Colonials Corner got the opportunity to chat with St. Francis shooting guard Ben Millaud-Meunier prior to tonight's showdown...
Q: What comes to mind when you hear, Robert Morris basketball?
A: For me, definitely the word would be battle. That would be the best. You hear coaches use the terms war, fighting, it's really like… it doesn't matter the standings that year, it doesn't matter the record of each team, I think since I've been here every game has been a serious contest and you never know what's going to happen. Last year, three games were decided by less than six points. I think that would be the best metaphor, it always comes back to a fight or a battle.
Q: All these other NEC schools are in Jersey, New York, Connecticut, etc. Do you think these two school's being so close in Western PA plays into the development of this rivalry?
A: I absolutely think so. I don't know how a school in Brooklyn or Connecticut feels, but I definitely think that's the closest school, only an hour away, so yeah I think that proximity plays a role.
Q: RMU has had a strong foothold on the NEC for a long time now and has had your team's number as of ate. What would it mean to notch this win? [/I]
A: We really, really, really would have liked to beat them last year. Especially with them being first in the conference and now this year the roles are kind of reversed yet they're still the defending regular season champions as we see it. They set a standard; a standard that they've won 20 games, we want to win 20 games. I also think it's the frequency in which we play them. We played Duquesne, and they're right next door, but we only play them once a year where as Robert Morris it's at least two if not more with playoffs. The way they play, the energy they bring, I think you accumulate all that and that's what makes it great.
Q: Last year you guys suffered three really close losses to RMU. Does that play into some confidence going into today's game? [/I]
A: I think it does somewhat, but I don't think we doubted we could play with anybody in the league. But I think especially with a guy like Karvel Anderson, who I think should ultimately be playing in the NBA now, the fact that we probably should have won at least one. I remember being up 12 in the second half with 10 minutes left in the game and we let that one slip, and then in the playoffs we jumped out to an early lead, we were up 10 points in the first half but still ended up losing. We look at it now like well we could play with these guys last year, and it's a much younger group this year. I think yeah that definitely gives us some confidence.
Q: What type of style do you expect this game to be played with?[/I]
A: I think for today and the games to come this year it's going to be extremely fast. Both teams want to push it to the 2-on-3, 2-on-4 and we're trying to move it down the floor too. It'll be fast with who wants to get ahead and who will get physical down low. I think those will be the keys: who is tougher inside and who's going to limit the turnovers, and who's going to score the transition points.
Q: To kind of digress from this matchup independently, you guys are a team that brought back like 90% of your minutes from last year. How is it to bring back so many pieces?[/I]
A: I think the biggest factor with us is we didn't have to go over the dozens and dozens of plays that we have. So we started with an advantage because we didn't have to use two, three weeks to go over plays that we had done last year. When you have a new freshman class, kind of like my freshman class where you have four or five freshmen, than it can take weeks to learn the first 10, 12 plays and then you've got to go over them again and again. We were able, with a more experienced group, to just move on and go straight to more advanced stuff because everything that's happened the past two years has just been review. My class has been here for three years together now, so I think that's the biggest key. Composure down the stretch I would say is a key, and we have really good leadership with experienced guys. That was a big key last year with not just beating Bryant and going to the semifinals, it gave us a lot of experience and learning to deal with expectations and pressure. That's what it all comes down to.
Q: Talking with you before the season, I know we both had big expectations for your team. What makes this group special?[/I]
A: It's funny, last year we won our first playoff game on the road since like 1986 or something like that. This year we're the first ever NEC team to beat a Big Ten team. I think our biggest advantage that none of the other teams have, and we were just talking about this, is that we're extremely deep. For example, someone like myself or Dominic or Steph Wyatt will be seventh, eighth off the bench where those guys could probably start on other teams, but it's really a special situation. Whenever someone gets in foul trouble we have guys off the bench who can pick up the slack and we've shown that in so many different games where some guy goes for 15 points and the other plays maybe eight minutes and then the game after their roles might be the complete opposite. That's one thing that none of the other teams have this year. I think we legitimately have seven or eight guys who could start.
