Wake Forest Athletics
Quotes From The Songaila/Odom Press Conference
10/9/2000 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Oct. 9, 2000
Head Coach Dave Odom
On the Olympics: "It was a once-in-lifetime opportunity that he took full advantage of. There can be no debate that the basketball staff, his teammates and, I think, all of Wake Forest is very, very proud of his accomplishments. We were proud of the way he played but more proud of the way he conducted himself, the way he competed. He deserves a lot of credit."
On Songaila's return: "We're extremely pleased to have him back. We're going to give him this week to condition himself at his own pace. He began some light training on Saturday and told me this morning that he was a little bit sore right now. I expect him to be in great shape on Saturday when we start practice. He certainly is going to be one of our leaders as we get into the season."
On the university's support for Songaila: "We were certainly more than happy that he was chosen to tryout and make the team. But none of that would have been possible without our university, and in particular, the Dean's office and Darius' professors working with him to make the academic side of the experience possible. Darius has held up his end of the bargain. He has worked hard throughout the summer and while he was in Australia to keep himself on track. I'm appreciative of the university for working those things out and making it possible."
Junior Forward Darius Songaila
On his Olympic experience: "I definitely had a great experience and it was my dream as a young kid to play for Lithuania. The NBA, then, was far away and growing up, I watched great players play in Lithuania like (Arvydas) Sabonis and (Sarunas) Marciulionis. They played for the Lithuanian National Team and that was my goal. I finally got to the point where I got a chance to play for the team and it was a great. It was a great experience and I had a great time. I'm happy with where we ended up.
On how the Olympics will affect Songaila in the future: "I think it will give a little boost in my confidence. It was great preparation for me for the season. All the practicing we did, all the games we played and playing against the greatest players. It was good preparation.
On his bronze medal: "Wherever I go, people want to see it. I have been carrying it around but I'm not going to do that anymore. I'm going to keep it in a safe place."
On the Olympic atmosphere: "When I got there, I couldn't believe that this was the Olympics. It was so simple. The first games we played against Italy and France, it was exciting but when we got to the medal matches, it was really exciting. I don't know how to express the way I felt."
On what he did after the Olympics: "I went home for one day to see my family. I wanted to stay longer but I had to get back here. Everyone wanted me back here not just because they missed me. (Being home) was really exciting. We got back to Lithuania at three in the morning and we saw our families and relatives. When we got to the airport, we had thousands of people waiting for us. They were singing the national anthem. The whole airport was closed but there were people everywhere. It was great. It was the first time to ever have that feeling where everyone wanted to see you, talk to you, touch you and say congratulations. It was amazing."
On how he did coursework and the support he received from his professors: "It was done mostly over email. I really have to thank all the professors. If not for them, I would not have been able to participate in the Olympics. I'm glad they're satisfied with the work I did. So I thank them very much. The next few weeks are really important to me to catch up with academics because I missed almost a month of school. Academics come first."
