By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: October 3, 2007

Filed at 4:29 p.m. ET

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- New York Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said Wednesday his mind ''never left basketball'' throughout a three-week trial where he was found guilty of sexually harassing a former Knicks executive.

''Honestly, my head never left basketball. This is what I've done. This is what I do and this is what I think about the majority of the time,'' Thomas on the Knicks second day of training camp.

Thomas said a day after the verdict that he wasn't worried about losing his job and didn't even talk with the team about the trial before practice.

''We came back extremely focused,'' Thomas said. ''I just wanted to make sure we stayed focused and keep the team moving. We went right into practice.''

Thomas said to handle the demands of the lawsuit and preparing for camp, he worked harder in recent weeks, especially at night.

''We made sure that we were prepared and I made sure I was prepared and I did everything that I had to do,'' Thomas said.

Preparing for camp was easier for the Knicks' president of basketball operations this year because it's his second season as head coach.

''You call a play and you call a set and they know what to do and they know where to go. Things that, where to put in last year may have taken three days, now you can put it in a day maybe a day and a half,'' he said. ''Having been around the guys for a whole year and understanding the system and the culture that we have makes a big difference.''

kam77 - nah dude, it's just a basketball thread f