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Q.
I know that your high school coach, Neil Alexander, visits you from time
to time. What kind of advice does he give you?
A.
He’s been a big part of my life. He’s always telling me to take the
ball hard to the basket. He’s worked hard with me over the years, as has
coach Donnie Aeilts, my junior high coach.
Q.
Your shoulder turn to the basket looks a lot sharper and a lot quicker.
Have you guys been working on that a lot?
A.
Our emphasis at Illinois is to take the ball to the basket and to dunk
everything. I think if we could do that we could get to the foul line a
little more often.
Q.
How far can this team go?
A.
First, we’ve got to remember what happened to us last year and always
keep that in mind. We have to come out every game with the best focus that
we can. We have to show up with our A game and always give it 100 percent.
Q.
Do you know how much this means to the fans?
A.
Yes. We know, but we have to be a team that approaches things one game at
time.
Q.
Where do you watch the NCAA tournament games, and do you root for the
other Big Ten teams?
A.
I watched some in Frank’s room and some with my roommate, Sean. Yes, we
want our conference to do well, but we’re mostly concerned about how
well we perform.
[to top of second column in
this section]
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[Brian Cook]
Q.
What do you need to do personally through the rest of the
tournament?
A.
I have to come out with more intensity. If I can be even more
focused, that will help me and our team be even more successful. I
just want to keep it going. I will use that experience from last
year to make sure that it doesn’t happen again.
Q.
Your teammates seem to be shooting the ball really well right now.
A.
They are stroking their shots pretty well right now. When they shoot
it we think that they will make every shot.
Q.
What did you think about your former Railer teammates having such a
great season?
A.
I only got to see one game, but I read about how well they were
doing. I was excited for them because I know how hard they have
worked. I really wanted to see those Southeast and Mount Zion games,
but obviously we had work to do here.
Q.
Rod Cardinal is here working on you while we talk. Do you give him
credit for all of Illinois’ success this season?
A.
I give him credit for keeping us healthy.
Q.
How would you compare this season to last season?
A.
I’m a lot more calm this year. I’m not bothered by the media or
the hype now. I took that experience and learned from it. It’s a
mental thing…my attitude is so much better this season. I
remembered that in last year’s NCAA’s I had two rebounds in two
games. I’m not going to let that happen again. I’m just trying
to come out and do my job.
[Jeff
Mayfield]
(Note:
The Illini had not yet played Kansas and Arizona when this
interview was completed. For reports on those games, click
here.)
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Q.
Brian, once again you came out on fire, scoring eight straight points.
A.
Yes. I just tried to come out with a lot of energy and a lot more focus
than I came out with last year. I think that experience from last year
helped me prepare for this year.
Q.
Were you relaxed playing a team like Northwestern State in the first
round?
A.
No. They really pressured us in the first half, and after a few minutes
they were picking their spots. We made some nice adjustments at halftime,
and then their pressure was no factor after that.
Q.
Did you guys need a game like this to get your confidence back and to get
rolling into the NCAAs?
A.
No. We’re just going to take it one game at a time. We played well
today. We all worked the ball around and played unselfishly. Whoever we
play tomorrow, we know that we’ll have to bring our A game (I forgot to
ask Brian if he’s been talking to Tiger Woods with that A-game crack).
Q.
You guys seem to be playing unselfishly, making lots of extra passes out
there.
A.
At the end we were just having fun, especially when the entire bench got
in.
Q.
Did all of the upsets on Thursday affect your thinking going into your
game?
A.
Yes. It affected us a little bit. You know…we didn’t want to get
popped. But we came in here focused, with the mentality that we want to
keep playing.
Q.
After winning so handily, are you still able to see areas that can be
improved on?
A.
We’ve got to guard the ball more. When people try to pressure us,
especially full court, we can’t let it bother us like it did for a few
minutes.
Q.
How did last year’s tournament help you this year, and do you feel
redeemed?
A.
Actually we all played well. I went out there and tried to get some easy
baskets underneath and basically do my job. It feels real good that I
could contribute and play as well as I did. I think I’m a lot stronger
and much more mentally focused than I was last year. And like I said
earlier, the experience from last year really helped me this year.
Q.
For our loyal readers that don’t know, tell us about the shaved-head
thing.
A.
My hair was just long and I wanted to cut it. I wore it like this in high
school during tournament time. I mean, I just wanted to bring it back.
