Not so many bombs dropped on Pac-12 Media Day for the Men’s Basketball this year, but there was a lot of enjoyment all around.
STANFORD
Coach: Jerod Haase Player: Harrison Ingram (F), Spencer Jones (F)
Coach Haase says he has a young team. He has big dreams and goals. Spencer says spirits are high in the locker room, he’s happy to come back. Harrison is happy to play with Spencer again, they have great chemistry. Michael Jones, a grad transfer, has brought his experience and he knows where to be and he’s in the right spots, he brings his Tournament experience, explained Harrison. Stanford has a lot of shooters, so Harrison says he’s just looking for the players who have the best open shot.
Coach Haase recruits student athletes, the students don’t claim a major until they are a junior, “I’m still a sophomore,” said Harrison, “So I don’t quite know yet. I’ve probably taken most economic classes and a few psych classes, so I’m not quite sure what I’m doing yet.” He came from a “Pretty prestigious high school for academics,” so he and his family take education seriously. Spencer is a senior, “My major is management science and engineering. It’s kind of like the study and analysis of management systems. That’s actually been pretty helpful. Currently I’m in a class called Leadership in Action, it’s kind of just how to be a better corporate leader. All those tendencies, all those attributes really help me to be a better leader on this court.”
That was my major in college, so we had a chat at lunch about what he is studying. I came away very impressed with these two young men.
Pac-12 Media Days 2022
ARIZONA STATE
Coach: Bobby Hurley Players: DJ Horne (G), Desmond Cambridge Jr. (G)
Coach Hurley, wearing black Yeezy’s, feels there is a level of trust between the players, and they are itching to play games. “We got a deep team, deep roster. Each unit are battling pretty hard. We’ve been staying pretty healthy, relatively healthy, so that’s a positive sign.”
ASU is going to play a SWAC School, Coach Hurley is happy about the opportunity, for his players to learn about the HBCU’s, they will have three non-conference games on the road in neutral sites. DJ feels like it will be a good experience, and Desmond is excited about the experience and is looking forward to giving and HBCU team a different platform.
Coach Hurley worked on development over the summer, with the transfer portal and all, he feels he needs to start out the season well. He has self evaluated, and he wants to put more points on the board. He has brought some new players in to help take the load off of DJ Horne. DJ says Coach Hurley gets on the floor playing the four, “It’s cool to see that — It’s big.” Horne is from North Carolina, so he is soaking up a lot from his former Duke point guard.
Desmond is playing with his brother Devin on the team, they reunite in Phoenix, they are a package deal, and Coach Hurley was very happy that he wanted both brothers on the team, and the brothers already have chemistry. Both Desmond and DJ want to win games.
Pac-12 Media Days 2022
COLORADO
Coach: Tad Boyle Players:Tristan Da Silva (F), Nique Clifford (G)
Coach Boyle has two Ivy League four year transfers that are hungry to win, and one JUCO transfer from Indian Hills Community College. He looks at Tyger and Jaime from UCLA and he wonders why they haven’t graduated yet, very funny.
Boyle wants to beat some quality opponents this season. The Buffaloe’s Coach says he has a deep team, “We have a really deep team, I feel like. So a lot of guys that could play a bunch of different positions. So we have a lot of versatility. I think we’re really excited just going into this year to show
people what we could do.”
Tristan had this to add, “I love playing with these guys. I love competing out there with them, putting it on the line were them. It’s going to be — I feel like we’ve got a really unselfish group of guys, high energy, high character guys. It’s going to be a lot of fun stepping out there on the court with them.”
Pac-12 Media Days 2022
WASHINGTON STATE
Coach: Kyle Smith Players: TJ Bamba (G), Mouhamed Gueye (F)
Coach Kyle Smith has lost quite a few players, so he has a different team, a lot bigger. He wants his players to have pride in being a Coug and play in the NCAA Tournament. TJ feels it’s his job this season to lead the group, he loves leading, defending, he wants to be more productive on offense. TJ has built a brotherhood over last year and the summer. Mohammed is “a lover” according to his coach, fun to coach, and Coach assumes this is his last year in Pullman.
The Twin Gingers is the nickname he has given to his two transfers, Jabe Mullins and Justin Powell. “They’re very pass-first guys, very skillful with size, can shoot. They’re what we call triple pass, shoot guys that make us better offensively. The question where are the points going to come from? Well, I think people are going to be surprised how much both these guys improved offensively, but also it helps having those guys that they look for others.”
Coach is a numbers guy, he tracks hustle stats, the Cougs led the league in blocked shots. Smith gave us insight into a stat he tracks:
KYLE SMITH: I’ve had this question a lot, so I’ll try to simplify it. It’s basically our internal efficiency rating. So things that we emphasize, they get rewarded by playing more. It’s winning plays minus non-winning plays divided by possessions. It’s the best way I can describe it
T.J. BAMBA: I mean, I could say it like from the first day I got on campus, I’m from New York, playing in Dyckman or Rucker Park outside all the time, I’m thinking basketball is just basketball. So I’m learning it’s way more to it. It’s about efficiency, the numbers, the statistics, and all of that. All of that being thrown at me at once, I’m like, whoa, what’s going on? So it hit me.
