Oct. 9, 2002

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: Hello. It's hard to believe the season starts with a Saturday noon practice, but we're glad to get started again, and all our players are excited about the coming season. In the past few months, we've only had one injury of note, and that was a broken wrist by Ellis Kidd. He should be ready to go 100% by Tuesday the 15th. With the infusion of the junior college players, we think our experience will be a definite positive on this year's team.

Kansas City: I would like to know who your projected starting five are this year and if there are any new additions to this year's squad that we should look out for come conference play?

Dave Bliss: Although it certainly is early, the obvious advantages would be to John Lucas at the point, Lawrence Roberts at power forward, and either Steve Othoro or Rt Guinn at the 5 spot. Most of the early competition at the wing positions will come from amongst Matt Sayman, Terrance Thomas, Kenny Taylor, Ellis Kidd, Corey Herring, and Carlton Dotson.

John (Dallas): What are the major points of focus for you and the Bears as you get ready for the season?

Dave Bliss: The most important area for the Bears at the outset will be to improve our defense. This starts at the point guard position. We felt our defense last year was much too soft, and a large part of the change this year should be John Lucas' pesky defense at the point. JUCO recruit Robert Hart is also an option here, but we're committed to a better man to man defense than we were able to play last year. A second area for us to emphasize will be to involve our wings, whoever they are, to become more involved in our offense than they were in the past year.

Greg Green (Arlington): Coach- with the influx of the Jr. College players into the program this year (Dotson, Hart, Thomas, Kidd) - what can we expect this season as those players transition into your system?

Dave Bliss: The juco additions should provide the same experience that Minor and Black brought to the table several years ago. There is no doubt our freshmen did great last year, but our lack of production by our upperclassmen caused us to be inconsistent.

Joe Judd (Dallas): It seems as if there are some known variables about this year's team (Roberts, Lucas, etc), but some key intangibles (transfers, K. Taylor, S. Othoro) that will be called upon to provide a significant contribution. Are those intangibles ready?

Dave Bliss: Of the intangibles mentioned, the most important might be the return of Steven Othoro in the post. Two years ago in the upsets of Kansas and Iowa State, he played a large role in the games. With the injuries last year, he was limited to only spot performances. If we're fortunate enough to retain Steven for the entire season, this could have a very positive affect on the outcomes. Matt Sayman has also had a very productive fall.

Sic 'Em BEARS! (Washington, DC): First I would like to say that you have done an outstanding job of rebuilding the basketball program. I think with you at the helm, Baylor basketball is headed for a level of respectability that it has never attained. That said, how much improvement can we expect this year from the very young team?

Dave Bliss: As far as goals are concerned, we hope that we will have a chance to compete for one of the final spots in the first division of our conference.

Doug McAllen (Ft. Worth): Coach Bliss- John Lucas proved a very valuable commodity the first part of last season - but seemed to be "figured out" by opposing teams the last half, especially by conference opponents. It seems his size limits him offensively against larger, more physical opponents - do you agree and what can we expect from him this year?

Dave Bliss: There is no doubt that John Lucas' involvement at the offensive end and especially at the defensive end is limited by his size. That is why he must take the next steps in becoming quicker and more physical defensively, while on offense, there will be times we move him to the 2 guard have Terrance Thomas handle the ball on the point. This will remove some of the defensive ploys some of the team resorted to to stop John. He is essentially a 2 guard in a point guards' body. We hope he continues to improve on a tremendous freshman campaign.

Marc Kimball (Highland Park): Coach- your non-conference schedule again appears to be soft, with a large number of home / local games, against several in-state opponents. Building confidence (wins), your fan base, and GPA's cannot be questioned, but this fan's opinion is that it limits you in those tough conference road games later in the season. What are you thoughts about the schedule?

Dave Bliss: Our schedule again provides us a chance to gain experience for the new players while still retaining local rivalries of the old Southwest Conference, but most importantly, still affording us the opportunity to compete for a postseason berth. Until we deserve the opportunities to play top intersectional TV games, we are relegated to the schedule at present. Hopefully this year will help us move to the next level as quickly as possible.

Daniel Davis - Dallas: Coach Bliss - by my calculations, you were 2-11 on the road last year (0-8 in conference play) and 7-26 the past 3 seasons combined (not counting the Big 12 Tournament). While I appreciate the newfound "home field" advantage at the Ferrell Center - is our road play viewed as a weakness?

Dave Bliss: Any time you inherit a down program, it takes awhile, esp. in a conference as competitive as the Big 12, to become a competitive road team. While our road record is not what we would desire, we think that this year with our return to a more defensive and physical style, should improve. In this league, only the top 25 schools have played well on the road. It's my experience that as you get better, you first of all will protect your home court, and then steal some on the road. We are still working toward that stage.

Jim (Waco): How do you like the new additions to the Ferrel Center (the scoreboards and the new floor)?

