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Cuonzo Martin previews the 2021-22 Tigers

Cuonzo Martin met with the media to talk about the start of practices, a brand new roster and the season ahead. Here is a full transcription of that conversation.

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With so many new guys, I know you like every team you coach, but is there a little bit different level of energy?

“Yeah, without a doubt. Any time you have new guys like that there’s a lot of teaching going on. Not that there wasn’t teaching before, but just understanding what each individual player needs, just the grassroots of it, the individual skill work. I’ve always been a guy, even with returning guys, you almost starting from A to B, even with returning guys because you always want to cover the basics. But I really enjoy being around these guys, I like the energy, I like the individual play, I like the ability to make plays and get to the rim. So it’s fun team to coach this far.”

What is the unique dynamic of having so many new players?

“I think in some ways just getting back to the basics of some things you sometimes take for granted with older guys, you kind of skip a few steps, but I think with these guys, A,B, C and D, here’s what we need to do. Very receptive guys, tremendous amount of energy and the one thing I notice about these guys, they can play extended minutes of high level basketball, up and down the floor, five on five, pressing, doing different things, don’t really complain about it, just continue to compete and get after it and they do a great job across the board of individual skill work in the morning. It used to be, you know, two or three guys, but now you’ve got six, seven, eight guys coming in every morning and that’s fun to see.”

Javon and Kobe talked a lot about the chemistry. How do you feel that’s grown?

“Good. I think developing camaraderie, and we don’t really know that yet until we get in battle when adversity hits, but I like the way the guys play, I like how hard they play, I like the way they play together. We’ve always been a group that mixes up our lineups and teams in practices, but it’s just you don’t know until you really go through it. We have a couple of closed scrimmages so we’ll be able to test ourselves there. Thus far, I like our guys right now, I like how they compete, I like how guys like Boogie Coleman, Dajuan (Gordon), I like how those two guys really talk a lot and communicate with younger guys, even older guys, just this is what we need to do, this is how we need to get better. I really enjoy that about those guys. They’re not afraid to speak up.”

How would you describe the identity of this team?

“You can always make the identity as a coach. You want to be a defensive mindset, but also want to get out and play fast. I think we have the personnel to continue to do that and grow from where we were a year ago, but I think we need to be much better defensively and I think we have that across the board.”

Is there anything in particular you’ve done to facilitate chemistry with so many new guys?

“Not so much. I think in the summer months, the first four weeks they were at my house. We do it every summer, but it’s probably twice in a month. We did the first four weeks, without question and that was scripted, just so our guys could be around our families and our staff just in building those relationships. I think more than anything, and I think it had a lot to do with COVID, you learn how to build those relationships that you sometimes took for granted in recruiting because it goes so fast and you have to build those relationships and you know those guys on more of an intimate level.”

Did you spend any time looking back at the second half of last year and what went wrong or was that less important because you do have so many new guys?

“I always go back and watch film. You watch film, you study film because there are things you can correct as a coach, execution, plays, those sorts of those things. Not so much because I think a lot of it, and not to make an excuse because that’s in the past, with the absence of Jeremiah and that situation kind of took a lot out of us. Not that you expect him to be Superman, but he did a lot of what we did and how we operate as a team. Not at all outside of watching and studying game film.”

When these guys haven’t played together much, do you do more five on five and more scrimmaging?

“Yes. That’s probably the most we’ve done, June and July, even up until now five on five. That’s when I noticed those guys endurance, being able to go for such long times. They get out there, a lot of chirping going on, which is a good thing. But I’ve noticed that part. Just really to try to develop the camaraderie.”

What does the team need to work on throughout the season to peak at the right time?

“That’s a lot of things. And I say that respectfully because you don’t know until you go through it and we haven’t been through it yet so you don’t really know who’s your leading scorer, who’s the guy going to do this and do that? You know Javon (Pickett) and Kobe (Brown) are battle tested. You know they’ve been a part of your program, but the other guys you don’t really know until you go through it.”

Javon and Kobe are kind of quiet, but now they’re elevated to leadership roles. What was that conversation with them like?

“They’ve been good. And don’t let Javon fool you, he’s not as quiet like that. He talks a lot. He’s been tremendous as a leader because he’s always lived by his actions, his work ethic and his character and all those things. But he does a great job of communicating with the younger guys. I’ve scripted the summer to have him on a team with most of the freshmen and young guys and he’s done a great job leading. Kobe’s a guy who’s not very vocal like that, but he talks a lot. He talks and he communicates, but he’s not loud with it and he speaks with his actions.”

