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Chat Reel: Loren Woods

Experience key for Arizona

Loren Woods is in the center of Arizona's national title hopes. AP

CNNSI Host: Welcome to today's chat with Arizona center Loren Woods. Welcome Loren and thanks for joining us.
Loren Woods: Thank you.

From Clarence Troy in Tucson, Ariz.: Loren, the 14 blocks you had against Oregon was quite impressive. Do you think you can accomplish that feat again this season?
Loren Woods: I was very lucky to be able to accomplish that, in college especially. On the high school level it's easy to get like 10 or 11, but on the college level teams are much smarter so it is harder to get something like that done.

From Lane: Do you ever regret leaving the ACC?
Loren Woods: No, I think I made a good decision by coming to Arizona. I wasn't really looking at it like conferences when I left Wake Forest. I was coming to a school that was better for me.

From Shannon Parrington in Tucson, Ariz.: Who's your favorite basketball player, college or pro, past or present?
Loren Woods: I've been asked that question a lot, and it's hard to figure out. I would have to say Rasheed Wallace. I like the way he plays, not intimidated by anybody, and his attitude. He is very intense.

From Scottsdale: What is your team's greatest asset? I think it's unselfishness and chemistry, what do you think?
Loren Woods: I think it would be experience this year. You know we only have three newcomers, and experience and leadership is usually what carries a team to a tournament.

From Bill Lindsay in Berkeley, Calif.: Arizona's entire starting five are in the running for the John Wooden Award. Will the individual accolades cause players to think "me first" over the team? Who will be the team leader? With that kind of talent and experience, will this team even need a leader?
Loren Woods: You know first every team needs a leader. It is really hard to say if there would be one individual that would lead the team. I think it would be Gene Edgerson, Justin Wessel and myself. And I don't think the individual accolades will get in the way of what we want to accomplish this year, and that is to win a championship.

From Shannon Parrington in Tucson, Ariz.: Some people make decisions that they later regret or later thank themselves. Do you regret or thank yourself (and everyone else involved) for deciding to stay at Arizona for your senior season? Is there anything about this team that you would like to share that we haven't heard about yet?
Loren Woods: Boy, let's see -- I don't regret staying in school. It's always good to get a better education. The only thing about this team that everybody can't see about us being on the court is, we're all really goofy.

From Krash: Do you think that playing lesser competition at times will cause the team to lose intensity?
Loren Woods: Yes, teams are always going to play better when there is a challenge out there. Whenever a team feels there isn't a challenge they let their guard down and play sloppy. Hopefully, that is something we won't have to worry about in the season especially with the tough teams on our schedule.

From Buffy: Do you feel that with the improvement in other teams around the Pac-10 this will be a very close race?
Loren Woods: Yes, I think it will be five teams that will be in the running for the Pac-10 championship this year. It will be UCLA, USC, Stanford, California and of course Arizona. All of these teams bring back most of their rosters from last year.

From: David "Fuzzy" Garber in Sherman Oaks, Calif.: Loren, which player in the NCAA would you like to go one-on-one with the most?
Loren Woods: I really don't have a particular player that I want to play head-to-head. Bring on all the other good centers in college basketball.

From Mike in Los Angeles: Hey Loren, is this year's team going to be able to get up for those less daunting unranked opponents (such as a No. 16 seed) the same way that you guys always get up for teams like Stanford and UCLA?
Loren Woods: By tournament time we should be as good as we are going to be for all year. I think our intensity will definitely be up, especially because of the tournament.

From GOCATS: Who do you think will give you the most competition in the Pac-10?
Loren Woods: Like I said, it will be five teams that will be very, very competitive in the Pac-10 this year. And all of the teams come ready to play. We won't have an easy time in the Pac-10.

From Krash: Are the matchups between Richard Jefferson and Gilbert Arenas in practice as fun and high-flying as the press say they are?
Loren Woods: Yes. You have in Richard and in Gil two of the best perimeter players in the nation, and they are all they are hyped up to be.

From Shannon Parrington in Tucson, Ariz.: By the end of this season what do you want the college basketball nation to remember you for?
Loren Woods: You know I don't think I have any special gifts or talents that many of the great players that left college didn't have. Hopefully, I can go down in history as one of the good players to win a national championship.

CNNSI Host: That's all the time we have today with Loren Woods. Loren thanks for joining us.
Loren Woods: Thank you and it's been fun!

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