Arkansas-Pine Bluff Head Coach Alonzo Hampton At SWAC Media Day
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00:00 >> All right, Coach, I know we're talking spring and
00:02 you are still gonna act on the commission on Arkansas.
00:04 But now that you've had the summer, how do you feel about being head coach at
00:07 UMD Arena?
00:08 >> Man, I'm just excited as I was then, excited about the process,
00:12 excited about putting a team together, excited about putting a coaching staff
00:17 together, man.
00:17 And it's been fun just to watch these young men grow from when I got there in
00:22 January to where they are right now, getting ready to start camp tomorrow.
00:26 It's been fun.
00:27 And the kids are working hard, they're doing what we asked them to do.
00:30 And they have a thirst to wanna be good.
00:32 And so when you thirsty, you wanna go find a drink of water, right?
00:36 And our players are doing that.
00:38 >> Now, when it comes to the leadership of your team,
00:40 obviously the National Movement and Ryan Hackett represented today.
00:43 Who has really stepped up as a focus leader on your team as you get ready for
00:46 the fall?
00:47 >> Well, again, for me, it's been guys, the O-line have done a good job.
00:50 Those guys are all played last year, man.
00:53 And so we got a couple guys on defense, Grant Uwe.
00:56 He's a student of the game.
00:58 They respect him.
00:59 He's gonna do everything the right way.
01:01 And those guys, I want a player-led team.
01:04 I don't want the coaches to have to lead them.
01:05 We give them tools to be successful, but then we want them to take those tools.
01:10 And then they kinda police themselves.
01:12 And I tell them, I got one rule, don't embarrass the program.
01:15 If you embarrass the program, then you gotta come see me.
01:17 But other than that, we're gonna give them tools to be successful.
01:20 And just making them just understand how a team that bonds together,
01:24 a team that hang out, those are the teams that are gonna be the winning teams in the end.
01:28 Because they're not gonna wanna let their brothers down.
01:30 >> Absolutely, now speaking of that defense, I know you're really proud for
01:33 this out of the ball.
01:34 Kinderius Clark, Rico Dozier are preseason All-Spot selections.
01:37 What do we kinda say for them as you work for them on the field?
01:40 >> Well, man, those two guys don't say a lot.
01:41 They just work.
01:42 I mean, they come to work every day.
01:44 I ain't heard Kinderius Clark say three words since I've been there.
01:47 But all he does is work, man.
01:48 I mean, Rico Dozier, he don't say much.
01:51 He just works.
01:52 And that's what you need, man.
01:53 When you're trying to flip a program, you kinda gotta be real still while you got
01:57 your head in a live mouth kinda attitude.
01:59 That's what I want my players, man.
02:00 We just work.
02:01 Everybody else get all the accolades, that's fine.
02:04 We don't really care what you got us ranked.
02:05 We don't care if we got any preseason selection.
02:07 It don't matter, because at the end of the day, the game's gotta be played.
02:10 And that's where you gotta show who you are.
02:12 And so we're excited about that.
02:14 >> Absolutely, I know Rico Dozier, you said then, you're saying now,
02:16 he doesn't really talk that much.
02:18 But he's having more attention on him just by his play.
02:20 So what has it been like talking to him?
02:21 It's like, hey, I know you wanna play football, but
02:24 you're having people look to you now as leader of this team.
02:26 >> Coach, I mean, I tell people Tony Dungeon was a quiet leader.
02:29 He didn't say much.
02:30 Rico's the same way.
02:31 He don't say much.
02:32 He just lead by example.
02:34 And sometimes we got some vocal guys that like to talk.
02:37 Rico's not one that like to talk.
02:39 Now, I'm trying to encourage him to talk more, but that's not who he is.
02:42 And at the end of the day, you just let them be who they are.
02:45 >> Last question from me, now that you've got a chance to see your team kinda fill
02:49 out just a little bit, I know you're still signing guys.
02:51 What should we expect from Arkansas Pine Bowl football in 2020?
02:54 >> Hey, man, a hard-no football team.
02:55 I mean, we're gonna run the football.
02:57 We're gonna play good defense.
02:58 We're gonna be special on special teams.
03:00 And that's like everybody here.
03:01 It's no different, man.
03:02 We're no different than any other team here.
03:04 You gotta be able to run the football, stop and run.
03:06 And you gotta be able to make plays in a special team.
03:09 And so that's what we're excited about.
03:10 >> Excellent, thank you, Coach.