Do you start to define any roles during practice or do you wait until games?

“No, you start to move those guys into that direction right now because we had a chance to see them since June. Plus, with these guys, especially the guys that are transferring in, you’ve seen them in games. You watched film on them, you’ve seen them in game situations, so you kind of put them in position and I think defensively it all has to be the same. We have to be elite in that department. Offensively we have to put guys in position to be successful and I think we have guys who can really make plays individually and do some things in that department.”

They talked about maybe having something to prove this year. Do you feel they practice like they have something to prove?

“I know they practice and they play hard, but as far as them proving something, that’s not hem because I think we have a chance to be as good as we want to be. So I don’t get caught up in that, I don’t try to sell that type of story. I think we have to take care of one day at a time being the best team we can be that day. But I do think they’re working hard and they work with a lot of efficiency.”

The ball was in Dru and X’s hands so much last year. How much different do you guys look offensively and do you see this being a team that has a little more even distribution?

“Yes, without question. And again, more guys that can make individual plays. You can open it up, you can isolate guys. Kobe, Dajuan, Boogie, Javon, Amari (Davis), I mean guys that can really make plays individually. Anton (Brookshire) can shoot as well as anybody, Trevon’s (Brazile) an elite athlete at 6-9 as a young guy, so I think you have the parts. Again, it’s just going through it. Whenever that adversity hits, you like to go through it, you like to see it in a scrimmage, then you come back to the drawing board, okay here’s the things we need to tighten up, here’s the things we need to get better at and then sometimes you scratch some things that doesn’t really work.”

How have you seen the returning guys lead all the new guys?

“Again, they’re high level guys so they’re going to lead by example first and foremost. Their character speaks volumes off the court and you can see how they’re in the community, now they are in the classroom so that part is easy. We try to spend a lot of time with them as a staff just building young me into men and that doesn’t happen overnight. I can leave a practice and if Javon and Kobe ran the practice we would be in great hands.”

Why did you choose to play closed scrimmages and no exhibition games this year?

“I think what happens, you can really script those closed scrimmages how you want them to be. You can play three quarters, you can play ten minutes this possession, you can do whatever you want to do and guys can kind of let their hair down so to speak. You don’t have to be guarded, we got to win this game, sometimes even an exhibition, somebody has to win and you don’t really get a chance to get better like a closed scrimmage, so that’s really probably the biggest thing.”

Your schedule starting with that Wichita State game is kind of a gauntlet.

“That’s the one?”

What do you feel like you need to see between now and then that you feel your guys are going to be ready for that late November, December run?

“I think it’s a tremendous schedule and I’d be hard pressed to find ten better in the country. In selling you want to come here and play, that’s part of it to have a quality schedule. Our job is to do the best job we can to prepare for each individual game. I don’t look ahead of anything outside of what’s in front of us. I think the first game is Central Michigan. That’s the most important game in our program and let’s do the best job we can in that particular game.”

Is there anything coming out of COVID in particular that you don’t take for granted or that you kind of reassessed?

“Not really because even before COVID, I was grateful for breathing. I’m breathing right now. I’m standing here. That part is good. I never really try to consume myself with things outside of taking a COVID shot, doing the necessary things so I can be successful and so I can be healthy and I try to help our guys the best way I can with that as well as my family, but outside of that I don’t really get consumed with that. I control what I can control.”

Seeing Jordan (Wilmore) it looks like he’s transformed his body quite a bit. What do you see from him and what role can he play for you?

“Well he’s got to help us. I think at 7-3, and I don’t say he has to help us because he’s 7-3, I say he has to help us because he has the ability to help us. He’s done a great job with his body, Jordan can be as good as he wants to be when Jordan consistently believes that because he has the parts. He has good footwork for his size, has good touch around the rim, I just think every day confidence for him because he’ll have great days some days, and not to say he has bad days, but he’ll have great days. He’s one of our best talkers defensively in the ball-screen coverage and again for his size he does a great job moving his feet. But we need him to be a successful basketball player and he has the parts to be that.”

