that just flat aren't good enough. However, one of the best players I have coached was a tip given to me by a guy who didn't know beans about basketball. The kids grandfather and the guy who gave me the tip were fishing buddies. I did a little research on the kid and he turned out to be a really good player that was overlooked. He was a 2 year all conference guy for us at Collin and had a decent year at Gardner Webb last year. Now days with google and all of the recruiting data bases, I can do 10 minutes worth of research on my iPhone and get plenty of information on a kid. So it is worth it to me to chase down every lead.

[00hmh]

Coach,

The teams at Tech tried up to go up tempo, which I thought might work if the team played like the great team Pat was on at IU in the early 90's. I really hoped he would find a few players and make that work in the B12. Some saw Pat as abandoning principle. I thought he was actually fine on principle but could not get execution, maybe wasn't able to teach as well as RMK, but heck, nobody ever did that better. People misunderstood Bob Knight and thought he as always old school, but he was very creative and innovative.

How much is Pat a different coach now than when he was at Tech and you first met him. How much will we old timers see in Lamar basketball that goes way back, how much do you think will be something new? I love the ball oriented man defense and the motion offense, hope we continue to see that old time religion!

As much as I hate seeing a team with so many new faces, it really is a chance to teach and build toward a time 3 or 4 years down the road, where he will have a roster full of kids who know how to play. What is the plan for teaching so much to so many new kids? You have said they fit well, do any come in with previous experience in a similar system?

[clifcarroll]

Coach,

The teams at Tech tried up to go up tempo, which I thought might work if the team played like the great team Pat was on at IU in the early 90's. I really hoped he would find a few players and make that work in the B12. Some saw Pat as abandoning principle. I thought he was actually fine on principle but could not get execution, maybe wasn't able to teach as well as RMK, but heck, nobody ever did that better. People misunderstood Bob Knight and thought he as always old school, but he was very creative and innovative.

How much is Pat a different coach now than when he was at Tech and you first met him. How much will we old timers see in Lamar basketball that goes way back, how much do you think will be something new? I love the ball oriented man defense and the motion offense, hope we continue to see that old time religion!

As much as I hate seeing a team with so many new faces, it really is a chance to teach and build toward a time 3 or 4 years down the road, where he will have a roster full of kids who know how to play. What is the plan for teaching so much to so many new kids? You have said they fit well, do any come in with previous experience in a similar system?


The baseline of our team will always be a true motion offense and man to man defense with help principles. That will never change. Pat has thrown in a little zone and more ball screens than we ran at Tech with coach. There was a misconception about Coach Knight wanting to slow it down and grind it out. Over 3/4 of our offensive drills at Tech included conversion. He believed in running as much as any others, but because he demanded discipline there was a label thrown on him as a slow down coach. Pat is no different. We encourage our guys to push as much as anybody else, but we aren't going to settle for poor shots.

We are going to approach this year the same as we did last year. We have to get everyone on the same page defensively. We will slowly introduce the offense. It will be easier this year because we have the returners + Rhon, who was in a couple weeks of practices, and the two kids from Collin which ran a motion type offense. With over half the team comfortable with the offense, the other will come along quickly.

[Mr.KnowItAll]

Coach I hope I'm not too late to post a few questions,

What are the odds we can get Lamar in a game with Indiana? I know that would sell out. What are Coach Knights ties to the school?

Who was the best player you have ever coached?

Liquor or beer?

I love that we are recruiting Indiana, will that remain a priority?

Do we know all the teams we will play in the NIT this year?

Lastly, what was the best game you have ever gotten to help coach, win or lose?

Thanks for your time!

[clifcarroll]

Coach I hope I'm not too late to post a few questions,

What are the odds we can get Lamar in a game with Indiana? I know that would sell out. What are Coach Knights ties to the school?

Who was the best player you have ever coached?

Liquor or beer?

I love that we are recruiting Indiana, will that remain a priority?

Do we know all the teams we will play in the NIT this year?

Lastly, what was the best game you have ever gotten to help coach, win or lose?

Thanks for your time!


Never too late to get questions in. I think we would play anybody if the price was right. I have talked to Indiana St, Valpo, IUPUI and Butler about home and home series. We have purdue on the schedule this year and we will play more guarantee games with Big 10 teams. I think any game we would play in Indiana would be huge draws.

The most talented player I have ever coached would be Mike James. I had a few guys on campus at Collin that were NBA talents, but Jr High mentalities. Those three guys never could get their life in order to get on the court. It is hard to say who the best is. James had a great year this year. My first year of coaching we had a kid named Stevie Harley who ended up having a so so career at Nebraska, but he was a freak for us. The year we won the JUCO National Championship we had Nick Okorie and David Tairu that played at Tech. At Collin we had Gilberto Clavell who went on to be one of the best players in the SLC and Adam Brown that was a JUCO all American and played at Houston. We also had a kid named Hartley that wasnt overly talented, but was a tough SOB and competed his ass off. I wold also say that Amos Wilson is one of the top guys I have coached.

