PonyFans.com

Several folks have contacted me, wanting to know to ask our questions of our new hoops expert, Eric Castro.

E-mail any questions for Eric, you have to [email protected].

Hey Eric, glad to have you on PonyFans.com!

Question for you: If you could change one rule to make the game of college basketball better, what would you change and why?

E.C.... I've always heard that when you play a team with more speed and athleticism, you have to play a zone (because they'll run or draw a lot of fouls by you in a man-to-man defense). But if you go to a zone and they can drain their perimeter shots, how does a team compensate for that?

I think if you want to ask a question (and have it answered) you have to send it to [email protected]. At least that is what I understood from Pony Pride's post.

I tried to e-mail a question, and it came back to me. So:

Eric Castro - Is there a win during your years at SMU that you remember most fondly (and why) and a loss that stung more than others (and why)? Would love to read about both.

Eric, I've been concerned with the ball-handling of our guards. Killen and Willingham look like they're decent handling the ball, but not great, not the kind of guards who can dribble the ball out of jail when they get cornered. How do you think the Ponies will do when the competition gets tougher and teams start throwing more press defenses at us?

I also submitted a question to "editor" and had it returned, can you fix this?

AusTxPony wrote:I also submitted a question to "editor" and had it returned, can you fix this?

You will have to submit that question to the editor.

Very funny, love it...called Catch 22, I believe.

Eric

The Ponies haven't looked that sharp lately. They've beaten some lesser teams, but haven't run them out of the gym like they should have. So other than "working harder" or "concentrating more," what steps can a team take to "get sharp again". What technique was most successful for you and your team during your years at SMU?

Your columns are terrific. Looking forward to the next!

SMUtrojanFAN asked in another thread ... do you think Janielle Dodds is good enough to play in the WNBA?

Hey Eric, talk to us: how does a team bounce back from a collapse-style performance like we had tonight at OU?

Eric. There are quotes out there from the game the other day, where Doherty said that he was telling the guys to "carry themselves like they were 3-1 (instead of 0-4) in conference games" or something to that effect.

These guys are smart guys -- how much can a confidence booster like that, even one as transparent as that, have on a team? What about the boost from getting that first conference win (regardless of the opponent)?

The women's team has gone on a bit of a skid lately, as many teams do. A lot of the blame falls on injuries, but I'm curious: when circumstances beyond your control dictate a little losing streak, or injuries take your best players away, how do you, as players, hold it together and maintain confidence when a few losses pile up?
Thanks, Eric.

Eric,

Are you optimistic that the new basketball practice facility will reap the same recruiting benefits the football program saw with the opening of Ford Stadium?