The transcript of the interview Chris DiGiacomo (CD) and I (MP) had with senior captain Jamelle Cornley (JC). Cornley is one of the best players in Penn State basketball history. He is a 1,000 point scorer and looks to finish the year in the top 10 in school history in points and rebounds.
Cornley enters the year as the unquestioned leader of the team, bringing a high level of intensity to the court for each and every game. To say the least, he is fired up about this year and how last season ended.
MP: Jamelle, what are some of the things you’re looking to accomplish with this team, this being your senior season?
JC: First off, win as many games as possible. I think every team in the country wants to do that. But, to make sure we go ahead and play as hard as we can. Outside of the bigger goals, such as winning the Big Ten championship and getting to the NCAA tournament, we want to start at some of the smaller goals. And that would be protecting this home court and win as many games as possible and have fun. So it should be a season to remember, and hopefully we’ll be able to accomplish some of those goals.
CD: You talked about the home court. What do you want to say to those fans out there? We saw them pack it strong especially late last season. What are you gonna say to them to come back and fill this place up again?
JC: I think we’re not done yet. We’ve just really started. That’s pretty much my message. I’m actually meeting with some of the student section later on tonight, and we’re not done yet. We’re just starting, and hopefully you can come out and support us because we’re gonna give it our all, especially under me. I’m gonna make sure we play as hard as we can. I can’t promise you we’re gonna win every game or we’ll score a ton of points, but we’re gonna play as hard as we can. We can control that.
MP: Now you guys, you had the unfortunate injury with Geary Claxton early in Big Ten play last season. However, a lot of the young guys then got to play, and you guys got to play together as a group, and a lot of those guys came back this season. How big do you think that was in terms of the team’s success this season?
JC: It was huge because now they’re able to play in pressure situations. We lost close games and we won close games. An example of that is the Indiana game here, and another example of that is the Illinois game in the Big Ten tournament. So we know what it takes to win and we know what it takes to lose, and you know your feeling on that. You never want those feelings when you lose close games. So, you carry on some of that experience and some of that energy and all that stuff and bring it to the beginning of the season, and hopefully things will happen on the positive end.
CD: Obviously, this is your senior year. Let’s say 5-10 years from now, what do you want people to say about you and the way that you played, remembering your time here at Penn State?
JC: 5-10 years from now, I pretty much want them to say that Jamelle Cornley came out here and gave everything he had to turn around this program. He was a leader that made sure everyone felt comfortable, and he wanted to make sure that everybody understood that if you continue to work hard, you’ll be successful one way or another. That’s pretty much my biggest goal. There’s no individual stats that I want. I don’t really care for that at all, but to make sure that Jamelle Cornley put everything out here, and that he tried to put some people in these seats.
MP: Now you talked about the Illinois game last year that ended your season in the Big Ten tournament. A lot of people thought that might have been a premature ending, that you guys maybe could have made a run the way you were playing at the end of the season. How much have you guys thought about that game, and in the off-season, use that as fuel to get you guys going in the off-season?
JC: I think that that game, unfortunately it was the last game of the season, but that game I was probably most proud of the team because they were so angry at the end. And when you have the anger that they had, I think that they were ready to play some more, and they were ready to get back into the flow of the upcoming season. So we use that as motivation because Illinois kind of over-celebrated, we felt. We took that as, we did our job, we beat them twice already. They deserved that win. They played hard and everything. But I think the team was pretty pissed off and we’re gonna use that as some motivation for not just them this year, but for every team that we play against.
CD: Obviously, everyone we have talked to says that you are the unquestioned leader of this team. But guys like Stanley and Talor, they got to get some experience last year, and they’ve been able to give some advice to the freshmen. What has their transition to becoming team leaders done for this team in your mind?