I am a man of many different tastes. Most of the time I like a cold Lonestar Light. Sometimes a Jack and 7 Up hits the spot. Sometimes it is a little Sailor and Pineapple.

PK is headed towards Indy as we speak. This week is the opening week of The July recruiting period. I think we would be idiots not to take advantage of some of the recruiting advantages we have there.

Tentatively we are in a pod with K State and North Texas. They are still looking for another team to complete the pod and set the schedule.

The best game I ever coached was in 08 qat South Plains vs Howard. That is a big time rivalry and the coaches are very good friends. It was a knock down drag out game that went 5 overtimes. We finally won on a last second offensive put back. Other notable games was the Big Monday game vs Kansas on Valentines day. Darryl Dora hit a three with under 2 seconds to put us up. The fans rushed the court. The SLC championship game was fun because our crowd took over tHe Merrill Center. It was raucous. In the NJCAA title game in '08 we fell behind 24-4 to start the game. We fought back to take a 2 point lead at half time then won by 20 points. I have been fortunate to be apart of many great games in my short career.

Great questions.

[LUSportsFan]

Coach,

I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to respond to the questions. This thread is one of my favorites and makes me wish Basketball season was all year long. I know it is for you. In the mean time, this thread is a good way to help keep basketball alive during the off season for us fans.

Since Coach Knight wants to only schedule DI programs, how much of a challenge is that in building the schedule?

Are there any plans to get a long term schedule with any of the universities or is the normal OOC schedule short term?

[clifcarroll]

Coach,

I just wanted to thank you for taking the time to respond to the questions. This thread is one of my favorites and makes me wish Basketball season was all year long. I know it is for you. In the mean time, this thread is a good way to help keep basketball alive during the off season for us fans.

Since Coach Knight wants to only schedule DI programs, how much of a challenge is that in building the schedule?

Are there any plans to get a long term schedule with any of the universities or is the normal OOC schedule short term?


I'm glad everyone enjoys the thread. It is fun for me as well.

The s hedule was a real challenge this season. We have the schedule stabilized over the next 5+ years though. It was tough going from having 4 non d1 home game to home and home series and having the conference add 2 games to the schedule. I think people will really like what we are doing with the schedule in the future if we an get through this season.

We inherited long term contracts with Pan Am, Ark St and La Laff. I want to keep/renew some of regional rivalries while bringing in some new teams to the Montagne.

[Reddykilowatt]

Coach C. What can you tell about Brian Curran from Salt Lake City. I think he is on academic scholarship. ....thanks

[clifcarroll]

Coach C. What can you tell about Brian Curran from Salt Lake City. I think he is on academic scholarship. ....thanks


Brian will walk on for us this year. He is a solid shooter and was a good,player in high school. He will definately bring up the team gap as well.

[Big T]

Is Brian expected to get any playing time this year? What kind of role will he play with this team?

Can you comment on Sebastian Norman's performance with the Swedish U19 game? Do you think that his performance in that game can translate to the D1 college level?

With Brain Curran walking on to the program, how do you rate this incoming class from 1-10?

Once again thank you for doing this! It sure helps the off-season go by a little faster.

[clifcarroll]

Is Brian expected to get any playing time this year? What kind of role will he play with this team?

Can you comment on Sebastian Norman's performance with the Swedish U19 game? Do you think that his performance in that game can translate to the D1 college level?

With Brain Curran walking on to the program, how do you rate this incoming class from 1-10?

Once again thank you for doing this! It sure helps the off-season go by a little faster.


I don't really know much about Brian on the court. We only had 2 tapes to watch on him. He has strong community ties and is a very good student. Every coach I talked to in Utah highly recommended him. We'll just have to,wait and see how he does when we get them on the court next week.

Sebastian is doing very well for his U20 national team. He took a pretty good shot to the chops and missed 2 games. He is averaging about 15 points and 7 rebounds. When they get into the Euro championships, he will be playing against high level college players and pros. I have a good friend who is in Europe and will watch him play. I also stay in contact with his national team coach. I think this experience is going to do wonders for him.

When you look at ranking classes there are a lot of factors that go into it. Do I think we signed a class equivalent to Kentucky? No. I do feel really good about our class. We had some key pieces to replace and I think we have gone a long way to setting this program up for several years to come. I don't think I can fairly put a number value on the class, but I think this group of kids can compete for banners for years to come, and to me that is a success.

