University of Houston Athletics
Ray McCallum Responds
1/7/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2002
Ron Hilburn of Houston asks:
"What percentage of the credit can you take and are you directly responsible for the performance of the Ball State team in the Maui Invitational?"
Coach McCallum:
"We laid down the foundation that put the program on solid footing and led to the success it is enjoyed in the Maui Invitational. It is very gratifying to see what they accomplished in the tournament and to have been a part of it.
Mike of Higdon of Katy, Texas asks:
"When Kevin Gaines started playing, everyone assumed he would start immediately. How has his addition effected the role George Williams has had so far? George seems to be outside the lane a whole lot. Is he going to play more inside as I have often heard from fellow fans with more knowledge than me. With Truscott, Okafor and Williams, it may be a bit crowded in there. The season has been fun, keep it up."
Coach McCallum:
"Kevin's addition has made George a better player as you have seen in recent games. He has created easier opportunities to score for George and the other players as well."
"We have three very versatile players in George, Louis, Patrick and Jeremy McGuire on our front line. One of the big advantages we have with these three players is that they can play inside or on the perimeter. Who we post up in our offense often depends on match-ups by other teams so that we can take advantage of our versatility."
Ron Hilburn of Houston asks:
"In Maui, you looked good against UCLA's full-court press. What happened against Texas Southern?"
Coach McCallum:
"I thought we wore down and lost some of our concentration at Texas Southern. We didn't attack their press like I would have liked after getting the big lead. Whenever a team presses us, I want to attack it."
Ed Klewer of Claremont, Calif. asks:
"I saw Houston play UCLA. We don't ever seem to be able to recruit a big man at center. Our team plays hard and I really like what I'm seeing, but without a five-star center, we are never going to get back to past glory. I was there for all of the NCAA Final Four performances and great games against Arkansas. Is there going to be a first-class center in the mix anytime soon? If so, when and who?"
Coach McCallum:
"If you look at the past few years, most of today's five-star centers are going straight into the NBA Draft. Just look at last year's NBA Draft, the two top centers in the nation were Eddie Curry and Tyson Chandler.
"We have signed a seven-foot center during the early period in Anwar Ferguson. He is an excellent athlete who must improve his overall strength. But, we think he could help our team out in the future."
Deb Oliver of Muncie, Ind. asks:
"Does your team this year compare to any teams you had at Ball State?"
Coach McCallum:
"No."
Brandon Cunningham of Houston, Texas asks: "From what you have seen from your team so far this season, what is the one area you would like to see them improve in order to keep having the success you are having now?"
Coach McCallum:
"We have to get better defensively. We would like to bring our opponents' field goal and three-point percentages down."
Rusty Thompson of Stafford Texas asks:
"What is the reason you have the five fold out chairs brought away from the bench during timeouts?"
Coach McCallum:
"It is part of our routine since I was an assistant coach at Wisconsin. It is something that a lot of Big 10 teams do because crowds were hostile and volatile in some arenas. It also helps the players concentrate more on the corrections and directions we are giving."
Chris Sullivan of Houston, Texas asks:
"How much does the atmosphere of Hofheinz Pavilion figure into the game for you? How much of an impact does it have?"
Coach McCallum:
"We are looking forward to when our crowds grow to a full capacity on a regular basis. That would create a tremendous environment and home court advantage that the top teams in Conference USA enjoy.
Larry Taylor of Houston, Texas asks:
"Its seems to me that most of the great college teams are lead by their seniors. Obviously, you want to sign the best players that you can. But, if a player leaves for the NBA after one or two years, how much do you think that hurts your program from the standpoint of another player not getting the playing time and experience he would have otherwise?"
Coach McCallum:
"It is the college game today and something that you have to prepare for. It really hurts a program like ours with low number of players because you are limited in trying to replace those players because of the NCAA's new rule regarding the number of players you can sign each year."
Gerald Bluhm of Orange, Texas asks:
"Any possibility of you staying at UH like coach Guy Lewis did for 30 years or more? I am encouraged by the talnet on the team, the discipline and the hustle. I live out of town, but I came to the Southwest Texas State and Texas Tech games. I enjoyed them a lot. Good luck the rest of the season."
Coach McCallum:
"Thank you for your support. If you look at my background, I have stayed as places longer than most people do. I was an assistant coach at Wisconsin for 10 years and at Ball State for seven seasons. My family and I like Houston a lot. Our kids are in good schools and we have a great President (Dr. Arthur Smith) who is committed to our basketball program. That means a lot to me."
Ron W. Hilburn of Houston, Texas asks:
"I perceive the shooting and rebounding are not as good as it needs to be. Is the offensive/defensive rebounding where it should be? Is the shooting percentage where it should be? Can this team go to the NCAA Tournament with this type of shooting and rebounding or am I off base?"
Coach McCallum:
"Let me start by saying that you are off base since we are a greatly improved shooting team this year. We are shooting 50 percent during the season after shooting just 40 percent from the field. This is due to my players and assistant coaches putting in a lot of hard work during preseason workouts.
"Our goal is to out-rebound all of our opponents. Our offensive rebounding is down a bit from last year, but I think that also is due to our improved shooting this season.
"It remains to be seen if we can make a run in the Conference USA Tournament to receive the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament."
Mark Brochtrup of Houston, Texas asks:
"I have noticed many improvements over the last year that I would guess are a result of coaching. I've also noticed, however, that there have been no visible improvements with the team's outlet passing. The guards are normally right on top of the rebounder with their hands out instead of breaking out on the wing and pushing the ball for fast breaks or in transition offense. The lanes are there, the defenses are not covering the guards in the backcourt and the guards are not getting many rebounds. I wonder why they spend so much time near the baseline? Are you intentionally holding the ball up to reduce turnovers?"
Coach McCallum:
"We want to push the ball up the court on offense and attack with a fast break in our transition offense. Our guards usually hold their arms out to give our post players a good target for the outlet pass. The only reason for a guard to be near the baseline is to go after a loose ball or to release from full-court pressure."
Ruben Jarrin of Houston writes:
"I want to congradulate you on a great season so far. I went to our home games against Rice and North Texas and enjoyed them immensely. So much so that my brother and I bought season tickets. I believe you have begun the road to returning the Cougars to a First Class Basketball Program. Keep up the good work. I have three questions."
"1. Why don't the Cougars dunk the ball when the opportunity presents itself? I have noticed that several times our players are content with soft bank shots off the backboard (and miss)."
"2. I know of your dedication to defense and the Cougars reflect your defensive intensity. Could you elaborate on your offensive preference (halfcourt, fast break, ect.)"
"3. Why does George Williams seem to be the last player down the floor? It seems that he could be more of a factor if he was among the first players to get to the offensive basket?"
Coach McCallum:
"It isn't a coaching philosophy for our players not to dunk the basketball. We just want them to get two points any way they can. If you are talking about Patrick Okafor, You may be surprised that he doesn't jump that high off the floor so he isn't going to dunk the ball very much. He has improved his overall leg strength during the past year and is jumping a little better this season than he did last year.
"Our offensive philosophy is that we want to run off missed shots and steals. We also want to execute our half-court offense with post feeds and penetration. We also want good ball movement."
"George is one of the first player down the court unless he grabs the defensive rebound and makes an outlet pass up the floor."
Ron W. Hilburn of Houston, Texas asks:
"What is your prediction on how many games you think we can win and how many do will we actually win?"
Coach McCallum:
"I don't make predictions on how many games we can win in a season. Instead, we prepare for victory in each and every contest."
