Oct. 24, 2001

Head men's basketball coach Dave Bliss sat down Wednesday afternoon and chatted with fans online. The following is a transcript of the chat session.

For archived transcripts of earlier chats, click here.

Dave Bliss: It's great being with you. Over the next hour, we'll try to share with you our excitement about the upcoming season and the direction that the program is headed. There is no doubt that Baylor is a better basketball team this year, despite having to replace two experienced players in DeMarcus Minor and Terry Black. However, with the transfers Kevin Henry and R.T. Guinn from our program in New Mexico, as well as three fine Houston area recruits -- Lawrence Roberts, John Lucas and Kenny Taylor -- we have reached a point where we have greater depth than in any of the three years we've been here.

Jay (Waco): Mr. Bliss, I want to say first of all, "Thank You for bringing respectability to this team." I graduated Baylor in May of 2000 and have been to most of your games in person.....Including that unbelievable win against Kansas. Question......Most everyone around the basketball community thought that the win against Kansas was a fluke, but then you took a great fight to Iowa State.....and won! Peoples minds started to change, and now there is even talk about a possible ncaa bid this year. Do you see our team as being an NCAA caliber team, and do you believe that there could be some more upsets this year?" Good Luck and Sic'em Bears, Jay Lackmeyer B.B.A. Baylor University May 2000

Dave Bliss: It was really great for our program to get a couple of top-10 wins such as Kansas and Iowa State, because that helps you gain acceptibility that your program is improving. As far as being an NCAA-caliber team, that is certainly a goal, because postseason is always a goal at this time of year. I think that this team could qualify for the postseason, and whether it is the NCAA or NIT also depends a great deal on the other teams in the Big 12. Traditionally, the NCAA takes the top 6, so our goal has been to try to finish in the top 6 as quickly as possible.

Joshua, Waco, Tx: What do you see as our strengths and weaknesses on this relatively young team?

Dave Bliss: Strengths: Our depth, with Greg Davis, Wendell Greenleaf, Kevin Henry, Matt Sayman, Logan Kosmalski and R.T. Guinn all having experienced success at the D-I level. Our height should be a strength, with Steven Othoro at 6-11, 260, R.T. Guinn at 6-10, 250, Greg Davis at 6-9, 230, Lawrence Roberts at 6-9, 225. This will allow us to be a much more physical team because fouls and fatigue should not be a factor. Our shooting should improve with the addition of Kevin Henry, who made well over 100 3-pt shots for us as a sophomore two years ago at New Mexico becoming eligible. We also feel that our big men are very competent at shooting 3-pt shots, ie., R.T. Guinn, Greg Davis, Lawrence Roberts and Logan Kosmalski.

Weaknesses (which I would rather label concerns, because they may not prove to be weaknesses) -- are replacing the experience of Minor and Black. The point guard position will be very competitive with John Lucas, a freshman, Matt Sayman, a sophomore, and Wendell Greenleaf, a junior, competing for the position.

Austin: Matt Sayman and John Lucas Jr seem to have two very distinct styles. Do you plan on playing Sayman more in games where the opposing PG is more physical and Lucas against the quicker PG's? Also, if Sayman and Greenleaf are both in the game, will Sayman at times guard the 2 with Greenleaf sticking the opposing 1?

Dave Bliss: The PG position will be competitive with Lucas, Sayman and Greenleaf all drawing time there. There is no doubt that Wendell is the best defender of all three, while Lucas and Sayman have more of the PG skills. We will need all three of them in order to compete in the Big 12.

James Bishop (Waco): Why are you such a great coach? I have been to all the games since I came to Baylor, and you are the greatest coach ever? why is that?

Dave Bliss: The Big 12, we feel, boasts some of the top coaches not only in this area of the country but in the entire nation. It is very obvious that you have to do a great job night in and night out just to survive. We really feel fortunate that things have gone somewhat better each year at Baylor, and we feel that this is a good match for what we are looking for in a school to represent. I am especially grateful to my assistants and Doug Ash in particular, who has been with me all 27 years I've been a head coach, because they keep me focused on what the best philosophy we can use to try and be successful. There is no doubt that recruiting top talent is the most important criteria, and we feel fortunate that Baylor is a very attractive product right now to be selling.