JC: It’s done a lot because now they have to look at themselves and say ‘I’m here now. I’m a veteran now.’ They understand what it takes to win the games and how hard it is to fight back. Now, they have to take that knowledge and pass it on to somebody else. So it not only helps the team, but it helps me too, because now I don’t have to feel obligated to try to tell everybody certain things. The younger guys can go and talk to Stanley and Talor and guys like that, so it helps out a lot.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Talor Battle Transcript
The transcript of the interview Chris DiGiacomo (CD) and I (MP) had with sophomore point guard Talor Battle (TB). Last year as a freshman, Battle became a leader on the Nittany Lions squad and made a number of big shots throughout the season. Battle became a star last year against Michigan, setting career highs with 28 points, 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 7 three-pointers made.
Battle enters the season as one of Penn State's young guns, and the expectations for the second-year player from Albany, NY are as high as any point guard in Penn State history.
MP: Alright, Talor, last year you guys took a lot of steps certainly late in the year to become a better team. What kind of stuff did you do in the off-season to prepare for this season?
TB: I just wanted to be a consistent shooter. Last year, I started off the season poorly shooting the basketball, so one of my goals was to work on my consistency in knocking down shots, and working on my pull-up, mid-range jump shots, and I really think I progressed throughout the summer.
CD: Talor, we saw at times last year where you would put the team on your back and really step up as a playmaker. What would you say coming into this year are you bringing to the table that would help define you from last year?
TB: I think a big thing is leadership. Obviously, as a point guard, leadership really comes along with it and I think I need to help lead more. And obviously, it’s not just about shooting. I just want to be a playmaker, like you said. Whether it’s one game I have 13 assists one night, or scoring 25 another night, I just want to go out and be able to do whatever I can do to help my team win.
MP: A lot of times last year you were looked at to take a shot late in the game to either win a game or send it to overtime. How much confidence did the coaching staff really instill in you when they were looking to you at the end of the game?
TB: I guess they had some confidence in me to give me the ball. My whole life I always wanted to take the last shot. And I’m obviously man enough if I miss it to take it and deal with the fact that I kind of lost us the game, maybe if you want to say that. But, obviously, I’m just real confident, so in late game situations, I just want to step up and take the shot, and I’m glad the coaches have confidence in me to do so.
CD: You guys had some big wins here, especially in this house last year against Michigan State, most notably. What do you say to those fans out there that you hope continue to keep coming back and filling up the seats here at the BJC?
TB: They’re big. They’re a big component to our success, and none of that last year could have been possible without them, and we just hope they keep showing up, and we’re gonna do our best to win games for them and for ourselves and for the program.
MP: Jamelle said that after the Illinois loss last year to end your season that a lot of the team was upset and really angry about how the season had ended. What did you come out of that game with, personally. Were you angry, upset or anything?
TB: I was really upset because I kind of left my man and let him score the game winning lay-up. So, I kind of blew us a game so to speak, so I was really upset and it kind of ate at me. I’m just really ready to get back at it and just hopefully the NCAA tournament.
MP: Did you use that as motivation in the off-season to prepare for this year?
TB: I don’t know if I used that, I used a lot of things as motivation. Obviously, I just want to get better. I don’t really think you should need motivation, you should just want to be able to go out and get better on your own. That’s kind of what I do, and I’m just really looking forward to this year.
CD: Where do you see this team ending up this season? There are a lot of hopes this year and you guys seem very, very confident in getting the record better, and continuing on your progress to next year. Where do you guys see at the end of this season? What’s your ultimate goal?
TB: We want to be dancing at the end of the season. I would be lying to you if I told you we didn’t. That’s our goal, we just want to be in the NCAA tournament and we’re working hard and hopefully we got all the pieces of the puzzle to get there and we just win games. But what we gotta do is to win on the road. Obviously, we have shown that we can win here, but the road is what’s going to determine whether or not we get into the dance.
MP: What do you think is the most important part in taking that next step and making the NCAA tournament?
TB: I think we gotta defend. Obviously, that’s been a knock the past couple years, that we haven’t defended, and we’ve really been working hard this preseason and over the summer. We’re ready to go and we’re fired up, trying to get into guys, and create offense off our defense, like I said so we can get to the tournament.
Battle enters the season as one of Penn State's young guns, and the expectations for the second-year player from Albany, NY are as high as any point guard in Penn State history.
