Oct. 22, 2009

Bronx, N.Y. - Head coach Dereck Whittenburg's Comments at Atlantic 10 Media Day:

On rebounding from last year:
"Last year we got hit both by having a young team and, more importantly, by injuries. We lost Brenton Butler for just about the entire season and then lost Chris Bethel in January. It's very difficult for a young team to lose that kind of leadership and experience. I knew last year would be rocky but the injuries really hurt us. But the kids hung in there and played hard, especially the young guys. And we knew we had some talent on the way with the class we brought in this year."

On the play of sophomore guard Jio Fontan:
"He's improved tremendously since last year. He's got some good players around him and that should help him. Last year he showed that he could score in the Atlantic 10 and this year I think he's capable of leading the league in assists."

On what he's looking for this year:
"One thing we focused on this year was hitting the weight room hard during the offseason. I think we are better conditioned this year and that will allow us to play a more uptempo game like we want. The players are in shape and ready to go."

On Chris Gaston, who was selected to the Atlantic 10 Preseason All-Rookie Team:
"Chris has talent and everybody knows it. He did a tremendous job becoming eligible and has come a long way over the past few years. He's physically strong, confident and athletic. When you bring in big recruiting classes you need two impact guys and Chris is one of those guys. But we have other guys who can contribute right away like Fahro Alihodzic, a big guy from Bosnia, Danny Thompson, a very good defensive player and good shooter, Brennen Melvin, a point guard from Florida, and Lance Brown, a guard from Paterson Catholic. I think this is the second best class we've brought in since I've been here."

On the return of senior guard Brenton Butler from his 2008-09 injury:
"Brenton is poised and ready to play. I think people forgot about him since he missed most of last year but we haven't. He's our most experienced player and he has experienced success here. He brings a great deal of leadership to this team. Health-wise, he's is in the best shape since he's been here."

On a backcourt of Jio Fontan and Brenton Butler:
"That combination gives us a chance against most backcourts in the league. When I arrived here, Fordham wasn't really in the conversation when you spoke of the top of the league. But as we continue to build, these two guys have a chance to elevate us towards the top."

On the parity of the Atlantic 10:
"There's no question all the coaches in the conference can coach, all the coaches can recruit and they all come from great backgrounds. Look at the top of the league. You've got Dayton and Xavier but then you see some relative newcomers like Richmond, La Salle and Duquesne. With the Atlantic 10 it's not over until that final bell and I think what we see at the end of the year may be different than what has been selected in the preseason which will show just how competitive the Atlantic 10 is."