Doug: How do you feel that this team compares with last year's outstanding team?

Dave Bliss: Presently, this year's team is not as good as last year's team ended up, because it is so inexperienced. But as John Lucas, Lawrence Roberts, R.T. Guinn and Kevin Henry learn to mix with our returning players, we feel that we can be an even better team at the end of the season.

Tony P : How does this year's freshman class compare with last year's class Matt Sayman and Logan Kosmalski?

Dave Bliss: This year's freshman class is probably more widely ballyhooed than last year's class of Sayman and Kosmalski, but Baylor will be well served if they can contribute as much. There is a good chance that both Lucas and Roberts could start as freshmen, although maybe not in the first game. We do feel, however, that our recruiting has gotten better each year.

Pdaddy: Hey coach, can we expect to go to the big dance this year?

Dave Bliss: Every year our goal is to go to the postseason, and that usually means for the NCAA you have to finish in the top 6. Last year, however, we were able to go to the NIT even though we finished lower than that. Top 6 remains our objective.

BuffBrian: Coach, When are we going to get that big screen back to the Ferrel Center?

Dave Bliss: Sept. 11 did not help our efforts to get the big screen in this year, because so many things were put on hold from a marketing standpoint, While it is not out of the picture for this year's Big 12 season, best bets would have us enjoying the big screens for the start of the 2002 campaign.

Chris Waco: What do you think about coaching against Bob Knight?

Dave Bliss: Oddly enough, we have never played Indiana in our 26 years at other stops. There is no doubt that since heis such a close friend, it is a different type of game, but Texas Tech has made a great move in hiring a Hall of Fame coach, and just in the case of all the other great coaches in the Big 12, we have to try and do as well as we can against them.

Rudy Chavez (Albuquerque): Coach congratulations on hiring Brian Walsh he is certainly a great addition to your staff

Dave Bliss: Great to hear from you Rudy, the last time I heard your voice you were telling me to sit down when we had our team at The Pit for the NIT game. All kidding aside, I appreciate your comment about Brian Walsh, an Albuquerque product. Along with Brian O'Neill, we feel that we have added two terrific basketball people to our staff, and he has already had a very positive effect on our program. I'll tell them both hello for you, and go Lobos!

Steve (San Jose, CA): Coach Bliss, DeMarcus Minor and Terry Black seemed like very strong college players... were they considered seriously in the NBA draft. Are either or both of them playing in a professional basketball league right now?

Dave Bliss: Terry Black is playing professionally in the second level league in Italy, which is comparable to the old CBA in America. DeMarcus Minor is hoping to play in the NBA Developmental League, which starts up later this month. But the Sept. 11 crisis removed his interest in going abroad.

Dean ( DeSoto): Do you have a projected starting five? If so, who are they? If not, who are the players in the running to be starters?

Dave Bliss: We told the team the first day of practice that every job was wide open. Certain players, however, by virtue of their experience of playing for us either here or in New Mexico might have an advantage. We do feel that our new players will compete for starting positions, and it is this competition that gives us the depth that will be a great addition to this year's team.

Intrammural Offical: There is a lot of talk around campus about a point guard by the name of Christopher Shorter who has tried to walk on to the team. I wanted to know did he make it this year and if not, why not? He definitely deserves a spot on the team.

Garrett Dyer: My question is regarding the recent basketball walk-on try-outs for Baylor. A point-guard by the name of Chris Shorter tried out on the 15th. Shorter is definitely without a doubt one of the best players that I have seen outside of any organized basketball league. I know he can do something for Baylor's basketball team. The question is, did he make it? If he did not make it, then what's the deal? There is no reason why Shorter should not be on the team. He's got heart and skills.

nathan Adderley(North Carolina): Coach Bliss you are doing wondefful things down there in waco with that young basketball team of yours. I only have one question there is alot of buzz down there about a walkon by the name of chris shorter. From what i was told this kid has big time potential but the last time i checked he wasnt on the roster. Hopefully you will find a spot for him on yor team. Keep up the good work.