Q: What did it feel like to grab some nice non-conference wins this year? You have some nice victories over Rutgers of the Big Ten and Duquesne of the A-10. [/I]
A: Honestly, both those games we really, legitimately felt like we could win those games. We thought we had the better team, we defended better, and the one game we thought might be 50/50 on if we could win was Texas. They were top-10 at the time and even at halftime it was a ten point game. We looked at each other at halftime and said, 'wow we might really do this, let's go.' Even Cincinnati, a lot of our guys had been saying lately we wish we could have them now because we're playing so much better now than we were a month ago and we could see ourselves beating them.
Were they big? Yeah absolutely, I'm not undermining it. They were huge wins. Three straight wins in the non-conference hasn't been done at St. Francis in a while. Being ranked in the KenPom top 120 hadn't ever been done in school history, stuff like that, so I'm not trying to undermine it, yes it was huge. We went to Duquesne the game after Robert Morris had just beaten them, so we knew we could win that game. With Rutgers it was the same thing, we had extremely good matchups at positions and we knew we could pull it out on the road and it was awesome.
Q: We all knew this team could shoot the ball, but the defense has really bee surprising people. What has made you guys into the above-average defensive team you are now?[/I]
A: You asked me about what's the biggest difference with having 90 percent of the minutes coming back or being older, well there's one perfect example. Last year, we were struggling and new coaching staff, and it was like a new defensive scheme and it took us a little while to get used to it. But then you come back in our second year and already everyone knows what to do, where to be, how to rotate, and we have some really good defenders. Seriously, Greg Brown doesn't get enough recognition, and Ronnie (Drinnon) doesn't get enough recognition, but I really, truly believe that Greg should get defensive player of the year in the league and Ronnie can guard every big whether he's 6-11 or 6-5, it doesn't matter. Guys like that, guys like Dom Major who can pressure the ball for 94 feet. You follow their lead really, they set the tone. I also think communication has been a big factor and when you're around a bunch of guys for two or three years you get pretty close, that's definitely helped us on the court.
Q: What is it like to play for Rob Krimmel? [/I]
A: It's unlike anything I'd ever imagined at a Division-I, NCAA school. I really think he's like a one-in-one-million. I've heard so many stories of coaches completely disrespecting or mistreating players and the whole staff as a whole reflects off him. We'll joke around during the games, we're able to make jokes. To give you an example, we played with our staff in four-on-four. Obviously he was a shooting guard in college and was playing my position and he came down the court and hit a three and talked trash to me. Ihad my head coach talk trash to me in the middle of practice. I didn't even know if I should respond, I didn't even know if I was allowed to, that's your head coach right there! I was able to go back and forth with him though, it was fun. If I had to use one word to describe him, it would be extremely positive, extremely energetic, and just one of a kind. We all feel really, really lucky to play for him. That's about all I can say really.
Q: Finally, what are some of the things this team is trying to improve on? [/I]
A: Pretty much everything. Honestly we just beat Wagner and we dominated them from the tip but we still feel like we could have played a better defensive game. I think we allowed them 60-some points but they had fewer possessions. We didn't reach our goal essentially for that game. Offensively, we shot the lights out but that's something that we always think we can shoot better. We struggled offensively early in the year but we were in the 70's or 80's in RPI in the country. We played some great teams defensively. As the year goes on, offensively we've gotten better and better and we expect to continue to go in that direction. Every game, because we've now set the standard that we can play with anyone and we can defend against anyone, our coaches are like overly manic. We put up numbers before every game and we have to get a certain number of deflections every game, a certain amount of free throws made, free throw percentage, offensive percentage, defensive percentage, offensive rebound percentage, we have so many numbers. Our goal every game is to get every single one. We haven't done that yet, we've missed it by one or two some games, we've missed it by five some games, but whatever it is we always ask for more. We can really improve in every way.
