How are you guys feeling about tonight?

“I think we’re prepared and I think our guys playing here Wednesday helps with the environment and helps put their nerves at ease. The Koch Arena, the locker room and just the details of where we are at. I think it is going to be a good match-up for us, and I think we’ll feed off of the student section in the crowd. Composure and patience will be important, but all-in-all, I am feeling good. I think the boys are feeling good and relaxed. We just have to be comfortable.”

What is it like for the boys the play at Koch Arena?

“I was trying to put myself in their shoes, if I was a high school kid playing in this arena and walking out there for the first time, how I would feel. It can be really overwhelming. It’s a completely different feel than your gym, like the gym at Lawrence High with the backdrop and everything. So I was really actually pleasantly surprised when I saw them warming up for the first time, how well they shot it. They seemed comfortable. I think they’re comfortable and Koch itself if a very beautiful arena. It’s big, it’s bright, the floor is about as nice as it gets. It’s a Division I facility, so it’s really nice.”

Does the venue affect play?

“Well yeah, but it also affects our opponent, too. It was their first time Wednesday, second time tonight. That is the way I am going to present it to our guys in pre-game tonight…They’re as nervous and anxious as we are. It’s not like we’re playing on their home court. We are both in the same feel there in terms of both being in our second game, both not being from Wichita, both having to travel, so I think we are pretty similar there.”

How will it be having the student section there?

“It will be great. That is the best part of being at home. The student section and the pep band. We can’t have the band because of Orlando so might as well have a bunch of kids having fun and coming down. I know that will be great. I know the students that are coming down will have a lot of fun with it. That is really what this whole experience should be about. Having fun while we are down here and staying as loose as we can ‘cause that is when we’ll play our best.”

What kind of team is SMN? How will you approach them in play?

“They are a fast-paced team. They like to get to the rim with the basketball and really go at you. They’re a team that has multiple weapons in terms of the Weathers brothers, Micheal and Marcus. But then they also have other players that will contribute on any given night. But the Weathers brothers lead the team in scoring and rebounding and defensive touches. They’re the real deal. How they compare to us? Their [LHS] athleticism compares well with them, I think we have a little bit more depth and a little bit more balance to our team versus their team, but the difference in the game will definitely be on the defensive side. If we can keep both of the Weathers boys under control and not let them have big games that will help. Then if we can be solid on offense and make them work on defense that will be to our advantage.”

How will the team deal with the excitement and anxiety of state?

“I haven’t really presented it except in the way that we think of it as a five-game tournament. We knew going in that we would have to win five basketball games to be a state champion, so each one we’ve won to get to this point has relieved some of the anxiety and anxiousness from that goal, but otherwise we have to just focus on tonight, win tonight, get a good night’s sleep and then worry about tomorrow. If the boys can just simplify that, which is easier said than done, if they can just simplify the mental side and say ‘Let’s just focus on Shawnee Mission North and focus on beating them,’ then we will worry about a state championship tomorrow.’”

What does it mean for you as a coach and as a team to make it to State?

“Personally it’s a milestone. You want to get your team to the state tournament. For me, this is my first time as a head coach. It’s been a bit of an overwhelming experience, but you just have to have some fun with it and trust your assistant coaches and go into it as a team and not just me but as a team. For the boys, for everybody on this team I know they’re excited, they’re anxious but I also know that they are a pretty mentally-tough group and they can handle it, so that helps me to be at ease to know that they can handle the situation.”

A lot of the team has been together for four years. How does that factor in?

“It only helps that they have been together for a long time. That is why they have had a good season overall.”