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proved. You add the experience of playing with Team USA, getting the coaching that he received, and competing at that level, then turning around and playing with us overseas and having that experience. His game is as mature as it has ever been. Looking over the schedule, is it fair to say that it is fan-friendly? It's a fan-friendly schedule, and I'm thrilled because when I think about how much our fans helped us last year, and what it was like to participate in a game with that noise and intensity level… there's nothing like it. That's the atmosphere we have to provide; there's a reason we won 18 home games last year. Yes, we have good players, and we coached them, but it's the combination of those things with the atmosphere that exists in Carver-Hawkeye Arena that changes everything. The players ultimately feel like we're not losing here and that's where you want to get the program. When they walk on that floor, they're so comfortable in that environment that they know they're not going to lose. We were 18-2 and hopefully we'll do better this year. Melsahn is in his final season, do you feel like the best is yet to come? He's shooting the ball well, putting it on the deck better, not making mistakes, and is consistently playing with an incredible energy level. He is playing like a senior who knows what he has to do at this level to be successful. Can you describe the atmosphere surrounding your program? It's an incredibly exciting time for Iowa basketball because we know what we're capable of. The bottom line is, we can't just talk about it — we have to go out and make it happen. We're going to get more preseason publicity than we have in a long time, and that's great. I welcome the challenge and pressures that come with it. Now what we have to do is remain focused, remain together, and be able to overcome any bumps in the road that are inevitable. We're going to have a bad game, an off-game shooting, run into a team that plays well and has good players and it's hard to win that day, but we have to keep plugging and find a way to win some of those games. We have to defend our home court and 23