Western Kentucky men’s basketball coach Ray Harper, football coach Jeff Brohm and women’s basketball coach Michelle Clark-Heard stopped by the Lee Robertson/Gary Sundmacker golf tournament Monday in Shepherdsville. Comments from all three below.

Jeff Brohm

    First few months in charge: “Well the first few months have been great. The first month is a little uneasy and didn’t sleep a whole lot and wanted to make sure I was doing everything right and there’s lot of things going on and a few more things to take care of that I was used to, but got very used to it and now feel very comfortable and have a lot of great people that surround me with my coaching staff. So I feel very comfortable and I’m ready to go.”

    Been what you expected? “It has. I’ve been lucky enough to play under some great people, to coach with some great people. Coach (Bobby) Petrino has taught me a lot of how to run a program the right way and find ways to win. Those are things this past year that I tried to learn, once again, being with him a second time.

“I’m ready to go and I know our players and coaches are as well. We’re excited to enter a new conference and try and have a successful year.”

 Newcomers on campus: “We had a very good recruiting class. These are guys that we all wanted. A lot of those guys came to our camp, proved themselves, we got to see them perform, we got to know them very well, we feel very good that they can provide something for us.

“They’re starting summer school (Monday), they’ll get a good seven weeks in before we start fall camp, but we want those guys to come in ready to play and hopefully some of them can.”

 Conference USA: “I think it’s a huge step. To have the opportunity to get into Conference USA at this time is great for us and it opens up a lot of doors. It helps in recruiting.

“We get to go to a lot of new venues, obviously a lot more bowl opportunities that can motivate your team to play well. So we’re excited about it and looking forward to it.”

    Offseason: “Well right now we just got through an extensive recruiting period where our guys were on the road. We were recruiting, coming back, evaluating tape, we were trying to figure out who to offer and who to recruit extremely hard. Now we got guys coming on our campus and recruits that we’re starting to hand out offers. It’s gone well.

“We had a big camp this past Saturday, we have camps all this week, satellite camps throughout the state of Kentucky and Tennessee, we’re excited about that.

“At the same time, we’ve studied ourselves on both sides of the ball and special teams, tried to figure out what we do well, how can we improve it – and we’ve studied the top teams in the country as well. We’re making sure we’re staying ahead of the curve, doing things right, trying to improve our team as much as we can, put ourselves in a position to win and help our players play at a high level.”

    Running game: “I think we lost a great running back (Antonio Andrews) who had a tremendous career for us and was just a tremendous athlete catching the ball, running the ball, he was tough, he was durable. Our backup Leon Allen didn’t get to play a whole lot. I think he’s very talented, I think he’s hungry, I think he’s ready to go. He may not have the natural instincts in the field right now that Antonio Andrews did.

“But we’re excited about (Allen) stepping up. He’s got to be a durable guy for us. We’ve developed the backup position a little bit with ‘Ace’ Wales and Darmontre Warr. Those guys gotta perform well. You gotta be balanced, you gotta find ways to score throwing the ball and running the ball – but that’s a component that we have to make sure we continue to improve.”

 Public events: “I think it’s great to get out. Being from Kentucky, I know a lot of people and there’s a lot of great people that live in this community. Anything we can do to get out and expand the WKU brand – it’s a great place to live, it’s a great campus, we have great facilities, we’re in a great conference now and it’s a place we’d like everyone to come check out because I know you’ll like it.”

    Head coach vs. assistant coach: “Well there’s a lot more on your plate. As an assistant you’re taking care of your position, sometimes your side of the ball.

“As a head coach, you’ve got to take care of all the players on your team and make sure that they’re doing things right off the field, in the classroom, that you’re preaching the important things in life and letting them know that education is No. 1, then football comes second and then we have to do things right in the community as well.

“When you have 100+ plus guys, you have to police that. There’s always gonna be a few people that want to skirt the edges, maybe sometimes more. You wanna make sure that you discourage that and encourage them to do the right thing. That’s been something that’s been a change.

“But I think things are going well. If the players believe you care about ‘em and you want what’s best for ‘em, normally they will do what you tell ‘em. I think the guys are great kids and they enjoy being at Western and I’m having a lot of fun.”

    Paying attention to detail: “I was fairly detail-oriented and the more I got into coaching and the more you’re around ball all day long and when you’re around great people and great coaches like coach (Bobby) Petrino, you are very detailed. That was his specialty.

“You make sure that everything’s covered, you have a plan for everything. You have a plan when things don’t go right. You have to be ready and prepare for everything.

“That’s what we’re trying to do now. You always want to motivate your guys to play at a high level, but you got to realize that some games may not go as well, sometimes you may lose a player or two through injury or whatever and you’ve got to be able to have the next guy ready.

“So a lot of things are involved in it and you’ve got to plan for all of it.”

    2013 bowl snub: “I think we were stung for a little while, but, nah, we’re kinda over that. We understand that being in the Sun Belt there were only two bowl tie-ins and we, conference-wise, didn’t have the record that we would’ve liked.

“We finished the season strong. At one point we were 4-4 and found a way to win four games and a couple of those were extremely close and our guys battled and fought hard.

