They said what?

We highlight some of the interesting quotes from Big Ten and Summit League media days. And: Memphis might not have Mikey Williams, the Pac-12 released its all-league picks, and more.

Author

Sean Paul
October 11, 2023

We heard coaches talk about “culture” and doing things “the right way” during some of Tuesday’s media day events. Gotta love the buzzwords.

Let's see what happened yesterday.

1. Notable quotes from Big Ten, Summit League

Let’s get the media-focused stuff out of the way first.

The point of a conference media day is to build excitement for your league and its teams. That’s always been done by having coaches and players discuss a variety of topics in front of as many members of the media as possible at a specific event. That way, there are plenty of stories TV reporters and beat writers can create before the season begins.

Yet, the Big Ten continues to underplay its approach to basketball media day with its location. Perhaps it thinks that social media and Big Ten Network coverage is enough.

Anyway. Rant over. Let’s hear what the Big Ten coaches and players said.

  • Insert the Michael Jordan "And I took that personal" meme for Michigan State guard A.J. Hoggard: “Some of you guys that don’t think I am who I am. Everyone that’s writing me off, I see everything. (I’m) just taking my own notes.”

  • Michigan State fans, breathe easy. Tom Izzo isn't planning on hanging up the whistle any time soon: “Some people tell me they love retirement. Others tell me ‘never retire.’ Right now, I’m leaning towards the second one.”

  • How does this Wisconsin team differ from the one that missed the tournament one season ago? "The depth is the biggest thing that jumps out with this team,” said coach Greg Gard, “is we're deeper, bigger, more athletic than we've been in a while."

  • Injuries contributed to Rutgers’ non-existent depth the past two seasons, but it's different this season. From coach Steve Pikiell: "I like the fact that we can go 11 or 12 guys deep. We really didn't have that type of depth last year, so if we had an injury, it hurt us."

  • In Mike Rhoades's first Big Ten media day, he touched on how the Nittany Lions attacked the transfer portal. "Well, we were down to three guys when I got here, so I had no choice but to jump right in. Number one was not to panic, add guys who fit me, fit our staff, and fit out the program."

  • Ohio State's Chris Holtmann spoke glowingly about Baylor transfer Dale Bonner. "Dale Bonner gives us something we haven't really had during our time at Ohio State, with his quickness and ability to shoot the ball. It gives us a different element.'“

  • Will Purdue's loss to FDU sit on Matt Painter's mind? “I don’t think it will stay with me through the year. It will stay with me forever. I wish it didn’t. Painter said. But that’s part of being competitive and coaching. You don’t sit around wiping trophies. You sit around thinking about why you didn’t beat someone.”

  • Illinois's biggest concern may be its point guard situation. Coach Brad Underwood feels differently, though. "It's good. Everyone seems worried about it, except for me. One of the issues last year is I didn't play Ty Rodgers there exclusively. Ty's 6-6 and has been very good."

Meanwhile, the Summit League tried to amplify its media day event by having Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman on site in Sioux Falls to talk to its coaches and players. (Sure, some might say those two NOT being at the Big Ten event was a bonus for the league, but not me.)

Here’s a full video recap of the day’s interviews, which is worth a watch just to see Dauster try to pronounce Tsonte Tsartsidze, North Dakota’s standout forward.

I’ll also highlight notable takeaways below.

  • St Thomas forward Parker Bjorklund is the BEST story in college hoops. “First two years of college, I was focusing on my business ventures. And I made enough to buy myself a house.” Bjorklund said. “Then I joined an intramural team for fun, and then I decided to reach out to try and join St. Thomas when they were D3. And now they’re D1, and I’m D1, and here we are.” Not only is Bjorklund playing D1 hoops, he's one of five players on the Summit League first-team.

  • Denver's Jaxon Brenchley is 25. He's not only mentoring his teammates on the court but for off-court situations, too. “A lot of the guys on the team are coming to me asking me things like, what should I text to this girl, what’s your advice on life?”

  • Summit League preseason player of the year, South Dakota State’s Zeke Mayo, grew up in Kansas's backyard. But Kansas never pursued him. “I wasn’t the biggest kid, the fastest kid… but it’s all about development. I’m not complaining (about being under-recruited). I’m in the right spot. Those other coaches, they missed out.”

  • South Dakota coach Eric Peterson was candid about the challenges of building an NCAA Tournament resume. “Intent to schedule. We actually had to provide the tournament committee with a list of schools we contacted and tried to play, that said ‘No, we’re never playing you.’”

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Your dog deserves fresh food

Man’s best friend could use a good meal for a change. Nom Nom delivers fresh food made with whole ingredients you can actually see, backed by science to ensure your dog gets the nutrition needed for a long, happy life.

