Earl Watson Speaks!

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Dec. 7, 1999

"We're coming off a pretty big win against Morgan State last Wednesday. Even though that game was very one-sided and we won by a lot, it allowed us to work on our defense and full-court press. It also allowed us to play for the full 40 minutes, which is something we haven't done for a very long time. I think we showed that this team is talented from top to bottom and we have a lot of players that can play. That game gave us a lot of confidence for our upcoming games because we had a lot of players in double figures and had a lot of guys getting needed experience in game situations.

Gonzaga is a much better team than Morgan State and we're going to have to play with confidence, athleticism and play a little bit smarter than we have been. They're a tough team, physical team and they remind me a lot of Stanford in the way they play the game and the way they run their plays. They have a great point guard in (Matt) Santangelo and we're definitely going to have to be on our game to come out with a victory.

As far as people I admire within the game of basketball, there are so many great point guards. I like watching Gary Payton because he can play defense and guard anyone on the court. He has so much confidence within himself. I like the way he takes peoples confidence from them and he can stop anyone he wants to. On the offensive side, he's a great scorer, great passer and great point guard. He plays with a lot of excitement and draws a lot of excitement from other people. I would love to be like him one day, but obviously I can only be myself. I like to borrow attributes from other players as far as the mental aspect, the way they run the team and they carry themselves.

When you walk into Pauley Pavilion and you see those 11 NCAA banners, you have an immediate respect for coach Wooden and that 1995 championship team. But I can tell you that I never get intimidated. The fans here expect a national championship every year, a Pac-10 Championship every year and no losses on the schedule every year. I expect that myself and that's why I chose UCLA over a lot of other schools. I expect to accomplish those type of things every year and I don't consider that pressure, but more like expectations to be the best. Being a leader, I know that I'm going to have a big influence on whether we meet our expectations. It's my third year and we haven't won a Pac-10 title or a national championship, but hopefully I can help lead us to those things."