This post was edited on 1/5 2:06 PM by Chris Cappella
Q: What comes to mind when you hear, Robert Morris basketball?
A: For me, definitely the word would be battle. That would be the best. You hear coaches use the terms war, fighting, it's really like… it doesn't matter the standings that year, it doesn't matter the record of each team, I think since I've been here every game has been a serious contest and you never know what's going to happen. Last year, three games were decided by less than six points. I think that would be the best metaphor, it always comes back to a fight or a battle.
Q: All these other NEC schools are in Jersey, New York, Connecticut, etc. Do you think these two school's being so close in Western PA plays into the development of this rivalry?
A: I absolutely think so. I don't know how a school in Brooklyn or Connecticut feels, but I definitely think that's the closest school, only an hour away, so yeah I think that proximity plays a role.
Q: RMU has had a strong foothold on the NEC for a long time now and has had your team's number as of ate. What would it mean to notch this win? [/I]
A: We really, really, really would have liked to beat them last year. Especially with them being first in the conference and now this year the roles are kind of reversed yet they're still the defending regular season champions as we see it. They set a standard; a standard that they've won 20 games, we want to win 20 games. I also think it's the frequency in which we play them. We played Duquesne, and they're right next door, but we only play them once a year where as Robert Morris it's at least two if not more with playoffs. The way they play, the energy they bring, I think you accumulate all that and that's what makes it great.
Q: Last year you guys suffered three really close losses to RMU. Does that play into some confidence going into today's game? [/I]
A: I think it does somewhat, but I don't think we doubted we could play with anybody in the league. But I think especially with a guy like Karvel Anderson, who I think should ultimately be playing in the NBA now, the fact that we probably should have won at least one. I remember being up 12 in the second half with 10 minutes left in the game and we let that one slip, and then in the playoffs we jumped out to an early lead, we were up 10 points in the first half but still ended up losing. We look at it now like well we could play with these guys last year, and it's a much younger group this year. I think yeah that definitely gives us some confidence.
Q: What type of style do you expect this game to be played with?[/I]
A: I think for today and the games to come this year it's going to be extremely fast. Both teams want to push it to the 2-on-3, 2-on-4 and we're trying to move it down the floor too. It'll be fast with who wants to get ahead and who will get physical down low. I think those will be the keys: who is tougher inside and who's going to limit the turnovers, and who's going to score the transition points.
Q: To kind of digress from this matchup independently, you guys are a team that brought back like 90% of your minutes from last year. How is it to bring back so many pieces?[/I]
A: I think the biggest factor with us is we didn't have to go over the dozens and dozens of plays that we have. So we started with an advantage because we didn't have to use two, three weeks to go over plays that we had done last year. When you have a new freshman class, kind of like my freshman class where you have four or five freshmen, than it can take weeks to learn the first 10, 12 plays and then you've got to go over them again and again. We were able, with a more experienced group, to just move on and go straight to more advanced stuff because everything that's happened the past two years has just been review. My class has been here for three years together now, so I think that's the biggest key. Composure down the stretch I would say is a key, and we have really good leadership with experienced guys. That was a big key last year with not just beating Bryant and going to the semifinals, it gave us a lot of experience and learning to deal with expectations and pressure. That's what it all comes down to.
Q: Talking with you before the season, I know we both had big expectations for your team. What makes this group special?[/I]
A: It's funny, last year we won our first playoff game on the road since like 1986 or something like that. This year we're the first ever NEC team to beat a Big Ten team. I think our biggest advantage that none of the other teams have, and we were just talking about this, is that we're extremely deep. For example, someone like myself or Dominic or Steph Wyatt will be seventh, eighth off the bench where those guys could probably start on other teams, but it's really a special situation. Whenever someone gets in foul trouble we have guys off the bench who can pick up the slack and we've shown that in so many different games where some guy goes for 15 points and the other plays maybe eight minutes and then the game after their roles might be the complete opposite. That's one thing that none of the other teams have this year. I think we legitimately have seven or eight guys who could start.
