On what the team has worked on to make its offense more efficient:
“Just trying to get better movement on offense and trying to limit turnovers. Obviously, we haven’t shot the ball particularly well, but we’ve got to do a better job of hitting shots and I think it will come.”
On what he thinks the reason is for the number of the turnovers the team has committed:
“I think guys are trying to play together, so just guys trying to get the ball to their teammates and we end up turning it over or just not making smart plays. I think it just comes down to a couple different things, but it’s definitely something we’ve got to cut
down.”
On how much experience plays a role in a team’s success during the start of an unusual season like this:
“Honestly – experience, I think it does play a big role. Like you said, with the older teams in the country that have older players and you see just how well they mesh. I just think that the fact that this was the third game and we didn’t have any exhibition games, we were scrimmaging against each other, so I think it comes down to a lot of things – just getting comfortable on the court. It’s a different environment. It’s come down to a bunch of things, but I think we’ll be fine ultimately and we’ll get it together.”
On if he can already see the team becoming more comfortable playing with one another:
“Yeah, for sure. Like I said, that was the third game we played as a team. We’re used to seeing each other and playing against each other, but as a whole team we hadn’t really had that. It’s going to be a process, so I just think we’re moving along, taking it one game at a time and I think we’ll keep getting better.”
On what he has told his younger teammates about playing in marquee games:
“Just that we’ve got to come out and get off to a good start. Getting off to slow starts kind of puts us in a hole, so we’ve just got to come out and also play for 40 minutes. We have spurts where we look good and spurts where we don’t look good, so just trying to put together the full game I think is going to main the main vocal point.”
On if his offensive game is something he worked to improve during the offseason:
“Yeah, for sure. I work on my game a lot, so definitely I would say the offensive side of my game, I know I have a little bit more responsibility this year. Like you said, we’re a younger team, so just trying to focus more on my shot and getting in the lane more [and working on] finishes. Definitely, I think being more aggressive this year is something that I’m going to have to do.”
On if his leadership style is something that has come naturally or if it is still evolving:
“I think it’s a little bit of all those things. Like you said, I’ve been around the program for a minute. We’ve always had guys coming in with leadership roles, so it’s a bit different for me being one of the leaders on the team this year. It’s something that I’m still learning too, but I would say it does come kind of naturally because I’m a competitor. I haven’t always been the most vocal guy, but I’ve just been working on that. It’s something that’s still developing and I’m learning things as well.”
On what he has taken from his experience playing with Tre Jones and passed on to freshman guards Jeremy Roach and DJ Steward:
“It starts on the defensive end with us, so just making sure that Jeremy and DJ, they know that they can guard whoever and just making sure that they’re up because the defense really starts with us. I always say we’ve got to take care of the ball. We’ve got to do a better job of that, so just making it known in their ear that we’ve got to take care of the ball and get the team better shots is something that I’ve been trying to focus on.”
On what has stood out to him about freshman forward Jaemyn Brakefield:
“Since we’ve been here, since August, Jaemyn – he’s probably been one of the guys that’s stood out to me the most just because he comes every day ready to compete and he can really score the ball. I wouldn’t say anything that he’s doing right now is surprising me because I’ve seen it in practice. He’s a really good player and I expect it from him.”
On what he’s seen from Illinois on tape and if he anticipates guarding Ayo Dosunmu:
“I’ll probably spend a good amount of time guarding Ayo. They’re a really good team [and they’re] deep. It’s another Michigan State type game. They’ll probably come out and be physical, so it’ll be a similar game. We’ve just got to come out ready to play and everybody’s got to rebound, we’ve got to get good shots and we’ve got to hit shots.“