RevWrestling.com recently caught up with Smith and discussed Ben Askren's desire to move down to 165 pounds, the comparison between Ben and Max Askren as freshmen, what weight class he considers the most competitive on his team, what he expects to see from Ohio State in two weeks, and much more.
Brian Smith (Photo/Mizzou Media Relations)Smith: Well, it was the Big 12 Conference, which is one the elite conferences in America. I wanted to get back into the Big 10 or the Big 12 … and this was an opportunity. Even though they hadn't been very successful, when you look at the talent coming out of the state of Missouri and the surrounding states, it was kind of like a sleeping giant. I knew that if you could go in and do things right and get people to believe in the program, good things would happen.
Your team enters this season ranked No. 3 in the country. Do you feel any additional pressure this season compared to past seasons with the expectations so high?
Smith: No, because we place expectations on ourselves. With that, if you've worked hard, done things right, you're training right, your coaches are putting in the time, your athletes are putting in the time … I don't think you look at it that way. You feel prepared. Your confidence level rises because of that. This team works really hard and is prepared. We've gotten better every year, so every year the expectations go higher and higher. This year we know we have a really solid team … and good things can happen if we train right, stay healthy, and wrestle well at the end of the year. It's kind of an expectation. It's not a pressure on us. It's just, hey, if we wrestle well, good things are going to happen.
What will have to happen between now and March 15 for your team to be in a position to win a national title?
Smith: Well, we have about six wrestlers who are ranked pretty high. Everybody needs to continually get better every day. We preach that to the kids. I think there are a couple of weights that really need to step for us and perform. If that happens, we're going to be right in the title hunt. There are three or four weights that aren't ranked right now, but there's talent. If those kids can mature by January and February and are confident going into the Big 12's, then we have a very solid team.
Ben Askren became Missouri's first-ever individual national champion (Photo/Johnnie Johnson).Smith: To be great. He wants to be the greatest. I knew that when I met him. When I was first recruiting him, one of his idols was Muhammad Ali. Muhammad Ali wanted to be the greatest of all time. That's kind of like Ben. He has that outgoing personality … and some people take it as cocky or arrogant. But he trains very, very hard. He prepares himself at one of the highest levels I've seen. He's always learning new moves. He's always finding out how he can come out of every situation. That's why he's so dominant. He knows every situation he's in … that's why he's as good as he is.
When you recruited Ben Askren out of Hartland, Wisconsin, did you imagine that he would go on to be the best collegiate wrestler in the country?
Smith: Well, we knew we were getting a pretty good kid. We knew he was pretty special, but at that point we were just hoping that we were getting hopefully our first or maybe second national champion at that point. We had other guys in the room. We knew he had national championship potential. But to be the greatest, I don't know if we were thinking that. Once he got in the practice room and we saw the way he trained, we knew he was something special. When recruiting, you know they're pretty good. But to finally get someone in the room, that's when you find out how tough a kid really is.
The two biggest names in collegiate wrestling right now are Ben Askren and Johny Hendricks. Askren has stated that he plans on eventually competing internationally at 163 pounds. Could you foresee a situation where Askren would drop down to 165 pounds to face Hendricks in a collegiate match this season?
Smith: He is certified at 165. He was trying to wrestle at the All-Star Classic at 165, but they had already sent out invites. Right now, Ben is at 174, but he's keeping his weight down for when he competes to be one on the World team … and then a year and a half later for the Olympic team. He used to get really heavy during the off-season, but now he doesn't as much. His body has matured and he's a lot stronger looking, but his weight is staying down more. His ultimate goal is to be an Olympic champion, so I think he's preparing his body for that, too.
Compare Max Askren before his freshman season to Ben Askren before his freshman season.
Smith: Max is just as prepared as Ben. I think he has an advantage over Ben … just because he has gotten to watch his brother go through it. When he was a high school student seeing his brother go through his redshirt year, and then his first year in the lineup, learning from it … and he also gets to train with his brother. He's getting to train with the best college wrestler at this time … and they're close in weight, even though they're two weight classes apart. Max isn't a big 197-pounder, so they train together all the time. I think he had an advantage coming down here during the summers during high school and training with his brother all the time. That makes a big difference. I would say that Max is a little ahead of where Ben was. Does that mean he's going to be as successful? I don't know. I just think with that … being able to train with his brother, see how he trains, see what he goes through, and get advice, I think that's always helpful on the younger brother.