Dave Bliss: We had our walk-on tryouts on the 15th of October, and they were very well attended this year. While the competition was very good, none of the players were deemed as good as the three walk-ons we ended up putting on our team. So as good as a player may be, the case may be that we don't need that position. We've always felt that Baylor has some very good intramural players, and we're fortunate to have the three walkons we have.

John (Arlington, TX): What areas of the game are key to improving on from last year to secure a first round bye in the Big 12 tournament this year?

Dave Bliss: We have discussed areas that we feel we need to improve, i.e. gain experience for our new players, improve our shooting, be more physical inside, in order to move up in the standings. Oddly enough, however, I would rather not have a bye, because I think it's a real advantage to play a first round game in the Big 12 Tournament. As an example, in last year's Big 12 Tournament, I thought Iowa State was at a disadvantage because we had already played a game against Colorado, and I thought that prepared us more than any day of rest might have contributed. That does not mean, however, that we wouldn't be willing to move up in the standings and obtain the bye.

John (Arp): With two Junior College recruits this year, do you plan to hit that area more? Also, the schedule was pretty weak last year. Are there any plans to improve the out of conference home schedule? Thanks and I look forward to another post season visit.

Dave Bliss: We only have one juco recruit -- Rod Nealy from McLennan CC here in Waco. But we very definitely feel that juco recruits can be a great addition to your program, if they play right away. We have in fact two commitments for next year that could come from the junior college. As far as the schedule is concerned, this year's is much more competitive, with games against SMU, TCU and Rice, as well as a trip to the San Juan Shootout in Puerto Rico. Each succeeding year should get more competitive, but there is an obvious difficulty in getting people to visit Waco, especially since we were successful against Kansas. Oddly enough, once you become acceptible company (that being people that teams could afford to lose to), you have a better chance to schedule. Acceptible company also allows network TV to create games for you, and that is an obvious goal also.

Runcie Clements: I live in Nashville, TN and it was great seeing you guys on National TV last year. What do you expect to be the contribution of Lawrence Roberts on the team this year?

Dave Bliss: Lawrence Roberts was one of the best big men in Texas high school last year. With our program, he will have an instant impact at either forward position, and we think he will be a starter for us before too long.

Travis Cole (Dallas): Coach - first off, great job and good luck on the upcoming season. Chad Elsey appears to be one of those players who has all the physical tools to really step up and help fill the void left by Minor and Black. But his play, at times, has made him a liability on the floor. What are your expectations for Chad in this upcoming season?

Dave Bliss: Chad Elsey returns for his final season, and we are hopeful that he can shake the shooting slump that saw him lose his confidence last winter. While he was very successful at SMU, the Big 12 Conference is considerably more competitive and it's our hope that he will adjust better this coming season, because we can use his shooting touch.

Seth Laninga: Have you had success recruiting in the Central Texas area this past year?

Dave Bliss: Most of the recruiting the last two years has been done in Dallas and Houston, and we look forward to trying to do a good job in Central Texas for obvious reasons. While there are not a lot of players in this area, when they do come along ,we would hope that they would want to stay close to home. When we were coaching at SMU, we did very well in this area.

Jordan Bass (Lewisville): Coach Bliss - a lot publicity was given to Terry Black last year based on his athletic ability and prolific dunks. But personally, I didn't feel DeMarcus Minor got the credit he deserved as he served as the true catalyst for last year's team. Is your offense tailored for the point guard to have success scoring versus distributing the basketball?

Dave Bliss: There is no doubt that Terry Black's dunking ability was well publicized, but Terry Black was more than just dunks and alley-oops. He was a great presence in the locker room and was somebody that was very competitive night in and night out. We hope to replace that. There is also very little doubt that DeMarcus Minor was underestimated during the regular season last year, but his performance in the postseason spoke to his value to the team. We need to replace both of these abilities, but we feel the people are in the program that can do this. They just need playing time.

Eric Davis (McGregor): Coach - thanks for putting excitement back in the Ferrell Center! The team seemed to struggle some last year against bigger, more physical opponents. Specifically, you were in both Texas games until the end and it seemed like their physical play won out in the end. Talk about what your team has done in the offseason to help you win some of those battles against bigger, more physical opponents.

