March 25, 2002

B.J. Smith - New Southeast Missouri Women's Basketball Coach

On the Opportunity to Coach at Southeast ...
"I feel that this is a great opportunity. I once heard Eddie Sutton (Oklahoma State men's basketball coach) say at a coach's clinic that you need to find a situation where you can be successful at. And I think this is a perfect situation for me as a coach at this point in my coaching career."

On the Southeast program ...
"I think the program is a great fit for me. We have great facilities, Cape Girardeau is a great town and things are in place for us to be successful. I think we are going to put a great team on the floor next year."

On goals for the Southeast program ...
"I want to have a bracket watching party next March. That is goal number one for our team for next season."

On a NCAA Tournament run for Southeast ...
"There is a Cinderella story every season. And it's not the team with the most money or the best facilities, although our facilities here are great. You just have to find the kids that have a dream and have them buy into the team."

On a Style of play at Southeast for next season ...
"We are going to play man-to-man defense. We're going to pick up the other team defensively as soon as their bus pulls off the interstate. I think zone is a four-letter word. We're also going to press a lot and push the ball up and down the court. It's an exciting brand of basketball and we're going to have to get the girls in shape."

On the returning Southeast players ...
"We have some very talented kids returning. We are just going to have to get stronger, bigger and quicker."