BATON ROUGE — LSU men’s basketball coach John Brady and his coaching staff elected to call off practice on Monday to allow the team to catch up on school work and take care of outside activities prior to resuming practice on Tuesday in preparation for Saturday’s NCAA national semifinal game with UCLA in Indianapolis.
The team did meet briefly on Monday before being paid a visit in their squad room by both Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco and East Baton Rouge Parish Mayor-President Kip Holden. Both spoke briefly to the team and then joined the team on the floor for a photo session before the players began the first of many interview sessions scheduled for the week.
LSU and UCLA meet on Saturday at 7:47 p.m. CST at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis. LSU will hold closed practices Tuesday and Wednesday before flying to Indianapolis on Wednesday evening..
Here are some of the quotes taken from Monday’s media session with the LSU players:
Forward Glen Davis
On losing players…
“I feel with the loss of Brandon (Bass) and Tack Minor, we kind of struggled because we are a young team. I also at the same time notice the potential that we possess. My feelings toward that are just go out there and play. I’m really proud of the team that we have right now. Because of those circumstances of losing those key players on the team it helped us grow faster than we were supposed to grow. I’m just proud to watch the young guys grow. I’ve grown as a player I feel that recognizing the troubles that we had in the beginning helped us and motivated us to be the best players we can be and do the best we can.”
On having a place in history…
“It’s real special to us to be on a Final Four team. Most teams don’t ever have a chance to do this and its been a while since we’ve (LSU) done it .It feels good and at the same time it feels good to do it with guys that you love and you enjoy being with. You cherish things like that. Also, it’s a way to represent Louisiana in a positive way.”
On UCLA…
“They do a great job. They had their troubles in the season, but they bounced back tremendously with the way they play. What they did to Memphis was outstanding. We are going to watch tape and see what kind of guys they are and see what we have to do to win the ball game.”
Forward Tyrus Thomas …
On what Governor Blanco said to the team…
“She just congratulated us and thanked us for what we are doing for the state of Louisiana. She wanted us to continue working hard and to make the city and state proud.”
On what reaching the Final Four means to the state…
“It means a lot. With what our state has been through this past year with the hurricanes. I am just glad we can give our fans something to look forward to and allow them to relax and enjoy a great weekend of basketball.”
What the experience has been like…
“It hasn’t really set in yet what has taken place. Even with all we have accomplished I am still not satisfied?we aren’t finished yet.”
On how he improved his game…
“I just worked really hard. Working a lot and sweating a lot that’s all it is. I got my mind set to work. It just takes a lot of dedication. The difference between ordinary people and extraordinary people is that extra work you put in. That work you put in when nobody is watching you and nobody is pushing you, that is how you get better.”
Guard Darrel Mitchell Quotes
On being around the younger players…
“It’s just the small things they say, childlike comments. The childhood comes out in them sometimes and they’re a little immature sometimes. As the season went on they grew up a little bit. All you can do is laugh. They have a good sense of humor and it’s a whole lot of fun to be around these guys. I’m not old, if you consider my class, yeah I’m a grandpa, I’m pretty much a young guy myself.”
On senior day and the last game of the regular season…
“It was real special for the mayor to come out and proclaim that day my day and for me to be the honorary mayor. It meant a lot to me and I was real happy for that.”
On the most memorable moment this season…
“Mine was hitting the shot against Texas A&M. Without that shot we wouldn’t be here and that was my most exciting moment coming in to this.”