Dave Bliss: The new additions to the Ferrell Center will make it one of the finest venues in the Southwest. The new air cushioned floor is second to none in the Big 12, and will afford us a more consistent practice schedule as well as a better cosmetic look to our setting. The addition of the video scoreboards, which have gone up in the past few days, are really stunning. We believe that these two additions continue our efforts toward providing our fan base more enjoyment from the moment they enter the Ferrell Center. On the back burner are improvements in the sound system and the lighting, and those areas will be addressed in the coming year.

Joe Judd (Plano): Coach - good luck this year. How is the Swanson kid looking considering he did not play the majority of his HS season last year?

Dave Bliss: Tommy Swanson has not been able to play for the better part of the last couple of years. While that is very noticeable in the early practices, we believe that in time he will add tremendously to our mix. Although he has a slender frame, he plays with a good spirit and is able to rebound and block shots as well as anyone in our program. Presently, the major concern besides his lack of strength is his offensive game. But he has a great work ethic, and we are looking forward to his contributions in the coming years.

Michael (Waco, TX): Can you comment on Tyrone Nelson and Dion Sherrell? I think you're doing great things.

Dave Bliss: The NCAA allows us to only comment on recruiting in so far as to say that Tyrone Nelson, Dion Sherrell and Harvey Thomas have all visited our campus, and we are recruiting them. We are hopeful of signing a couple of players in the early signing period Nov. 13.

Jonathan Shibley (Rockwall): Coach - you are renown for your ability to develop big men (i.e. Jon Koncak, Luc Longley) - any of that magic working on Steven Orthoro? Good luck this year.

Dave Bliss: We have had the good fortune of working with some underrated big men (Koncak and Longley) who eventually became lottery picks. While Steven Othoro is not that at the present, his defensive ability and rebounding can be a necessary component in this year's successful team. Offensively, all we need him to do is make free throws and follow up missed shots, because we feel we have enough firepower from the other spots.

Boyd Blakey (Scottsdale, AZ): Although it is unfortunate and needed to happen - Greenleaf's departure leaves a void (almost 13 pts. per game) on the offensive end of the floor. Who steps up this year as the major 3-ball threat?

Dave Bliss: We feel that our wing positions will be stronger this year than in the past with the addition of Terrance Thomas and Ellis Kidd. Wendell Greenleaf had some very good moments, but his instincts many times weren't those of a basketball player. Whereas we feel our new talent is strong in those areas. Ellis Kidd is capable of being a better 3-point shooter than anybody we've had on the wing thus far.

Reed Stevens (Orlando, FL): Coach- looking forward to this year! Last year, your team showed improvement physically. Is this year's team going to be able to man-up in an ever-physical Big 12 conference?

Dave Bliss: Last year, we felt that although we were stronger than the year before, we were not quite as quick. We have made very definite efforts toward getting more athletic than last year, and at this time, especially with the return of Steven Othoro, we only have one player, John Lucas, who would not be considered adequate physically.

Jim - Dallas: Coach Bliss, With Wendell Greenleaf being dismissed from the team, who is the most likely candidate to replace him defensively? Is it too soon to expect Corey Herring to fill that role?

Dave Bliss: Corey Herring will be a valuable addition to our team, especially at the defensive end. As an old football quarterback, he is very physical and exceptionally quick, and will garner time as a wing off the bench.

Jim - Dallas: Coach Bliss, How is Ellis Kidd recovering from his injury? I have heard about his offensive skills, but am wondering if he is a good defensive player or a liability?

Dave Bliss: Ellis Kidd broke his wrist four weeks ago, but has made exceptional progress and looks to be back full speed on Tuesday, Oct. 15. He has maintained his aerobic conditioning during this time, and the injury was to his non-shooting wrist, so we don't feel that he has lost too much in being out the last 4 weeks.

Waco: Is Tyrone Nelson coming to Baylor? How do Terrance Thomas and Ellis Kidd look? Is R.T. gaining any more presence in the post or will we continue to see him play primarily behind the arc? Can we expect to see more man-to-man defense or with our increased athleticism will we be running alot of 1-3-1?

Dave Bliss: RT Guinn has been one of the pleasant surprises this fall in that he has gotten more agile and also become a quicker jumper. Although he shot the 3-ball exceptionally well last year, we need him to improve his rebounding stats to improve the team.

Matt (waco): Coach, From the incoming recruiting class, which player do you see as most likely to have an immediate impact on the team? And what do you think of our chances in the Big 12 this year?

Dave Bliss: When you look at contributions from the individual players, you would base this primarily on who will be in the 8-9 man rotation. We feel that our newcomers will all compete within that frame, but there is no doubt that Terrance Thomas and Ellis Kidd have the best opportunities because of our losses from last season.

John G.G. Tucker (Waco): As we all saw at the world championship, the gap between European players and US players is getting smaler. Are you recruiting players from other countries?

Dave Bliss: We have limited most of our recruiting at this stage in our program to players from the southwest, primarily Texas, as well as selected individuals who have a natural interest in Baylor, i.e. Corey Herring, Steven Othoro.

