Post by bigfan on May 6, 2006 10:53:47 GMT -5
UCLA Pre-National Collegiate Championship Quotes
Head Coach Al Scates
Opening Statement:
I’m glad we’re here and that we have a chance to reach our season-long goal. It’s great to back in Happy Valley again. As far as our team goes, we’re healthy. We got through our last practice without any injuries. Everybody’s healthy so that’s a good sign.
What’s the secret to playing your best volleyball in May?
I think the secret is that when you’re 5-9 you have a team that isn’t pointing fingers and is still supporting each other and still showing up in the weight room working hard. I think it’s about the individuals on the team. I continue to work them hard. In the long term that pays off. It’s easy to peak a team; I know how to peak a team if they’ll stay healthy and this team has cooperated.
Does the meeting you had with Penn State in Hawai’i have any bearing at all on tomorrow night’s match?
We were a completely different team and they couldn’t pass at all so they’re a completely different team too. They’ve improved and we’ve improved so I’m not particularly interested in looking at the tape of that match. We brought it but I probably won’t even look at it.
Do you think this tournament should be expanded?
Of course; we’re the most under-represented sport in all of the NCAA. We’ve got over 80 teams playing and there are only four teams that actually get to participate in the tournament. If we had 8 teams or 12 teams we would be under-represented. There are so many good teams out there that deserve to be in this tournament.
There will be no first team All-Americans on the floor tomorrow night. Do you think that’s a testament to the importance of team volleyball?
Well when the coaches choose the All-Americans they typically look at the stats. Unfortunately our team shares the ball. Last night we had five players in double figures. At the end of the year we don’t have anybody standing out in these categories. If you look at the stats everybody’s absolutely right; we don’t have any All-Americans on this team. All we want to do is have the best team in the country. We are a very good team and we’ll find out tomorrow night if we’re the best.