Chuck D. Team Quotations

We're going to have a tough road. If we get Knoxville, we have to play a team we have beaten twice this season. It is never easy to beat a team three times, especially a team as physical as Knoxville. And if we play them, it will be on their own floor.

Last year's team was probably the first team I had that really played together as a complete team and believed that they were never out of a game.

He's a special person and an unbelievable student. He will be part of a basketball team that might have an opportunity to play in the state tournament. That shows what kind of team player he is.

He was reluctant, obviously, at first. ... He has made a great sacrifice. That was a team thing that Dwayne did, because Dwayne played a lot of football in the last three years as a defensive tackle.

I think it's a great accomplishment for these guys. To match what last year's team did is a hard thing to do. I don't care what league you are in.

I think it's going to be a backyard brawl and it would be great to get that first 'W' on the board. But it's going to be like a street fight. This is the best JB team I've seen since I've been here (18 years). They've got good size and are physical. So we're expecting a fight.

I think the real mission is to get the right people on this team so Mike can be successful, ... Mike has done this for a long time, and I'm confident he will bring us back a gold medal.

Last season we kind of planned where guys were going to go. Guys followed through by lifting and using proper weight-cutting techniques. All of them have been good seniors this year. It's really been a true team effort.

We were not a throwing team in high school, ... If you were recruiting now with 85 scholarships, you're not recruiting me. We threw the ball five times a game in high school and didn't get many phone calls.

This whole week we're going to experiment with our lineup. Every player on our team is a starter. We're going to keep working and we'll get better.

We had something to prove from last year. The best word to describe this team is perseverance.

We've got a bright outlook. It's a great bunch of kids, and they're very competitive. We don't have great numbers this year, and we don't have a (junior varsity) team so we have some people who have to learn pretty quickly. We've got to limit our mistakes and play smart, and I think we'll be OK.

We had some big plays. This isn't the normal Vernon team you see with the three yards and a cloud of dust ? although we had clouds of dust today.

Andy didn't throw an 11-4 game. It's a shame. I know it's an oversimplification but there are really three aspects to this game -- you have to hit the ball, throw it and catch it. And this week we haven't been able to put all of those together. Our consistency has to get better. They can be a really good team -- there's a lot of potential there. But when you don't do everything right, every little thing gets magnified. They have to realize how good they can be.

Quad A is wide open right now. But I don't think you will find another team that has played the schedule we have this season. We played those games early to get us ready for right now.

For Delaware State, it's historic. For a team like Maryland, the NIT might be disappointing, but for us, it's a chance to play at Madison Square Garden.

It's going to be a great game. You don't play an unbeaten team in March very often. It will be a tremendous challenge.

It's been 29 years that I can think of that we've started a freshman shortstop. And that happened to be Kevin Brown, Jimmy's little brother. (Strickland) played great defense. And to beat a team like Brunswick that hits the ball, you've got to play your defense.

I want to be the first team in the state of North Carolina to win a national championship in football. People say I must be nuts. Well, maybe I am. ... We all have goals. Why wouldn't they be the highest?

His confidence level is sky high. It was that way going into the game. He's taking this team over and he's so much more relaxed.

I don't think there's any question that by the year 2007, ... this is going to be a winning organization and a winning baseball team for the first time.

He really brightened the whole room up. Even with the situation he's in, he still worries about the team more than himself. Ken is a strong man. He's going to go out there and do whatever it takes to get back.

These kind of ball games will do nothing but make us better. Our team is close knit and we'll be tighter than ever.