Q.
What a balanced attack! That should make us a scouting nightmare, huh?
A.
We’re really moving the ball well and finding each other.
[to top of second column in
this section]
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Q.
It seems like the Big Ten really struggled the first day. Were you weary
of that?
A.
We want the Big Ten to do well, but our main focus is us. We are selfish
in that regard. We’re just going to go out and try to do our best.
Q.
Any secret good-luck charms besides shaving your head…like your mom’s
chicken?
A.
No. I ate the hotel’s chicken.
Q.
Compare this year with last year.
A.
Last year I felt a little bit intimidated with all the media coverage and
with all the hype flying around. That year to think about it and deal with
it has helped me grow. Last year I was even shy with the media. This year
my teammates and I were much more calm than we were a year ago.
Q.
How fun was it to see your teammates get some playing time?
A.
It was really fun. They work so hard trying to get us prepared. It was
great to see them go out and be able to do their thing.
Q.
What did this win mean, especially after losing to Indiana?
A.
It means a lot. Everybody was knocking down shots…Cory shot it well,
Sean shot it well…everyone was shooting it well. We’ve got a lot of
weapons, and hopefully we can continue to use them all. We were
disappointed after the Indiana game, but since the next day was selection
Sunday, I think we got that out of our minds quickly. We immediately
started focusing on the NCAA Tournament. I thought we came out with that
kind of focus and jumped on ’em early today and came away with the
victory.
Q.
Did you watch the games Thursday on TV?
A.
We watched as many games as we could. But mostly, we’re concerned with
ourselves; we’re not concerned with other teams. We’re concerned with
Illinois basketball and what goes on amongst our own players.
Q.
Some people say that you weren’t really tested.
A.
They played better pressure defense than most people thought. We came out
in the second half and broke their press. Give credit to them. They didn’t
back down the whole game. They did beat us to some loose balls and got a
few boards, but that’s what we expected from them.
Q.
Are you sick of answering questions about what happened last year, and is
it a weight around your neck?
A. No. It’s
not a weight. I knew the questions would be coming. I just thought I would
take that experience and not let it happen again.
Stay
tuned for Part 2 of LDN’s exclusive interview with Lincoln’s Brian
Cook tomorrow!
[Jeff
Mayfield]
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On
the other hand, maybe they shouldn’t even go to Texas. I mean
basketball experts like Dick Vitale, Tim Brando, Rick Pitino and
Digger Phelps say that Illinois will get upset and not make it to the
Final Four.
Of
course the LDN would like to point out that if we listened to those
geniuses all season, we would’ve never won 20 games, won the Big Ten
championship or received a No. 1 seed! I guess we here at the LDN will
be content to play our role as the corn-fed team right off the farm.
You
know, those high-IQ basketball personalities are surely right. To hear
them talk, they’ve been right for years. They talk about how Kansas
comes in with rich tradition and how they are due. And they seem to be
in love with Arizona, the preseason No. 1.
The
LDN would just like to say to these characters that the game won’t
be decided in the ivory tower of their broadcasting booth. Illinois’
game with Kansas that is now scheduled for Friday night at
approximately 9:15 p.m. will STILL have to be played.
Although
no one seems to think that the Illini can win, the LDN is betting the
farm that coach Self and his players will STILL show up sometime
around game time.
[to top of second column in
this article]
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Kansas
is a very good team. They are big, huge and gigantic...and any other words
that describe larger-than-life players. They also possess excellent guard
play and probably have two of the nation’s best players in Nick Collison
and Kenny Gregory. They are extremely well-coached. Roy Williams is as
fine a coach as there is in the business and is one of the true class acts
in the entire coaching profession. The Big 12 conference has played some
great ball the last few years, and we know how good their teams are just
by having played Missouri every year.
So,
maybe those know-it-alls are right. Perhaps the Illini don’t have a
chance in the world...but just maybe, as they have done all year, they
will fight...and claw...and come back...and defend...and execute...and
somehow find a way to survive...and live on for another day.
The LDN
says good luck to Brian Cook and to the Illini...WE BELIEVE!!!
(Stay
tuned all week, as the LDN plans to be Illinois’ NCAA Tournament
HEADQUARTERS! COMING SOON...LDN'S EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN COOK.)
[Jeff
Mayfield]
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