Mike Woodson joined Nebraska’s Fred Hoiberg and USC’s Eric Musselman for a panel dialogue at Huge Ten Media Day on Thursday in Chicago.
Right here’s a transcript of Woodson, Hoiberg and Musselman needed to say:
THE MODERATOR: Welcome in Fred Hoiberg, Eric Musselman, Mike Woodson, form sufficient to affix us. Fred, you made it public final week that you’re going by what you known as a minor process. Clearly I do know you properly sufficient to know you are taking every thing humbly, particularly when it’s about you. Of us do need to understand how you’re doing? You look nice.
FRED HOIBERG: Thanks, Rick. Nice socks, by the best way. I really feel actually good. It was a process on Friday to exchange my pacemaker. I went in there, and it was a couple of 30-minute process. Greatest factor proper now’s simply being cautious. I’m teaching loads on the sidelines making an attempt to not get hit. I simply can’t get hit within the space the place they did the process, however feeling nice.
THE MODERATOR: A number of years in the past we performed golf collectively at Olympia Fields. He was teaching the Bulls, operating late. Trunk slammer; straight from his trunk to the primary tee. Goes birdie, par, birdie, and tried to persuade everyone that he was simply fortunate.
FRED HOIBERG: I used to be. I used to be very fortunate. Hasn’t occurred since.
THE MODERATOR: We received an opportunity to satisfy for the primary time, Eric, out at Terranea in Could. Don’t attempt to work out subsequent to this man within the health club since you received’t look good. You shared a narrative then that you simply ended up in nearly the identical location, a stone’s throw from the place you have been if you received your very first job out of school.
ERIC MUSSELMAN: Yeah, first job out of school was promoting tickets for the L.A. clippers, and I lived on forty fourth and Highland in Manhattan Seashore, and now we’re on Sixth Road in Manhattan Seashore. Type of full circle. Tremendous cool for myself and our household.
THE MODERATOR: Mike, you could have been clearly very busy, you and your employees within the offseason with the switch portal. It’s all the time vital to get time to recharge the batteries. You already know about maintaining the tempo being on this enterprise for so long as you could have. I perceive you have been in a position to recharge these batteries not far-off in California as properly just a little bit this summer time.
MIKE WOODSON: Out in Desert Island coping with the warmth. It was all tremendous. I’m speaking about averaging round 110 a day. However my spouse likes it on the market loads, so we spent about three weeks on the market this summer time.
THE MODERATOR: You clearly did spend a while within the portal. Discuss a few of the superb transfers you could have coming in Oumar Ballo, Carlyle is on that checklist. Myles Rice, so many on different guys. How have been you in a position to do this? What’s that course of like now when it’s so vital to get into the portal and get gamers that may match instantly into your program?
MIKE WOODSON: Properly, we had no alternative. I imply, I misplaced three gamers to the portal. I misplaced two seniors in Kel’el Ware, who was drafted to the Warmth as a fifteenth choose within the draft.
I needed to exit together with my employees and begin, you realize, actually working to attempt to construct our workforce again. We have been in a position to come West and get Huge Ballo, as you talked about, and Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle.
Then we have been lucky sufficient to get Goode to return again residence, which he’s a Bloomington child. Then we received a freshman in Bryson Tucker, who form of fell in our laps late. I had checked out him a few years in the past when he was at IMG. We have been in a position to get him on board.
I imply, we’ve constructed principally by the portal with one freshman, nevertheless it’s been a piece in progress. Our summer time program I assumed went extraordinarily properly, after which we gave them a month off. Now we’re again at official practising.
It’s been a great run up to now. We simply received to place all of it collectively and see the place it leads us.
THE MODERATOR: Eric, nobody was busier than you and your employees within the portal, out of necessity, clearly. Give us a way of the fellows that got here in and likewise how tough it may be and what the problem is if you end up making an attempt to construct chemistry with so many guys who haven’t performed collectively earlier than.
ERIC MUSSELMAN: I feel from a chemistry standpoint it’s about what you are able to do within the eight-week offseason program. Each Friday we tried to do a non-basketball-related exercise, whether or not it was wiffle ball on the seaside or boxing collectively as a bunch, or spin class. We tried to do one thing exterior of basketball after which comply with that up with a meal of some kind.
Then within the switch portal out of necessity actually with the best way the roster was with one returning participant. We needed to go to the portal. We’re enthusiastic about numerous guys. However numerous guys that must play with a chip on their shoulder. Clearly no person on any of the Huge Ten groups proper now that have been acknowledged with the highest gamers, and we mentioned that. We mentioned the place we have been ranked preseason. So we — I hope that our workforce form of has that chip on their shoulder from day one.