Q: What did it feel like to grab some nice non-conference wins this year? You have some nice victories over Rutgers of the Big Ten and Duquesne of the A-10. [/I]
A: Honestly, both those games we really, legitimately felt like we could win those games. We thought we had the better team, we defended better, and the one game we thought might be 50/50 on if we could win was Texas. They were top-10 at the time and even at halftime it was a ten point game. We looked at each other at halftime and said, 'wow we might really do this, let's go.' Even Cincinnati, a lot of our guys had been saying lately we wish we could have them now because we're playing so much better now than we were a month ago and we could see ourselves beating them.
Were they big? Yeah absolutely, I'm not undermining it. They were huge wins. Three straight wins in the non-conference hasn't been done at St. Francis in a while. Being ranked in the KenPom top 120 hadn't ever been done in school history, stuff like that, so I'm not trying to undermine it, yes it was huge. We went to Duquesne the game after Robert Morris had just beaten them, so we knew we could win that game. With Rutgers it was the same thing, we had extremely good matchups at positions and we knew we could pull it out on the road and it was awesome.
Q: We all knew this team could shoot the ball, but the defense has really bee surprising people. What has made you guys into the above-average defensive team you are now?[/I]
A: You asked me about what's the biggest difference with having 90 percent of the minutes coming back or being older, well there's one perfect example. Last year, we were struggling and new coaching staff, and it was like a new defensive scheme and it took us a little while to get used to it. But then you come back in our second year and already everyone knows what to do, where to be, how to rotate, and we have some really good defenders. Seriously, Greg Brown doesn't get enough recognition, and Ronnie (Drinnon) doesn't get enough recognition, but I really, truly believe that Greg should get defensive player of the year in the league and Ronnie can guard every big whether he's 6-11 or 6-5, it doesn't matter. Guys like that, guys like Dom Major who can pressure the ball for 94 feet. You follow their lead really, they set the tone. I also think communication has been a big factor and when you're around a bunch of guys for two or three years you get pretty close, that's definitely helped us on the court.
Q: What is it like to play for Rob Krimmel? [/I]
A: It's unlike anything I'd ever imagined at a Division-I, NCAA school. I really think he's like a one-in-one-million. I've heard so many stories of coaches completely disrespecting or mistreating players and the whole staff as a whole reflects off him. We'll joke around during the games, we're able to make jokes. To give you an example, we played with our staff in four-on-four. Obviously he was a shooting guard in college and was playing my position and he came down the court and hit a three and talked trash to me. Ihad my head coach talk trash to me in the middle of practice. I didn't even know if I should respond, I didn't even know if I was allowed to, that's your head coach right there! I was able to go back and forth with him though, it was fun. If I had to use one word to describe him, it would be extremely positive, extremely energetic, and just one of a kind. We all feel really, really lucky to play for him. That's about all I can say really.
Q: Finally, what are some of the things this team is trying to improve on? [/I]
A: Pretty much everything. Honestly we just beat Wagner and we dominated them from the tip but we still feel like we could have played a better defensive game. I think we allowed them 60-some points but they had fewer possessions. We didn't reach our goal essentially for that game. Offensively, we shot the lights out but that's something that we always think we can shoot better. We struggled offensively early in the year but we were in the 70's or 80's in RPI in the country. We played some great teams defensively. As the year goes on, offensively we've gotten better and better and we expect to continue to go in that direction. Every game, because we've now set the standard that we can play with anyone and we can defend against anyone, our coaches are like overly manic. We put up numbers before every game and we have to get a certain number of deflections every game, a certain amount of free throws made, free throw percentage, offensive percentage, defensive percentage, offensive rebound percentage, we have so many numbers. Our goal every game is to get every single one. We haven't done that yet, we've missed it by one or two some games, we've missed it by five some games, but whatever it is we always ask for more. We can really improve in every way.
This post was edited on 1/5 2:06 PM by Chris Cappella