Dave Bliss: Our offseason conditioning and strength program has helped our size and stamina tremendously going into this year. The addition of R.T. Guinn and Lawrence Roberts also will help our inside game, because there is no doubt that teams like Texas and Missouri had their way with us inside. That shouldn't be the case this year.

Mr.Antler: Coach Bliss, the big 12 is very strong this year lead by Mizzou and All American candidate Rush, how does your team compare to Mizzou..And thank you for beating KU last year, it was awesome.

Dave Bliss: We feel that Missouri is certainly one of the best teams in the Big 12 this season, as well as the country. Kareem Rush will get a lot of attention for player of the year. It doesn't surprise me that a Missouri fan enjoys a Kansas loss.

Joe Judd (Plano): Coach- a lot has been said about this year's recruiting class coming out of the Dallas / Fort Worth metroplex. At what point can we start expecting some of the bigger name recruits to at least list Baylor as an option?

Dave Bliss: We feel that recruiting has gotten better every year. Lawrence Roberts was recruited by all the top schools in the country, and we feel many of the people we have gotten commitments from this year are national names. There is no doubt, however, that winning big helps you compete for the top recruits, and we have some work to do there.

Stephen Livesay (Waco): Coach- two questions: 1) What can we expect out of Kevin Henry this year? and 2) How does that mandatory NCAA year-off help / hurt a basketball player?

Dave Bliss: Kevin Henry made over 100 3-ptrs for us as a sophomore at UNM and contributed to an NCAA Second Round team. We feel his experience will be very beneficial. The mandatory year off usually helps a player, because he becomes more mature and better able to understand how he can help his next team.

RO [Tyler]: Alot of emphasis was placed on Terry Black's dunks and other highlite plays. To me, the biggest loss will be the energy he brought to the defensive end of the floor. In the 2-3 zone, his quickness allowed him to pressure the post player and still get out on the spot up shooter in the corner [or vice versa]. How do we replace that size/quickness combo this year?

Dave Bliss: Terry Black provided a lot of energy to our defense, especially in the area of steals. We feel Wendell Greenleaf has the same ability to do that this year. While we played a 2-3 zone for much of the nonconference season, most of our conference defense was man to man and trap, which also took advantage of his quickness. We feel, however, that we can become a bigger team defensively overall this season.

RO [Tyler]: Coach, great job. Glad you are here at BU. Having seen alot of games over the last 25 years, I have noticed that BU has traditionally been weak in the areas of rebounding and setting picks. Coaches and systems have come and gone in that time but those two areas never seem to change. Can you tell the fans what your staff is doing to help improve those areas? Also, we seem to have improved in the area of "making players pay" for going through the lane. With better depth can we expect more physical play in the post?

Dave Bliss: There is no doubt that size and strength contribute to a strong inside game, whether it is rebounding or setting screens, and we think this will be one of our improved areas. As you stated, our improved depth should allow us to play with greater abandon in the key hole.

Waco: Are practices closed to foundation, fast break, and season ticket holders?

Dave Bliss: Practices are usually closed, but scrimmages on the weekend are usually open, and we have one such scrimmage this Saturday at 11:30, prior to the football game.

Dan, Claremore, OK: You have three commitments for the fall signing period. Do you want to sign a fourth recruit, either this fall or next spring?

Dave Bliss: We have three commitments for the fall, but we will not sign a fourth, quite possibly until the spring.

Jeff Taylor, Grapevine, TX: Coach, I love the way you communicate to Baylor fans and to the media. You don't pretend to be doing Baylor a favor by being its head coach. Instead you act like it is an honor to be Baylor's head coach. In addition, your quiet confidence about the success you expect the program to have builds the fans' confidence and anticipation. Keep up the great work! My question: DeMarcus was our go-to guy down the stretch, and helped us win alot of close games last year. Although I feel that we are much more talented, and deeper, this year, I fear that the additional talent and depth won't compensate for the loss a DeMarcus, who could take care of the ball, get the ball past the 10 second line, and get 2 points from the foul line, almost at will. Sic'em.

Dave Bliss: Thank you for the nice comments. We enjoy coaching at Baylor more than any place we have ever been. This year's team will have to develop its own personality, and whereas DeMarcus was the go-to last year, we may have to rely on some very inexperienced players to come through for us this year. This is what we must develop in the preseason.

