Oct. 10, 2007

Columbia, Mo. - College basketball enters the spotlight on Friday with Mizzou Madness and to prepare for the upcoming season, the Missouri Basketball program hosted its preseason media day on Wednesday.

Below are quotes from Head Coach Mike Anderson, selected Tiger student-athletes and a Q&A with Tiger junior forward Leo Lyons.

Mizzou Basketball Media Day
Oct. 10, 2007
Head Coach Mike Anderson Press Conference

Opening Statement:
"Well, it seemed like we were just coming in here the first year. Now we're here for year two. To say the least, I'm excited about it. and looking forward to it. I thought year one went okay. I'm one of those guys that...I like to be doing some things in March and not sitting at home, and watching other teams play. You just have to have desire to get it done...to earn a little bit more, in terms of getting the season ready, getting it prepared. When you talk about starting out '07-'08, I'm certainly excited and I think our guys are excited. I think they're ready to get into practice. We started when school started on August, I think the 24th. We started right then and there with individual workouts at 6 a.m. in the morning. So as always, they are paying the price and hopefully that's going to pay off as we get prepared for practice. And all they're doing...it started with September the 15th with conditioning, to get prepared for practice. Now, we are at the stage now, where Friday we will have (Mizzou) Madness. It's great for the fans and our guys are excited about it. Hopefully it will be an opportunity to get some canned goods for the food bank of Mid-Missouri. But again, it's year two. When you talk about `what do you expect for year two', hopefully it's going to be an area where we can improve in a lot of different places. It's the way we need to improve in a lot of areas. Defensively, we've got to become a much better basketball team. We were a team that scored. We had no problem scoring. We averaged 77 points a game. But we gave up 72. Then when you talk about conference play, I thought it was probably even (scoring margin). So you're not going to win many games when you're scoring 74, and the other team is scoring 74. From that standpoint, those are the things we've got to correct. I think rebounding had a big part to do with it. If you look at the stats. Now, that's what you do in the off season, and even when you get you butt beat. When you get beat in games, you always look at stats. One of those terrible stats was not necessarily just the rebounding, but putting people on the free throw line. And that was because of people getting offensive rebounds of us. I think we're going to get better at it. I think we'll be a whole lot better at it this year.

Offensively, we'll be more in-tune with one another. Just from being familiar with what we want to do. A lot was thrown at these guys on the fly. I thought early-on we did some good things, then we stumbled a little bit, then we picked it back up. I thought for the most part, the guys were trying to do what we asked them to do. And that's put the most competitive team we possibly could put out there for year one. So we talk about year two, we expect it to be even better. Hopefully it's a team that will continue to be an exciting team for people to watch."

On becoming a better rebounding team:
"I think its personnel. I think its mindset. There were times when we did beat people on the boards. And people wondered why or how we did it. But I think personnel has something to do with it. We're not one of the bigger teams. And of course there are different ways to `skin the cat', as I would say. Because we want to be a team that`s going to push the tempo. But at the same time, that's where your guards come into play. A guy like Keon. He's got to be a guy that rebounds. Stefhon (Hannah). Jason (Horton), if he's in the game. J.T. (Tiller). He's going to be a guy that I think could be a big difference in our basketball team. You talk about J.T. and a guy like Leo Lyons for that matter. Those are some of the guys (that can help us rebounding) ... if hopefully they can step to the forefront. It's going to help us from a depth standpoint. And not only that, but I think J.T. especially, from a toughness standpoint. I think DeMarre gives you that as well. Hopefully we'll have some guys that will be close to getting into double figures in rebounding. If we can get that...then that will help us."

On not being able to play DeMarre last season:
"Well, I just had to have blinders on when he was down there (on the bench). I just didn't really see him. You have to work with what you've got. And I thought we had some guys who could have done a little bit more. But I'm going to demand a lot more. Having a guy you know can go get some rebounds. Having a guy that doesn't mind getting some stitches on the side of his head. That helps. But, again, I think the toughness factor is what I'm looking for on my basketball team. Mental toughness. Not bowing down. Not being pushed around. Having a guy who can come across and block some shots."

On his team "getting it" this year:
"I think they understand it a little bit more. They are more familiar with one another. They are more familiar with me. When I'm out there barking, and getting after them, they know how to take that. Sometimes, with a new team, or young players, when a coach is really getting at them, they kind of taking it personal. I always tell them, listen to what I'm saying and not how I'm saying it. I think these guys are a little bit more, hopefully, in-tuned to what we want to do. I think we are going to have more competition for positions, for playing time. Competition is healthy for a basketball team."

On Leo Lyons:
"Hopefully Leo is a guy who understands it's an opportunity for him to really step up. And I'm anxious to see how he responds. Last year he came into the game playing behind Kalen (Grimes). So, now, is there more expected of Leo? We'll see. Now he's in a different role. Now, can he give us what we want and beyond that? Everyone knows he's talented. But can he be consistent night-in and night-out? Does he have the stamina from start to finish? We'll find out. We ask each and every one of our guys to improve, and hopefully, Leo has improved to the point where I can trust him. It all goes back to trust. I trust him and they have to all trust one another."