But as time went on and I like learned this is where the game is going today, so you have to kind of like adapt with it. So once I started doing that and embracing it, I’ve gotten so much better. Like looking at the efficiency on defense helped shooting, passing, all that stuff. It all comes into one, and it makes you a better player and more like go in and watch film and really go in, ask questions, and have them break it down to you. You kind of like — you get a lot of “aha” moments, I should say. So you like understand everything better.
Pac-12 Media Days 2022
CALIFORNIA
Coach: Mark Fox Players: Joel Brown (G), Lars Thiemann (C)
Coach Fox feels scoring on his team will be by committee, to spread scoring across positions. He has a lot of new faces this season. Fox has a lot more guys this season, so competition in practice is better. Now Fox has bigger size, he wants to play fast, and play well. The team is deep in their lineup and have a high basketball IQ.
Lars feels it’s the seniors time and Joel is helping the younger guys and importance regarding winning games. Coach Fox said that he thinks every player needs a player to look up to, and Joel and Lars didn’t have that coming to Cal as Freshmen. Joel made 48-50 free throws in practice just this week. Joel is studying business and he is learning a lot at Cal, and Lars enjoys cooking and is studying Nutritional Science.
Coach Fox explained that Cal has an International focus, so transferring to Berkeley from International schools is an easier transition. Cal has six international players on the team.
Pac-12 Media Days 2022
OREGON
Coach: Dana Altman Players: Quincy Guerrier (F), N’Faly Dante (C)
Coach Altman felt his team needed to go deeper in the NCAA Tournament. He has three guys coming back which gives him a great core, “A lot of teams are really old.” The team is working hard on defense and rebounding. When his players walked in the room, your jaw just drops by their sheer size. Coach Altman said N’Faly is in much better shape this season. He is disappointed by the departure of UCLA and USC from the Pac-12, he enjoyed traveling to California.
The team was guard centric last season, but Coach Altman is not concerned about what type of positions his players play, he just wants to be better defensively. Last season he had the worst rebounding team ever. “Instead of looking good in the airport they have to look good on the court,” quipped Altman, “Everyone adjusts differently to college.”
Pac-12 Media Days 2022
OREGON STATE
Coach: Wayne Tinkle Players: Glenn Taylor Jr. (F), Dexter Akanno (G)
Coach Tinkle wants to crush the last year, and is looking forward to the next season, he brought his two leaders with him in Glenn and Dexter. He mentioned that he feels players have left school too early, they should be patient, get their degree and compete everyday like you want a spot as a starter. Glenn wants to be the leader of the team, he sees a lot of talented freshmen coming in. He and Dexter had a BBQ with the team and the new freshman, showing them the ropes at school, where to eat, and they bonded during their Italy trip. Dexter helps them on the court, teaching them where to be and what to do.
Tinkle wants to get back to an NCAA Tournament team quicker than anyone thinks, even for all the youth he has on his team. He explained that it is becoming more difficult to keep players around, even if they aren’t playing yet. COVID set the team back, and now he recruits players that are willing to be patient, it’s a challenge, “But it’s a challenge worth fighting.”
Pac-12 Media Days 2022
WASHINGTON
Coach: Mike Hopkins Players: Keion Brooks (F), Jamal Bey (G)
Keion Brooks left Kentucky to come to Washington, he wanted to challenge himself and do something new, he knew Coach Hop and he was comfortable coming to Seattle. “I try to make the right play everytime,” said Brooks. Jamal is the most experienced player in the PAC-12, this year he wants to start off great and personally he wants to play at better pace.
Coach Hopkins said his team is “old,” Jamal is a super senior. When he hates coaching against a player, you want them on your team, and he got a transfer from Washington State (Noah Williams). He recruits or fit to his program, he wanted more depth in the front line, and that’s how he recruited. “We think Noah is such a tough player. The reason why I know how much I love him is because I hated coaching against him. When I looked over there, I did not like him. I always say he’s the modern day Draymond Green. When he’s on your team, you love him. When he’s on somebody else’s team, you don’t like him.”
Nates Roberts had a great year last season, he needed to replace him, and now he has rim protection. Coach also needs to get better shot opportunities for his players.
Pac-12 Media Days 2022
USC
Coach: Andy Enfield Players: Boogie Ellis (G), Drew Peterson (G)
This will be Coach Enfield’s tenth year at USC. USC’s freshman includes two injured players Laroslav Niagu and Vince Iwuchukwu, but Enfield was proud that he did not recruit any transfers. Enfield expects all the freshmen to help the team this year. Drew is a fifth year senior, Coach Enfield is helping him be more vocal, he tries to help in any way he can.
