Bill Whitehead Quotations

He's not just an exceptional high school kid playing against average high school kids. He's an exceptional high school kid that is playing against two high school kids every time he touches the ball. And that's been every night.

One of the things that is really unique about Neal is that, although he stretched out so fast and even though he didn't have some of the strength he has now, he maintained his skill level. That's really rare. Typically, when kids grow that fast, the phone rings and they fall, and that didn't happen with Neal.

Sometimes we adults think that they're working and he's really just kind of playing. He's just doing what he likes to do.

The strength of their team is absolutely to dribble penetrate. When a team allows them to dribble penetrate, that team is in trouble. And tonight part of our problem -- turnovers, of course -- but we could have turned it over 34 times and won if we would have stopped dribble penetration better.

Northridge typically was quicker to loose stuff and was more alive than us. They played well and that was not our best game. They were the aggressor tonight.

With how good our league is, we still might be able to get a bye in the first round of the state tournament, and at least a home game.

I never had to break up a fight or worry about someone getting upset with somebody else because somebody stole somebody's girlfriend -- stuff that sometimes happens never happened. These are young gentlemen that I enjoyed coaching very, very much. They're terrific.

Just on paper, without seeing him play you would know he's a good player. When you watch him play, it's clear that he's a good player. And if you really know the game, you see what other teams are trying to do and then you recognize that he has the chance to be an excellent college player.

It's kind of grandfatherly talk, but Neal is a very good boy. He doesn't want a lot of attention. Yet, here it is.

He really had good skills. I thought about how to bring him along slowly, yet capitalize on those skills. But by Christmas, his play made it clear that he just needed to be thrown in there. He was going to be fine.