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Quotes from Mike Rice press conference
On making Rutgers relevant again:
I know that what will quicken the process is a winning basketball team and a team that fills the RAC. When I was coaching here seven years ago (as a Pitt assistant) they had good teams -- not NCAA-caliber teams but an NIT-winning team -- and you couldn't hear yourself think at the RAC. That should be a part of us making the RAC the RAC again.
On the scale of the rebuilding project:
Having enough scholarship players to go 5-on-5 is my first initiative. It's one of those things that, I've been recruiting and coaching all my life. This is what I was born to do, so it's not a big deal. We're going go out and get some talented players. They may not be the most notable players in the country right now, but they'll be guys with qualities that I want. They'll have a toughness about him. They'll have a quality, a strength, they'll be guys who will be able to help our team next year. It's the funnest team to coach. ... I can't wait to get at it because it's going to be an underdog season. When I was at Robert Morris we were in an underdog role a lot away from our conference and to tell you the truth, I thrive on that.
On his father, Mike Rice Sr., as a role model:
Instead of telling me to go up and do my math homework, he would say c'mon Mike, we're going to go watch film. It was just something I was raised on and something I talked about to my players, about living your dreams. I never had aspirations to dunk a basketball or be a Division I player. My dream wasn't to be an NBA player, it was becoming a high-level basketball coach, so this is incredible for me because this is certainly my dream and I'm excited about going into it with this group and maybe adding a couple more pieces.
On changing the culture:
Fundamentals don't change, they're fudamentals. Recruiting doesn't change, you're still trying to get the best players. .... I'm going to do it the way I know how and I'm pretty confident that we can change that culture and change the mindset of some of the alumni and even the press about Rutgers' mediocrity and all that type of stuff.
I know that what will quicken the process is a winning basketball team and a team that fills the RAC. When I was coaching here seven years ago (as a Pitt assistant) they had good teams -- not NCAA-caliber teams but an NIT-winning team -- and you couldn't hear yourself think at the RAC. That should be a part of us making the RAC the RAC again.
On the scale of the rebuilding project:
Having enough scholarship players to go 5-on-5 is my first initiative. It's one of those things that, I've been recruiting and coaching all my life. This is what I was born to do, so it's not a big deal. We're going go out and get some talented players. They may not be the most notable players in the country right now, but they'll be guys with qualities that I want. They'll have a toughness about him. They'll have a quality, a strength, they'll be guys who will be able to help our team next year. It's the funnest team to coach. ... I can't wait to get at it because it's going to be an underdog season. When I was at Robert Morris we were in an underdog role a lot away from our conference and to tell you the truth, I thrive on that.
On his father, Mike Rice Sr., as a role model:
Instead of telling me to go up and do my math homework, he would say c'mon Mike, we're going to go watch film. It was just something I was raised on and something I talked about to my players, about living your dreams. I never had aspirations to dunk a basketball or be a Division I player. My dream wasn't to be an NBA player, it was becoming a high-level basketball coach, so this is incredible for me because this is certainly my dream and I'm excited about going into it with this group and maybe adding a couple more pieces.
On changing the culture:
Fundamentals don't change, they're fudamentals. Recruiting doesn't change, you're still trying to get the best players. .... I'm going to do it the way I know how and I'm pretty confident that we can change that culture and change the mindset of some of the alumni and even the press about Rutgers' mediocrity and all that type of stuff.
posted by Kyle Franko at
7:09 PM
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