nice pengi! make sure to take some pics!
www.allkyhoops.com/2009/11/all-access-behind-scenes-at-cameron.htmlFriday, November 20, 2009
All Access: Behind the Scenes at Cameron Indoor Stadium
AllKYHoops.com is going to give you an All-Access pass into the locker room of a good mid-major team as it prepares for a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium against the powerful Duke Blue Devils. I will be talking to Radford University freshman guard Evan Faulkner, a Kentucky kid that played high school basketball for the Elliott County Lions. Radford will battle Duke tomorrow at 3:00 p.m.
- Evan Faulkner has started the first two games for the Highlanders (2-0). He is averaging 32.5 minutes per game and is tied for the team lead with 7 assists. He is averaging 4.0 points per game.
- The Radford Highlanders are an NCAA Division I basketball program that competes in the Big South Conference (Kentucky fans may recall that Gardner-Webb competes in the Big South Conference). The Highlanders are coming off a winning season and are expected to compete for the Big South championship in 2009-10. The university sits just off of I-81 in southwestern Virginia (near Blacksburg).
Friday: Preparation and the journey to Durham
I asked Evan to take me through the day today and the team's preparation for their trip to Duke.
"We started at about 2:30 today with practice. It was a pretty normal practice, although it was shortened a bit. We had the normal level of intensity and everyone was focused and practiced hard."
On preparing for Duke:
"We've watched film on Duke the last two days. We want to limit the shots of Scheyer and Singler. We'll play a whole lot of zone defense and try to limit them. We will try to make someone else step up and beat us and if that happens, we'll live with it."
After practice:
"After practice, we had a team meal and then we left for Durham at around 5:30. I think it's probably a 3-4 hour bus ride for us."
I asked Evan how the team feels in general as they prepare to play at Cameron Indoor Stadium:
"You know, we have a lot of experienced guys. We're going into Cameron and everyone knows about it. We know what we're getting into and our guys have experience. They played against North Carolina last season so they know about this level of play."
"We feel like we're a good basketball team. We're confident."
The Highlanders are dealing with a bit of adversity:
"We are missing one of our top players which is Lazar Trifunovic, but don't ask me how to spell that." (I looked it up on ESPN)
How does Evan expect things to go:
"I really feel that if we handle the things that we can control, we'll be competitive. Things like hustle, execution and effort. We're not going in there to take a 30-40 point butt-kicking. We feel like we're going to try to win."
Plans upon arrival:
"We'll get checked into our motel tonight and relax a little. There will be a shoot around tomorrow morning, but they haven't told us the time, yet."
Radford (2-0) @ Duke (3-0)
When: Tomorrow; 3:00 p.m.
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham, North Carolina
Next Update: Tomorrow before the game