July 2, 2003
What is your overview of last season? What did this team accomplish, and what did you come away wanting to address for next season?
“Overall, I felt our guys did a very good job. We were tremendous at home. We showed our inexperience and probably were a little unlucky on the road, missing free throws and things like that that cost us. But I thought our guys were resilient. We finished strong and had some quality wins down the stretch. As a coach, you look for improvement, and I thought we did a nice job of improving.”
How big was the Iowa game in that regard?
“It was a great win for our guys, and a nice confidence boost. We can take that into next season as a positive moment to point to.”
What concerns do you want to address heading into next year?
“From a basketball, technical standpoint, not much. I really think these guys have a great work ethic. I know they’re all working very hard this summer. We have to address some personnel losses. In terms of who we have coming back, those guys grew a lot and learned a lot. Guys like Marvin Lewis, Jarrett Jack and Isma’il Muhammad played their best basketball down the stretch. We know what B.J. can do and how good he can be. He just needs to stay healthy. The guy who will give us a real boost is Will Bynum. He will give us a tremendous lift when he becomes eligible.”
The frontcourt is so thin in terms of the number of players returning. Assess that area.
“It’s thin in terms of guys who have put in a lot of minutes. Theodis Tarver showed that he can be a quality player. Luke had an off-year, but he had an excellent freshman year. But he’s a big guy that is growing. He put a lot of weight on last season, but I’m not sure his body adjusted to the weight gain. He’s spending a lot of time working on that this summer. He has all the skill, the touch and the knowledge. He’s a very smart player. So I expect him to bounce back this year. He’s working on core strength and working around the basket.”
Theo might be the most intriguing player on this team as we look ahead. What caused him to explode the way he did at the end of last season?
“He learned how to play with sustained intensity. We all recognize that he has some tremendous physical tools. But you have to understand how hard you have to play this game. I’m intrigued when people think it’s an easy jump (from high school to college). It’s not an easy jump, especially from a mental standpoint and understanding how you have to approach things. He should be applauded for his patience. He was very patient during the year. There were days when he practiced exceptionally well and probably could have argued for more playing time, but he had faith and trust in our coaching staff and did what we asked him to do. At the end of the year, he got an opportunity and made the most of it. Theo is the type of kid, though, who will tell you he still has a lot to learn.
What do you expect from him next season, given the numbers you have in the frontcourt?
“He’s still going to have to come back and earn [playing time]. We’re going to add Anthony McHenry to the frontcourt, and Robert Brooks is going to be there. We’re still recruiting, so he is not going to get a position by default. He will have to earn it. My expectations for him are that he is going to work just as hard as he did in the second half of last season.”
In terms of the numbers, what is the plan for the frontcourt?
“We’re going to have four guys up front, and we’re still looking. I would not be at all surprised if we are able to add one or two people. That’s why a lot of this stuff could be moot by September.”
Robert Brooks had some opportunities last year, and went stretches without playing much. What kind of opportunity does he have as a senior?
“He’s been in this program for three years. He plays very hard and understands everything we’re doing. He’s been around the league. Given the present state of the frontcourt, he has an opportunity to play more minutes, but again, it’s going to have to be earned. Luke, as hard as he is working, is not looking to give up any minutes to anybody. Theodis learned an awful lot and went through a tough time last year. Tony McHenry has been somewhat frustrated by his opportunities, and he’s going to get a chance. When we looked at Tony this past year, we saw that he played his best basketball when he was in the frontcourt, whether it was small forward or power forward.
With Robert, you have the advantage of experience, which is very important in college basketball today. He has to be up to the challenge, and I think he will be. Robert likes being around here, and he enjoys playing in the ACC.”
The backcourt is the obvious strength of this team. Do you believe your backcourt, as a group, could be one of the best 15 in the country?
“Absolutely. I don’t think anyone will put out as diverse, as skilled, as physically strong a perimeter group as we will have this year. You could start with a guy like Isma’il Muhammad, whom people don’t even know about. Then you have a guy like Marvin Lewis, who has been a three-year starter in the ACC. Then there is B.J. Elder and Jarrett Jack, whom people know a lot about, and you add a guy like Will Bynum. That group of five is a very good group. Physically, they are very strong, mature and experienced.”
You now have some depth at point guard with Will Bynum in the program. How does that help Jarrett Jack and change the role of B.J. Elder?
