On how practice has been going:
“I do think the three new guys have caught up, we didn’t slow down for them…we’ve had a couple ankle injuries that have slowed practices down a little bit. Practices have still been good. I do think Darryl [Moresell] is a quick learner and I do think Bruno [Fernando] is a quick learner. A guy like Sean Obi has been with two different programs and is a bit older so he’s been able to adjust. Practices have been really competitive. When everybody’s healthy they’re really competitive and we have a competitive group. We’ve had a lot of competition in practice and guys are trying to win each drill. We’re getting a lot better quickly.”
On relying on the sophomores:
“Well we’re going to rely on them, but we relied on them quite a bit last year too. I think they’re much more prepared. They’re much more prepared in practice and much more prepared in the Summer with how they handled things. Academically they’re also further along. I do think every one of them has gotten a lot better. Anthony has gotten a lot better; I think last week in practice he was like 18 assists and four turnovers which is really good. He’s shooting the ball well and is a lot better in every phase. Kevin Huerter has just naturally gotten better. [He] feels more comfortable doing more things and we’re putting the ball in his hands a bit more. I think Justin Jackson is one of those guys that is much more competitive every day. He’s added to his game and has a lot more on the plate with playing the three more this season when we play bigger lineups. Right now there’s a lot on Justin’s plate, but he’s improved a lot. Those three guys had terrific freshman years and we feel like they’ll step up and be a big part of what we do.”
On adjusting to life without Melo Trimble:
“I think our system will look the same. We’re trying some different things like our small guard lineup. Kevin is going to be more involved. I think late last year he was pretty involved. I think everybody, like Anthony and Justin will get more opportunities. Last year Melo was 71 percent of our ball screens, and we won’t have a player around that this year. It’ll be more like across the board, 40 or 30 percent, whatever those numbers are. There will be more guys involved.”
On leadership on the team:
“I think we have a bunch of leaders in this group and it’s a really easy team to lead. We have a lot o coachable guys who are about winning. We have guys like Jared Nickens and Ivan Bender, those guys have stepped up. We have guys like Michal Cekovsky and Dion Wiley, those guys have stepped up and been leaders. I think the guy that is the most natural and likes to talk the most is Kevin Huerter. I’m not saying he’s our leader, but he’s the guy that gets it the most and does it without even knowing he’s doing it. Even like Justin Jackson has become more vocal and comfortable with who he is within our system. We have a bunch of leaders and a bunch of guys who follow the right way.”
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