The University of Mississippi Athletics
Q & A with Andy Kennedy
7/5/2007 | Athletics
Q&A with Andy Kennedy
Q: How satisfying was last year's success considering the expectations going in?
A: I think it was a good first step. Anytime you take on a new situation you really don't know what to expect. I thought the year was based on growth, and I was really pleased to see our seniors have an opportunity to experience some success before their careers here ended. I also hope that it showed what we are capable of doing if we take the right approach, so I certainly thought it was a good first step.
Q: What have been your impressions of the fans and their support?
A: It's been quite a metamorphosis to say the least. Last year, we started in November playing in front of really small crowds to seeing it evolve into SEC play, where they truly created a home court advantage for us. Going 16-1 in Tad Smith Coliseum -- the most wins in the history of the building -- was quite an accomplishment for our group, and in order to have a chance to be successful in this league at the level that we aspire, we have to be very, very difficult to beat at home. I think last year proved that we are capable of being just that.
Q: Talk about expectations for this next year. Some early media predictions have us projected low again.
A: It's funny how things work. When I got the job, I was confronted by a lot of different people that said we don't know if we have the players capable of winning the SEC West.' Then after we go and win the West, the same people start talking about how are you going to replace those guys?' I think that we are going to miss some experience, but I think we have certainly helped ourselves talent wise and we have some pieces we are excited about. Now, how they all fit in the puzzle has remained to be seen, and that's what we'll start working on as soon as we get our hands on them.
Q: Does the success last year change your goals coming into this year?
A: Internally, my goal is to win a national championship. I think if you aren't working daily to compete and put yourself in a position to win a national championship in this league, you are wasting your time. So internally we have some very, very high goals. We understand that will not happen overnight. We understand that we have to continue taking steps in the right direction, and I think that with next year's team, we will continue to do so.
Q: What players do you see providing leadership this year?
A: It's really a complete reversal. We had three senior guards last year, and we'll have three senior frontcourt kids this year in Dwayne Curtis, Jermey Parnell, and Kenny Williams. All three will play important roles. We have a kid sitting out that I don't really consider a newcomer in David Huertas, who I think has some natural leadership ability. We've got Brian Smith, although not a full-time guy but certainly a rotation guy, that helped us in a number of areas. He's the only guard on our team that has been here four years, and we are looking for him to continue in his leadership role. Eniel Polynice is a kid that garnered some valuable minutes as a freshman and has an opportunity to take that next step in his evolution as well. Right now, we are going to try to find it from a lot of different areas, and we think we do have some guys with natural leadership abilities.