December 15, 1998
BERKELEY - Comments from Cal men's basketball coach Ben Braun from his weekly press conference on Monday, Dec. 14.
On sophomore forward Sean Lampley:
"Sean's a very likable guy and I've met very few people that just didn't like Sean Lampley. And I've got to remind myself as a coach that, as much as I like him - he's one of the greatest kids I've been around, great family, great personality - that sometimes I've got to be the guy to remind him that he's got to step up on a more consistent basis. He's a gifted player who I think can improve a great deal if he'll increase his intensity. Sean needs to be a little tougher on himself, and the great one's are.
"Last year, we pointed to (former North Carolina forward) Antawn Jamison and just how hard he works all the time. In some respects, that's not an unreasonable comparison to say that Sean can do some of the things for us that Jamison did for North Carolina. He can run the floor. He can get up on the boards. He can score around the paint. He can step out to the free throw line and knock down shots. He's good in the press. And he's a pretty tough defender when he wants to be. I would just love to see Sean turn it up a little bit and keep it turned up. Sean has a great demeanor on the court; I wish all of our players had that demeanor."
On Cal's approach to games:
"We're the type of team that can have off games, but it can't be off nights. You can be off with your shot, but you can't be off with effort and mental preparation. You've got to be ready to go."
On Cal's center position:
"Thankfully, we have some numbers, and that's been a plus for us. I think we can go a couple of different ways. I think with Francisco (Elson), Solomon (Hughes) and Shahar (Gordon), we certainly have some size that can fill in in case we have foul trouble or fatigue problems. I think we have the flexibility that if we have to play big, we can play two bigger guys at the same time."