“We finished 8-4. Yes we were disappointed not to go to a bowl, but we understand that in this conference, with the bowl tie-ins we have, if we can play a great brand of football and win football games and have a winning record that the chances are a lot higher for us to go bowling.”

Ray Harper

    Expectations for newcomers this summer: “Just to get better. Work hard and get better.”

    Expect Rostov to be ready? “We hope. He’s still not cleared to do everything, but he’s doing some conditioning. Hopefully in another two or three weeks he’ll be totally released. We need him.”

    Kevin Kaspar: “Yeah, he’s totally released. He’s back and started full workouts (Monday). He’s made great progress. Great to have him back.”

   Conference USA: “It’ll be a challenge, but I think it’ll be great. I think it’ll be good for our fans. A lot of old rivalries. This is kind of the original Sun Belt, if you will, with UAB and Charlotte and Old Dominion – those people.

“It’s going to be a very good league. I think there’s two potential top 25 teams preseason if you look at La Tech and UTEP. Should be a great challenge.”

   Response from team after season’s end: “They’ve been good. That’s the one thing about those guys, they work. I think they all want to get better. We have some seniors that we’re going to rely heavily upon – and this will be the first time in awhile that that’s been the case.”

    Sense of urgency from seniors? “I hope so. I haven’t seen them. (Monday) is the first time I had seen them in almost a month.

“But, again, they look good. I know they’re excited to get going and I’m excited to get going with them on the court (Tuesday).”

Michelle Clark-Heard

   Response after 2013-14 run: “It’s been awesome. Everyone’s super-excited about, just, the transition and the growth of our program and where we’re trying to go. It’s been really good.

“I’m just super-proud and super-happy for our players. When you talk to the players about investing and working on the different things that we needed to to get to that point, I’m excited for them. It’s been a great transition.”

    Keeping the momentum going: “I think the biggest thing is just making sure that we stay on track with the things – I’m one of those coaches where I know we have to continue to keep getting better, just working on the things that we need to.

“One of the biggest things we’re focusing on is trying to get better defensively. I think we were able to put up some numbers offensively, but I think we have to get better moving into Conference USA and ultimately trying to get us to the best position we can to continue to keep getting better.”

    Conference USA: “You have a ton of coaches in that league that are really, really good. The teams, I think athletically and physically, is gonna be a little different than the Sun Belt.

“But we’re super-excited about the challenge and that’s one of things we’re really focusing on this summer, getting them ready. Summer school just started (Monday), so most of the girls are back on campus and I’m looking forward to getting them back in the weight room, getting them on the court before we can get better.”

    Was WKU over-looked coming out of the SBC: “Sometimes that’s a good thing. I think the biggest thing for us is – the Sun Belt was unbelievable for us. I played in the Sun Belt and I’m really fortunate I got a chance to coach in the Sun Belt.

“But having the opportunity to coach in Conference USA is, I think, an awesome opportunity. There’s a lot of programs in there with a lot of history. When you go from Louisiana Tech to Old Dominion to Western Kentucky and Middle (Tennessee) has done incredible. Southern Miss did incredible this year and has a player in the WNBA.

“Just a ton of talent and I think that’s what it’s all about. You want to keep continuing to play against the best so you can be in that position when it comes time for the Selection Show.”

   Time table for the growth of the program: “I just think that I’m really fortunate and blessed to be in the situation. I thank all the people that came before me and my mentors and everyone else that helped me be in this position today.

“I’m just trying to take it one day at a time, enjoy and love my players and my staff and we’re just trying to keep growing and make sure that we can be in a position to continue to get Western Kentucky where we need to.”

    The potential of 2014-15: “I’m super-excited. You know, as we speak, I said some of our players are on campus while Ivy Brown and Shalika Smith are playing in the Kentucky All-Star (game).

“To have a Miss Basketball, to be able to come back and wear a Western Kentucky uniform, we’re really excited about that. And just the return of my seniors with Alexis Govan and Chastity Gooch and Ileana Johnson and just the things that we were able to put together toward the end of the year to get the championship and be able to go to the NCAA.

“A lot of people are looking for big things. What we’re going to try to do is just keep getting better and put all our effort, as I’ve always said from Day One when I first got the job: Play hard, bring that energy and that passion and let the chips fall where they may.”

    Recruiting: “I think that it has opened up some doors. I think that we opened up some eyes when we played against Baylor the way that we did. That’s what it’s all about.

“When you continue to grow as a program and continue to get the recognition, as far as being on national television and people understanding and knowing what your program is about, then those doors open.

“I think it comes along, too, with, not only myself, but the staff, also too, just getting on the recruiting trail and beating down the doors, that’s what it’s all about.”

    What program do you try and emulate? “I think the biggest thing, when you talk about that, is, I said it from Day One, I want us to be a top 25 team and top 25 program where we can get to that point.

“As far as implementing and looking at other teams, as a coach, as a head coach, you always look at programs and you try to see the different things that certain teams – things that they might do that you might think might work well with your team.

“But I think the biggest thing, what we look at, is trying to be in a situation where we can get our program to a top 25 status and going to the NCAA and winning when we get there. That’s what we’re really focusing on.”

Filed under: Basketball, Football, Talkin’ bout the Tops