The American Athletic Conference held a teleconference with the league's men's basketball coaches Monday in advance of the first American Athletic Conference Basketball Championship. Here are some quotes from Orlando Antigua's appearance.
Opening statement:
Thank you for having me. An adventourous season to say the least. A lot of growing pains, a lot of up and downs, but excited about the opportunity to be playing in the conference tournament and seeing how we can finish up and build on some of the positive things that we've had over the past few games in the way our young men have continued to grow and continued to push through.
What he expects Thursday in tournament play against UConn:
Obviously playing Connecticut at the XL Center we have our hands full. We had a chance to play them up there in the regular season and know it will be a great environment and we're looking forward to the opportunity.
On players stepping up and taking advantage of their opportunities during a season of adversity:
Our motto has been, 'next man step up'. We've had, like you mention, some challenges in a roster that changed throughout the season. Our team never made excuses, they kept working hard and the next person stepped up and looked at it as an opportunity to compete, get better and to grow. We've had a few guys who have done that, in particular some of our younger guys which got an opportunity to go out there and gain some valuable experience that hopefully in the future will benefit us.
What do you think the challenges are in building a program to a national level in this conference:
I think we have a great conference. You can see the parity in the talent, you have unbelieveable coaching across the board in the conference and some really, really talented players. I think the recruiting the that the conference is doing from top to bottom will continue to get players in this conference that will help us to compete against anyone. You look at the potential of us having maybe four teams go to the NCAA Tournament, that's huge that's huge for such a young conference. To be able to be able to be in that conversation. I think we'll have four teams that will get that call on Selection Sunday.
On anything new jumping out about Connecticut since USF's two games against them this season:
They're led by Ryan Boatright and have a very good team that plays well at home. Early on I think Boatright wasn't producing as well as he is right now and their guard play has been phenomenal down the stretch. We know it's going to be a tough challenge but our guys will be prepared to go on and compete and that's what we want. Come out there and compete, give your best effort and see where that takes us.
Although USF lost twice to Connecticut this season the team battled them well, can you take confidence from that?
You try to find confidence wherever you can. But I think the confidence should come the game preparation and the working in practice here and then going out and trying to execute our game plan. That's where we try to control as much as we can about us and not worry so much about them. I think Coach Ollie will have those guys prepared, as well, to play and we know it will be a tough task but that's what makes it fun. It makes it fun to go out and see if we continue to challenge ourselves and see how we continue to grow.
Memories of playing in MSG in the old Big East and how that will compare to what you'll experience this weekend:
That's a good question. Playing in that old Big East Tournament with the rivalries and the way the fan bases were back in that time, I don't know how that can be replicated or duplicated. I just know that the feeling we have coming into Hartford for this conference is a great feeling as well. With it being such a new conference I think those new rivalries will start and come to that. The Big East, obviously, got to become the Big East after several years of those teams and programs competing against one another. I think this can be a great start of building something to get to that point that it will get to where you have such great memories of all the differnet games that happened in the old Big East. There were some great phenomenal games which leads to the memories that were established throughout those many years.
Was that something special, kind of a reward for you as players that we have New York to look forward to?
Absolutely, absolutely. Just the Garden, being in the city particularly for a bunch of the kids that grew up in New York to get to come back at the end of the season to play in a tournament with that kind of prestige in that arena with the history that it has. It was a great feeling, it was a great feeling that gets you really charged up and I think that's something that is going to be able to happen here in the American. I think you've got a bunch of really good teams and like I said earlier they are in the infancy stages of building some of those rivalries and I think it could grow into that.
Opening statement:
Thank you for having me. An adventourous season to say the least. A lot of growing pains, a lot of up and downs, but excited about the opportunity to be playing in the conference tournament and seeing how we can finish up and build on some of the positive things that we've had over the past few games in the way our young men have continued to grow and continued to push through.
What he expects Thursday in tournament play against UConn:
Obviously playing Connecticut at the XL Center we have our hands full. We had a chance to play them up there in the regular season and know it will be a great environment and we're looking forward to the opportunity.
On players stepping up and taking advantage of their opportunities during a season of adversity:
Our motto has been, 'next man step up'. We've had, like you mention, some challenges in a roster that changed throughout the season. Our team never made excuses, they kept working hard and the next person stepped up and looked at it as an opportunity to compete, get better and to grow. We've had a few guys who have done that, in particular some of our younger guys which got an opportunity to go out there and gain some valuable experience that hopefully in the future will benefit us.
What do you think the challenges are in building a program to a national level in this conference:
I think we have a great conference. You can see the parity in the talent, you have unbelieveable coaching across the board in the conference and some really, really talented players. I think the recruiting the that the conference is doing from top to bottom will continue to get players in this conference that will help us to compete against anyone. You look at the potential of us having maybe four teams go to the NCAA Tournament, that's huge that's huge for such a young conference. To be able to be able to be in that conversation. I think we'll have four teams that will get that call on Selection Sunday.
On anything new jumping out about Connecticut since USF's two games against them this season:
They're led by Ryan Boatright and have a very good team that plays well at home. Early on I think Boatright wasn't producing as well as he is right now and their guard play has been phenomenal down the stretch. We know it's going to be a tough challenge but our guys will be prepared to go on and compete and that's what we want. Come out there and compete, give your best effort and see where that takes us.
Although USF lost twice to Connecticut this season the team battled them well, can you take confidence from that?
You try to find confidence wherever you can. But I think the confidence should come the game preparation and the working in practice here and then going out and trying to execute our game plan. That's where we try to control as much as we can about us and not worry so much about them. I think Coach Ollie will have those guys prepared, as well, to play and we know it will be a tough task but that's what makes it fun. It makes it fun to go out and see if we continue to challenge ourselves and see how we continue to grow.
Memories of playing in MSG in the old Big East and how that will compare to what you'll experience this weekend:
That's a good question. Playing in that old Big East Tournament with the rivalries and the way the fan bases were back in that time, I don't know how that can be replicated or duplicated. I just know that the feeling we have coming into Hartford for this conference is a great feeling as well. With it being such a new conference I think those new rivalries will start and come to that. The Big East, obviously, got to become the Big East after several years of those teams and programs competing against one another. I think this can be a great start of building something to get to that point that it will get to where you have such great memories of all the differnet games that happened in the old Big East. There were some great phenomenal games which leads to the memories that were established throughout those many years.
Was that something special, kind of a reward for you as players that we have New York to look forward to?
Absolutely, absolutely. Just the Garden, being in the city particularly for a bunch of the kids that grew up in New York to get to come back at the end of the season to play in a tournament with that kind of prestige in that arena with the history that it has. It was a great feeling, it was a great feeling that gets you really charged up and I think that's something that is going to be able to happen here in the American. I think you've got a bunch of really good teams and like I said earlier they are in the infancy stages of building some of those rivalries and I think it could grow into that.