On Stefhon Hannah:
"Stefhon did so much for us early on. I think he might have just wore down. I thought at times, Stefhon was sloppy. He'll be the first to tell you, I told him that. (He was) very careless with the basketball. But, Stefhon is one of those guys who brings the energy and it just filters through our team. Not necessarily from an offensive standpoint. He's like a little dart out there. Everywhere you go, he's around the basketball. He was one of our third or fourth leading rebounders. He has a great nose for the basketball. When you talk about defense, I think he's one of those guys who can really spearhead our defense.

On this season's schedule:
"Year two should be a little tougher I think. Is it tougher? We'll find out. As a player, you want to play good teams all the time. We're a work in progress this year. But we better progress from Oct. 12 to Nov. 12. Because we start right off the bat (with great competition). We'll be playing some very good basketball teams. I know it's important to this team to try and get off to a good start. The schedule is tougher...no question about it...night-in and night-out...it's attractive and it's very challenging too. From that standpoint, it can't do anything but help us get ready for conference play."

Mizzou Player Quotes

Matt Lawrence
Junior Guard

On his improvements:
"I worked on my mid-range game and definitely my ball handling. (I worked on) being able to help out against another team's press because I did not do that too well last season. I'm just trying to get my all around game better."

On the team's all around game:
"[Last season] was much tougher because we were trying to get our feet a little wet. [Coach Anderson] was trying to throw some things at us, and he threw a lot of things at us. We responded pretty well till the end of the year because we were right there. This year we know what [Coach Anderson] wants. The conditioning was a little harder because he knows that he can get a lot out of this team. I think that it's going to be very beneficial because we're probably going to pick up more of a full-court press, and just try to have the forty minutes of hell."

Keon Lawrence
Sophomore Guard

On playing a tougher non-conference schedule:
"I think having a better [non-conference] schedule is very good, and will help us out in the long run."

On playing faster this season:
"Anything that happened last year has already happened. It's a new year, and we are going to play fast, and it will be faster than we were last year. [Coach Anderson] thinks that we are going to play a lot better than last year because we know what he wants out of us every game, so everyone has this in their mindset. We know that we have to be a whole lot better of a defensive team."

On DeMarre Carroll being last season's best player:
"Yeah, because he just does everything. He is a leader [on the floor] for us. He's going to come in and give a big boost. He does have a lot on his shoulders, but [the team] is looking forward to him doing a lot of good things."

On having DeMarre Carroll on the bench all of last season:
"Yeah, it was real hard. In the Kansas State game it was so hard. Just knowing that they beat on the boards [41-17] was very hard. This year it will take a lot of pressure off, but we understand that everyone still needs to rebound. But we know if there's a rebound, [DeMarre] will pull it down.

On Missouri not having a true center:
"In some sense, it's going to hurt us by not having a true center...but now everybody on the team can attack off of the dribble, so that's going to create a lot of problems [for our opponents]. We don't have to have somebody standing down in the paint, and we are going to be a lot quicker overall which allow more guards to get rebounds."

On building on his freshman experiences:
"Knowing more about how everything is in the Big 12 will help...every game is a big game. Last year I didn't think that some games were big games, I guess because of the records [of our opponents]. This year, I know I have to play every game like it's the national championship."

Darryl Butterfield
Senior Forward

On improving his game over the summer:
"This summer I didn't go home like some of the other guys. I stayed in town and worked on my game. I worked on my handles and my shot. I worked on everything that I had to improve."

On Missouri's tough non-conference schedule:
"It will be a big opportunity because it will show us where we are at as a team and give us a challenge. Hopefully playing these teams outside of conference will give us the competitive edge that we need."

On Missouri being a championship-caliber team:
"We will get there; it's a process. It's the beginning of the year...we are working on it. We have some little injuries, but we will get over them. It's going to be exciting to watch."

On his constant defensive presence:
"I take a lot of pride on playing defense. I like to talk on defense to let the other players on the court know what's going on. I encourage the other players to talk out there as well, and to trust each other on defense."

DeMarre Carroll
Junior Forward

On his anticipation of playing after sitting out the 2006-07 season:
"It's been really tough sitting out a whole year, but it went by fast and it's here now, so there's no looking back. I just want to go out there and give my best effort on the floor and give it all I've got."

On stepping into a leadership role for the Missouri team:
"I just try to go out there and lead by example, because I know I have some younger guys that really look up to me. I've been around [Southeastern Conference] college basketball for a while, so I just feel that I am going to lead by example by going out there and letting [the team] feed off of my example every day."

On the team's overall toughness:
"We just have to have some blue collar guys. The first year in the system I think our guys, as a team, did a really good job. Now, we have more blue collar guys that are taking on [Coach's Anderson's] characteristics and attitudes. I have seen a lot of the attitude change in practice."

Leo Lyons
Junior Forward

On improving his game in the Kansas City Pro-Am League:
"It gave me a chance to go out there and showcase what I have been working on outside of what goes on [in practice]. It let me showcase everything else I can do."

