Ask Coach McKay!
Jamie Speers (Corvallis, OR)
Yhe last two games the team was able to stay out of foul trouble in the
first half. Were there some adjustments made on defense by the coaching
staff or are the players making the adjustment on their own?
Coach McKay: "We stayed down and didn't get beaten off the drive. When Jason and Brian haven't had to help out because one of our guards were beaten, we have tended to stay out of foul trouble."
Ben Smith (Corvallis, OR)
I know you commented upon coming to Corvallis, that you would like to
improve the preseason schedule. Besides the Great Alaska Shootout, what
does OSU non conference schedule look like for next year?
Coach McKay: "It has been really challenging. We have a desire to play more home games, but there are not a lot of schools that have a desire to come to Corvallis, they want to play in Portland. I'm anxious to play in Portland, but I think we need to recreate the magic in Gill Coliseum. I want to get back to Portland, it helps us in recruiting and we have a lot of boosters and fans in the area, but I don't want to get into a situation where we play in Portland against an Indiana, then have to play them on their home court. If I had to do it all over again, I would have played more games at Gill this season. I over-estimated our senior leadership and consequently when we played 12 of 15 away from Gill, that really hurt us. We didn't have time to get our confidence back. We won't play as many road games next season, it's just a matter of getting quality teams to come to Corvallis. I think we need to copy what Coach Erickson did, and get some confidence early in the season and get a winning attitude. When you play in the Pac-10, it's a nightmare, there are so many good teams and coaches."
Robert Blanding (Hillsboro, OR)
During your first stint at UW, the program had difficulty getting in state
players to commit to the program, which was always cited (by the press) as
detrimental to the program. You have relatively few Oregon natives on your
current roster, how do the Oregon players fit into your long-range
recruiting plans? Given this is a relatively small state, is Oregon enough
of a population/talent base for your program? By the way, we've lost touch - I'd love to hear from you. I've been
following your results, some tough breaks, but looks like you're laying the
solid foundation I'd expect from you. I know you'll do well. Robert - UW Basketball '89 (Mgr.)
Coach McKay: "You build your program on great in-state talent, and Oregon State has had than in the past in Mark Radford, Ray Blume, Charlie Sitton, A.C. Green, and so on. We got the job a little late in the game to get the best players from this state this year, but we are also very select about who we want to represent Oregon State University in the future. When we have success on the floor, more young people will be interested in us, yet we have to have greater success to attract the top players from this state -- usually the top player from this state ends up being one of the better players in the nation."
Rick Albert (Corvallis, OR)
The crowd has a huge impact on the game, as indicated by the
overtime game with UCLA. What do you intend to do to get the crowd more involved in the
future and fill up Gill for every game?
Coach McKay: "Our administration has mentioned to me how excited they are about the increased attendance at our games. I'm going to try to do everything possible to get the students more involved, they can really motivate our team. The atmosphere in Gill during the UCLA game was tremendous - I had chills. I hope to see more of that kind of fan support in the future."
Don Hobbs
Have you considered having the Beavers play outside the USA?I
haven't seen the Beavers play since 1982.I live in Japan and would love to see them play
over here. (I know in the middle(?)'80s they played in Taiwan). By the way - know
how to find other "Beavers" overseas? Fill the bumper on your car with Beaver
bumper stickers!
Coach McKay: "We have a planned trip to Australia in the summer of 2002. We're hoping an appearance there can create some recruiting opportunities for us. The trip overseas is usually quite an experience, and the team seems to bond from it. Coach Spoelstra's team benefited a great deal from their trip last summer. What it gives you is a chance to play additional games, which enhances your chances come the regular season."
