Quoting Head Coach Keith Dambrot

Opening Statement:
"It’s good to see everybody for another year, we’re looking forward to the season. We have made this season our season of high expectations and low tolerance. We know what people think and we really don’t care what they think, even though they think we’re good, etc. We have high expectations every year, just like the first season when we took over. We also have a very low tolerance for not doing things the right way both on and off the court. That has kind of been our slogan, we’re trying to make sure that we are doing things correctly and that the process is correct on a day-to-day basis both academically and athletically. I think the more perfect we can get the process, the more perfect our results will be. Those results include graduation rates, good citizenship, good community service and we’re going to try to win."

On his 2010-11 early signing class:
"We have three talented players coming in next year in Dakotah Euton from Georgetown, Ky., Josh Egner who’s probably the best athlete we’ve signed since Romeo Travis and Michael Green, a good swing-guy from Dublin, Ohio. These three players are a lot like the guys we have in the program, good winning guys, good citizens, good character and that’s how we’ve built this program with all four-year guys." 

On the team’s dynamic with the addition of freshman center Zeke Marshall:
"The dynamic won’t change really. We’ve been a hard-pressure man-to-man defense since I’ve been here and we’ve been a very good team, defensively. There are a few slight adjustments, which we tell the guys when Zeke’s in the game, like making sure you square up and box guys, how to let him come in and get the rebound. We don’t want to foul, when we have Zeke in there he’ll knock a lot of them. So little small things, but basically it’s the same system we’ve had. Offensively, it’s the same because we’re going to throw the ball into the paint whether Zeke’s in the game or not."

On the schedule:
"Scheduling is very relative. We have a lot of home games this year, but we did that in advance when they thought we weren’t any good again. So as the team gets better, it gets more difficult to schedule. The only games on our schedule for next year are Oakland (away), Niagara (away), Illinois-Chicago (away) and Temple (away), which are all good teams. Next year could be a bit tough finding games, we have nothing at home except Wyoming and the ESPN Bracketbuster game. Scheduling is difficult and it’s interesting since I’ve been criticized for the way I schedule, but it seems like now everybody in the league is scheduling my way so I guess I’m doing something right. We’ve essentially had a 70 RPI since I’ve been here. The one year we played Louisville, California, Temple, Creighton, Nevada, Mississippi State and Clemson all in the same year and we had a 70 RPI. The next year we didn’t play any high-major programs and we were still at a 70 in RPI, so the only thing that tells me is that no matter what we schedule, our league is going to dictate our RPI. It’s an interesting dynamic with a lot of differing opinions. All I know is that if you win games you have a chance to play in the post-season and if you don’t win games, you’re not going anywhere. You can’t play the big boys in their gyms, with their referees, but you can play them neutral and have a chance to win. I think that’s the right way to schedule."

On the team's depth in the back court and in the guard rotation:
"My thing is the guards need to grab those positions. It’s a little different from what we’ve had in the past because they’re all good players and they all bring different looks. They need to grab those spots and once they grab them and we get a little more settled and that’s what makes early games tough. Anthony “Humpty” Hitchens does his thing as does Brett McClanahan. You all know what Darryl Roberts and Steve McNees can do and we also have Ronnie Steward coming back along with Alex Sullivan. I don’t think anyone particularly has come in and stole the spot yet, so we’ll see what happens." 


Quoting Senior Forward Chris McKnight

On the upcoming season:
"Our focus for the season hasn’t changed much since last year. We always try to come out tough because that’s what coach has preached to us since the preseason. It changes a little bit because the target’s slightly bigger now because we are the reigning MAC Tournament champions, but that’s all water under the bridge to us now. We’re just trying to go out there and play each game like it’s our last."


Quoting Senior Forward Jimmy Conyers

On the upcoming season:
"People are definitely watching us. We worked hard enough to get that target so we’re just going to try and keep our performance up. With the addition of Zeke Marshall, it helps us significantly. Just having a big guy like him at the basket can change guys’ shots. Having that presence on the inside makes other players second guess about driving to the basket so having him on our team helps with contesting shots and changes the game in our favor, which is a good thing."


Quoting Freshman Center Zeke Marshall

On adjusting to the collegiate game:
"The biggest adjustment has been practice and conditioning. In high school we’d focus on conditioning a little bit towards the end of practice but here, we’ve had entire practices strictly for condition. We practice harder for longer, coming from two-hour practices to three hours and a half, but it’s a way of getting better. Even though I’m exhausted, I’m getting better and I enjoy the challenge."