MP: Alright, Talor, last year you guys took a lot of steps certainly late in the year to become a better team. What kind of stuff did you do in the off-season to prepare for this season?
TB: I just wanted to be a consistent shooter. Last year, I started off the season poorly shooting the basketball, so one of my goals was to work on my consistency in knocking down shots, and working on my pull-up, mid-range jump shots, and I really think I progressed throughout the summer.
CD: Talor, we saw at times last year where you would put the team on your back and really step up as a playmaker. What would you say coming into this year are you bringing to the table that would help define you from last year?
TB: I think a big thing is leadership. Obviously, as a point guard, leadership really comes along with it and I think I need to help lead more. And obviously, it’s not just about shooting. I just want to be a playmaker, like you said. Whether it’s one game I have 13 assists one night, or scoring 25 another night, I just want to go out and be able to do whatever I can do to help my team win.
MP: A lot of times last year you were looked at to take a shot late in the game to either win a game or send it to overtime. How much confidence did the coaching staff really instill in you when they were looking to you at the end of the game?
TB: I guess they had some confidence in me to give me the ball. My whole life I always wanted to take the last shot. And I’m obviously man enough if I miss it to take it and deal with the fact that I kind of lost us the game, maybe if you want to say that. But, obviously, I’m just real confident, so in late game situations, I just want to step up and take the shot, and I’m glad the coaches have confidence in me to do so.
CD: You guys had some big wins here, especially in this house last year against Michigan State, most notably. What do you say to those fans out there that you hope continue to keep coming back and filling up the seats here at the BJC?
TB: They’re big. They’re a big component to our success, and none of that last year could have been possible without them, and we just hope they keep showing up, and we’re gonna do our best to win games for them and for ourselves and for the program.
MP: Jamelle said that after the Illinois loss last year to end your season that a lot of the team was upset and really angry about how the season had ended. What did you come out of that game with, personally. Were you angry, upset or anything?
TB: I was really upset because I kind of left my man and let him score the game winning lay-up. So, I kind of blew us a game so to speak, so I was really upset and it kind of ate at me. I’m just really ready to get back at it and just hopefully the NCAA tournament.
MP: Did you use that as motivation in the off-season to prepare for this year?
TB: I don’t know if I used that, I used a lot of things as motivation. Obviously, I just want to get better. I don’t really think you should need motivation, you should just want to be able to go out and get better on your own. That’s kind of what I do, and I’m just really looking forward to this year.
CD: Where do you see this team ending up this season? There are a lot of hopes this year and you guys seem very, very confident in getting the record better, and continuing on your progress to next year. Where do you guys see at the end of this season? What’s your ultimate goal?
TB: We want to be dancing at the end of the season. I would be lying to you if I told you we didn’t. That’s our goal, we just want to be in the NCAA tournament and we’re working hard and hopefully we got all the pieces of the puzzle to get there and we just win games. But what we gotta do is to win on the road. Obviously, we have shown that we can win here, but the road is what’s going to determine whether or not we get into the dance.
MP: What do you think is the most important part in taking that next step and making the NCAA tournament?
TB: I think we gotta defend. Obviously, that’s been a knock the past couple years, that we haven’t defended, and we’ve really been working hard this preseason and over the summer. We’re ready to go and we’re fired up, trying to get into guys, and create offense off our defense, like I said so we can get to the tournament.
Andrew Jones Transcript
Here is the transcript of the interview Chris DiGiacomo (CD) and I (MP) had with redshirt sophomore forward Andrew Jones III (AJ) earlier today. Last year, Jones saw increased playing time after the injury of Geary Claxton. He posted season-highs in points and rebounds against Ohio State January 29th, scoring 11 points and pulling in 10 rebounds. In the Big Ten tournament loss against Illinois, Jones impressed again with 10 points and 6 rebounds.
MP: Andrew, last year you saw a lot of progression, especially towards the end of the season, both as a team and for you personally. What kinds of things are you looking to do this year to carry over that momentum that you had at the end of last season into this year?
