Marquette University Athletics
Tom Crean's Weekly Press Conference
3/14/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 14, 2000
MILWAUKEE -
Tom Crean's Opening Statement: "Well, obviously we are excited to be playing. We are playing against a great basketball team in Xavier. When you think about teams that really have been successful in maybe the last 10-12 years, Xavier comes to mind. They are a consistent basketball team year-in and year-out and they have a great program. It will be a great challenge for us in Cincinnati on Wednesday night but I do know our players are definitely excited to be playing and are looking forward to it. It is a reward for all the work they have done all year and we are excited to be a part of a great tournament."
On the importance of playing in the NIT: "I think any experience in March is a tremendous thing for the future of the program with the young players that we havem four of our starters are coming back next year. It certainly helps them going into the off-season. We really will get locked-in to what we have to do better. I think strength and conditioning is going to be crucial again because you can't win consistently in March with out having that and being able to really lay it down on the line. The experience of playing in (the NIT) and the experience in playing a team like Xavier and having the opportunity to play some of the other teams in this tournament doesn't do anything but make you better in the future."
On playing Xavier: "They are so good at home, they lost only one ganme at home to LaSalle and they beat some very good people at home, Cincinnati comes to mind before any of them. I think we will see more full-court pressure. They really turn the pressure up at home. Offensively, they really get their transition game going at home. They run on misses and makes better at home then they do on the road. they have a lot of balance and are extremely good on the perimeter with Maurice McAfee, Lloyd Price and Darnell Williams. The return of Aaron Turner helps them because it gives them another solid inside player who has started as of late. I think we are going to see a very consistent and hungry team and a team that has experience in march and knows what it takes to move on. Hopefully, we can come in and match that kind of intensity. I think that the key will be is to match the emotion and play with a lot of it."
