Jens Deju
Prior to the start of the NCAA tournament, few people across the country knew what a Saluki was.
Now that people know, they can't get enough.
Since returning from Chicago following their second round upset of No. 3 seed Georgia and earning a berth in the Sweet Sixteen, the Salukis have been bombarded with media interview requests from both local and national press outlets.
On Tuesday alone, reporters from ESPN, CBS and Fox Sports were all seen walking around Lingle Hall trying to get a piece of the Salukis.
The No. 11 seeded Salukis will be showcased on sports shows ranging from CBS' Road to the Final Four to Fox Sports' Best Damn Sports Show Period.
SIU junior guard Kent Williams has received most of the interview requests, and he said it is something he is enjoying.
"It's neat," Williams said. "It's something that you dream of and you want to happen to you ... this is the stuff that I have grown up watching all my life and dreaming of. Then when it happens to you, you don't even think about it until maybe when it's over. Right now, you just have fun with it."
Another Saluki being hit with repeated requests is forward Jermaine Dearman, who had a coming out party over the weekend by scoring 17 points against Texas Tech in the first round and 25 against the Bulldogs.
The personable junior said while he enjoys all the attention he and the team are attracting, it has been a bit overwhelming.
"I've done so many interviews this weekend, you know, I did like 50 interviews man," Dearman said. "It's amazing, just to look from where you were two years ago ... you just see all these guys on TV all the time doing the things that you're doing right now. It's just a good feeling. I'm just taking it all in right now, I'm just taking it all in stride."
One of the biggest names that has jumped on the Salukis' bandwagon is ESPN college basketball commentator Dick Vitale. Talk about SIU has become a nightly occurrence on the sports network giant, and Dearman said he loves hearing Dickie V rant and rave about the Salukis.
"Man, it's great. I think Dick Vitale, he is college basketball man," Dearman said. "That's just like the greatest commentator to me besides Stuart Scott. Those two guys, if you get any of those two guys talking about you, you're doing something special."
Senior center Rolan Roberts said all the attention is especially strange since they have been little more than an afterthought all season long to most of the national media.
"They haven't talked about us all year expect once or twice," Roberts said. "[Vitale] said he's off our bandwagon. I heard him say that, he said UConn's going to win. I think he's been saying that every game we've played, so we'll be all right."
Saluki forward Tyrese Buie said the relatively modest media coverage the team has received throughout the year was an advantage in some ways.
"I think it helps us because guys don't get too big-headed or too overconfident with seeing themself on Sportscenter or Fox Sports every night," Buie said. "I think it's kind of kept the team levelheaded."
But that's a thing of the past. With the added attention comes some annoyances, such as dealing with the same questions over and over.
On any given day, the Saluki players answer the same question time after time. Williams said he sometimes grows tired of having the same things asked, but he also realizes the reporters are just doing their job.
"I start to get a routine on and just answer it the same way always," Williams said. "I understand it though. One person hasn't heard you answer the question so you just got to respect the person for doing their job."
Roberts is another player who tries not to become annoyed with being asked the same questions repeatedly, but said he is more concerned with what opposing players think about him than what reporters do.
"I like answering questions," Roberts said. "I'm just glad people are giving us attention and respect, but I'd rather have respect from my opponent than from the media."
Jay Schwab contributed to this article.
Reporter Jens Deju can be reached at jdeju@dailyegyptian.com
Published on 11/17/05; 12:24:44 PM