You guys had a stretch last year when you got in the top ten and could have had this place pretty close to full maybe if you had been allowed to. How important in this year where fans can come back is it to get this building back to having the atmosphere it has sometimes in the past?

“I think the most important thing as a Mizzou fan, we need everybody in attendance. I think that is important. I think as a fan, and it’s okay to have discomfort, to disagree, that’s fine, but let’s do that while we’re in attendance. I think that’s very important. Just like we need support on the football side. We need to pack that thing in. I think that is very important. It’s not whether or not we win or lose. This is what we do. We’re supposed to be the best. We’re supposed to be the flagship and we’re supposed to show how it’s done. This is what we’re supposed to do. Whether you’re on the court, you’re on the sideline, we have be all in. I think that’s very important. It’s okay to talk about it, but while we’re talking about it, let’s be inside while we’re talking about it because it’s easy to do the other stuff. That’s easy. But who’s going to get up every day? I don’t care if a football game’s at 11 a.m., let’s get up, let’s go. This is what we’re supposed to do because this is us, right? So let’s do that. If we want to be the best then let’s show that every day. We want the best recruits and all that sounds nice. Okay, well we need you to help us do that. That means showing up every day to do your job. We need our fans. We’re not the program that we want to be and that we should be if we don’t have our fan attendance. They go hand in hand. You look at the best programs, they go hand in hand. I can also name some programs in and outside the Midwest that haven’t been very successful and they’re all in. There’s no in between. It’s all in. A-L-L I-N.”

Who are two or three guys that you look forward to playing in front of these fans?

“They’re all the same to me. One at a time. Again, respectfully, as a competitor, I have butterflies regardless of the opponent. In my preparation I wanted to be the best I could be. You send a message to your players, now you can ask each individual player, they might tell you something different, but I think as a coach when you send messages like this game’s a big game, then what is this one coach? They’re all big because you can fall if you’re not prepared.”

In June you mentioned the possibility of bringing in some walk ons. Is that still on the table?

“Yes, we’ve got some in the fold and we’re excited about them. I think today will be their third day.”

Are you expecting to change the tempo on the offensive side?

“Even faster than last year. I would like that. We’re working on it, no doubt about it. Thank you for asking. We’re working on it, no doubt. As fast as you can go, almost running through that wall. We want to go fast. You want to be fast, but you want to be efficient. You still have to take care of the basketball. We work toward that every day.”

Kobe and Javon mentioned the athleticism on this team. What has stood out to you on that front?

“I like it because you’re able to open up and again I think the biggest thing outside of that because I thought we did a great job of pushing the ball last year and really you take for granted the ability of Jeremiah Tilmon, Mitchell Smith, the way they ran the floor because they pulled guys and they didn’t show up in the stat sheet, but they pulled some of their guys and other guys were able to get an opportunity to score. You want that same thing from other guys, sprinting the floor so other guys can make plays. When you have bigs that can run and put pressure on other teams’ defense then your wing guys are able to make shots and make plays.”

What does having some prior history with Desiree Reed-Francois do for you building the program?

“I think at the end of the day it’s a person that understands. I had a great relationship with Jim (Sterk) so it’s a person that understands. My job is simply to do my job. I don’t take for granted a relationship. I have to do my job, that’s most important and I would never put that type of pressure on a friendship to say well, I got to do my job. That’s it.”

We haven’t had a chance to talk to you since it all became official, but what are your thoughts on name, image and likeness, how much things have changed for student athletes and how you can use that in your program?

“I think it’s great. Now again with name, image and likeness, as a coaching staff, you’ve probably heard Eli say it a thousand times, we can put our student-athletes in position but we can’t go out and distribute and get opportunities for them. But I think it’s great for a student-athlete. There’s no better time to be a student-athlete, especially in the college game with OTE (Overtime Elite), G-League, so many things going on, international basketball, they can leave college. I think it’s a tremendous time to be a college student-athlete. But I think more than anything, we somehow can’t take for granted the opportunity to get an education. We can’t lose sight of that. There’s so many opportunities that are great. Even in the NBA, there are 450 jobs. That’s only 450 jobs and it’s really not 450 because it’s not as if 450 guys are leaving out every year, so I’m gonna say an average of 50 jobs every year with so many student-athletes all over the country and all over the world so there’s nothing wrong with getting an education and getting a degree and having a successful life and career so I think for me that will always be the most important thing getting a degree.”

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