So much of this off-season has been spent talking about things like who's going to be the point guard, whether Mo Walker is healthy, and how much the freshmen can produce.

 

But, as I wrote in today's paper, this team still centers on the Big Three: Trevor Mbakwe, Ralph Sampson III and Rodney Williams. And while that could be a formidable combo, they all still have something to prove.
 
Mbakwe: “I’m looking forward to having a drama-free season for once, finally, and being able to enjoy my senor year. It’s tough. You always want to just focus on playing basketball and I kinda felt bad I was a distraction to my teammates off the court especially during Big Ten conference season. There is not going to be any more incidents like that this year. It was unfortunate, but you kind of see where you are as a person when you go through adversity.”
 
Sampson III: “I think it’s very important for me and Trevor to take on a leadership role for this team. We’re seniors, we’ve been here the longest, we have a relatively young team … so it’s up to us to kind of be the foundation, be the core of the team. It’s a big task but we’re up to it and it’s very important that we do that so the team can be successful this year.
 
Williams: “I try not to think about (the pressure) too much because I think I let it get to me a little bit last year and that’s why I was so inconsistent, so I think this year it’s just about going out there and having fun and only worrying about what my teammates think.”