Kelvin Bright is enjoying life at Youngstown State University.  He feels that this year’s basketball team brings something really special to the table and that they can win games in bunches.  Bright is one of the most personable players on the team and his trademark big smile can light up the room.  He is among the team leaders in scoring and had a nice showing against Pitt.

Paneech:  Growing up in Maryland, what schools recruited you, and how did you decide on Robert Morris?

Bright:  Coming out of high school, not too many Division-I schools were recruiting me.  Robert Morris was interested in me, as was Mount St. Mary, which is in the same conference as Robert Morris.  Those were the only D-I schools with interest in me.  There were alot of Division-II and Division-III schools that showed an interest in me, but I ended up wanting to go to Robert Morris.

Paneech:  You averaged 24.2 ppg at Hagerstown Junior College, meaning you were pretty much “the man“.  How much pressure is there on you to be “the man” at YSU?

Bright:  It is a transition, but I am used to it now.  At Hagerstown, I could take all of the shots and that wouldn’t be a problem.  At Youngstown State, there are other guys who can shoot and I don’t have to have that load on my shoulders by trying to score all of the points.  We have got great guards like DeAndre Mays, and other players like Sirlester Martin who can score.  I don’t have to force it or worry about it as much here, I can kind of just let it come to me.

Paneech:  What brought you to YSU?

Bright:  When I was at Hagerstown, I told myself that I wanted to be in a situation that would allow me to trust the coaches and feel good with everything.  Obviously, Robert Morris did not allow me to get too many minutes or do the things that I needed to do.  The second time around, I wanted to get to a place where I felt I could trust the coaches.  When I came here on my visit, I was told what would be expected of me and trusted what the coaches were saying, so I made the decision to come here.

Paneech:  What has it been like playing for Jerry Slocum?

Bright:  It’s up and down, but mostly up.  Players and coaches go through things, but that is normal.  Coach Slocum is a great guy and I really believe that he only wants the best for me.  Sometimes he will get on me, and I feel like he is ‘just getting on me’, but in the long run, I know that he is just looking out for my best interests.

Paneech:  You have selected Communications as a major, how is that going so far?

Bright:  It’s going good, I am looking forward to finishing up in the Spring.  Guys like Jamie Hall and Robb Schmidt are a part of the Communication Department, and I would like to do something along the lines of what they do after I graduate. 

Paneech:  You are tied 42-42 with Pitt in the second half.  Does something like that boost the confidence of the team?

Bright:  Just being in the game with those guys [Pitt], and them being a Big East team, we felt we played well against them.  With Horizon League play getting ready to start it gives us the confidence that we can play with anyone. 

Paneech:  Heading into conference play, do you feel that the strengths and weaknesses of this team are better spelled out after the first six games?

Bright:  We have been working really hard at practice and we are discovering how good we can really be.  I feel that six games into the season, at 3-3, that things could obviously be better.  I also believe that we have learned from our mistakes and we are going to take what we have learned and apply it at our next game.

Paneech:  Many people picked YSU to finish 7th in the Horizon League this season.  That hasn’t really sat well with anyone that I have spoken with.  Where can this team finish realistically?

Bright:  We believe that we can finish in the top three of the conference.  We are striving to be number one in the conference.  Everyone knows about Butler and Wright State, and we feel we can beat those guys.  For me to say that I don’t think we can be a top three contender would not be very realistic.

Paneech:  You have a tough stretch coming with four consecutive road games.  How important is it to win at least three of them?

Bright:  It is very important.  Coming into this year, everybody on the team talked about a 20-win seaason.  Coach always stresses how important road games are.  On the road, we become a tighter bunch.  The crowds are rooting against you and nobody expects you to come in and win.  We end up focusing more on the road and sometimes we play better.

(photo courtesy of Ron Stevens)

 

Paneech:  Growing up near DC, were you forced to root for the Bullets / Wizards?

Bright:  In a way (laughs), they were not as good as they should have been.  I got to see Michael Jordan play when he was a Wizard, and he had a really good game against the Celtics.  When he was at Chicago, I never really had a chance to see him, but with Washington I did, and that was a great experience.

Paneech:  What is the deal with free throws?  The team has really been struggling in this department.

Bright:  With free throws, it is more of a mental thing.  Obviously, it is something that we work on every day at practice.  In the games, you put so much pressure on yourself to make free throws that it can work against you at times.  We just need to loosen up, go up there and not think about missing the free throw.  We have free throw contests at practice.  If you miss you have sprints, so there is pressure on you to sort of simulate the pressures of a game.

One Word Answers

Favorite Fast Food:  McDonalds.

Worst Habit:  Procrastination.

A Word To Describe Coach Slocum:  Is he gonna read this or not?  He might:  Thrilling.

Best Movie Ever Made:  Space Jam.

Who Is Your Hero?  My dad.

Biggest Phobia?  Germs.

Favorite Flavor of Gatorade?  Cool Blue.

Toppings You Get On A Pizza:  Just pepperoni.

Who was better, Xavier or Pitt?  Xavier.

Favorite NBA Player?  Michael Jordan.

Favorite Hobby:  Playing NBA 2K10 on my X-Box.

Best Class Ever Taken:  Inetrviewing.