imsoblue
11-02-2012, 01:23 PM
This year’s team has some really good, thoughtful talkers. For this, the scribes (and TV dudes) are enormously thankful. You fine folks benefit, too. These guys are good at explaining what they’re learning and describing what’s happened on the court. Here’s a good example:
C WILLIE CAULEY-STEIN
ON THE EXHIBITOIN OPENER: “It was fun. It was good to get out there and actually play against a different team than ourselves. I think it was good for everybody to see where we’re at, out(side) of ourselves. Cal preached to us about breaking barriers. We were here (hands low), he thought, before we came in. Now he says we’ve gone up a little bit more but we still have a lot to go before we’re at where we want.”
ON PLAYING WITH NERLENS NOEL: “It’s fun playing with Nerlens, because now instead of trying to make sure you’ve got a man, you can kind of gamble a little more because you know you’ve got another shot blocker behind you. So it’s real fun playing with him.”
ON ALL THE LINEUP COMBOS: “I’ve never played in a game with that many substitutions – well, I mean, that many substitutions but not that many different lineups. We were playing five 6-6 and plus guys on the floor at one time. Then we went small. Then it was me and Nerlens. He’s just trying to find a matchup that he can feel comfortable with.”
ON WHETHER IT GOT CONFUSING, ALL THE SWITCHING: “I don’t think it was awkward. It was more we’re just learning how to play; like me and Nerlens together, we just learned that this week. So now instead of me just learning the five, I have to learn the four, too. Which is not a problem, but I never got the chance the first couple weeks to learn how to do it, so now learning it in this one week and having a game, it kind of like opens your eyes, like, ‘Oh, I didn’t really know how to do this yet.’ But doing it in a game is good.”
ON WHETHER HE CAN ACTUALLY HEAR WORDS WHEN CALIPARI IS YELLING AT GUYS DURING A GAME – OR WHETHER IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE LOUD NOISE: “You’ve got to just relay it, I guess. One person hears it and you just all say it so then you know what he’s talking about. Like tonight, it was loud. But in some times, when we were up by so much, it was more quiet and you could hear him. But for the most part you can tell what he wants.”
ON USING THE HUGE LINE UP WITH HIM, NOEL AND WILTJER ALL PLAYING: “That was the first time we’ve ever done it. I didn’t know we were going to do it. He’s talked about it, but we never did it in practice or anything, so it was weird. But I like that lineup, too. That’s a long lineup.”
ON HOW MUCH DIFFICULTY UK’S VERSATILTY MIGHT PRESENT TO OPPONENTS: “It’ll be real difficult, just because of how big we are, but how smooth and quick even our bigs are. Me and Nerlens, we’re not like regular 7-foot dudes. We can move and we can guard the guards, so it just gives you more matchup problems for other teams.”
C NERLENS NOEL
ON ALL THE LINEUPS: “You’ve just got to be ready for the lineups he’s going to put out, whether it’s me, Alex or me, Kyle, or me, Willie and Kyle like it was at the end of the game. You’ve just got to be aware and know what spot you’re at. It’s very diverse.”
ON WHETHER HE KNOWS WHAT LINEUPS CAL WILL USE IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS: “Right now, I don’t know what lineup he’s going with at any time. In practice, he’s always switching it up, whether it’s me, Willie or me, Kyle or whatever. But Coach Cal knows what he’s doing, and when you’re on the court you just gotta play hard.”
ON WHETHER HE’S EVER BEEN PART OF SUCH A MIX-AND-MATCH TEAM: “No, I’ve never been on a team as diverse like this, with another 7-footer and guys that can really go.”
ON WHAT IT’S LIKE TO PLAY WITH CAULEY-STEIN: “I feel more free just to maybe even guard on the perimeter a little bit more, knowing that I have Willie back there helping me out. Because one of us has always got to be at the rim, protecting the rim. If I’m not, then he’s there. So it’s always interchanging. That’s something we like.”
ON CAL’S ORDERS BEING IF ONE BIG IS ON THE PERIMETER, THE OTHER MUST GET TO THE PAINT: “Yeah, it’s constantly moving, all interchanging things. We always go through it in practice. You get used to it with the good communication we have with each other. We just keep it up, always talking and moving and communicating.”
ON FEELING GOOD OFFENSIVELY VS. NORTHWOOD: “I thought I played well offensively, could’ve done a couple more things. But everything’s going to come in time, offensive development and everything. I thought it was a good effort. I’m just looking forward to getting better by the season.”
ON WHETHER THIS WAS THE MOST HE FELT LIKE HIMSELF OUT OF THE THREE TIMES FANS HAVE SEEN HIM PLAY IN RUPP: “Yeah, definitely. Just a game setting, and this is what I live for – just to come out and just to show up when it’s time.”
