Oklahoma State University Sports Information
Oklahoma State senior wrestler Coleman Scott and coach John Smith met with members of the media Monday in Gallagher-Iba Arena to preview Saturday's Big 12 Championship in Stillwater. Here are some of the highlights of what they had to say:
Coleman Scott
Regarding post-season competition:
"I've been there before. A couple of the guys have. We need to wrestle like we know how to win and the title will take care of itself. I think we can definitely blow some people out of the water when we start wrestling well and they realize what big strides we've made the last couple of weeks."
Regarding the importance of bonus points at the Big 12 Championship:
"That's one thing we've excelled at when we were winning titles we were always getting bonus points whether it's a major, tech or a pin. You just have to keep going and extending your leads and breaking people. That's what we seem to do, peaking at the right time and doing that to guys at the end of the year."
Regarding wrestling the Big 12 Championship at home in Stillwater:
"It's a good feeling especially since we don't have to travel anywhere. I can't wait for it to be here. It hasn't been here since I've been here. It will be a good feeling being in front of our own fans. Hopefully we give them a good show."
"I definitely like staying at home. It keeps my training schedule on. I know where I can eat and what I like to eat and stuff like that. I don't have to adjust for anything. I get to sleep in my own bed, which is nice."
Regarding the team's preparation for the Big 12 Championship:
"It's good. Everyone is excited. We're still making strides. We still have four or five days of practice. Everyone is really looking forward to that, and focusing on getting better these next couple of days and then focusing on the Big 12 come Saturday."
Regarding what legacy he and Nathan Morgan will leave:
"I think we both feel that we haven't done anything yet. Until we get that title, we want to solidify this year. Once both of us get that title we'll feel better about what we've done in our careers here."
John Smith
Regarding the Big 12 Championship:
"We closed the gap in the Big 12. We have an opportunity. That's all you hope from this team right now. It's a tough tournament. When there's only five teams you don't get a lot of help. With this situation we have to focus on closing that gap and the only way to do that is win matches. It takes 10 guys participating. If you're going to win the tournament you can't have five guys taking fifth. It's just the opposite in the next tournament. If you have five guys doing great things there's a good chance you're going to get what you want."
Regarding the importance of scoring bonus points at the Big 12 Championship:
"If it's any indication from last year it's going to be pretty important. They always seem to be. I'm not sure we're in a position to score a lot. I think we are in the position to get some upsets. For us that's going to be important for us."
"I've got four guys ranked fifth. Am I going to get bonus points? That's going to be hard to do. Jared Rosholt two against three. Shinn against Fio. Coleman Scott likely against McCormick which have been one point matches. I think we have the opportunity but if we are it's going to be in the third period."
Regarding Nathan Morgan's knee injury:
"He's bounced off that knee fine and been training well. He seems to be as good as he's looked at this later part of the season."
Regarding wrestling the Big 12 Championship at home in Stillwater:
"I think when you're at home if you get on a roll I think some magical things can happen. I don't know if needs to come down to one match. I know we're positioned pretty well. 125, 133, 141 are in pretty good position. We're in a good position at 57 if we're going to pull upsets. Sixty five with Dieffenbach. Heavyweight. If you're pushing those guys into the finals, you're going to be in good shape."
Regarding Jake Dieffenbach in the 165-pound bracket:
"It's very tough. 65 has a lot of balance there. There are several good kids. I think the conference has four solid wrestlers in there with him, with the fifth one showing some signs of being tough. It's a tough weight. It takes tough people to win it. I like the way Jake's wrestled the last couple of outings. It seemed like he struggled a little bit in January and I think a lot of that is based on the NAIA season which is very short. The longevity of the season got to him a little bit but he's refocused and I think his best wrestling is still ahead of him."
Regarding how the team's preseason conditioning comes into play late in the season:
"My conditioning program helps everyone who lets the negativity go. A lot of our matches we're training through them. We're not taking three days off and trying to peak for the match. Oklahoma, we trained right through it. That was probably a little bit of a mistake on my part."
Regarding the wild card meeting following the Big 12 Championship:
"It's probably the worst part of my job. They've never been very enjoyable. People have left upset and angry. They implemented some rules last year where it became a little more civil. The wild card is you're fighting for your kid. Everyone thinks they have an athlete who can make a difference and help at the NCAA Championships. It's like having your own child. Every one of these men wrestle hard for you and you want them to get that opportunity. One thing we've gotten away from is we need to help teams that can win championships. A championship in our conference helps all of us. Does it mean we need to take someone over someone who earned it more? You get into a point where the last four or five are real close and it's hard to distinguish a difference then we should award the spots to teams that have a chance to win championships. It's going to be tough this year."
