STrib Q&A with Elliott Eliason

[BleedGopher]

per Amelia:

What are you focusing on the most this summer? You lost all that weight last year. Are you happy with where you are?
Definitely. I'm at a place that [the coaching staff is] comfortable with me at so now it's more about body fat percentage, trying to focus in on strength goals. We're doing a lot more skill work this summer. On the court, I'm doing a lot of shooting jump shots and free throws, and working on some back-to-the-basket moves. I've been working with our [coaches] to just kind of be strong with the ball so I'll be able to make a better back-to-the-basket move. I really want to improve my free-throw percentages [which was 56.5 percet last season].

Has coach Richard Pitino had a different approach with you guys this year in summer workouts now that he spent so much time implementing his new system last year?
Last year he was always at everything. I think it's because he wanted to show he was the new coach, he wanted to be involved with everything. But we didn't really get to know the styles or even the personalities of all our assistant coaches. I think when we turned in our offseason reviews that showed. We talked about it at the end of the season. He really wants us to build those relationships because he knows how important they are that we trust and have a good relationship with all the coaching staff, not just him. So he gave, in individual instruction, those guys a lot of responsibility and they basically ran the show this summer. With him, when we all got together he would talk to us or he'd be hanging out in the weight room but he wouldn't be really leading the session. I think he wanted to take a step back and kind of observe the workouts instead of being in the middle of them.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/270905271.html

Go Gophers!!

 

[GopherJake]

per Amelia:

What are you focusing on the most this summer? You lost all that weight last year. Are you happy with where you are?
Definitely. I'm at a place that [the coaching staff is] comfortable with me at so now it's more about body fat percentage, trying to focus in on strength goals. We're doing a lot more skill work this summer. On the court, I'm doing a lot of shooting jump shots and free throws, and working on some back-to-the-basket moves. I've been working with our [coaches] to just kind of be strong with the ball so I'll be able to make a better back-to-the-basket move. I really want to improve my free-throw percentages [which was 56.5 percet last season].

Has coach Richard Pitino had a different approach with you guys this year in summer workouts now that he spent so much time implementing his new system last year?
Last year he was always at everything. I think it's because he wanted to show he was the new coach, he wanted to be involved with everything. But we didn't really get to know the styles or even the personalities of all our assistant coaches. I think when we turned in our offseason reviews that showed. We talked about it at the end of the season. He really wants us to build those relationships because he knows how important they are that we trust and have a good relationship with all the coaching staff, not just him. So he gave, in individual instruction, those guys a lot of responsibility and they basically ran the show this summer. With him, when we all got together he would talk to us or he'd be hanging out in the weight room but he wouldn't be really leading the session. I think he wanted to take a step back and kind of observe the workouts instead of being in the middle of them.

http://www.startribune.com/sports/blogs/270905271.html

Go Gophers!!

Great. It's only the 2nd year and Rich Pit is already slacking off.........

 

[Mulligan]

Elliot really seems like a bright young man. Nice insights on Pitino. Like how he's stepped back this summer so the relationship with the assistants can be strengthened, as opposed to last year when he wanted to show he was in charge. No idea what it's really like, but he seems like the type of coach kids would love playing for, even with the ass chewing during games we see.