2. Memphis seems unlikely to have Mikey Williams

A Superior Court judge says Memphis recruit Mikey Williams must stand trial on six felony gun charges — which means his chance to play for the Tigers this season will be in doubt.

The former 5-star prospect will have an arraignment on Oct. 24. He has been free on a $50,000 bond since his arrest on April 13, and has been enrolled in the school, taking online classes. He’s listed on the roster, but the school said last month that he cannot practice with the team, and that his status will be further clarified when the court case is resolved.

The Tigers began practice on Sept. 25. Their first game in Nov. 6.

Williams faces five charges of assault with a weapon and one count of firing into an occupied vehicle. He faces up to 28 years in prison if convicted on all counts. He has pleaded not guilty on all counts.

3. Nitpicking the Pac-12’s preseason awards

The Pac-12 released its preseason conference awards, and nothing was too shocking.

Perhaps my only quibble: Caleb Love should be on the first team over KJ Simpson or Isaiah Collier. The attraction to Collier is understandable. He’s the No. 1 recruit in the class of 2023, a surefire lottery pick and will be one of the key elements to a Top 25 team.

The more confusing one is Simpson over Love. The two guards are cut from the same cloth. Both are highly-skilled scoring threats whose erratic scoring tendencies quickly turn a game either direction.

However, if Arizona wins the league, it will need Love to perform like a first-team caliber player. He’ll have plenty of opportunities to do so in Tommy Lloyd’s up-tempo offensive system. That’ll help him play without overthinking things and focus on putting the ball in the hoop.

When it reaches March, it’ll look silly that Love wasn’t on the first team

4. Bruce Zhang’s journey to college hoops

Adjusting to college life can be challenging for some freshmen. If you’re an international student, dealing with language gaps, cultural shocks — and trying play basketball? Well, multiple those challenges.

The 7-footer didn’t start playing hoops until he was 12 (he focused on tennis). Since he was already 6-1, he switched. He’s now 7-1 in shoes and features a rapidly developing game, and an unending desire to learn everything else.

From the article:

Zhang speaks English well and seems to embrace the challenge of learning more in real time. He said understanding others is more difficult. He is dealing with American terminology and slang on and off the court. He laughed as he recalled teammates in Atlanta asking him, “What’s up?” and him responding, “What’s that?”

Adjustments are everywhere for Zhang. St. Louis seems tiny after growing up in a city of nearly 22 million people. Two-hour nightly tutoring sessions help him navigate his classwork. He balances a newfound taste for American food with searches for acceptable Chinese restaurants.

Then there is the crash course on how to play the center position through practice battles against teammate Brad Ezewiro. Zhang fits into the formula for the 2023-24 season somewhere but more prominently if Ezewiro isn’t cleared to play by the NCAA.

“The first time I played in the U.S., I thought they jumped too high. They’re very quick and very strong,” Zhang said. “Our (SLU) team is really quick, and I try to be faster. Brad is a very good player. I learn a lot from him. I like my team to be better than me because playing every day with them, I can be better.”

Zhang played high school hoops in China, and arrived in the United States in 2022 to play for the Skill Factory in Atlanta before enrolling at Saint Louis.

He’s now easy to spot on campus, and has been a “pleasant surprise” for coach Travis Ford when it comes to his progression. And if Ezewiro isn’t cleared, Zhang could end up as a big figure for Saint Louis all season.

5. A surprising spot for McNeese State

The Southland Conference preseason poll dropped on Tuesday, and had quite the shock with it.

This is something most college hoops fans won’t think about, but McNeese State not receiving a majority of the Southland votes is a complete oversight.

Perhaps the lack of recent success is still lingering in some coaches’ eyes. The Cowboys haven’t finished above .500 since 2011-12, and have surpassed eight conference wins just once since then. Or maybe coaches are skeptical that the Cowboys will be consistent with coach Will Wade serving a 10-game suspension to start the season. Hard to say.

Because from a talent and coaching standpoint, McNeese State is head and shoulders above the rest of the league — even if guard Mike Saunders and forward CJ Felder don’t receive waivers.

The Cowboys can rely on returning forward Christian Shumate, and transfers Shahada Wells (TCU) and DJ Richards, Jr. (UT-San Antonio). Wells should be good enough to vie for Southland POY.

We’ll see how things play out, but I’m betting McNeese State wins the league with relative ease.

Leap of faith

Indiana’s got talent. It’s got a mix of youth and experience. It’s got size and ball-handling. It’s got pretty much everything you want in a Big Ten contender. So why aren’t more people in on the Hoosiers? And should they be? The DTF crew discuss.

Links as you wonder what happened to the Orioles’ bats.

Thanks for reading The Field of 68 Daily! If you have a news tip or feedback, email us at [email protected].