“It’s going to be beneficial for everybody. Jarrett is going to have a chance to take a breath and take a look at things. He was really thrown into the fire last year and did an outstanding job given the circumstances. In many of the close losses last year, if he had had a little help, maybe things could have swung in our favor. It will mean an awful lot to Jarrett just to have a chance to catch his breath every once in a while in games. He and Will have become very competitive in pick up games, as well as in practice last year.
“It also will help B.J. because there were six or seven minutes in every game last year when he had to play the point guard position. That’s not really his position, though he can handle it, and he did a good job. But now we can keep him on the court, and he can exclusively think about being the two-guard, scoring and creating offense opportunities without having to bring the ball up.”
What does Bynum bring to this team in terms of skills and intangibles?
“He brings a cockiness. Will is a cocky kid. That’s the best way I can describe him. He’s very confident. He knows how to play. He has a self-assuredness that this team can use.”
Muhammad came on strong at the end of last year. Did he find his niche offensively?
“He found his confidence. I think he knows what his niche is; he’s a bright young man. But he started to feel better about himself shooting the ball and creating scoring opportunities without forcing things and not taking things outside of his rhythm.”
Jim Nystr?m never got an opportunity to show much last year between his suspension and his injuries. What do you look for from him?
“He and Mario West (red-shirt freshman) both have an opportunity to establish themselves early before Will becomes eligible. There’s no question that Jim’s offensive abilities can help this team. The other thing I like about Jim is that he is a tremendous teammate. He’s very enthusiastic in practice, in the locker room before games, and he works extremely hard. But before Will becomes eligible, with the Pre-Season NIT and other non-conference games, there’s going to be a need to have another guy step up and provide some punch and some energy on offense off the bench. Mario and Jim will be vying for that role.”
Can you assess the influence of Marvin Lewis as a leader on this team after a full season as captain? How has he progressed as a player? What would you like to see from him next season?
“He’s a leader in every sense of the word. He’s a Dean’s List student. He’s started every game for the most part for the last three years. He’s been one of our mainstays and been very consistent. Everybody on our team respects him. That is something he has earned.
“He has worked very hard in the individual instruction program, and in the summertime on his own. That is one of the reasons he has earned the respect. He has gone to the NCAA Tournament before and the NIT last year, and he realizes this is his last shot to get to the NCAA. It would be nice for him and Robert to be a part of an NCAA team.”
You made conditioning a priority for this off-season. Why was that? Where did that manifest itself? Who on this team would benefit most from a good off-season program?
“Strength is the major priority. There were times last season that I thought we didn’t have the strength and the stamina to pull things through. Lack of strength will start to tell on you at the end of games with bad turnovers, missed free throws, or missing shots you can normally make. That said, I didn’t feel like we weren’t in shape. Our bodies were just young. We were a young basketball team. This year, a year older, a year wiser and a year stronger, we should close games more efficiently.”
You had an excellent rebounding team last season. Yet the two best rebounders on that team are gone. How do you fill that void with the personnel that you have?
“It’s not an area of concern because we will be a year older and stronger. The guys we have coming back — Theo, Luke, Robert, Anthony McHenry, Isma’il Muhammad, Marvin — those guys have proved they can be good rebounders. Jarrett can be a good rebounder. I know Will can rebound. We need to get B.J. involved in rebounding more.
“We will probably change our style a little bit in terms of playing a little bit faster. If you play fast sometimes, the big, physical rebounder is not as much of a necessity. I’m more concerned about this team picking up where it left off in terms of the improvement we made at the end of last year, playing together, moving the ball, and shooting the ball. We shot the ball better down the stretch, and I think this team has a chance to be as good a shooting team.”
What is your general assessment of the program at this point? What have you learned about coaching in the ACC and about this program?
“College basketball is in a state of flux. I did not envision Chris [Bosh] being a top four or five draft pick, as he was predicted to be, after his freshman year. As late as the last game in February, we believed he would be back in school next year. It tells you the state of the NBA. Here is a kid who was thinking about staying, but it was an opportunity to good to pass up. Kids are transferring at a higher rate. Kids are leaving school early at a higher rate. You look around and see kids breaking letter-of-intent agreements because they’re not sure how much playing time they’re going to get.
“But that’s why we have worked very hard to develop depth and use scholarships so we don’t get caught short. We place a very strong emphasis here on individual instruction, and that prepares other players to fill the open spots.
“I’m very happy where we are, all things considered. We have an extremely strong backcourt, and the makings of a good frontcourt. As people leave, players have an opportunity to step up.”
