Jan. 24, 2002

Head men's basketball coach Dave Bliss sat down Thursday morning to answer questions from fans online. The following is a transcript of the chat session.

For archived transcripts of earlier chats, click here.

Dave Bliss: Good morning everybody. It's great to be with you this morning, it's enjoyable to be able to share thoughts about Big 12 basketball and specifically Baylor University. We're a work in progress right now, and our young players continue to improve. We look forward to hosting the Texas Longhorns on Saturday.

Geoff (Argyle, TX): How do you compete and recruit against Bob Knight, when he has done so much for your career?

Dave Bliss: There is no doubt that Bob Knight is responsible for me being a college basketball coach, and the training that I received at Army and Indiana has been invaluable. There is no doubt that over the last 30 years we have enjoyed a great friendship together, and it is our feeling that he will really enhance the reputation of the Big 12 Conference.

Dustin (Waco): Coach Bliss, First off thank you so much for all the hard work you have put in at Baylor so far. It is greatly appreciated. My question was concerning students. In what way could we be more proactive in helping the team? Do you believe courtside seating a la Duke would increase the intensity at home games? Overall what aspect of fan support would you like to see improve?

Dave Bliss: The students have been one of the best surprises at Baylor, because we had heard that they weren't always as enthusiastic, but the reality has been just the opposite, and their participation in games last year like the Kansas game and the Texas A&M game were instrumental in the team playing well. In a town that doesn't necessarily get too excited about anything, the students' participation has been terrific. If we had our way, the students would have all the seats down behind the teams. There is talk about opening some things for next year.

TJ, Plano: Dave, Congratulations on your Baylor success! Doug, Brian, Kevin and yourself are doing a great job. I have two questions. 1. What challenges have this year's team presented in comparison to your past two Baylor squads? 2. Last season Terry Black, DeMarcus Minor and Wendell gave the Bears a high-flying, around-the-bucket personality. What is the developing personality of this team? Thank you for your time and good luck.

Dave Bliss: The challenges of this year's team have been many. First of all, we anticipated some more depth than in year's past, but there has been a reluctance on the part of some of our older players to step up in the void of Black and Minor. Black and Minor, however, became good players for Baylor, and that's why we continue to work with our younger players like Greenleaf, Roberts, Taylor and Lucas. The personality of our team this year has been altered somewhat by injuries b/c we've never really had a presence in the post due to Steven Othoro being out most of the year and Greg Davis being out most of the conference season. But you keep working towards that development as long as you keep playing games.

Jeff (Waco): I was just wondering about Kenny Taylor? Earlier you took off his redshirt because I believe you said he shot too well and could really help us. I've noticed he hasn't gotten that many minutes and I was just curious if something had changed? Thanks coach you're doing a great job!!!

Dave Bliss: Kenny Taylor continues to be an important part of our future, and while he has one of the best shooting touches on the team, his lack of experience has shown itself many times. Nevertheless, he figures prominently in our future and will see more playing time as the season progresses.

Waco: Coach Bliss, congratulations on the considerable progress thus far in rehabilitating the men's BB program at Baylor! The team you've assembled this year is very exciting to watch and to cheer for, with tremendous potential for the future. What can you tell us about recruiting efforts this year? Do we have reason to hope that this year's class of recruits will be as outstanding as the freshmen now playing for Baylor? How do you assess the particular needs of the team for the future, and how do you translate that assessment into a recruiting strategy? Best of luck for the rest of the season! We'll be there rooting for you!!

Dave Bliss: We feel the future at Baylor is very bright, considering the contributions of this year's freshman class as well as last year's class of Kosmalski and Sayman. The class we signed for next year may be even better with Terrance Thomas, a 6-6 wing, Ellis Kidd, a 6-4 wing, and Tommy Swanson, a 6-9 Kevin-Garnett look-alike. We plan on adding another guard and another wing player to this recruiting class as we continue to become more competitive in the league.

