University of Massachusets Athletics
Q&A With Steve Lappas
January 05, 2004 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 5, 2004
Q: What are your thoughts about this season, what have you seen that you like, and what are your concerns?
A: We have kids who are going to be good players. That is definitely a positive, because you need to have talent if you are going to compete. I do not like our inexperience, but there is not much you can do about that except keep playing the games and having the kids work hard every day in practice to get better. We need to improve in a lot of different areas. With a young team, every day brings something different, so maintaining some consistency would be great.
Q: Can you talk about some of these young guys, like Art Bowers, Rashaun Freeman and Maurice Maxwell? What stage are they at, and how do you anticipate them developing over the course of the year?
A: They are all a big part of what we are doing right now. They are all playing between 23 and 28 minutes per game, so they are very important guys in the program. Freeman has had a great year so far, even though he had probably his worst game of the year against a very good Tennessee team. He has been very consistent, he rebounds the ball, he plays hard and he has a terrific attitude. I think he is going to be a future star in this league. Maxwell has played very well lately. He is finding his stride and understanding how to play, and has picked up his intensity, which is a big thing for these kids at this level. He is starting to come around and we are very proud of him and the things he has doing. Bowers was playing real well, and then he got hurt. He just started to find his groove, and then had to sit out for two weeks and not be able to do anything. Now, to throw him back in there, it has been tough. He has struggled a little bit lately, but I am confident that he will come around. Also, Stephane Lasme is another freshman who has been our first big guy off the bench. He has been a little up and down, and he is a little raw, but we feel that he has a tremendous upside and he will continue to improve.
Q: You said after the Hartford game that you basically can not take Anthony Anderson out of the lineup. Has that changed at all recently?
A: We try to get him some rest here and there, but he is really the only experienced guy we have. Gabe Lee and Jeff Viggiano are 10 games into their sophomore years, and we have to look at them like seasoned veterans. Anderson will probably get his year back as well, so we look at him as a junior. It hurts a little bit having only one junior playing a significant amount of time, but that is what we are dealing with.
Q: How does your coaching staff approach that?
A: You have to understand what you are working with for sure. You can not go off the deep end. You have to try to maintain a positive outlook with the guys, which we have. I thought we gave a great effort against Tennessee, and we had a good second half against Connecticut.
Q: When you have a young team like this, is it easy for you to get through to them and to sell what you're trying to sell?
A: It is easy to sell when they are doing well, and not as easy when they are having bad times. When you recruit at this level, these kids have been through very few bad times in their careers. They are going through a tough time as freshmen, and that is when you have to grab them and explain things to them.
Q: Obviously this is a different team from last year. Heading into conference play, what do you see that is different and similar this year?
A: I really see no similarities. Viggiano and Lee were coming off the bench last year, and Anderson was the only one starting last year. One of the toughest things for us has been that in my three years here, we have had three completely different teams. So finding some continuity is tough, but now we have what we want to build on here, and we just have to keep building.
Q: With the game Gabe Lee had the other day, did you see that coming, or was it a major coming out party?
A: It was a coming out party of sorts, but we knew he had potential. He had some ups and downs last year, and he had started this season well, until just recently he struggled a little bit. He has been playing hard and playing with great energy all year, especially on the defensive end.
Q: What are your thoughts about LaSalle on Wednesday?
A: They are a very tough team, they play hard, they do some good things, and they have two great players in Gary Neal and Steven Smith. They also have a very good point guard in Jermaine Thomas, so it is going to be a sizable challenge for us on Wednesday.