[DJLocal]

Can you give us any info on teams that will be coming into the Montagne in say 2013 and beyond?

[clifcarroll]

Can you give us any info on teams that will be coming into the Montagne in say 2013 and beyond?


The only teams we have under contract is George Mason, Louisiana Laffayette, Arky St and Tx Pan Am. I have a gentlemens agreement with Louisiana Tech. I'm not going to sign contracts for games a year in advance until we get our conference settled. I do not want to find ourselves in a situation like we had this season with the conference adding games to the conference schedule and we have to give up valuable home games.

I have talked to several teams and have agreed in principle to have home and home series with Valpo, U San Francisco, and Indiana State. I have also spoken with 4 or 5 major conference schools about playing 2 for 1. That means we would go to their place twice and then they would come to us. I don't know if that will ever happen, but I'm trying like hell to get it done.

[austin badbyrd]

Coach, if I could afford to buy a corvette it would be for me, not giving that away

I have a couple of questions about Osas. He did quite well especially near the end of the season. How is his development going? Is he working on his offensive skills? I think he's pretty good defensively and I'm sure he'll get better next year. Thanks for the opportunity.

[Knightman]

Coach Carroll, I am so glad that you have agreed to do this chat. I think that the thing that I have always loved about the Knight's wherever they have been besides all the wins, is the things they do for the instutions where they have coached at, and the tons of help and props that they have given to the other sports that the school competes in, the help that they have given to the towns where they have coached, and the youngsters that they have brought in, and how for the most part they have conducted themselves as gentlemen, or they don't play or stay long!!!!!!! And that they have done everything within the rules of the NCAA, whether they liked the rules or not!!!!!!!!!!!! And I know that Pat and his staff will continue to do that!!!!!!!!!

G

[Mike]

Coach, I cant remember if I asked or someone else asked but with the turnover of the coaching staff this off-season,

(1) have you guys had much time to get together as a staff?

(2) have your roles and responsibilities changed since last season?

(3) aren't you now the senior member of the staff??

Thx....

[clifcarroll]

Coach, if I could afford to buy a corvette it would be for me, not giving that away

I have a couple of questions about Osas. He did quite well especially near the end of the season. How is his development going? Is he working on his offensive skills? I think he's pretty good defensively and I'm sure he'll get better next year. Thanks for the opportunity.


I was on the road recruiting and took a little hiatus from answering questions. Osas has everything he needs in terms of physical abilities. Before he can reach the next level, he is going to have to change his approach to the game. If he decides that he is going to bring it everyday, he could be scary!

[clifcarroll]

Coach Carroll, I am so glad that you have agreed to do this chat. I think that the thing that I have always loved about the Knight's wherever they have been besides all the wins, is the things they do for the instutions where they have coached at, and the tons of help and props that they have given to the other sports that the school competes in, the help that they have given to the towns where they have coached, and the youngsters that they have brought in, and how for the most part they have conducted themselves as gentlemen, or they don't play or stay long!!!!!!! And that they have done everything within the rules of the NCAA, whether they liked the rules or not!!!!!!!!!!!! And I know that Pat and his staff will continue to do that!!!!!!!!!

G


I appreciate it. We are working real hard to bring young men into this program that the entire community can be proud of. The Knights are first class folk, and I am extremely lucky to be able to have worked for Coach and now Pat.

[clifcarroll]

Coach, I cant remember if I asked or someone else asked but with the turnover of the coaching staff this off-season,

(1) have you guys had much time to get together as a staff?

(2) have your roles and responsibilities changed since last season?

(3) aren't you now the senior member of the staff??

Thx....


We have not had much time together. I got together with Sherron last April after we learned that JP was going to Grambling. I think he will be a great addition to the staff. He is organized and very well respected in the mid-west. Our recruiting in Indiana is really going to take off I think. Sherron and his wife weren't able to move down here right away, so he has spent most of his time in Louisville. Even though he is gone, we talk everyday and have built a great relationship.

Our responsibilities won't change much. Obviously, Kermit will go back out on the road recruiting and be back on the court coaching, but the day to day operations haven't changed much. We just have taken on a few extra duties to pick up some of the slack this summer.

I don't know if I would call is senior! I have been with Pat the longest, I guess you could say, because of my time Tech. Kermit has been here at Lamar for 3 different coaches now and did a great job for us in the DOB spot last year. Sherron is bringing a great energy to the staff. I am really excited about what is going on here at Lamar.