THE MODERATOR: Fred, for you the switch portal story is attention-grabbing as a result of you could have a handful of fellows who come from different Huge Ten colleges who actually know this league. How a lot of a bonus may that be?
FRED HOIBERG: Properly, I feel it’s vital if you end up placing your roster collectively to — final 12 months we have been the oldest workforce within the league, and we would have liked to exchange numerous actually vital items that we misplaced from a 12 months in the past, together with Reink Mast who sadly had a knee process, and he will likely be out for the season.
So for us to go on the market and attempt to get that have to exchange a Keisei Tominaga, Reink who I simply talked about, Josiah Allick who have been nice leaders and nice gamers on the ground.
We completed — we did a fairly good job of that. I feel we now have eight guys which are of their fourth 12 months or extra in faculty basketball.
When you could have that have, it provides you an opportunity. We’ve two freshmen that I actually, actually like, and I feel they’re going to be superb gamers, however we even have expertise. As you stated, Rick, guys which have performed within the league with Connor Essegian, with Gavin Griffiths, with a few guys that performed within the Pac-12 final 12 months with Braxton Meah and with Berke. These guys are coming collectively.
I feel Muss hit it on the top so far as these eight weeks how vital they’re to construct the chemistry in the summertime. You already know, again in our day after we have been taking part in, it was October 15. You principally had two or three weeks, after which unexpectedly you’re taking part in video games.
So these eight weeks in the summertime, the 5 weeks within the fall, after which you’re already — the fellows are already sick of you on the primary official day of follow, however that’s all essential so far as constructing that essential chemistry.
THE MODERATOR: You do have some terrific returnees again. Bryce, Juwan, and others, guys that received to style the match final 12 months. It’s all the time exhausting to get to the match. Many coaches say it’s more durable to get again for a second 12 months. How do you form of preserve that momentum going that you simply constructed a 12 months in the past?
FRED HOIBERG: Properly, it’s such a distinct expertise, and being on the large stage and all of the protection that you’ve got, and we solely actually had of our lively roster one man that had performed within the match, and that was Juwan Gary when he performed at Alabama.
Now we now have a bunch of fellows which were there. We’ve talked about this loads as a bunch. The problem now shouldn’t be solely getting again there, nevertheless it’s profitable in March. It’s taking this program to the place it’s by no means been earlier than. Our guys have been actually good. I like the work ethic. I like the competitiveness.
When you could have a you group of fellows that play exhausting, you’re going to have an opportunity.
THE MODERATOR: Mike, you’ve been there. I do know you want to get just a little deeper into March this coming season. Once you return to your alma mater, I’m certain you had an concept of the place you needed this system to be at this level. How does that examine to the place you’re feeling like this system truly is?
MIKE WOODSON: I feel we took a step backwards final 12 months by not making the match. That was form of disappointing. However once more, we received to maneuver ahead. The primary two years numerous these guys hadn’t been within the match for 5 years. Then they tasted it just a little bit.
On the finish of the day together with these guys, that is about profitable Huge Ten titles and profitable nationwide titles. That’s why I got here again.
I keep in mind the nice days again once I performed and a few of the nice years that Bob Knight had at Indiana that it’s been lacking. To be again and I’m in a position to put my stamp on it, you realize, it’s going to be nice for me.
I’m blissful to be again, however we nonetheless received a protracted solution to go as a ball membership.
THE MODERATOR: Eric, your profession has been outlined just a little bit by change since you’ve coached at so many alternative locations, at so many alternative ranges. How a lot can that assist you in one other 12 months of change? Not only for you and your program, however for the Huge Ten as for the primary time ever we see 18 convention video games, only one two-play due to that. Every little thing is new for everyone together with these groups which were within the Huge Ten for a very long time.
ERIC MUSSELMAN: I feel in the event you coach within the G League, you’re used to vary. So proper now it’s change of roster. It’s change with gamers receiving identify, picture, and likeness. It’s change in the best way that we’re going to journey.
I feel that together with each coaches, Coach Woodson and Coach Hoiberg, I feel there’s just a little little bit of the NBA journey can come into play right here with the way you do shoot-arounds, if you journey West Coast to East Coast. We’ve had numerous discussions with our employees what we did when Golden State performed in, say, Orlando on the primary spherical of a journey day and when do you truly do shoot-around? Do you not do shoot-around?
I feel that a few of the NBA classes with journey will help. Not less than it’s the hope.