Jason, Waco: How does this team compare to last years team as far as talent.

Dave Bliss: This year's team has more outright basketball skills than the past two years. What we hope to develop is the same playing attitude, and that will enable us to be an even better team.

Jason, Waco: Where do you see the team right now at this point? Are they coming together as a team?

Dave Bliss: This year's team is slowly coming together in the week that we have had them. Each year, a new personality evolves. It took us 2/3 of the year last year before we evolved. With our inexperience, we hope we can do it faster this year, but that's what makes every year exciting.

Winston Salem, NC: Coach, I am a recent transplant from TX to NC. Any thoughts about making a road trip out here to play Wake Forest or any of the other teams in this area?

Dave Bliss: We would love to play teams like Carolina and Wake Forest if they would return the games to Waco. This, we realize, is unlikely.

Jay Y: How do the UNM transfers like Baylor?

Dave Bliss: You would have to ask them, but from all indications, they love the school and appreciate the step up in competition.

BUmaruski Waco: How would you compare this years recruiting class to, say, that of Texas. Have you had any major recruiting disappointments at Baylor?

Dave Bliss: It is easier to compare recruiting classes after they have played a year or two, and disappointments occur every year in recruiting. We don't have time, however, to let them bother us.

Eric Davis (Dallas): This is an observation from somebody who has never seen the Bears practice: I would assume that practices and intra-squad scrimmages are much more competitive (based on the increased level of talent across the board), more so now than any time you have been at Baylor. Is that an accurate statement, and if so, that has to prove beneficial?

Dave Bliss: There is no doubt that our competition in practice is greater than ever before, and this only bodes well for the improvement of our team.

J. Wood (Robinson): Coach Bliss - looking forward to another great season. I was quite impressed with Othoro last year against KU, how is he progressing and what can we expect to see out of him this year?

Dave Bliss: Steven Othoro continues to improve as a player, although he is still very inexperienced. Oddly enough, some of our best games last year occurred while he was playing well, because of his strength and size. Along with R.T. Guinn, they give us two imposing big men with which to compete in the Big 12.

Matt (Winston Salem, NC): Coach, who do you see as the potential top six NCAA teams from the Big 12? Congrats on your success--you have made us very proud.

Dave Bliss: This year, you would have to respect Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and Iowa State, in no particular order. We also feel that Kansas State and Colorado have improved themselves. The spirit is up at Texas Tech, and Nebraska and Texas A&M have good young talent. Looks to me like a tough conference, but what else is new?

Brad Wofford (Carrollton): Will the added size of your team allow Greg Davis to play away from the basket a little more, hopefully creating more mismatch situations for other teams big men?

Dave Bliss: Good observation. In fact, with the addition of R.T. Guinn and Lawrence Roberts, there will be times this year that Greg Davis, at 6-9, will be our small forward.

Bill Lisle (Richardson): Wendell Greenleaf at times looks like a great basketball player. Other times, he appears to lose focus and in turn puts up bad shots and makes turnovers. Does he fully understand how much impact he can have on this team this year?

Dave Bliss: Wendell Greenleaf is a very important player for us this year, both as a shooting guard and as a point guard. And while there were times last year that you could question his decision making, his maturity has improved dramatically, and we expect a great season from him.

Nick Junod (Houston): Your counterpart in football, Coach Steele, is very quick to point out the importance that facilities and money have on the success of a program. Since I have never heard you address this, I'll ask: "What else does Baylor need to do to become an elite Division I basketball program (from a facilities standpoint)?"

Dave Bliss: Facilities are very important in the perception of anybody's program, In the case of our basketball team, we have a building that is relatively new but has undergone many changes (i.e., new offices, improved locker room and weight facility) and looks to see many more (i.e. video boards, permanant playing surface, better lighting and sound system) that will make it one of the finest in the Big 12. It is a perfect size for a university like Baylor in a town such as Waco.

Dave Bliss: Thanks for the great questions. We tried to answer as many as we could, especially the different angles. This year promises to be a very exciting season, and we hope to have some more surprises that Bear fans can enjoy. Sic 'em!