MIKE DAVIS: HOW DID YOU ENJOY YOUR TRIP TO SCANDANAVIA(WISH YOU COULD HAVE TAKEN ME), AND HOW WILL THIS YEARS TEAM DIFFER FROM THE ONES YOU HAVE HAD AT BAYLOR. LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING YOU COACH ASH AND COACH ONEIL A COUPLE OF TIMES THIS YEAR. BEST OF LUCK FROM OKLAHOMA CITY.

Dave Bliss: Coaching the Big 12 All-Star team in Scandanavia this past summer was a wonderful opportunity for me and my family. It was also a great opportunity to try some things with the Big 12 team that we envision for this year's Baylor team. In particular, I felt Lawrence Roberts really matured over the last six months, and I think Baylor fans will really be proud of his accomplishments this year.

Brett (Dallas): Congratulations on 3 fine seasons coach! My wife and I, both young alums, have really enjoyed watching your Bear teams. One weak point I saw in the team last season, was closing out games. Baylor seemed to give up leads, or let a close game get out of hand in the last 5 minutes of the game often. Do you chalk this up to inexperience? To our reliance on the 3-pt shot? What can you do to improve the team's ability to close out the 2nd half strong? Thanks, and good luck this season. Sic 'em Bears!!!

Dave Bliss: There is no doubt that one of our deficiencies last year was closing out games in which we had late leads. We felt that some of the reasons for this were our lack of experience, especially at the point, but also our inability to play defense in the late stages of the game. There is no doubt that we have addressed our perimeter needs with the addition of the juco players, and we feel that we are going to be a better defensive team, and therefore, win some of those games that were losses last year.

Bill in Temple: Coach, I hated to see Kosmolski leave. Who will replace him and his height?

Dave Bliss: We also were disappointed to see Logan Kosmalski transfer, but he realized that his playing time behind Lawrence Roberts was limited. Carlton Dotson has the same type of game as Logan, that is, intelligent play mixed with efficient shooting and strong rebounding. He also looks to be more athletic, and we are looking forward to his contributions.

Waco: Coach Bliss, I think you have been doing an outstanding job at Baylor. Do you think Terrance Thomas will be able to fill the rebounding gap that was evident last season? Keep up the good work. Phil Long (Baylor student)

Dave Bliss: Rebounding was another area that was deficient last year. What people forget (me included) is that the two leading rebounders from the year before, Terry Black and DeMarcus Minor, were both guards. So although our posts continued to rebound in the same manner, we were not as good a rebounding team because the guards could not rebound at the same level as before. We feel that our new additions to the team will improve that.

Anne R. (Oxford, Ms): What arena that you have coached in was the toughest place for your team to play in?

Dave Bliss: Among the toughest arenas for our teams to play over the last 25 years: Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.; Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kan.; the Pan American Center in Las Cruces, N.M.; and the Huntsman Center at Utah stand out. As you can see, these were all great basketball programs, too, so maybe it was the players and not the boards.

Bart (Dallas): Hi Coach, thanks for taking the time to visit with us today. In previous years you have gotten your talent almost exclusively from Texas, and primarily from the Dallas and Houston areas (with a handful of New Mexico transfers). More recently though, you seem to be branching out to the East Coast and even maybe into foreign countries. Geographically speaking, where do you see our recruiting success coming from as the program moves forward, and why?

Dave Bliss: As we become a better program, we feel we will be able to branch out in our recruiting and not rely exclusively on this region, because Baylor is a fine academic school and also because of the Big 12's prominence on the national scene. We feel we have been able to make inroads in other areas of the United States. At this moment, we are not interested in recruiting internationally.

Nick (Waco): I was wondering if any of the practices will be open to students to sit in and watch?

Dave Bliss: One of the most important criteria in our success this year will be our ability to encourage the students to continue to do what they've done the last couple of years. We anticipate having a couple of Meet the Team functions with the students so as to make them aware of how important we feel they are. If any students would like to help with this pursuit, please let either myself or John Marczak know of your interest, and we will involve you.

Nick(Waco): Are yall currently recruiting the big man from the home school program in Dallas?...I think his name is Stephen Verwers.

Dave Bliss: We are not presently recruiting Steven Verwers because we have a commitment from Tyrone Nelson from Hempstead and he is 6-9, and we also have 6-10 Patrick Dennehy, a transfer from N.M., and he is sitting out.

Mike Boyd (Dallas): Coach, who do you expect the top 3 teams in the Big XII to be this year?

Dave Bliss: The Big 12 promises to be every bit as competitive as it has been the last couple of years, and I personally feel that this is headed towards being the best basketball conference in the history of college basketball. This season could be the season when 7 teams from the Big 12 get invited to the NCAA. Certainly at this point it looks like Kansas, Texas and Oklahoma are the teams to beat.

Dave Bliss: Without using "coachspeak", I have enjoyed my time with all of you, and we look forward to a truly exciting season this year. There is no doubt we are headed in the right direction, and we feel that our league is poised to provide the national excitement it did last year. Talk to you soon.