On translating his productivity--30.8 points/8.6 rebounds in 12 games--in the KC Pro-Am League to the collegiate level:
"The scoring will probably go down...there are a lot of guys out here who can do the same thing I can... I definitely think the energy will be there though."

On his second year playing for Mike Anderson:
"This will be the first time I have played for a coach for two years in my whole life. I feel a lot more comfortable because last year we really did not know his style of coaching...he would yell at us and some of us would take it to heart. Now, we already know what to expect, so when he yells at us we can just keep on going."

On improving the team's toughness:
"That's something that you can't work on; you just have to go out there and do it. After a while you get tired of hearing [the coaches] tell you everyday, so you just go out there and play as hard as you can, and toughness comes along with that."

Justin Safford
Freshman Forward

On adjusting to 6:00am practices:
"It's been kind of hard, but I have adapted to it. It's just become another day to me."

On having to contribute right away:
"Not at all because there are still a few guys ahead of me. I kind of came [to Missouri] thinking that I would be doing the freshman thing, but the roles have changed, so I need to be ready."

On playing the big guys on the team:
"They are guys that are my size that do the same things I do, but maybe a little better because they are so experienced."

On his team role being changed:
"Yeah, a couple of unfortunate things did happen, so I just need to come in and play consistent by doing what I do helping out the team play better."

Q & A with Leo Lyons
By Ryan Dunaj, Missouri Media Relations Student Assistant

Junior forward Leo Lyons is coming off a much-improved sophomore campaign where he averaged 7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds in Head Coach Mike Anderson's first season. Now, in Anderson's second year, Lyons is expected to make an even larger contribution on the floor and be one the key players for Tiger Basketball in 2007-08.

At the team's media day on Wednesday mutigers.com's Ryan Dunaj sat down with Lyons to discuss his summer preparation for his junior year, his love of music, and he also got the answers to some questions many Mizzou fans would be interested in knowing about one of their hardwood stars.

How was your experience playing in the Kansas City Pro-Am Summer League this off-season against the likes of young NBA players and other highly-touted college players?

Lyons:
"It (the summer league) improved my game a whole lot, because I was playing against some professional-caliber players. The summer league is at a higher level, where you are playing against guys that are bigger, faster, and stronger. It showed me what I can expect when I leave college and play basketball later on in my career."

What aspects of your game did you focus on in the summer league?

Lyons:
"One of my issues last year was that I played like a robot, like coach (Anderson) told me all the time. I went out there this summer and just played; I played freely and I did all the things that I was taught. But, still I just played as hard as I could."

Knowing you had to get back for summer classes the next day, how were the multiple road trips to Kansas City and back to Columbia during the week?

Lyons:
"Winning made the road trips a whole lot easier. If I would drive all the way down there and lose, that would make me mad. But as long as I won, I was happy on the way back to Columbia. Those drives seemed to go a little quicker after a win."

Did you any free time away from school or basketball during this past summer?

Lyons:
"Not at all, but it was for a purpose. It was all about preparing for my junior year."

What goals do you have for the upcoming basketball season?

Lyons:
"Just to do whatever I can to win. I just want to play my heart out, and hopefully we will win."

From a player's perspective, what can we expect from Coach Anderson in his second season?

Lyons:
"You can expect our defense to go to an entire new level. People saw how we were able to play with full-court pressure last year, but we are going to turn it up this year."

How important is music to your life?

Lyons:
"It is a big part of my life. All the free time I do have is spent working on music."

When did you develop a passion for music?

Lyons:
"For as long as I have been playing basketball I have had a passion for music. I have a lot of friends that are into music, and through them, I was brought into singing and writing my own music."

Now knowing that you sing and write music, how have you tried to advance your music career?

Lyons:
"William Moore (Mizzou football safety) and I have performed at Athena Nightclub and we have done other big shows with major artists. We do these shows just for fun. We put on the shows for free and have others come out and watch us for charity events."

Other than basketball and music, what are some of you other favorite hobbies?

Leo:
"It would have to be video games. Keon (Lawrence) and I have got a big competition going on between us. We really play a lot of video games."

Do you have any pre-game routines?

Lyons:
"Before every game I have got to talk to my mom, or else I don't feel right."

What is your favorite food?

Lyons:
Spaghetti

What city have you most enjoyed visiting on your road trips with Mizzou basketball?

Lyons:
"The city the team had the most fun in would have to be Dallas at the Big 12 Conference Tournament two years ago. It was pretty fun there."

Other than Mizzou Arena, which arena's atmosphere is the most enjoyable to play in?

Lyons:
I love playing at KU, I like all the booing and all the hostility our team gets when we enter the arena. I love all the people that show up for that rivalry, too."

What do you expect from the last two years of your college experience?

Lyons:
"I expect a whole lot more of winning. I expect Mizzou to be in the (NCAA) Tournament in each of my last two years in school."

With it being a few years off, what are your plans after college?

Lyons:
"I would like to keep playing basketball. It's a goal I have had for a number of years and I plan on achieving it."