Reggie Witherspoon heads into his fifth season as the skipper of the Buffalo Bulls men's basketball team this Friday against Canisius, and recently I had the opportunity to ask him a few questions about the upcoming season.
Q: Are you getting anxious for the start of the season, or is it the more time to prepare the better?
A: You know, we've been using that word anxious a lot, I hope we're not too anxious because as a team that can do some bad things. But, in the same token we are looking forward to the game. You always feel like you need more time to prepare, it's just like taking a test.
Q: Last year you had a young team that finished 5-23, but was competitive in many games - do you feel that experience can translate into wins this year with an older team?
A: We hope so, we still just have one senior on our roster and he's played less than most of the sophomores, so we're not a veteran team but we have a little bit more experience.
Q: Is it a relief to have Turner Battle back after his season-ending injury last year?
A: It is indeed, it is good to see him back. I think for the whole team it's a help to have somebody of that caliber on the floor.
Q: Of all the players that saw significant time last year, who do you feel has made the greatest strides in taking their game to the next level?
A: A lot of them had pretty good off seasons. Turner (Battle) and Mark (Bortz) stayed here the whole summer and worked on some things including their bodies. That's encouraging when you see somebody stay here the whole summer and work on his game.
Q: B.J. Walker emerged as a quality player last season, what can we expect from him this year?
A: B.J.'s got to focus and keep his attention on details and he will get a chance to do some good things.
Q: Last year you did not have a lot of size or depth when it came to big men, are you pleased when you look at your roster this year and see that that may no longer be a problem?
A: We were lacking depth in terms of size, and that was our goal to bring in four guys that play close to the basket and had some size. It was difficult even practicing last year, some of the guys that were playing in the games were unhealthy in practice so it was very difficult. We do have some more depth, but we are very inexperienced and very young at that position, so it puts a lot of pressure on Mark (Bortz) and B.J. (Walker).
Q: Are there any newcomers to the team that you think will make an immediate impact?
A: I think that our veteran players need to put our newcomers in a situation where we are not totally depending on them for huge impacts. Having said that, Yassin (Idbihi) has had some experience playing international basketball and hopefully that will help him make the transition quicker.
Q: Four of your first five games are at home, is there pressure for early success in order to establish a true home court advantage?
A: It is always important trying to get an opportunity to win, but what I think we have got to do is use our non-conference schedule to prepare us for our conference play. We want to take something from every game to try and get better.
Q: Are there any games circled on your calendar?
A: I've learned that whatever is circled on my calendar isn't as important as what is circled on the calendars of the players, so I haven't circled any games.
Q: Do you have any predictions or a message for the readers and fans?
A: The only message is that we really need (fan support). I want people when they come in here against us, to have the feeling that they are not just playing against the members of the men's basketball. I want them to feel as though they are playing the university. There are certain places where it is very difficult to play at, regardless of what the personnel of the other team is. We want this to be one of those places, where it is loud and difficult for the other team to concentrate.