C WILLIE CAULEY-STEIN
ON THE EXHIBITOIN OPENER: “It was fun. It was good to get out there and actually play against a different team than ourselves. I think it was good for everybody to see where we’re at, out(side) of ourselves. Cal preached to us about breaking barriers. We were here (hands low), he thought, before we came in. Now he says we’ve gone up a little bit more but we still have a lot to go before we’re at where we want.”
ON PLAYING WITH NERLENS NOEL: “It’s fun playing with Nerlens, because now instead of trying to make sure you’ve got a man, you can kind of gamble a little more because you know you’ve got another shot blocker behind you. So it’s real fun playing with him.”
ON ALL THE LINEUP COMBOS: “I’ve never played in a game with that many substitutions – well, I mean, that many substitutions but not that many different lineups. We were playing five 6-6 and plus guys on the floor at one time. Then we went small. Then it was me and Nerlens. He’s just trying to find a matchup that he can feel comfortable with.”
ON WHETHER IT GOT CONFUSING, ALL THE SWITCHING: “I don’t think it was awkward. It was more we’re just learning how to play; like me and Nerlens together, we just learned that this week. So now instead of me just learning the five, I have to learn the four, too. Which is not a problem, but I never got the chance the first couple weeks to learn how to do it, so now learning it in this one week and having a game, it kind of like opens your eyes, like, ‘Oh, I didn’t really know how to do this yet.’ But doing it in a game is good.”
ON WHETHER HE CAN ACTUALLY HEAR WORDS WHEN CALIPARI IS YELLING AT GUYS DURING A GAME – OR WHETHER IT JUST SOUNDS LIKE LOUD NOISE: “You’ve got to just relay it, I guess. One person hears it and you just all say it so then you know what he’s talking about. Like tonight, it was loud. But in some times, when we were up by so much, it was more quiet and you could hear him. But for the most part you can tell what he wants.”
ON USING THE HUGE LINE UP WITH HIM, NOEL AND WILTJER ALL PLAYING: “That was the first time we’ve ever done it. I didn’t know we were going to do it. He’s talked about it, but we never did it in practice or anything, so it was weird. But I like that lineup, too. That’s a long lineup.”
ON HOW MUCH DIFFICULTY UK’S VERSATILTY MIGHT PRESENT TO OPPONENTS: “It’ll be real difficult, just because of how big we are, but how smooth and quick even our bigs are. Me and Nerlens, we’re not like regular 7-foot dudes. We can move and we can guard the guards, so it just gives you more matchup problems for other teams.”
C NERLENS NOEL
ON ALL THE LINEUPS: “You’ve just got to be ready for the lineups he’s going to put out, whether it’s me, Alex or me, Kyle, or me, Willie and Kyle like it was at the end of the game. You’ve just got to be aware and know what spot you’re at. It’s very diverse.”
ON WHETHER HE KNOWS WHAT LINEUPS CAL WILL USE IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS: “Right now, I don’t know what lineup he’s going with at any time. In practice, he’s always switching it up, whether it’s me, Willie or me, Kyle or whatever. But Coach Cal knows what he’s doing, and when you’re on the court you just gotta play hard.”
ON WHETHER HE’S EVER BEEN PART OF SUCH A MIX-AND-MATCH TEAM: “No, I’ve never been on a team as diverse like this, with another 7-footer and guys that can really go.”
ON WHAT IT’S LIKE TO PLAY WITH CAULEY-STEIN: “I feel more free just to maybe even guard on the perimeter a little bit more, knowing that I have Willie back there helping me out. Because one of us has always got to be at the rim, protecting the rim. If I’m not, then he’s there. So it’s always interchanging. That’s something we like.”
ON CAL’S ORDERS BEING IF ONE BIG IS ON THE PERIMETER, THE OTHER MUST GET TO THE PAINT: “Yeah, it’s constantly moving, all interchanging things. We always go through it in practice. You get used to it with the good communication we have with each other. We just keep it up, always talking and moving and communicating.”
ON FEELING GOOD OFFENSIVELY VS. NORTHWOOD: “I thought I played well offensively, could’ve done a couple more things. But everything’s going to come in time, offensive development and everything. I thought it was a good effort. I’m just looking forward to getting better by the season.”
ON WHETHER THIS WAS THE MOST HE FELT LIKE HIMSELF OUT OF THE THREE TIMES FANS HAVE SEEN HIM PLAY IN RUPP: “Yeah, definitely. Just a game setting, and this is what I live for – just to come out and just to show up when it’s time.”