University of Georgia Athletics
MBB Pre-Season Press Conference
October 11, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Oct. 11, 2005
On the state of the team heading into practice:
"With the influx of freshmen, we're more athletic than we've been. A lot of the same things we do every year seem to come easier because we have athletes they come easier to."
On the team's development:
"We have a lot of freshmen and sophomores, and immaturity comes with that youthfulness. But they're all doing very well. We have half a team returning and half a team that's new, but they're coming together really nicely. The head-to-head competition is like it's never been since I've been here. It's refreshing to have two going head-to-head because they make each other work hard. We have the ability to make plays and complete plays already a little better because we have guys who can play at an SEC level."
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"I think the SEC is very unpredictable this year. That's the adjective I would attach to it. It's kind of wide open because of turnover of significant personnel. Kentucky is one of the most loaded teams, Florida is one of the most loaded teams, and Vanderbilt is poised to have a great year. There are a lot of other teams I expect to be good. Our team is as unpredictable as any in the league. We have a long way to go before we get where we want to be, but I'm not going to sell the team short either. I know we'll be improved, but I don't know how much and I'm not willing to put a cap on it."
On Levi Stukes:
"Levi is working harder than ever at (leadership). It's not something that comes naturally to him, but he wants to lead. All of us battle with what's best for the team, what's best for me, what's best for the group. Levi is learning what's appropriate, what things to say and what to accept. He's putting a lot of effort into it."
On Mike Mercer:
"I plan for him to be primarily a point guard. He's going to allow us to do some things because he aggressively attacks every phase of the game. In our defense, we want to not just stop a team but attack a team. He's athletic enough to be a great point man to that attack. He has the ability to be someone's worst nightmare defensively. He's fast and athletic. He'll help us ramp up our aggressiveness on defense. Offensively, he can help us start growing to be the team we want to be, which is up tempo and fast from end to end. He's fast and creative in the open court. He can deliver the ball and create offense for his teammates."
On Kendrick Johnson's injury:
"He had arthroscopic surgery for some chronic, turned, sprained ankle issues, and they found some sort of flaw in the ankle that needed to be addressed surgically. He'll have season-ending surgery sometime soon and it looks like he'll be a medical redshirt. That's a significant turn of events because we were looking forward to counting on him in the front court."
Freshman guard Mike Mercer
(on the adjustment from high school to college) "As far as the schedule goes, everything is different. The 6 in the morning practices and then another practice - your body just gets weak since we only had one practice a day in high school, but I'll get used to it soon."
(On not having high school teammate Louis Williams with him at Georgia) "He had a chance at going to the NBA so he had to take that opportunity. I talked to him throughout last year and knew he was leaning toward the NBA so I was prepared for it. I wish him the best of luck."
Sophomore center Dave Bliss
(on how the team is looking so far) "We are looking pretty good so far, although the problems with injury are obviously disappointing. But the new guys are coming along well and since a lot of us played as freshmen, we can help them with the adjustment and they have the chance to be successful right away."
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