Ken McDonald Interview

HH: How are the new guys adjusting so far to college and everything?
KM: They’re getting acclimated pretty good, taking some classes and getting a chance to know campus and their teammates and the teachers. Getting to know a little bit about how we run our system and what we expect. I think that’s a big learning curve that happens during this summer session. But all the attitudes have been great. The weightroom is where I can see them and they’re doing a great job. We’ve had a couple of guys put on some weight. Stephon Drane has put on like eight pounds already, Brandon Peters has put on like seven pounds, Kene Anyigbo has lost about ten pounds, Khalil McDonald has also lost about ten pounds….so, our new strength coach is doing an outstanding job and the guys are working hard right now and doing what they can and start to come together as a team.

HH: Have you noticed any significant improvement with the returning players?
KM: There’s always a big difference between the veterans and the rookies….just the approach and you hope to get some leadership and I think that the older guys have been vocal in trying to teach these young guys about what we expect from them….because there’s a lot of demands. We’re trying to run a program and a championship caliber team and a lot goes into that so the leadership has been pretty good.

HH: As far as recruiting are we still involved with Demetrius Jemison or Jerome Hunter?
KM: Well, Demetrius Jemison has gone to Manhattan, so he’s not an option. Jerome Hunter is going to be going somewhere else as well. So those two are not on the radar any more?
HH: Is there still a chance we could sign somebody else before the season starts?
KM: There is. There’s definitely a couple of guys still out there that are trying to qualify so we’re always trying to keep in touch with they guys that are in that category and there’s one in particular….it’s a little bit of a longshot but you never know….you never know.

HH: What are your thoughts about Allen Edwards? What’s he going to bring to the program?
KM: Well, he’s a very mature, high-character guy that has a great family and I think he’s going to do an excellent job on a lot of fronts. From the player development side he likes working with the guys and he’s excited about what he can bring to the table there with his experience as a player. And then I think as a coach he’s still a young coach in the business but he’s got good experience, he’s been around….VCU, when they really had it rolling a couple of years ago….Towson, he’s recruited some kids from Florida and done a good job recruiting for Pat Kennedy and if you get to know him you really get to see what a great guy he is and how easily he relates to people, not just adults but kids and in this business in recruiting it’s all about relationships and I think he’s going to be really, really good at forming relationships with parents and kids in different areas that we’re trying to recruit. We really want to get into Florida, the next two classes are loaded and he’s from there. The D.C. area is always, always just a hotbed for recruiting and we really want to try to get into Atlanta and he’s got some ties there and obviously the region around us with his background here as as player will also help pay dividends.

HH: It looks like we’re going to have a really tough schedule next season….do you think it might be a little bit too tough for a kind of young team?
KM: You can go both ways with it. If I start to think about it there’s been times I’ve thought I overscheduled but I’d rather overschedule than underschedule. I think you’ve got to be aggressive and put yourself out there and give yourself opportunities to…1) Stay in the national spotlight and win some of these games and….2) Come selection sunday….have some stuff on your resume, on paper, and not have to play the what if game for the committee. I want them to be able to see us taking on a very challenging schedule and then going out and getting some guys. It will be extremely challenging, there’s no doubt about that. What concerns me as a coach and our coaching staff obviously is there’s really no break right from the beginning in terms of how hard it is. So confidence is a big factor in this game and we’re going to have to manage that because you can go a stretch of time where you have some struggles and we know that but we’re going to stay positive and we’re going to stay confident and we’re going to put ourselves out there….and why not? Why can’t we be the next, “Whoever,” going into our conference season and be excited about where we’re at….and at the same time have that experience for when we get to conference time and know that we’ve played everybody and know that it’s not a big deal to win a three or four day tournament when we’ve put ourselves out there and played the best around the country.

HH: Have you spoken with Jeremy (Evans) or A.J. (Slaughter) lately?
KM: Yeah, I saw A.J. yesterday and Jeremy two days ago. They’re both in town.
HH: I’m sure their success, especially Jeremy and also what Courtney (Lee) has done….is that opening some doors for you in recruiting some?
KM: It does. It’s exciting. We’ve had three players in three years sign with NBA teams and there’s not a lot of teams that can say that. That’s an exciting fact about Western Kentucky Basketball and I love it. I love it because kids know that. Kids are very current and they want to know how your players are doing and to be able to boast about our success with our player development and recruiting and our basketball team….it only helps. And at the same time, we’re very excited about this for them. The opportunities that they have to play the game and they’re both quality individuals that have graduated and done the right thing and I’m excited for them.

HH: Do you think Sergio (Kerusch), or maybe even Juan (Patillo) might have a chance to get drafted next year also?
KM: I think a lot of guys are in range….that will be on the radar…no question they’re watching those guys. I think Juan could make it on his defense alone. If he would really buy into that part of his game. I mean he is, and I’m not kidding you, when he puts his mind to it, he’s the best defender I’ve ever been around and I’ve been around some pretty strong guys and pretty athletic guys. But I’m telling you, he has such great athletic ability and a tenacious attitude about him that when he decides you’re not going to get from point A to point B you’re not getting from point A to point B (Laughs). So that’s intriguing and you look at the Celtics this year and the role that Tony Allen played for the Celtics….just a guy that could guard Kobe and get him frustrated a little bit. So anyway, those types of things are what we’ll talk about and use to motivate. Sergio is a helluva player and he’s had a great chance to do some great things on the Hill and I think he’s going to have an unbelievable senior year because he works at it. He works at it and he keeps that energy coming at you and he keeps improving. If you think about his first year and how much he put the ball on the deck….he was really just a rebounder and finisher but now he’s starting to expand his game into a mid-range game. He’s shooting the three-pointer better, he’s working on his handle and he’s got a great attitude and a great work ethic so I think good things are going to happen for a bunch of guys.

HH: Do you think we might run more next year with all of the athleticism we have?
KM: I would certainly think we’re going to have the personnel to do that….the personnel and the depth to get to where I want to be with our running game and our defense most of all. Our defense didn’t represent how I want to play defense and how we have played defense in the past and that’s going to change. So, when you have more depth and more athleticism and more quickness a lot of opportunities create themselves. I think this is going to be a fun team to watch in that sense.

HH: Do you have any predictions for the coming season?
KM: I really don’t. Simply because it is a very challenging schedule. I think we’ll be competitive, I really do. And I think as the year goes on and as this team evolves and we come together….we’ve got a chance to be a good basketball team but it will take some time. I hope the fans are patient and understand who we’re playing, when we’re playing them and that we have seven new guys in the system…not a lot of teams have that. But there are some exciting possibilities….it’s definitely going to be fun. It’s going to be a lot of fun….

7/21/10