Matt Pell, a Wisconsin native, was an All-American two seasons ago at 184 pounds, but came up one match short of All-American status last season at 165 pounds (Photo/Johnnie Johnson).Smith: I think the biggest thing with Matt is staying focused through the season, staying focused through an entire match. He sometimes will have a lapse and it will cost him a match or two. He doesn't lose often. He lost a tight one in the first round and a tight one in the All-American round. It was a 1-1 match with about 10 seconds to go when he lost to (Travis) Paulson. I think he has to maintain his focus through the whole match. The way he looks right now is the best he's ever wrestled in the practice room. It has caused a hunger in him, where this is it. This is his last season of college wrestling … that he can't make mistakes. He has to wrestle with that urgency where this is it.
Which weight class do you see as the competitive in your wrestling room?
Smith: Probably 157. It's a real competitive weight with Michael Chandler, who made the All-American round last year as a freshman. And then you have a kid named Nick Marable, who had a great true freshman year. I think he went like 22-9, beat Will Roe, and beat some good people. And then Emanuel Brooks is in there, too. He was a junior college national champion at 149 a couple years ago, but still has three years left. So those three are going to battle.
Will your starters for the Ohio State dual on Nov. 16 be determined at your Black and Gold wrestle-offs this Sunday?
Smith: Yeah, pretty much by the wrestle-offs. I mean, the wrestle-offs give us a pretty good indication of where everybody is, but we see them practice every day, so there are other factors … just on health, too, and how everybody is feeling. We usually go by the Black and Gold for that first early dual we have … then it's tournament results, seeing how people are performing at the tournaments. We'll send a bunch of kids to the Central Missouri Open, then the Missouri Open, and those tournaments will help us determine who we'll take out to Las Vegas.
There is obviously a lot of excitement in Columbus (Ohio) with Tom Ryan taking over as the new head coach at Ohio State. What do you expect to see from the Buckeyes in two weeks?
Smith: This will be the fourth straight year we've wrestled them in a dual. They always have a talented team. If you look at their lineup the last few years … even four years ago when we first started wrestling, I think they finished third in the country that year. They always have talent. Ohio is a very talented home state. I know he's going to have a big crowd there. We're expecting a very, very tough match. They have two returning All-Americans. I look at some of the kids in the lineup … there are some highly-touted kids. We're expecting a brawl. It's going to be a tough, tough match for us as an opening match. But we like that. We like to open up with some tough competition and know where we're at early and see how we're training and performing on the mat.
We may be starting three or four freshman in that match, so we'll see how they show up in a big dual atmosphere … not at home … in that kind of hostile territory. You find out a lot about your team how they perform more on the road than at home. At home, it's comfortable, you don't have to travel, and that kind of lets us know right away. And I know Tom (Ryan), he's going to have them ready to wrestle. It kinds of motivates you … because it will be our fifth week of practice going into that dual. At that point, our guys are ready to kill each other. They're so fed up with wrestling each other. There's nothing like having a good opening dual to motivate them during those five weeks. It keeps them focused, too.
Brian Smith has compiled a 98-53-1 dual meet record in eight seasons as head coach of the Missouri Tigers (Photo/Mizzou Media Relations).Smith: I think it's an advantage to have it at home, just because you don't have to travel. You're not sleeping in different beds. You're going to have a bigger crowd. You're going to have the comforts of warming up in your wrestling room. So I think there are some mental advantages and maybe some physical with less travel, so yeah, I think there are advantages to having the Big 12's at home. This is my ninth year at Missouri and it's only the second time we've had it. The last time we had it, we finished second in the Big 12, which is the only time Missouri has finished that high. So if you look at the past, we did perform well. It was one of our best performances at the Big 12's.
How many wrestlers will you need to qualify for the NCAA Championships in order to compete for the title?
Smith: We're gunning to get all 10 there. I know it's possible to do it with eight or nine guys. That's what we're looking at. Right now, we think we have the talent to qualify all 10, but we'll find out as the season progresses and how some of our wrestlers progress.
Oklahoma State has won the past four NCAA team titles. However, Minnesota is the consensus No. 1 team in the preseason rankings. Who do you view as the team to beat this season?
Smith: We'll find that out. Right now, there are a lot of unknowns. I think Minnesota has the most known team. It's guys who have performed, so they are deserving of the top ranking. And then you just find out as the season progresses. The big thing with all the teams in the nation is just trying to stay healthy. That's a big part of college wrestling. Every coach tries not to worry about that, but they do. When you look at the top five, six, or seven teams, they all have very talented teams. Whoever comes in the healthiest and prepared is going to have a better shot at winning it. I think that's a big factor … and I know that's something every coach is looking at. I think Minnesota is definitely the team to beat right now, but we'll find out down the road. We run into them at the Southern Scuffle, so that's a good test for us to see how we match up.
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