I have to say this about Paulino. I think he is a young superstar in the making as a coach. It's funny how a guy from Meadow, TX and a guy from South Central Los Angeles get a chance to not only work together, but become good friends. I will always thing fondly of the time that we spent working together here at Lamar and I am going to miss having him in the office over from me. At least now he won't have to listen to my country music! He will do great things for Fresno State and beyond. That being said, the real loss to the community is his wife Shillete! You can always tell if a coach can recruit by the type of wife that he has, and he can recruit on a high major level. haha

[Lamar Pride]

Is there a practice this evening coach?

[Mike]

Is there a practice this evening coach?


There is a practice today at 4:00 at the Montagne Center.

[clifcarroll]

Sorry I haven't replied for a few days. I've been sitting in a gym trying to find a new crop of Cardinals. I'll be back in Beaumont ready to answer questions Monday.

[Knightman]

that sounds great to us, Coach Carroll!!!!!!!!!!! I can't wait to see what developing in the recruiting area, but knowing this staff it is going to be good!!!!!!!!!!!!! And having Patrick and Sherron shall really help our recruiting in the Midwest, especially in Indiana!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is great to see Sherron as a member of this staff!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Go Cards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Knightman

[clifcarroll]

Regards from Vegas. Games don't start until tonight, so we are going to take the opportunity to get a little R&R by the pool. I'm getting great reports from the fellas back in Beaumont. I am really excited about the direction of our program.

[Mike]

Regards from Vegas. Games don't start until tonight, so we are going to take the opportunity to get a little R&R by the pool. I'm getting great reports from the fellas back in Beaumont. I am really excited about the direction of our program.



you dog. ;)

Where you guys staying?

[BigRed2010]

Is this the tournament you guys are at?

http://www.bigfoothoops.com/tournaments/lvc/lvc

[Lamar Pride]

Coach: Last year there was a lot of discussion about the summer conditioning work done with the supervision of the football strength and conditioning coach. I don't know if there is a direct correlation, but our players seemed to avoid a lot of the injuries that plagued our teams in recent years. First, is this group going through the same regimen as last summer? Second, do you believe the avoidance of multiple injuries last season was attributable in part to the off season conditioning program?

[clifcarroll]

Regards from Vegas. Games don't start until tonight, so we are going to take the opportunity to get a little R&R by the pool. I'm getting great reports from the fellas back in Beaumont. I am really excited about the direction of our program.



you dog. ;)

Where you guys staying?





Tahiti Village. Got a great deal on a condo type thing. We just came in from the pool and are ready to get out and chase some prospects around.

[clifcarroll]

Is this the tournament you guys are at?

http://www.bigfoothoops.com/tournaments/lvc/lvc


That is one of them. There are 3 going on out here. The Fab 48, Addidas 64 and the Bigfoot Las Vegas Live. We have a full slate of games to watch tonight through Sunday.

[clifcarroll]

Coach: Last year there was a lot of discussion about the summer conditioning work done with the supervision of the football strength and conditioning coach. I don't know if there is a direct correlation, but our players seemed to avoid a lot of the injuries that plagued our teams in recent years. First, is this group going through the same regimen as last summer? Second, do you believe the avoidance of multiple injuries last season was attributable in part to the off season conditioning program?


I absolutely believe that the work that Josh Miller does with our guys is a direct correlation to the avoidance of injuries. Josh is the Asst Football strength coach, but he is the head basketball strength coach. We have complete faith in what he does and I think the results showed in games last year.

This years group is working just as hard if not harder than last year. From what Josh tells me, the new guys have jumped right in and are getting work in.

Now only if I would go over and work with Josh, then we would see how good he really is ! Haha

[LAZEEK]

Need to keep tabs on the "go to" player from HJ this year. He plays on Team Sneed. He will be a Junior at HJ this year. 6'4 guard!!! ;) ;) ;)

[clifcarroll]

Need to keep tabs on the "go to" player from HJ this year. He plays on Team Sneed. He will be a Junior at HJ this year. 6'4 guard!!! ;) ;) ;)


Omar's team is on the schedule tomorrow. Gotta show some love to the SETX guys.

[00hmh]

OK, the basketball junkies need their fix. We really do appreciate your efforts at communication.

How about a progress report on the summer's developments.

I'm interested in how the staff is using the summer practice time. It has to be a great advantage with so many new faces.

[clifcarroll]

OK, the basketball junkies need their fix. We really do appreciate your efforts at communication.

How about a progress report on the summer's developments.

I'm interested in how the staff is using the summer practice time. It has to be a great advantage with so many new faces.


Summer is going well. We have all of our signees either on campus or ready to go. The guys who have been on campus have been working their ass off in workouts on the court and in the west room. These workouts are doing wonders to getting the young guys accustomed to the work it takes to be a D1 player.

We are doing basic things in workouts. We don't get a lot of time, but we work the heck out of them while we have them.

