As always, I didn’t catch everything verbatim, but here’s the general comments. Sounds like there is a LOT of improvement, because this guy does not seem to sugar coat things:
• We have had 21 practices, and we’ve got 7 more to go, plus the 2 scrimmages. The guys have gotten better. There has only been one practice (out of 21) when the guys haven’t showed a great attitude and effort.
• Friday morning, the starters will be determined. Who we start Friday doesn’t mean it will be the starting 5, we’ll decide in a few more days.
• I think that’s kind of what I’ve grown up around, no mind games, very honest and upfront. I’m not going to tell the kids what they want to hear, I’m going to tell them what I believe.
• We want the pace in practice be very fast, and do corrections then. We also do a lot of corrections on film.
• We’ve gotten much better for the 1st scrimmage to the 2nd, we were glaringly week on the glass. 2nd scrimmage we got so much better.
• Elliott – the 1st thing I addressed, he frustrated me early, it was his body language and it was negative. He’s gotten so much better, a lot of it was confidence. We want him to not be upset about a missed shot, but if he doesn’t block out. Make yourself look good as much as possible.
• Social media is very much a part of everyone’s lives, it’s probably too much of a part of their lives. You can’t ignore it, you have to get them to utilize it the right way. Twitter is an individualist thing, it’s not a team, it’s almost anti-team, I think you’ve got to teach them how to use it the right way. Do it to market yourself the right way. No one really followed us at FIU, no one cared.
• I didn’t ask if the players read my blog, I try to play some mind games with them.
• I don’t do my blog for the players, I do it for the fans. I’m young and unproved, I think this is a way to speed up the process. We’ve got a fanbase that really really cares. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t think the fans would read it. We don’t have a lot of time to build this brand. Shocking to you guys, but I don’t actually read Twitter.
• I was in college less than 10 years ago, I try to use that as an advantage and a positive. I don’t want to act 61 like my Dad, I want to act 21.
• On Deandre – not as good of a scorer as Russ Smith, but he’s so quick. He was a must-have and a great get for us.
• On speed – I hope so, I think we have quick guards, I think we have good speed, shooting the bball, I believe so. I think we can play the way we want to play.
• I hope our players can play the whole game, the 5 spot, they get to sit around while everyone else runs around.
• On an ideal rotation – I could go 9, 10, or 11, it depends. I’d like to play a lot of guys.
• On Jason – We threw him into the fire, and saw what he could do. He hurt his shoulder, so he couldn’t do as much. He loves playing the game.
• Austin Hollins – he’s a really good player, from top to bottom, he doesn’t have a lot of weaknesses. He’s going to be a really good player, he comes to play everyday. He’s a consummate pro, that’s the way he approaches the game.
• Losing all that weight doesn’t mean he’s a great player, but he’s worked on his game. He’s one of the nicest kids in the world, he needs to be meaner on the court.
• It’s basketball, you have to be in great shape. You can’t play at 310 pounds, I think it’s a confidence factor more than anything. The guy is posting pictures of his shirt off on Instagram, that’s going to effect his confidence. You have to be in great shape because your confidence can be at an all time high.
• Once the season starts, you’re not practicing as hard and as long because you’ve got games.
• They are sick of each other, you can tell it. I’m sick of watching them play against each other. It will be great to play on Friday.
• If you get a degree from here, it’s pretty special. We’ve inherited some great students.
• I’ll be honest, I was a little against Wally doing the high jump – I didn’t get what it meant at 1st. I didn’t know how good he was. For him to be that good at something, I wouldn’t want to take away that opportunity. Because of the timing, he can manage both. Wally didn’t play a whole lot last year, I look at him like he’s a freshmen, he competes every single possession. Every single day he competes.
• At FIU – the amount of people in this room was probably our 1st game. When coaching your team, when people care, there will be a lot of people in their ears.
• On volunteer work – I want these guys to be well rounded, it will be tougher to do it in December. Hopefully they continue to grow and understand what being a student athlete at the U of MN means.
• On Kendall Shell – he’s our most improved players. When I took the job, he was light years away from anything, he was bad. Everyone talks about Mo, but he’s lost 25 lbs. He’s one of our best leaders on the team now. He’s improved a lot.
• It’s fun, it’s not only fun to play, but a normal game may have 62 possessions, we may get to 69, 71 possessions by playing a fast game. I believe in this style of play, it’s been proven to win, look at the national championship game. We won’t score in the 90’s every game, I wish we could. We’ve got to be fundamental every single part of the game.