Boogie explained that this is one of his favorite teams as he will be able to play on and off the ball. He had a great time playing with LeBron James and Demar Derozan in the Drew League this summer. He trusts the process, everyone has their own growth at their own pace. Boogie concentrated on the little nuances that makes his game better, “I think we are one of the best shooting teams in the country.”
Drew has seen a lot of freshmen who come in thinking they are “it” and he helps them with their sleep schedule, and balancing school and basketball. Drew spent the summer getting bigger and stronger, especially because he tried out for the draft and understood that he needed to bulk up to compete at the next level. He feels the team is a really fun team to watch.
UTAH
Coach: Craig Smith Players: Branden Carlson (C), Marco Anthony (G)
Coach Smith spoke about the breakfast club, that he has a whole new team, eight new and eight returning, and everyone has bought into the culture. The Breakfast Club is Marco and Branden getting into the gym in the morning to get extra work in. Coach wanted to build in size and athleticism, which he accomplished along with more depth and he’s excited to get rolling. Most players at Utah have only been around less than 18 months, but they all love to compete and be in the gym, no fence sitters. He allows the players to decide if they will red-shirt.
The team’s jersey has an “End Racism” Patch on the back of their jerseys, Marco explained, “XX”
Coach Smith is very happy that their fanbase cares about basketball, where basketball is important to fans. As a coach he has all the tools he needs to be successful, and now it’s up to them to get it done.
Pac-12 Media Days 2022
ARIZONA
Coach: Tommy Lloyd Players: Kerr Kriisa (G), Azoulas “Zu” Tubelis (F)
Sorry I forgot my headband, quipped Tommy Lloyd after he grabbed the mic. He took a few questions from the media on UCLA vs. Arizona, and what he thought about the Bruins departure and he was sad about it, but hopes to be able to play UCLA in the future. Lloyd was proud of his team to be able to win four post season games without Kerr, getting him back was helpful as well. He knows he needs good players, but he doesn’t only want to recruit McDonald’s All Americans, he doesn’t want to make promises he can’t keep and be methodical and cautious in his recruiting.
Tommy won 33 games, went 18-2 in Pac-12 play, his only goal was to make it into the tournament, his team was a No. 1 rank and got to the second round. He wants his team to be physical. His locker room is full of international players, and it’s a “Ton of fun!”
Zu improved his defense and his three-point shot over the summer. Kerr had a great time in the summer, he played with the Estonia National team. Zu sees the difference in Europe, where you play with men, and in college the pace is faster, he loves playing faster. Kerr felt the athletes were crazy, playing 35 year old players who don’t look like basketball players. When he got to Arizona, he played first for Sean Miller, and now Tommy Lloyd, the international players make the locker room a lot more fun.
Red and Blue game…
KERR KRIISA: I mean, yeah, it was fun obviously. There were like R.J. and all these guys that had helluva careers, and just to see them, that they care to come back and see us play in Red and Blue, and like you said, grade our dunks and stuff like that. It matters. It was a fun night for sure.
AŽUOLAS TUBELIS: Yeah, that was fun. I had a chance to talk to Jason Terry after the game because he was an assistant coach here for one year. So, yeah, we talked about like how is his team doing because now he’s assistant coach in the NBA, I’m pretty sure.
Yeah, we just talked, and that was fun.
TOMMY LLOYD: And I think it’s special to get — I think it’s one of Lowry’s first times back.
UCLA
Coach: Mic Cronin Players: Jaime Jaquez Jr. (G), Tyger Campbell (G)
Coach Cronin is returning five players who played in the final four. He was playing golf when he heard about the departure of UCLA, but it’s above his pay grade. He wants everyone today to talk about his players.
Jamie Jaquez has the size and skill to play in the NBA, Coach Cronin feels Jamie values the college experience, and enjoys college, and gets better every season. He will play multiple positions each year. Jamie’s sister is playing on the women’s UCLA team, he gets asked about it a lot, and he’s really happy about having her on campus.
Tyger explained that being a point guard is being the coach on the court, trying to add on to his own game. He likes playing at Arizona at McKale, one of the most hostile but fun environments to play in, so does Jamie. Tyger is the extension of coach, his size never bothers him, but coach said he wants 30 points a game out of him.
About the Passing of Jalen Hill, Coach Cronin had this to say:
I’ve got to talk to George Hill about that. George and the family’s been going through, obviously, I can’t imagine. So just been trying — my thing with communication with George is just — Jalen’s father — just trying to be supportive to him.
Tyger and I and Jaime were about Jalen on the way here yesterday on the plane. For us, it’s surreal — These guys know him well. So it’s really still hard for me.
If it’s hard for me to believe, and I’ve been through the passing of people that are close to me, for young people — like Tyger and him were roommates. It’s really like — it’s hard to even process that Jalen has passed away. They definitely will have some sort of remembrance of him.
It’s just a horrible, horrible tragedy that he’s gone from us so soon.