Nick: 1 Coach, how is Greg Davis and when is he expected back? 2 How is Othoro and is there a chance that he will ever be 100% this year? Thanks coach and keep up the great work! We are very happy to have you here at Baylor!

Dave Bliss: We hope Greg Davis will be back before the end of the season. He continues to rehab, and we really think that there's a chance he could be ready soon. We have given Steven Othoro the last week off in hopes that he will be able to contribute more. His size was a factor last year, and we continue to hope we can get him back this year.

Rob: Can you tell us how the NIT works? Do they go by the RPI? How do they go by choosing school's?

Dave Bliss: The NIT used to be separate from the NCAA tournament, and consequently a lot of the teams had an eastern presence to them. Now, however, the NIT operates much the same in regards to the RPI, and last year our upsets against Kansas and Iowa State really helped us, as well as the exciting play of Terry Black. Usually the Big 12 will get a team or two in the NIT.

Steve B.: Coach, some have said that this is the first second best conference in the nation. What would you rate this league and how many teams do you think might make it to the NCAA? Thanks coach for doing this chat!

Dave Bliss: People have graded the Big 12 among the top 2-3 conferences all season long. And although I haven't seen all the teams in all the conferences, I believe the Big 12 deserves at least six teams in the NCAA tournament every year.

Michael aka "Golden Bear" (Midwest City, Ok): The loss to A&M really hurts. I believe they are a team that we should beat. For a team to achieve success, it has to win games they are supposed to win and get some upsets along the way. What happened that game, and are we going to be playing in the post season again, in your opinion? I like what you have done so far, but I do get frustrated with losses like that one Saturday.

Dave Bliss: Texas A&M is a difficult game to assess, because most people base their opinion without realizing the Aggies played nine of their previous 10 games on the road. They are among the most athletic teams in the conference, and I imagine the Texas Longhorn fans feel similar to you in their frustration this morning. There is no doubt, however, we hope to repay the favor when they visit Waco.

Corey Munn (Student): Even with all the young talent we are receiving and the incredible job of recruiting you are doing, do you feel we will be able to significantly increase our overall standings in the Big 12 in the coming years.

Dave Bliss: There is no doubt that our recruiting continues to improve, in large part because of our participation in one of the best conferences in the country. Everyone else's recruiting this year is equally impressive, but it's our goal to finish in the first division as quickly as possible. That usually will allow us the opportunity to play in the NCAA tournament, which would be a great reward for Baylor University.

Roughneck (Dallas): Hey Coach! I am extremely proud of the job you have done so far. I am especially pleased with the strong foundation for the future we are laying this season. However, the Big 12 South three perrenial Tournament teams in Texas OU and OSU, Coach Knight's ever improving Raiders, and Coach Watkins' recruiting very well at A&M. I have two questions: First, quite frankly, how do you plan to keep pace with exponentially improving South division? Second, do you think there will come a day when the Big 12 will send 8-9 teams to the Tournament, or will Baylor have to displace someone in the top 6 of the conference? Thanks Coach! And Good Luck!!!

Dave Bliss: An interesting fact about Baylor's participation over the last couple of years has been our success against teams in the north, where I think we've won 9 of the last 11 games. There is no doubt that this speaks to the dominance on the part of the south, with Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas and now Texas Tech having a national profile. It is our goal, though, to finish in the top half or so of the conference, b/c we think that translates into postseason opportunities like the NCAA. It's difficult to imagine any conference sending more than 6 or perhaps 7 teams to the national tournament, because the sentiment is to make it a national tournament, not a Big 12 Tournament or an SEC tournament.

Marvin Free (Ft. Atkinson, WI): I have read on the internet that one of Baylor's recruits (Swanson of North Crowley) quit his basketball team. How (if at all) does this affect his scholarship at Baylor? Also, does Baylor have any more scholarships left to give out during the late signing period? Thanks.

