University of Wisconsin head basketball coach Bo Ryan addressed the media Monday afternoon to answer questions about the team's game against Carroll this Wednesday in Madison.

A complete transcription of the news conference follows below. A video archive of the news conference can be found by clicking on the red "Audio/Video" link on the left side of the page.

QUESTION #1: In the exhibition game against Stout, they had a couple of seven footers that you thought would be a benefit for your big guys. Does Carroll, you know, have anything on their roster that you're kind of . . . as a . . .

RYAN: Well, they've shown that the proclivity of being a better shooting team from the outside. That's what stopped the struggle, and, you know, they find some shooting, some perimeter . . . they could be pretty tough in that league because those two big guys, especially that one, he's as athletic as anybody you're going to play, bigger than most . . . bigger, but there aren't too many guys that blocked shots the way he could because of his length and his athletic abilities. He 's come a long way, and if he says go Badgers one more time, I'm going to get him to transfer.

But Carroll, you know, better shooters, I think, you know, we'll probably see maybe a little more motion on the perimeter. They established trying to get it to the base, and who wouldn't if you had the high-low action that they have, they're even harder than a lot of teams with that, and not having your teams that didn't turn over for a long time, they couldn't play in that league. So they'll get more tense in the game than anybody maybe in the Division III. And what Carroll will do is Carroll will give them more . . . on their overhand, I'm sure. That's about what we're trying to get better ourselves.

QUESTION #2: Coach, Plateville named its court after you. How big of an honor was that for you after all the years and success there'

RYAN: Well, it hasn't been named yet, so I got to be careful here in the next few months. That's kind of neat, but it's all tied in with the capital project. I mean, I would not have been interested in being involved in something like that if it wasn't for a bigger cause. They're going to raise several million dollars in order to improve the facilities, offices, the bleachers, sound system, some other things for the community that they can use.

So the benefit that's going to come from that goes far beyond just the fact that there's lettering on the floor. So I did not agree with that, agree to do that until I found out what it all entailed, and there's a lot of capital improvements. That's what's going to be neat. And it's a good stopping off point on our way to Iowa that day.

QUESTION #3: Coach, can you talk about the development of Mike Flowers, talk about his development'

RYAN: Yeah, Mike, Mike's always been athletic. I don't know a lot about football, just enough to be dangerous. But he was what I thought to be one of the better athletes around in several sports, but he's a competitor and a guy that 's stronger and, you know, if you don't become stronger when you get in the Big Ten, you're going to be lost anyhow.

But Michael's listened and improved. Defensively, he has the ability to play good defense, but now he's combining the cerebral with the physical. And offensively, he's worked on his shot, and he's pretty good at the catch and shoot now, which makes him a pretty good two man.

QUESTION #4: Bo, what do you think Bohannon gave you the other night, and is he in a position where he could maybe work into the regular rotation as a true freshman '

RYAN: There's always that possibility. He's done enough in practices so far to send a message to the coaching staff. And the main thing is he's still trying to make sure he understands the nuances of what we're doing and how to blend in with the other guys. He's good enough to be on the floor. If you take X number of possessions, how many minutes will he get and for how many possessions will just depend on his progression. But he's good enough.

QUESTION #5: Jason mentioned the post-game. His teammates have encouraged him to take the open shot. Have you encouraged him as well in practice'

RYAN: Encouraged, how about if you don't shoot the ball when you're open, you won't be on the floor. Now how would you state it' Do you think that's a green light' Jason's got the green light. You probably thought I gave that to Chappell too the other night. He was open.

MAN: . . .

RYAN: Oh, I thought he was talking about Bohannon'

MAN: No, I was talking about . . .

RYAN: Oh, well, let's start again. In certain areas, Jason Chappell has the green light. You can't switch guys on me like that. You can't. We call Jason Bohannon J Bo, so we got that straight the first day of practice as I'm yelling Jason, get over there, rotate, they kind of asked did you call us one or the other, and I said Jason, do you have a nickname, and he said, yeah, they call me J Bo, so that 's what we call him now. Jason is a senior, he gets to keep his name.

QUESTION #6: Bo, I don't know if you addressed this over the last few days, but Marquette and Kansas State got together and did some scrimmaging down at Kansas State, and there's some talk that maybe K State will come up and scrimmage Marquette. Next year, do you see that as being an option to better prepare yourself for a season actually scrimmaging, practicing against other top-flight teams'

RYAN: Well, I don't know how top-flight one might be over the other, and the whole idea of exhibition games is to get people familiar pretty much with your own court and the surroundings. And also it's for people, you know, to get into the feeling of the Kohl Center each season.

You need something to kind of break everybody in and get everybody ready for what 's going on, but it's, you know, you can't have anybody in there, so it takes away for a chance for my players to have their parents, their friends. You can't have anybody in the gym, and I just think exhibition games are chances for people, some people give like for tickets for like the games. Well, here, you take my tickets for the exhibition game, but I'm going to all the other ones. So it 's a chance for some people to see if they don't normally get a chance to see us play.

And also, you know, it's you practice against yourselves, and who knows, some of these D1's that practice one another, your practice squad might be better than some of the other teams that you might see. You never know that from year to year. You don 't know who's going to be healthy, you know, but I just think the game atmosphere is something that's really good for our players. And plus, I think it 's good for college basketball that people are seeing, that basketball is played where it's open. And scrimmages have to be totally private.

QUESTION #7: Bo, what did you take from J.P.'s play the other night '

RYAN: I don't know a rating or anything like, if that's what you 're looking, you know, maybe.

MAN: I was just, you know, I mean, after you watched some of the tape, what did you, you know, can you just talk a little bit about what . . .

RYAN: Well, after he had Sterling wiped off his forehead in the locker room, Sterling is our basketball, and that's kind of, after he was rejected, he, we've talked to him quite a bit about making a move before he takes a shot. He thinks a move is a shot. You have to, when you catch the ball in the post, get a feel how to play off the other person's body, if they're bigger, longer, and that's what he has to learn because he has not played against guys his size very much.

And that's what happens to big guys when they get into college. And who do we open up with, but a team that has two guys his size, which is pretty good, I thought, to send a message that there's a lot to learn, which he knows, and hopefully he 'll learn from that.

QUESTION #8: Bo, can you explain the rationale behind your red shirting decisions and how much you let the players in on it, and, you know, what kind of goes into that decision-making, is their decision to make it'

RYAN: Yeah, every year, it's always been a player's decision. It 's never been a coach's decision with basketball for me because they have to live with it. It's a long season. Basketball goes for a long time. And if they make a decision that is something that I forced on them, that can be a lot of, there can be a lot of problems for the next five months. But if it's their decision, they 're going to make it work. So it's their decision.

QUESTION #9: Some coaches have addressed some of the new age recruiting tactics, like text messaging, and can you address that, and do you text message' And if you do, who taught you'

RYAN: Huh. What's this text messaging stuff' I can't do it in my pocket, like some people can. They can just reach right in their pocket just by feel, Braille. And text message, you do that, Justin'

JUSTIN: I don't, sorry.

RYAN: Well, I'm not a big fan of the text messaging. My theory is based on that famous doctor that did the report that said that text messaging induces or influences obsessive-compulsive behavior. So medically, I think it should be banned. And I'm sticking with that. I'm not changing.

JUSTIN: How many text messages have you sent in your time'

RYAN: I've had some help, but I couldn't tell you how many, three maybe. Is that too many' No, I'm not, we try to get them with our charm and wit. We've lost a lot of recruits. But, no, I'm not a text message guy.