As for the past month, we have hit the recruiting trail hard. I'm really excited about the kids we are looking at.

[00hmh]

Coach,

Naturally we are all curious how the limited practice is being used to develop the players.

Have practices so far identified some shooters who can use screens in the motion offense?

You are too young to remember watching Steve Alford and other great shooters at IU who drove the opposition nuts working for a shot then draining it. Love to see a shooter emerge who could do that. Making the other team work hard on defense for 30 seconds really can wear them down over the course of the game.

Have you got some big guys who can screen? Better yet, can they screen then become a scorer after the screen?

Have you found the newcomers able to understand and adapt to the defensive rules? Or are you able to see that without 5 on 5?

Is the team showing enough quickness to take advantage of the spacing on defense and play the passing lanes to get some steals?

Can you tell how good will help and recover be? Pat's teams at Texas Tech were quick but had a lot of problems trying to handle the talented players in the B12, hard to cover those good big guys and then stop the good shooters. Every team had a lights out shooter if you could not help and recover very well.

I know every team in the Knight system looks a little different and it is tailored to fit the talent. How is identifying the talents and thinking about how use them going? What seem to be likely strengths?

I thought last years team did fairly well in the system but that perhaps not the whole system was in use. I'm looking forward to seeing this team which is younger really benefit over time as they are taught from scratch and eventually have the principles ingrained.

[clifcarroll]

Just letting everybody know, I am taking Sherron Wilkerson, Donley Minor, Brennan Doty and Matt Hancock out to Jasper tomorrow at noon for the BBQ benefiting James Gulley. Come out, get some BBQ and meet the new coach and players while you support one of our great players from the past. Look forward to seeing you all there.

[clifcarroll]

Coach,

Naturally we are all curious how the limited practice is being used to develop the players.

Have practices so far identified some shooters who can use screens in the motion offense?

You are too young to remember watching Steve Alford and other great shooters at IU who drove the opposition nuts working for a shot then draining it. Love to see a shooter emerge who could do that. Making the other team work hard on defense for 30 seconds really can wear them down over the course of the game.

Have you got some big guys who can screen? Better yet, can they screen then become a scorer after the screen?

Have you found the newcomers able to understand and adapt to the defensive rules? Or are you able to see that without 5 on 5?

Is the team showing enough quickness to take advantage of the spacing on defense and play the passing lanes to get some steals?

Can you tell how good will help and recover be? Pat's teams at Texas Tech were quick but had a lot of problems trying to handle the talented players in the B12, hard to cover those good big guys and then stop the good shooters. Every team had a lights out shooter if you could not help and recover very well.

I know every team in the Knight system looks a little different and it is tailored to fit the talent. How is identifying the talents and thinking about how use them going? What seem to be likely strengths?

I thought last years team did fairly well in the system but that perhaps not the whole system was in use. I'm looking forward to seeing this team which is younger really benefit over time as they are taught from scratch and eventually have the principles ingrained.


OOHM, you are obviously a Knight fan from the days of Indiana. I love talking to the passionate basketball fans from Indiana. I'm betting that we have probably met ;)

We have kids that can make shots this year. I did not get to see Alford play in person, but my good friend Jason Imes has a library of video from some of the IU greats and we would watch some of Steve's games. We do not have a kid that is as prolific of a shooter as him unfortunately. We do have several kids that can really score though. I think the thing that hurt the motion offense as much as anything last year was not having players capable of making good decisions and correct passes to open players. We have solved that problem by recruiting better passers. We will get easier buckets out of the offense this year simply because we are a better passing team. I will say this though, our walk on from Utah can really stick it when he gets a little time. The speed of the game is a little fast for him right now, but when he gets accustomed to it, he could be a deadly shooter.

Our big fellas are getting better at figuring out their roles in the offense. The kids we had returning are learning to put themselves in better position to score after they screen. The freshman coming in is a really talented player. He could be scary if he can ever get over being a freshman. Our JUCO kid that will be here in the fall played in a motion offense in JUCO and will fit in very well with us. He will be our most consistent scoring threat from the forward position.

As for the screeners, you ought to see one of our point guards set a screen. The kid is 220 lbs and benches 300. He can lay a lick. Even our little guys are willing screeners. I like the makeup of this team.

We won't get a good grasp of team defense until we start full out practice. Our goal right now is to acclimate the 9 new guys to the roster to the DI game.

We have great quickness on defense. We have guys who you don't have to tell to push up on guys. I have a feeling that this team will be willing to play defense the way we want without fighting them. While here at Lamar, we have worked on help and recover every team practice that we have had. Help and recover comes down to kids that have the discipline and intestinal fortitude to get it done. I think we have kids that will do it.