AJ: Just building on my strengths and trying to work on my weaknesses. Finishing around the basket a lot more, I think that some of the weight and strength games helped me with that, and my confidence has been through the roof. And pretty much just rebounding the ball, you know, not letting guys relax on the defensive glass or on the offensive glass, knowing that I’ll be coming through the lane trying to snag them. Just trying to keep defenses on their heels, continuing to run the floor cause we want to play a more up-tempo game. Not letting defenses set up, stuff like that.
CD: Especially last year, we saw you work your way into a bigger role onto this team, and now a year under your belt, what do you see with this team as a whole, improvements and what not, going into the Big Ten and hopefully the NCAA tournament.
AJ: As hard as we’ve worked, I definitely can’t see us doing anything but reaching the NCAA tournament. I mean, we go hard at it every practice. We’re constantly trying to make each other better, constantly trying to buy into the concepts that Coach and the assistant coaches are trying to instill in us. And I just think that our work ethic and our will to win is definitely so strong that we pretty much can’t accept anything but that. And with the talent we have on this team, there’s definitely no reason we can’t achieve that goal.
MP: You talked about putting on more weight in the off-season coming into this year. How do you think that’s going to help you compete in a physical Big Ten?
AJ: Well because the Big Ten is so physical, and even in a lot of our regular season games, you gotta be able to hold your own. You know, you can’t be pushed around, you can’t be thrown around the lane. You know, you gotta hold your position, you gotta hold your box-outs, hold your low-post position so you can score around the basket and stuff like that. You know, when a guy is driving, you gotta be able to body up, push him back out, stuff like that, and a lot of that comes with core strength. We do a lot of core strength, stuff like that, so it’s just like the little muscles that you need to rely on when your bigger muscles break down, stuff like that. So I definitely think stuff like that, as far as all my teammates, that we’ve done is gonna help.
CD: Especially last year, we saw against Michigan State and a few other games, like Indiana, you guys really fed off the crowd and it really helped you late in games. What do you gotta do this year? What do you have to say to the fans out there who really started packing into this place last season? What do you say to them about this team and to continue coming back here to the BJC and watch you guys?
AJ: I think the first thing is thank you, cause like you said, we feed off of their energy. That’s where we get ours from. You know, a lot of times when we’re fatigued, we hear them, we look over to the side, see Nittany Nation, and that gets us going. So we definitely appreciate all their support and all of our season ticket holders, their support. They come out and support us all the time here at all the functions when we’re out here. And we see that kind of support, it just wants you to work harder. It forces you to buckle down, you know, get that extra stop on defense, you know, hit those extra free throws that we need.
MP: You talked about some of the things you want to improve from last season. What are some of the things that you yourself are looking to improve upon from last season. Is it scoring? Rebounding? What are some of those things for you personally?
AJ: I’m looking to improve everything: defense, post defense, perimeter defense, finishing around the basket, free throw shooting, scoring, more offensive rebounds, and more defensive rebounds. So pretty much anything that I can do to get us better is what I’m looking to do.
MP: You guys lost to Illinois at the end of last season to end your season, and we’ve heard a couple guys say ‘Yeah, you know, it was upsetting. We weren’t happy with the way that the season ended, and we’ve kind of used it to focus in the off season.’ Do you find that true with yourself?
AJ: Definitely. I didn’t get over that for awhile. That whole week, just watching them continue to move on in the Big Ten tournament, that was tough to see them get all the way there, knowing that should have been us. But, we just use it as motivation. About a week or two after that we were right back at it, right back in the gym trying to get better, using that as motivation. We still have a sour taste in our mouth to this day. That’s just still motivation to come out here and work hard and do what we gotta do so we can win more games.
MP: Andrew, last year you saw a lot of progression, especially towards the end of the season, both as a team and for you personally. What kinds of things are you looking to do this year to carry over that momentum that you had at the end of last season into this year?
AJ: Just building on my strengths and trying to work on my weaknesses. Finishing around the basket a lot more, I think that some of the weight and strength games helped me with that, and my confidence has been through the roof. And pretty much just rebounding the ball, you know, not letting guys relax on the defensive glass or on the offensive glass, knowing that I’ll be coming through the lane trying to snag them. Just trying to keep defenses on their heels, continuing to run the floor cause we want to play a more up-tempo game. Not letting defenses set up, stuff like that.