Dave Bliss: Tommy Swanson started out the season at North Crowley, and he and his father had a disagreement which caused Tommy to drop off the team. We have tried to encourage him to return to the team because due to an injury, he had to sit out last year, and to miss two years in a row can't be enjoyable to a young man who aspires to get better. We hope that the issue will be resolved before the end of the season, because we think Tommy can be a terrific college player.

Joel (Portland, OR): Coach, how has this team measuring up to the expectations you had coming into the year? It seems somewhat inconsistent especially looking at the home vs. away games. PS-- you are welcome to play a game up here in the Pacific Northwest at any time!!

Dave Bliss: This year's team has been inconsistent, to say the least. Not only in performance, but also the health issue, and we've had only one practice where every player has been healthy. For a young team, this can be unsettling, but we continue to forge ahead and finish strong. Our inexperience has especially shown itself on the road where we have given up leads in games that we had control of.

Travis Coles (Garland): Coach- 5 of your 6 losses this season have come on the road. I understand the value of having a young team play at home - but at what point in the future do you take your show on the road so your guys know how to win conference games where they can truly matter - in an opposing team's gym?

MichaelTrozzo: Coach, when are you going to beef up the non-conference schedule and play some teams from the power conferences?

Dave Bliss: Scheduling is constantly a source of concern for programs that are trying to build. Our program will continue to play a more rigorous schedule each year. But it "takes two to tango", and right now, there aren't a lot of teams out there willing to play home-and-home games in Waco, Texas. That's why we continue to try to play the in-state private schools like SMU, TCU and Rice, in addition to any other opportunities that might avail. Once you get to be an acceptable and recognized national team, the TV people will insure you getting a good schedule against competitive teams.

Keith (Waco): It has appeared to me that our inside players are not attempting to block shots. Instead I have noticed that they are obtaining body position and standing with their arms straight up in the air. Is this something that is implemented by the coaching staff or are our players simply not being aggressive and trying to stay out of foul trouble? I would like to see the Baylor inside players play more smart and aggresively in rebounding, especially offensively and challenging more shots. What I mean by smart is going after offensive rebounds when you can get position or read a missed shot, not just jumping as high as possible and going over the back which I have noticed at times by some of the Baylor posts. It was an unfortunate loss to Texas A&M, I feel that Baylor has a much better team and we really need to take advantage of all victories that we should win especially being in the BIG XII. Have you had any special preparation for the game on Saturday against the Texas Longhorns? This would be an amazing victory since the Longhorns are in position to be a serious contender for the Big XII title. Good luck! and sic'em bears!

Dave Bliss: This year has been one of the most difficult years in terms of trying to establish a rotation of players because of inconsistencies and inexperience. We continue to try to get people healthy, and our interest continues to be finishing strong in the Big 12. As far as our inside game is concerned, I believe we are at the top of the league in blocked shots, but because we are somewhat thin due to injuries, we try not to get in foul trouble and have played more zone defense than in the past. Zone defenses quite often guard areas and aren't as equipped to block out people. This has hurt our rebounding. People quite often miss their first shot against us, but we haven't done as good a job at securing the followup. We hope that this continues to show improvement down the stretch, especially as we get our taller players back.

Robert McDougal (Saginaw): I thought A&M did a good job defensively of denying John Lucas the ball. This obviously affected his offensive production which had been counted on throughout the season. Assuming you will see that more often, what can be done to get him the ball?

Dave Bliss: A&M is a very athletic team, and in the second half, they did a good job of playing aggressively against John Lucas. This is no different than the other Big 12 teams will do and have done. We try to keep John in elusive situations, that is, different than DeMarcus Minor's hard charges to the basket. As our team gets better, John will be more able to take advantage of his skills, but right now, teams are able to settle in on him because others have not picked up the slack. He has had an exceptional freshman year.

Dave Bliss: I have enjoyed our chat, and we are excited about finishing this season strong. Rebuilding a program such as Baylor continues to be an exciting challenge, especially in a league as competitive as the Big 12.