The HRR interviews Alandise Harris and Kirk Van Slyke at 2011 UH Basketball Media Day

POSTED: October 26, 2011 -- 10:30 p.m. CDT

The Houston Cougars' 2011 Media Day took place Wednesday afternoon. Sophomore forward Alandise Harris and junior forward Kirk Van Slyke took a few minutes for a brief question an answer session with The Houston Roundball Review.

HRR: What did you do this summer, during the offseason to improve?

Alandise: All summer, I ran harder; I did everything with confidence.
I worked out harder. I tried to lose a few pounds. I was 230 (pounds) last season which was okay to play with; but, I'd rather be about 224 or 225 where I'm at now.

HRR: What have the coaches they expect from you this year?

Alandise: A lot. They want me to play defense harder. They want me to rebound. They want me to be real consistent in ALL of the stat columns.
HRR: Can you do that?

Alandise: Yeah. That's the type of player I am.

HRR: How is the adjustment this year, especially on defense, with the new players?

Alandise: We've got a lot more quicker players. Quicker. Faster. Stronger. So, the defense is turned up now.

HRR: What do you guys expect for the team this year?

Alandise: We're just going to take it one game at a time. One practice at a time; and, go hard everyday.

HRR: Kirk, how have you changed from last year to now?

Kirk: I'm a year older. I've gained about 20 pounds. I've worked hard in the weight room. I believe I can a bigger impact. Hopefully. That's the plan.

HRR: Coach Dickey has said he wants you to play more in the post. Are you ready to do that?

Kirk: Yea. I'm ready to do it.

HRR: What do you expect from the team this year?

Kirk: I expect to win games to put us in a great position to get into the Tournament. Go far and try to make some noise.

HRR: In this second year with Coach Dickey, is the team more comfortable with what he expects from all of you this year?

Kirk: Yes. We're all more comfortable. I feel like we're all pulling in the same direction. We're all running the offense. No one is trying to get away from the offense and do their own thing. I feel like we're making strides forward. We're getting better every day.

HRR: Coach mentioned the team had problems finishing games last season. How has the team re-focused to do a better finishing games this year?

Kirk: The coaches did every thing they could to prepare the players last year; but, I think people lost their focus last year. Then, just one or two plays just didn't go for us. That's how the outcome of the game didn't go in our favor.
But, this year, the coaches are putting more pressure on us. We're going harder in practice. We're trying not to make as many mistakes. We're just trying to stay focused and get better.

HRR: Tell me about some of the newcomers. Who has stood out thus far in practice?

Kirk: TaShawn (Thomas), as a freshamn, I think he'll be a big player for us. He can run the floor. He's long. He blocks shots. He's active. He's an active post player. I like playing with him a lot.
Jonathon Simmons, he can play almost any position on the floor.
Joseph Young. I've known him for a while. He's going to step up for us big time this year.

HRR: One last thing. Talk about the importance of getting fan support and the fans coming to see you guys play.

Kirk: Fan support is important. Everyone plays harder when the stands are packed. If there's more people at the game, you're going to play harder. We need to play hard no matter what; but, you just get more hyped whenever you have a lot of fans there that are rooting for you.

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