This team has a lot of versatility. We will put 4 or 5 kids on the floor that can all hit shots, post, pass, and rebound. We also have the ability to get up and down the floor. I think we will use this to our advantage this season. We also have a different make up of guards. We do not have as many players that need to dribble the ball to be effective. I thought last year our guards dribbled us out of a lot of good options in our offense. They were really good at what they could do, but it wasn't a great fit for the system. This years group of kids will look more like a cohesive team on the offensive end of the floor.

I am really excited about this group of kids. Our seniors have really done a good job of working hard and our young'ens are doing a good job of listening and learning. We still have a lot of "freshman" in our makeup. We need this team to grow out of that quickly and when they do, this could be a special group.

[Big T]

Coach, which freshman are you talking about here? "The freshman coming in is a really talented player. He could be scary if he can ever get over being a freshman."

[clifcarroll]

Coach, which freshman are you talking about here? "The freshman coming in is a really talented player. He could be scary if he can ever get over being a freshman."


Muepo

[Big T]

I don't know if you can answer this coach, but with Jason Smith being ineligible to play here at Lamar, what will become of his scholarship? Are y'all looking to replace him or can it/will it go to one of the walk-ons?

[clifcarroll]

I don't know if you can answer this coach, but with Jason Smith being ineligible to play here at Lamar, what will become of his scholarship? Are y'all looking to replace him or can it/will it go to one of the walk-ons?


We have a few other options on the table. I don't know if any of them would work out. We could table the scholarship and look for a mid year transfer, or just save it to next year.

[Knightman]

I hated to hear the news about Jason, but I have all the faith in this staff that they have several good opitions on the table, or they can just hold it until next year, so I know that we are going to be alright anyway it goes!!!!!!!!!

Go Cards!!!!!!!!!!

Knightman

[00hmh]

This team has a lot of versatility. We will put 4 or 5 kids on the floor that can all hit shots, post, pass, and rebound. We also have the ability to get up and down the floor. I think we will use this to our advantage this season. We also have a different make up of guards. We do not have as many players that need to dribble the ball to be effective. I thought last year our guards dribbled us out of a lot of good options in our offense. They were really good at what they could do, but it wasn't a great fit for the system. This years group of kids will look more like a cohesive team on the offensive end of the floor.


That all sounds very interesting.

The old time IU basketball fans lament that everything in basketball today is off the dribble. Catch and shoot off a screen, and using screens to get angles to cut is not part of the game for kids coming up.

That's more about the way kids grow up playing than it is about efficiency. Any way you cut it, you can move the ball faster with a pass than on the dribble. Of course somebody has to be willing to pass, somebody has to be working hard and screening, everybody has to play together, and you have to be able to keep your eyes open and expect a pass to catch a pass...

The fact kids don't really learn to screen, except a ball screen, and don't really learn to watch for the cues when to cut to the basket off a screen except off set plays, since it isn't the norm to play old fashioned motion offense, that adds up to a big teaching job for the staff. Good luck! Passing can be an acquired taste. Mike Lewis at IU came in a #1 option Mr Basketball scorer and left with the assist records.

Great to hear that there are lots of kids who can play. Athleticism means we can expect some defense, and some points on the break. Pat played on a pretty athletic and versatile team at IU which could and did play fast paced basketball, but they were disciplined and ran the half court offense very well, too. Hope you can get that going, so you can play with teams that match up in athleticism. Pat's IU team had Calbert who could score on his own or use the offense to get open, but had a lot of weapons. I really hoped the Tech teams could play that way, but it didn't work out. They just didn't ever seem to really get into half court play, and made too many mistakes when they did.

Pat surely has to understand passing. In his playing career, he had to be a passer and screener, he was about the last scoring option... All despite the fact that as a HS player, he loved to shoot as much as anybody. I'm thinking that will pay off big time with the right kids.

I'll look forward to seeing a more efficient Lamar team this year, and expect the real results might be a year or two down the line.

[bigred360]

Omgish, I hate to hear that about Jason Smith. I was looking forward to him here at Lamar.

[00hmh]

Coach,

What's going on with the Program in these early weeks. Are the kids getting settled into school, showing good work ethic in practice?

As you see the kids work with coaches and the other players how is the chemistry and the how are they handling the learning curve.

How do you work with the newcomers on the difference between straight man defense and the ball oriented defense we might expect to see? Can you do much to get them ready for that or do you need to wait for full scale practice?

Are any strengths and weaknesses going to be a theme we watch during the year other than the talent (I hope a strength) and the experience (looks like a challenge)?

[lcm2007ms]

What are we getting paid for our guarantee games?