"Every time I leave I feel abused. Any coach can say that. It becomes personal in the wild card. You're telling me my kid isn't any good, that he hasn't done anything. It's just a fight. We're not holding hands and sharing a meal together."
General thoughts on the Big 12 Championship:
"I don't like the fact we're an underdog. I'm excited because of what I see in my guys and the way they're responding to our training and the attitude in the room. I've seen some things I really like. It doesn't mean anything if we don't execute on the mat."
Brands, Iowa ready for Big Ten Championships
University of Iowa Sports Information
By Tom Brand's demeanor Tuesday, the Big Ten Conference wrestling championship couldn't come soon enough.
Brands swayed, rocked and fidgeted during a 20-minute press conference inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena. If focus and anxiousness had a face, Brands would be the obvious poster child. The No. 1-ranked Hawkeyes have two top seeds and six others seeded in the top four for the league tournament March 8-9 at Williams Arena in Minneapolis
"I've been saying all year that we have a group of guys who love to compete and this is the best time of year to love to compete," Brands said. "We have a good group of guys."
Iowa's top seeds are sophomore Brent Metcalf at 149 pounds and senior Mark Perry at 165. Junior Charlie Falck (125), sophomore Joe Slaton (133) and sophomore Jay Borschel (174) are all two-seeds. Sophomore Phillip Keddy is third at 184, senior Matt Fields (285) and sophomore Dan LeClere (141) are seeded fourth. Sophomore Ryan Morningstar is seventh at 157 and sophomore Chad Beatty is tied for seventh at 197.
"It's important to have 10 weight classes representing themselves to the best of their ability and beyond that," Brands said. "That means wrestling above your seeds and if you're the No. 1 seed, doing it in dominating fashion. When you have 10 weight classes doing that, the team title takes care of itself."
Minnesota has won six of the last nine Big Ten championships, including the last two. Iowa's last win came in 2004, but the Hawkeyes have won the last two times the tournament has been held in Minneapolis (1986, '97). Brands enjoys competing in hostile environments like the one the Hawkeyes will face this weekend.
"Williams Arena is a great place to wrestle," Brands said. "They have good fans there. We'll have a good following there. Enemy arenas have always been attractive in my way of thinking when you're invading someone."
Perry (18-2) received the top seed at 165 even though he has not competed since a 4-1 victory against Michigan's Eric Tannenbaum on Jan. 13. Perry is recovering from knee surgery and Brands says he is "100 percent."
"The fur's been flying in our room with Mark Perry," Brands said. "He's been wrestling hard. He's been preparing his whole life for this, so down time doesn't concern me when you have a mindset like that and when you have an attitude like that."
Perry is the defending conference and national champion at 165. Other Big Ten placewinners for the Hawkeyes last season were Falck (second), Fields (fourth), Morningstar (fifth) and Keddy (seventh). There are five Iowa wrestlers who will be competing in their first league tournament. One of those rookies is Metcalf (30-1), who has won 23 consecutive matches and is 9-0 against other Big Ten competitors at 149.
Brands was asked what he thought of the 149-pound weight class, which features one of the marquee brackets in the tournament.
"Balanced and tough," Brands said. "A lot of guys hoping and one guy that knows he can continue his rampage. I like our guy. I like him because of how his approach is and how his impact on his team is."
Because of so many high seeds, there isn't a lot of opportunity for many of the Iowa wrestlers to have a break-through weekend. One is Morningstar, who is in a loaded 157 class. During his career, Morningstar is 5-12 against the rest of the field, 2-6 in dual conference dual action this season.
"It's a new season for me," Morningstar said. "I have some overdue wins that need to come out and now's the time. Brands knows how to get us ready and we believe in what he's doing and what he's teaching. He'll have us ready no matter what, so that's a good feeling to have."
The first session begins at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 8.
"When they get ready to wrestle, it's a great group to watch and they are confident," Brands said. "All I know is that our guys, when they get ready to go, they're pretty doggone tough and they're fun to watch because they attack. They do it the right way."
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