Travis Ford answers your questions
Published: 4/1/2010 7:02 AM
Last Modified: 4/1/2010 7:02 AM
Oklahoma State basketball coach Travis Ford participated in an end-of-the-season press conference this week with reporters who regularly cover the team and, as promised, I pitched him a few questions submitted by readers of the Tulsa World’s OSU blog. Sorry if your question didn't get asked, but only questions submitted before 8 a.m. Monday made the cut.
For instance:
Question: Do you recruit to fit a style of play or do you recruit the best players available and fit the style of play to them?
Ford: It’s a combination. I have always said I think you need to get your studs. I think you need to have a couple of studs who can go score, who can defend, who can do a little of everything. I don’t think you need too many of them. I don’t think you need five studs.
Would I take seven McDonald’s All-Americans? It would be a nice problem to have, but not really. That’s not what I have ever strived to do. I have never been in a position to get seven of them. But I think you need a couple of players that everybody understands these are the go-to type guys. These are the guys who can score in a variety of ways. These are guys you are going to design most of your offense for and things like that. And you need a couple of those guys. And then you need guys who can defend and can rebound and guys who understand their role coming off the bench (and) will be a great role player for two or three years, as long as they understand that.
We always want to recruit the best players, but I don’t mind seeing a guy who possibly could be a great player someday and then it’s up to me to get him to be an overachiever. I like that challenge of it. I like working with guys. It’s a little bit of a combination, but more than anything probably (you recruit) for the system as time goes on. Early, right now, you are trying to get the best players you can and fit them within it. I change my system every year. You’ve got the core values of it, but I look at my team starting -- I probably started sooner than I ever have this year, studying film and going back already this year. I probably have been more obsessed the past week than I ever have after a season is over. But I will start in June really (figuring out) how to run our offense (with new players). This year was totally different than last year’s offense.
Question: Do you hope to consistently compete for Big 12 championships and, if so, do you have a timetable?
Ford: You definitely want to. I don’t look at it as putting a team together to win (league championships). We’re trying to build this thing to win as many games as possible. That does mean, yes, a Big 12 championship, a national championship. That all falls under the same category. It’s not something you become obsessed with. You become obsessed with trying to become the best team you can be and that all correlates to other stuff.
People will ask every year. They will ask in October what’s your goals for this season. It’s the same goal as everybody else. Everybody wants to win the Big 12. Go ask Texas A&M and everybody’s goal is the same. That’s what everybody is trying to do. But I don’t look at it and bring my staff in and say “we need to do this to win the Big 12 championship.” We need to figure out how to win as many games as we possibly can and that’s what it’s all about.
Question: Junior college transfer J.P. Olukemi practiced with the team this semester. Do you envision him playing more at the three (small forward) or four (power forward) positions next season?
Ford: He’ll be a three who can play some four. He’s more of a slasher (with an) in-between game than he is a 3-point shooter. I haven’t done an individual workout with him. We’ve got to work on him getting his 3-point shot off quicker. He can make it. He’s got great form. But his in-between game, getting to the rim, slashing, things like that, he’s really good at.
And defensively, Terrel (Harris) was pretty good, but J.P. could be a ridiculous defender because of his length and he’s very quick on his feet. And he doesn’t mind playing defense. He’s a good rebounder. He’s a hard-nosed player. He’s soft, but he’s hard-nosed. That doesn’t make sense, but he likes to whine a little bit. But he’ll get in there and beat and bang with them. He doesn’t care. He’s got a long way to go as far as getting to the level we want him to get at, but it’s a good start. We’re excited he’s here. You don’t get too many athletes with the things he brings to the table. And he’s a great kid, too. Love his personality. His personality is tremendous.
Question: Is incoming freshman Markel Brown a two (shooting guard) or a three (small forward)?
Ford: He’s a 1, 2 and 3. That’s one of the things we were looking at point guard-wise -- can he play some point? I watched him play in the state championship game. He can play the point if we need him to. He handles the ball extremely well. He’s 6-3 1/2, almost 6-4. Can really shoot it. Very, very athletic. Can play the 1, 2 or 3. He can play them all. And he will.
--Jimmie Tramel.
Written by
Jimmie Tramel
Sports Writer
