Bluejays coach focused on making his team better

As a former player, Oak Ridge coach Paul Lynch knows what it takes to win because he has.

Now he faces the difficult task of getting his 0-5 team ready for his old one.

"I've been around this tournament all my life," said Lynch, a guard on Notre Dame's 1986 team, the last one from Notre Dame to win the seMissourian Christmas Tournament. "But knowing what it takes to win and relaying that to your players is not an overnight issue."

Oak Ridge has struggled with free throws and turnovers. The Bluejays shot 47.6 percent from the charity stripe this year and committed an average of 21 turnovers per game.

"I'm confident if we can improve those areas, then we will win games," Lynch said. "We've had opportunities but we've just fallen short every time."

Lynch's team will face its toughest opponent of the year today -- No. 2 Notre Dame. If that's not difficult enough, throw in the fact that they have a 10:30 a.m. tip-off at the Show Me Center.

But Lynch said those two factors won't bother his team.

"It's the same thing in the Show Me Center as it is anywhere else. You've still got to shoot, pass and dribble. Our kids will go out and battle," Lynch said. "We'll give it our all and let the ball bounce the way it may."

Lynch said he isn't worried about his team's early start. The team has had several morning practices and should have no trouble adjusting to the start time, he said.

Obstacle for Notre Dame

Oak Ridge's biggest obstacle for Notre Dame could be senior forward Zack Ruesler. Ruesler averages 12.5 points per game and eight rebounds. The team's sixth man is Austin Moorison, a sophomore guard/forward who averages 9.5 points -- good enough for second best on the team.

"He probably should be a starter. He's good enough to be," Lynch said.

Oak Ridge incorporates a defensive-oriented game plan and averages 40 points per game, but Lynch said better decisions would result in vast improvements.

"We've got to be smarter and do things better to give us a chance to win games. If we have about 12 turnovers and shoot about 80 percent on our free throws we'd have a lot more points," Lynch said.

As for intimidation or a soft-hearted approach against his old team, forget about it, Lynch said.

"I love Notre Dame, and I have a lot of respect for them," he said. "But I don't back down from anyone as a coach."