CD: Especially last year, we saw you work your way into a bigger role onto this team, and now a year under your belt, what do you see with this team as a whole, improvements and what not, going into the Big Ten and hopefully the NCAA tournament.
AJ: As hard as we’ve worked, I definitely can’t see us doing anything but reaching the NCAA tournament. I mean, we go hard at it every practice. We’re constantly trying to make each other better, constantly trying to buy into the concepts that Coach and the assistant coaches are trying to instill in us. And I just think that our work ethic and our will to win is definitely so strong that we pretty much can’t accept anything but that. And with the talent we have on this team, there’s definitely no reason we can’t achieve that goal.
MP: You talked about putting on more weight in the off-season coming into this year. How do you think that’s going to help you compete in a physical Big Ten?
AJ: Well because the Big Ten is so physical, and even in a lot of our regular season games, you gotta be able to hold your own. You know, you can’t be pushed around, you can’t be thrown around the lane. You know, you gotta hold your position, you gotta hold your box-outs, hold your low-post position so you can score around the basket and stuff like that. You know, when a guy is driving, you gotta be able to body up, push him back out, stuff like that, and a lot of that comes with core strength. We do a lot of core strength, stuff like that, so it’s just like the little muscles that you need to rely on when your bigger muscles break down, stuff like that. So I definitely think stuff like that, as far as all my teammates, that we’ve done is gonna help.
CD: Especially last year, we saw against Michigan State and a few other games, like Indiana, you guys really fed off the crowd and it really helped you late in games. What do you gotta do this year? What do you have to say to the fans out there who really started packing into this place last season? What do you say to them about this team and to continue coming back here to the BJC and watch you guys?
AJ: I think the first thing is thank you, cause like you said, we feed off of their energy. That’s where we get ours from. You know, a lot of times when we’re fatigued, we hear them, we look over to the side, see Nittany Nation, and that gets us going. So we definitely appreciate all their support and all of our season ticket holders, their support. They come out and support us all the time here at all the functions when we’re out here. And we see that kind of support, it just wants you to work harder. It forces you to buckle down, you know, get that extra stop on defense, you know, hit those extra free throws that we need.
MP: You talked about some of the things you want to improve from last season. What are some of the things that you yourself are looking to improve upon from last season. Is it scoring? Rebounding? What are some of those things for you personally?
AJ: I’m looking to improve everything: defense, post defense, perimeter defense, finishing around the basket, free throw shooting, scoring, more offensive rebounds, and more defensive rebounds. So pretty much anything that I can do to get us better is what I’m looking to do.
MP: You guys lost to Illinois at the end of last season to end your season, and we’ve heard a couple guys say ‘Yeah, you know, it was upsetting. We weren’t happy with the way that the season ended, and we’ve kind of used it to focus in the off season.’ Do you find that true with yourself?
AJ: Definitely. I didn’t get over that for awhile. That whole week, just watching them continue to move on in the Big Ten tournament, that was tough to see them get all the way there, knowing that should have been us. But, we just use it as motivation. About a week or two after that we were right back at it, right back in the gym trying to get better, using that as motivation. We still have a sour taste in our mouth to this day. That’s just still motivation to come out here and work hard and do what we gotta do so we can win more games.
Cammeron Woodyard Transcript
Here is the transcript of the interview Chris DiGiacomo (CD) and I (MP) had with freshman guard Cammeron Woodyard (CM). Woodyard is a 6-5 195 lb. freshman out of Winters Mill High School in Westminster, Maryland.
MP: You guys took the trip to Canada. You’re a freshman. What was that experience like, playing at a collegiate level with the team?
CW: I would say it was a positive experience. Coming in, practicing early in August and getting a few practices under your belt coming into the season. Overall, I think it was pretty good. Got to bond with the team a little bit off the court and on the court. I think we got closer and got better as a team overall.