[BigRedTrack]

Coach - If you had one wish from the outside, fans/community, what would that be? This could be anything from facilities, support, etc.

[Mr.KnowItAll]

Happy birthday coach!

[clifcarroll]

Happy birthday coach!


Thank you for the birthday wish. My parents came into town and we had a nice day.

[clifcarroll]

Coach,

What's going on with the Program in these early weeks. Are the kids getting settled into school, showing good work ethic in practice?

As you see the kids work with coaches and the other players how is the chemistry and the how are they handling the learning curve.

How do you work with the newcomers on the difference between straight man defense and the ball oriented defense we might expect to see? Can you do much to get them ready for that or do you need to wait for full scale practice?

Are any strengths and weaknesses going to be a theme we watch during the year other than the talent (I hope a strength) and the experience (looks like a challenge)?


These first few weeks of practice we have been in our 4 man groups working on individual skills and screening and cutting. This group reminds me a bit of some of my JUCO teams, meaning that we have a lot of freshmen/new comers that have to get adjusted to the college life. I think some of the realized real quick that this was not going to be an easy transition and freaked out a bit. Some of these guys have no clue what hard work is, but they are beginning to figure it out.

We haven't done much as far as teaching our team defense has go e. it is hard to do that playing 2 on 2. We will get into that this week when we get to our team workouts. We have emphasized our on ball defense the past few weeks.

Chemistry is hard to figure out until you get more than 4 guys on a court together. Having 8 new guys, it will take time to get every one on the same page. They are working hard together in strength and conditioning, so that is a good sign. The learning curve is wide and sweeping. It will take this team time before we see anything close to a finished product.

I love our versatility. We will be able to play different looking lineups that should be hard to guard and be able to switch everything on defense.

[clifcarroll]

What are we getting paid for our guarantee games?


I'm not sure if I'm allowed to divulge that info. We are getting paid fairly well though.

[clifcarroll]

Coach - If you had one wish from the outside, fans/community, what would that be? This could be anything from facilities, support, etc.


I want to note that this is what I think, and not necessarily what Pat believes.

I think we need to find a way to endow our scholarships. I know that take a huge financial commitment, but it take a huge burden off of our athletic department. It also is nice to know that you have funds for summer school and for players who may need a few classes after they have used their eligibility up.

Other than the scholarship money, I would like to see and upgrade to our basketball facilities and a practice gym built. Our arena is really nice and we proudly feel that it is the best place to play basketball in the Southland. Our locker rooms, video room, training room and offices are all a little run down and could use a little make over. A modernization could be nice in the Montagne. Adding video boards and video ribbons would be neat. I love the old school feel of the Montagne though, so I am torn when we talk about things like that.

We also have problems this time of year finding a place to workout. When we have event in the Montagne like the Circus this week, we have to find alternate places to work out. We are in the middle of volleyball season, so use of the McDonald gym is very limited. We usually end up in the Women's gym in the PE building which is not ideal. A small gym put behind the Montagne woul be ideal. If you wanted to, you could put locker rooms and offices over there and knock out several birds with one stone. It would also give our players a place to workout anytime that needed. When our guys work out on their own now, they usually end up at the rec with the other students if the Montagne is not open.

I Love the suport we have here. We have a very big base of die hard basketball fans at Lamar, and as we continue to progress the program, we will pick up the casual fan.

[Lawnmower]

Coach, who is the idiot that put this schedule together? All I got to say is if you plan on racin in the Kentucky Derby, you can't waste your time training donkeys. You had better have some horses in the stable. Haha

On a serious note, I'm glad you and the staff are here and hope that you all much success.

[clifcarroll]

Coach, who is the idiot that put this schedule together? All I got to say is if you plan on racin in the Kentucky Derby, you can't waste your time training donkeys. You had better have some horses in the stable. Haha

On a serious note, I'm glad you and the staff are here and hope that you all much success.


Probably is the same idiot that thought you how to use your iPad and let you steal wifi off of me. I hope we have more thorough breds than we do donkeys.

[LAZEEK]

Pretty excited about that Purdue game!!! 8) 8) ;) ;)

[clifcarroll]

Pretty excited about that Purdue game!!! 8) 8) ;) ;)


It will be nuts. You get get to see a little bit of the Hoosier Mania. I'm glad you guys are getting to go.

[quakers93]

Pretty excited about that Purdue game!!! 8) 8) ;) ;)


It will be nuts. You get get to see a little bit of the Hoosier Mania. I'm glad you guys are getting to go.


Coach, I am a Lamar fan in IN and can not wait for the season to start! How are the new guys gelling with the upperclassmen?

