Tune in…
Gary first asked Coach about the “drama” that took place Wednesday and specifically about the coaching box. Lutz said the coaching box rule is not enforced really well but that it can often depend on the officials/coaches. Bobby said that officials try not to take over the game and give out technicals, but that they read the papers, know the importance of certain games and try to stay out of the way. He said coaches work hard to get an edge and if he feels like another coach is pushing the limits, he will get in the official’s ear and let them know.
Gary asked more specifically about the altercation at midcourt. Lutz said he has two tapes and neither show anything at all (out of the picture). He said that he did see that #15 hit Eddie in the back after a loose ball foul and he said something to the official. He told him that Eddie handled it well. He also said that our assistants saw Nance get hit in the face but there was nothing in the video to prove it. He said he thinks it is a bit overblown at this point, is what it is, and should be left alone.
Jim mentioned to Coach that Doherty this morning, said that Basden would likely be 1st Team AA if he were on a high-profile team. Coach said that he wouldn’t trade him for anyone out there, despite there probably being more talented guys, offensively. He said, for our team, he’s extremely valuable and has really elevated his game…called him a “throw back” guy. He said he could play in ANY style of play and will be 1st Team CUSA and has a great shot at CUSA POY.
Jim asked that if there was a win this season, other than Cincy, that was really special. Coach said both the Memphis and DePaul wins were in that catagory. He said that we protected our ranking in those games and that the atmosphere was great.
Gary noted Senior Day and asked Coach what, at the beginning of the season, was his biggest concern for the year. Coach said it was defense. He said he felt like we had the offensive weapons but was unsure about defense. He said we have improved but there is still room to get better on defense. He said defense is where it is at and fortunately we have Eddie. He noted our defensive play in the DePaul and Memphis game…said it will continue to be the key and we can match up/play with anyone if we play good defense.
Gary asked Coach about E.J.'s increasing minutes. Coach mentioned the food poisoning and said that Drayton is still a little weak from it. He said he’s playing well, his minutes are up and will continue to stay up as long as he’s playing well. He said he’d like his FG% to be up a bit though. But he said that in crunch time, our best lineup is when we have Curt and EJ in there together.
Jim asked Bobby if he would continue to start Iti. Coach noted some good early games for him. He said he wants to keep Iti “alive” and will continue to use him because we can’t afford to have Curt picking up too many fouls. He said that by starting Iti, it gives us the physical start we want but that we would continue to look at the idea of him starting.
Gary jumped back to Senior Day and mentioned the three seniors. Bobby noted how important this last home game was for us. He said it’s equally important to send our seniors off the right way. He noted some of Sager’s accomplishment and said he would be a tremendous person that would like to live in this area. He said he could play for us but with the depth we have, it’s just hard to give the minutes. Said he maintained a great attitude during it all. Coach spoke on Plav/Eddie and their leadership.
And that was pretty much the entire conversation… 
Thanks for the info…
Excellent recap. Thanks for doing that.
Just to add a bit more:
He also said that after Eddie got hit from behind by #15, that he talked to Larry Rose about it and told him this type of thing can escalate. Rose said he would watch it. Smart move by Bobby to have pointed that out and also to emphasize it as this thing is being reviewed.
Bobby brought up Majerus’s comment about Charlotte at the top of C-USA despite not having a “signature coach” and said “I guess I need to work on my signature” and then they all joked about it.
On Iti, Lutz also said he has continued to work really hard in practice, is practicing well but it’s not not carrying over to games. Said he is still a very good team player but is obviously dissapointed about his own play.
[i]Originally posted by LeftyNiner[/i]@Feb 25 2005, 08:14 AM [b] Just to add a bit more:He also said that after Eddie got hit from behind by #15, that he talked to Larry Rose about it and told him this type of thing can escalate. Rose said he would watch it. Smart move by Bobby to have pointed that out and also to emphasize it as this thing is being reviewed.
Bobby brought up Majerus’s comment about Charlotte at the top of C-USA despite not having a “signature coach” and said “I guess I need to work on my signature” and then they all joked about it.
On Iti, Lutz also said he has continued to work really hard in practice, is practicing well but it’s not not carrying over to games. Said he is still a very good team player but is obviously dissapointed about his own play. [/b]
Yeah, Bobby has no shot at ever being a “signature coach”, he’d never make it as a doctor, either.
You can actually read what he writes. 
Since this is a Lutz thread, here’s a bit that’s related: on the Mich. State game last night, saw some shirts that said something like We’re in the IZZONE, obviously referring to coach Izzo. Hate to copy, but how about We’re in the LUTZZONE!! ?
On second thought…maybe not. Just thought I’d share. 
maybe we can now say for both Cincy & Memphis “What A Bunch of Thugs!”
Thanks for the recap…by the way…love how coach was fired up before the memphis game.As a fan that really gets me psyched.