MP: Now, from what I hear the coaches were very impressed with how you played up in Canada. How important is that to establish yourself early in the season to get more playing time later in the year?
CW: I see it as very important. Every chance you get to hit the floor, even in practice, you gotta play hard, show the coaches you could play at this level. If that’s what they’re saying, then obviously I think I’ve done an ok job of playing hard and I’m just gonna continue doing what I can do.
MP: What are some of the things you’re looking to improve on as the season goes on? Is it physically, maybe mentally, or maybe on and off the court?
CW: Everything. Like you just asked, on and off the court: class. That’s first and foremost. You can’t be a student-athlete without the student. You gotta take care of business in the classroom before you come on the court, step inside the lines. When you get on the court, it’s just play hard, mentally and physically and everything. Physically, I gotta stay strong, stay in it. And mentally, I gotta keep my head in the game.
CD: Certainly, this team has a lot of leaders with Jamelle and Talor. What would you say they have done for you so far in your time here and are you happy to play with them this year?
CW: Oh yeah, I’m very happy to play with everybody on the team. But the leaders, Jamelle, D-Mor [Danny Morrissey], Talor, everyone on the team that’s not a freshman, anyone that gives advice, I appreciate their advice. They give great advice, even if it’s not on the court. You know, get up every morning, go to breakfast to make sure you eat right, get enough sleep at night. It’s the little things that count, and they make sure that you know the little things and make sure you get things done.
MP: What’s been the biggest adjustment between high school and college so far?
CW: I would say the biggest adjustment would have to be, probably as far as the game, the speed of the game, how much more physical it is. The referees are going to make less calls as far as fouls and things like that. I just say the speed of the overall game, things like that.
MP: What are your personal goals for this year?
CW: Just to work hard, get a little bit of playing time, impress the coaches, and show them I can compete at a Big Ten level.
CD: Exciting atmosphere, obviously. How exciting is it going to be to be in a stadium like this? Obviously, you don’t see anything like this in high school. Just being on a big level like this, just explain some of your thoughts on it.
CW: It’s going to be very exciting. I came on my visit last year was when they played Michigan State here, beat them. It was huge. The arena erupted, and that was a big part of my commitment, just seeing the fans around the BJC, how many people come out and support and everything like that. It’s just overwhelming.
MP: You talked about academics before. What kind of classes are you taking right now and how do you feel that things are going? What kind of services does the team provide to make sure that you guys do well in the classroom?
CW: Well, right now I’m taking gen-ed classes. I’m undecided right now, so general education classes, things like that. Academically, we get things done because we have study hall, we have a team advisor, things like that. We have meetings set up, we have certain people we can go to, to make sure we make it to our meetings on time to help manage our time and things like that.
MP: You guys took the trip to Canada. You’re a freshman. What was that experience like, playing at a collegiate level with the team?
CW: I would say it was a positive experience. Coming in, practicing early in August and getting a few practices under your belt coming into the season. Overall, I think it was pretty good. Got to bond with the team a little bit off the court and on the court. I think we got closer and got better as a team overall.
MP: Now, from what I hear the coaches were very impressed with how you played up in Canada. How important is that to establish yourself early in the season to get more playing time later in the year?
CW: I see it as very important. Every chance you get to hit the floor, even in practice, you gotta play hard, show the coaches you could play at this level. If that’s what they’re saying, then obviously I think I’ve done an ok job of playing hard and I’m just gonna continue doing what I can do.
MP: What are some of the things you’re looking to improve on as the season goes on? Is it physically, maybe mentally, or maybe on and off the court?
CW: Everything. Like you just asked, on and off the court: class. That’s first and foremost. You can’t be a student-athlete without the student. You gotta take care of business in the classroom before you come on the court, step inside the lines. When you get on the court, it’s just play hard, mentally and physically and everything. Physically, I gotta stay strong, stay in it. And mentally, I gotta keep my head in the game.
CD: Certainly, this team has a lot of leaders with Jamelle and Talor. What would you say they have done for you so far in your time here and are you happy to play with them this year?