[coachacola]

Donley Minor had a down year compared to his first two years at Lamar. Do you think last year was a fluke and do you think he'll have a big year as a senior? With all the young players on the team, especially at guard, a big year from Minor would really help the team win.

[00hmh]

Could be big. Will like to see Coach Cliff's answer.

His experience would help and if he has successfully made the adjustments he needed to, that might really help him working with the new kids who need to do the same thing.

[clifcarroll]

Pretty excited about that Purdue game!!! 8) 8) ;) ;)


It will be nuts. You get get to see a little bit of the Hoosier Mania. I'm glad you guys are getting to go.


Coach, I am a Lamar fan in IN and can not wait for the season to start! How are the new guys gelling with the upperclassmen?



Folks, sorry I have fallen down on my question and answer duties. I have only been home for 3 days in the last 3 weeks. I'm finally starting to get some down time to write things out.

The team is beginning to gel nicely. We have a great group of kids and I think they love playing together.

[clifcarroll]

Donley Minor had a down year compared to his first two years at Lamar. Do you think last year was a fluke and do you think he'll have a big year as a senior? With all the young players on the team, especially at guard, a big year from Minor would really help the team win.


Donley will have a good year. We need him to have a good year. He has worked really hard this off season and he is really taking a hold of the locker room. I expect he'll have a breakout year.

[00hmh]

How do these guys defend?

I know you can't answer all this at this early date, but if you can, comment about some specifics Whatever you can say is great.

Will we be a tough defensive team, able to make the big stops or have to rely more to play offense and outscore the opponents?

Anybody stand out as a defensive player?

Are they getting the ideas behind ball oriented man defense?

Do we have enough size to defend the post or will we have to give up some shots to double the post? Or even packing in on man defense, like Wisconsin did for years?

Will we have enough quickness at guard to contain, or have to play zone, help a lot, to stop quick teams?

Can we get some offense with pressure, or will we be more locking down and playing to make the stops?

[Mr.KnowItAll]

Coach, is recruiting going better than this time last year?

Have y'all decided on which of these newcomers will likely be redshirted?

Do you see any of the walk-ons contributing minutes this year?

[West]

I have a feeling with the season coming up, Coach may be a little busy

[clifcarroll]

How do these guys defend?

I know you can't answer all this at this early date, but if you can, comment about some specifics Whatever you can say is great.

Will we be a tough defensive team, able to make the big stops or have to rely more to play offense and outscore the opponents?

Anybody stand out as a defensive player?

Are they getting the ideas behind ball oriented man defense?

Do we have enough size to defend the post or will we have to give up some shots to double the post? Or even packing in on man defense, like Wisconsin did for years?

Will we have enough quickness at guard to contain, or have to play zone, help a lot, to stop quick teams?

Can we get some offense with pressure, or will we be more locking down and playing to make the stops?


To be quite honest with you, I haven't seen our team workout in almost a month. I'm having real withdrawals. I love the defensive potential of this team. We have guys that could be good on ball defenders and we have guys like Nikko and Osas to defend the basket. I love Amos as a defensive player. He plays as hard as anybody I have ever coached and is versatile enough to guard anybody on the floor. We will be fine defending the post, but will have the option to double in situations. I think we will play mostly man this year. We should be able to guard almost anyone and switch most positions. Switching should create some opportunities to score off of our defense.

[clifcarroll]

Coach, is recruiting going better than this time last year?

Have y'all decided on which of these newcomers will likely be redshirted?

Do you see any of the walk-ons contributing minutes this year?


The recruiting is going a lot better. We are in very deep with a few players that could be big time players.

We haven't decided on any red shirts just yet. We do have a few guys that could use a redshirt year. We more than likely wont make any decisions before the end of the month.

The walk on's will have as much opportunity to play as the other players. If one of them earns playing time, then he will get it.

[clifcarroll]

I have a feeling with the season coming up, Coach may be a little busy


I am really busy. I haven't seen my son, dog, wife or team more than 4 days in the last month. I can't complain too much though, I have spent the last 4 days in south florida, and I have made a good share of recruiting calls on Ft. lauderdale beach.

[Lawnmower]

It's been a little quiet around here. Tired of reading the crap about football. So instead of braving the "cold" and coming over, I'll use technology to talk to you.

I met a few of your kids at the soccer game Friday night. They were very polite and were great to speak to. You were right about Hondo, he looks like a middle linebacker. He is an impressive kid to talk to. Thank you so much for recruiting respectable kids. I hope they can play a little ball too :)

Bring the little one by the house to trick or treat. The ol lady has something special for him.

[Mike]

Coach Carroll cant answer questions during the season due to being extremely busy. He'll continue to do some Q/A segments with us but for now I'm locking this thread.