University of Tennessee Athletics
INTERVIEW OF COACH BRUCE PEARL BEFORE APPALACHIAN STATE GAME
December 06, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 6, 2005
1. As far as the reception from fans in Nashville was concerned, how well did it meet your expectations about the statewide interest in Vol basketball?
A - "I thought the interest was very encouraging. We had almost 7000 people on a night when Vanderbilt was playing Oregon. If we had played on a night that Vanderbilt wasn't playing, we would have had a huge turnout. I thought the people from the midstate area were appreciative of the fact we took the trip with the idea of trying to introduce our basketball team to them."
2. With only a few games scheduled in December, how will you and the Vols use the time to meet your objective of improving the basketball team?
A - "Number one, it's an advantage to us academically because these guys have a lot of papers to attend to and other things of an academic nature to work on. Number two, physically, it's a chance to be in the weight room at least twice a week. Sometimes that's hard to schedule, but it is real important to our conditioning. In practice, you can't go full blast every day. So you work a lot on special situations and techniques. We hope to get a lot accomplished."
3. Explain how Chris Lofton was able to take over the Murray State game in last week's victory over the Racers at Nashville.
A - "If I had an answer to that, I would have had him do it in the first half. Sometimes Chris paces himself a little bit. He tries to pick his spots, especially when the game is on the line. He wants the basketball in that case. I thought the teams were evenly matched. But the difference was Chris Lofton stepping up in the second half."
4. What factors are involved in a player developing a soft touch, as Chris Lofton displayed against Murray State?
A - "I think there is no substitute for volume shooting. There is nothing like getting into a gym and practicing your shots. Technically, he's got a high release and a good rotation. Those factors combine to give him a soft touch when the ball reaches the rim."
5. Tell about the strengths of the Appalachian State Mountaineers, who come to Thompson-Boling Arena to face the Vols Tuesday (7:00E).
A - "They have played six games, five against strong competition. They won't be intimidated by our talent level. They have as good a transition offense as we will see. They'll get the ball down the floor very, very quickly and attack our transition defense. Appalachian State is an excellent three-point shooting team. They've averaged almost 11 three-point baskets so far this season."