CW: Oh yeah, I’m very happy to play with everybody on the team. But the leaders, Jamelle, D-Mor [Danny Morrissey], Talor, everyone on the team that’s not a freshman, anyone that gives advice, I appreciate their advice. They give great advice, even if it’s not on the court. You know, get up every morning, go to breakfast to make sure you eat right, get enough sleep at night. It’s the little things that count, and they make sure that you know the little things and make sure you get things done.
MP: What’s been the biggest adjustment between high school and college so far?
CW: I would say the biggest adjustment would have to be, probably as far as the game, the speed of the game, how much more physical it is. The referees are going to make less calls as far as fouls and things like that. I just say the speed of the overall game, things like that.
MP: What are your personal goals for this year?
CW: Just to work hard, get a little bit of playing time, impress the coaches, and show them I can compete at a Big Ten level.
CD: Exciting atmosphere, obviously. How exciting is it going to be to be in a stadium like this? Obviously, you don’t see anything like this in high school. Just being on a big level like this, just explain some of your thoughts on it.
CW: It’s going to be very exciting. I came on my visit last year was when they played Michigan State here, beat them. It was huge. The arena erupted, and that was a big part of my commitment, just seeing the fans around the BJC, how many people come out and support and everything like that. It’s just overwhelming.
MP: You talked about academics before. What kind of classes are you taking right now and how do you feel that things are going? What kind of services does the team provide to make sure that you guys do well in the classroom?
CW: Well, right now I’m taking gen-ed classes. I’m undecided right now, so general education classes, things like that. Academically, we get things done because we have study hall, we have a team advisor, things like that. We have meetings set up, we have certain people we can go to, to make sure we make it to our meetings on time to help manage our time and things like that.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Penn State Basketball Media Day 2008
Earlier today, the Penn State men's basketball team held their annual media day, opening the doors to the Bryce Jordan Center for members of the media to talk to coach Ed DeChellis and his players. Between 30 and 40 media members showed up, and I, along with two colleagues from The Lion 90.7fm, Chris DiGiacomo and John Hayes, were able to talk to some of the team and listen to DeChellis' press conference.
I'll be posting the transcripts of as many interviews as I can over the next few days, both of what Chris and I recorded and what John got as well.
Overall, I would say that the team is eager to get their season started, and many of the players stated that their ultimate goal is to make the NCAA tournament. They truly believe that this team can make it, and they sound confident that they will do it.
Many of the players spoke at length about how upsetting their Big Ten tournament loss to Illinois was at the end of last season. They told us that they have been using it as motivation throughout the off-season, and have been working hard in order to be more successful.
Keep checking back for more interviews in the next few days, and anytime I get information, news, or interviews with people involved in Penn State basketball, I will post them here.
In the meantime, I encourage all of you Penn State hoops fans to check out Stacey Wild's blog/MySpace page for the men's basketball team. You can access it at www.myspace.com/wild4pennstatehoops. Stacey is working for the Penn State Athletic Department this year and will be close with the team all season. Be sure to check that out for all the great things she will be posting there.
Remember, the season tips off with the home opener November 14th against William & Mary.
I'll be posting the transcripts of as many interviews as I can over the next few days, both of what Chris and I recorded and what John got as well.
Overall, I would say that the team is eager to get their season started, and many of the players stated that their ultimate goal is to make the NCAA tournament. They truly believe that this team can make it, and they sound confident that they will do it.
Many of the players spoke at length about how upsetting their Big Ten tournament loss to Illinois was at the end of last season. They told us that they have been using it as motivation throughout the off-season, and have been working hard in order to be more successful.
Keep checking back for more interviews in the next few days, and anytime I get information, news, or interviews with people involved in Penn State basketball, I will post them here.
In the meantime, I encourage all of you Penn State hoops fans to check out Stacey Wild's blog/MySpace page for the men's basketball team. You can access it at www.myspace.com/wild4pennstatehoops. Stacey is working for the Penn State Athletic Department this year and will be close with the team all season. Be sure to check that out for all the great things she will be posting there.
Remember, the season tips off with the home opener November 14th against William & Mary.
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