We’ve additionally talked and met with the L.A. Rams a few weeks in the past about how they journey after they go west to east. What do they do on that first evening that they land and the way do they deal with the morning earlier than, like, a 1:00 kickoff? Will probably be a studying course of for all of us, although, for certain with the journey half.
THE MODERATOR: When coaches say we’re solely wanting on the subsequent recreation, and this state of affairs you’re looking at this as a complete to determine one of the simplest ways to take care of all of the various things that method you this season?
ERIC MUSSELMAN: Yeah, I feel you must. I feel that the best way you handle your workforce in November and December can have an have an effect on on the way you play in March, and clearly the aim for all of us is to have our groups taking part in their greatest basketball in March. Plenty of that has to do with psychological fatigue, bodily fatigue, after which the place you’re along with your our bodies and minds come the tip of the season.
So actually the best way that you simply plan in November can have an have an effect on.
THE MODERATOR: I do know we truly need to get there, however since Eric stated finish of the season, what do you assume it’s going to really feel like on the finish of the common season to have gone by this league this season?
FRED HOIBERG: It’s going to be a grind. You add 4 unbelievable applications with nice coaches, and it’s going to be — the journey, to Muss’s level, goes to be one thing that none of us have ever skilled at this stage. The three of us I feel have been lucky to both have performed or coached within the NBA and what a few of that journey is like.
I feel we’re arrange in a fairly great place in Nebraska. The West Coast grind I don’t assume will likely be fairly as a lot as it’s for the East Coast colleges, however on the similar time you actually do have to arrange for it.
One factor that I feel we do a great job of is we now have a sports activities scientist that screens each follow, and we now have a load development that we actually need to comply with to attempt to be contemporary when it issues most.
Within the final couple of years we’ve had very profitable February and March document. So simply to actually attempt to preserve your guys going the place you’re taking part in your greatest basketball on the proper time of the 12 months.
THE MODERATOR: Mike, it actually helps when you could have guys which were by that grind earlier than, like Trey, like Malik, Mackenzie skilled it, and now expects some development this 12 months. What do you want from these guys particularly and people veterans which were on this workforce to attempt too meld in all of the newcomers?
MIKE WOODSON: We’d like them to steer and make one other bounce. I assumed Malik made a hell of a bounce from his freshman 12 months, and Mackenzie, super bounce. Trey Galloway is who he’s. He’s been a pacesetter since I’ve had him. Sadly, he had the knee surgical procedure this previous season, and he’s labored his butt off this summer time to get again.
He’s not totally recovered, however he’s getting there, so I’m going to wish all three of these guys to steer. We received some seniors, however we even have a bunch of younger guys as properly too that hadn’t actually skilled the Huge Ten like Myles Rice and Kanaan Carlyle and Tucker.
So we’re going to wish these veteran guys to step up and lead our ball membership.
THE MODERATOR: Let’s end right here, guys. In your campuses clearly there’s numerous momentum along with your soccer applications as properly. Indiana is stunning everyone. Have you ever felt that vibe of your gamers and perhaps have had an opportunity to observe the Hoosier soccer workforce this 12 months?
MIKE WOODSON: I’m loving it. I feel Coach Cignetti has carried out a hell of a job. He’s put a fantastic group of fellows collectively. He’s received operating backs. He’s received receivers. He has a hell of a quarterback.
I couldn’t be extra happier for him as a result of it’s been some time to see our applications even within the high 25. So you must give him numerous credit score for that. I’m ready for Northwestern this week. We’ve them right here at Northwestern. It ought to be a great ball recreation.
THE MODERATOR: Eric, have you ever had an opportunity to spend a lot time with Lincoln? I do know you and Lindsey have shared ideas.
ERIC MUSSELMAN: Went to a few practices. Truly received some good drills that we’ve form of taken, some quarterback large receiver drills that he used and have used with a five-shot drill that, that they had a 5 passing drill with their quarterbacks. There’s nothing like USC sideline pregame.
The one factor that’s been troublesome just a little bit is we preserve having recruits are available in on weekends when our soccer workforce is taking part in on the highway, and I preserve desirous to go on a highway soccer recreation. I’m, like, cease with the recruiting stuff so we are able to go to a highway soccer recreation and expertise Huge Ten soccer.
THE MODERATOR: Fred, I do know you and Matt clearly speak loads about what your respective applications are doing at any given second.
FRED HOIBERG: Coach Rhule is doing an outstanding job. It’s been a lot enjoyable. We had our four-hundredth consecutive sellout, and the final recreation has been bought out since 1962. The fervour and the vitality proper now round Nebraska soccer, it’s been superior to see.
THE MODERATOR: We actually respect the time.
Filed to: Mike Woodson
