BS: Do you think a lot of the criticism came after Royce White transferred from DeLaSalle? (White was dismissed from DeLaSalle High School in March 2008 and moved into the Hopkins school district. He plans to play at the University of Minnesota next season.)
KN: I think it was a tipping point. It became a bigger deal. I kind of feel for Royce White, who came in this year. I don't think he needs to be demonized, which he was. It's got to be hard on a kid. I do think there is a culture that we have that people do envy. There is a culture of excellence. We look at talent differently than everybody else does. They look at talent like something that was God-given: You have it or you don't. We look at it that talent has to be developed. I'm still perplexed by the whole anger (toward Hopkins) a little bit. There are a lot of schools with a lot more open enrollment than us. I have become a little bit of a poster boy. Like everyone around here says, I just can't let that bother me.
BS: Did White turn out to be a much better player than you thought?
KN: I'd never seen Royce play in a high school basketball game in my life. I saw him play in an AAU game. High school basketball is much different than AAU. Royce is a kid who does some things very, very, very well. And like other kids, he has some things to work on. He wants to be a (former Hopkins star and NBA player) Kris Humphries. He wants to make money (in the NBA). He has to get much, much stronger. He has to get in the weight room. He'll have to spend a couple of hours a day working on his jump shot. He's a decent shooter. He's not a great shooter. He needs to become a great shooter. He's a good ball handler. He needs to become more disciplined and concentrate harder at what he's doing. He plays the game a lot through natural ability. In some ways, that natural ability can hurt him, because he cuts some corners. I do think he has grown a ton.
BS: Did White turn out to be a much better kid than you thought he'd be?
KN: Royce did a great job. He was very little trouble. He's not the problem everybody thinks he is. He's on task to do well at the U. But he's going to have to keep improving. He's not going to go in and dominate the way people think he will.
BS: Do you feel pressure to repeat as state champions, or is that unfair pressure to put on next year's team?
KN: I don't feel pressure. This year, I felt a little bit more pressure. I would have really been disappointed in not winning (the state championship), partly because I thought we had a shot the two years before. We did have the best team, so we should win it. We don't play for state titles. We play for excellence, and we try to get the highest level we can get to.
BS: Will you forget about basketball for a while, or get right back at it with an offseason program?
KN: We're going to get at it pretty quick. I want the kids to take a week or two off. They're already looking to the future.