Terps Host Media Day Thursday
10/27/2016 12:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Head Coach Kerry McCoy
On the returning freshmen that contributed last season
“The freshmen we had competing last season were hungry and excited to come in and help the team. So last year may have been a bit of an experience for them to go out and see how it goes, but now with that experience they have higher expectations. They don't want to come in and just be along for the ride. They want to get in there and place in the conference, win Big Ten Titles, become All-Americans and fight for National Championships. So, it's good. The biggest thing also for those younger guys competing is having that influence on the other guys who redshirted last year. Knowing what they went through they can share that experience with other guys this year and really set an example.”
On improving in the Big Ten
“The biggest thing I've seen in the last six months with our team is the level of expectations and acceptance has gotten higher. The goals the guys are talking about individually, the goals the guys are talking about as a team and the things they are going to accept as being members of the team are at a higher level. That's the start, from there it's putting the work in, believe in the work you're putting in, and going out there compete at a high level. Obviously when the whistle blows you have to go out there and wrestle the matches, but right now we have a better foundation which is going to push us to better results.”
On goals and expectations for the team
“The simple thing is we want to get better. We want to get better everyday. We have our team mission statement as, “Better than I was yesterday, but not as good as I'm going to be tomorrow.” And that's the deal, we want to get better everyday in every aspect. We talk about our core values, we talk about making sure our team is accountable, making sure we're communicating, having pride...those are the things that we focus on every day. So our goals are to be the best team we can be, to put in a National Championship effort every day. So, the National Championship isn't going to be decided until March. But everything we do from now is going to help us get to that goal. Someone is going to win it. The goal is to pursue that National Championship everyday with 100% commitment and 100% energy.”
On bringing back Jimmy Sheptock and his influence as assistant coach
“One the best things as a coach is having one of your former athletes being able to come back and coach with you, it's an awesome experience. Knowing that you've had somebody who's gone through the process, gone through everything and believes in the system and come back and reinforce that is a great thing. Jimmy brings a lot...He's in the room working with the guys, he's hitting the recruiting trail hard, he's really bringing a high level. The most exciting thing about having him back is that he truly cares about this University and this program. HYe had an opportunity to go to a lot of different schools out of high school, but he chose tco com to Maryland...he wants us to be the best, and that's what really he brings.”
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