Over the next few weeks, we'll run a Q&A with every player on the Mizzou basketball roster for the 2023-24 season. We start today with graduate senior guard John Tonje, who transferred from Colorado State.
How have your first couple of weeks here been?
JT: It's been good. The adjustment process is always gonna be tough going to a new spot. But for the most part, I feel like I fit in pretty well with the system and, day by day, I'm trying to learn everything I can.
Talking about the adjustment process, do you feel like it's more difficult basketball-wise or kind of just fitting into a new town?
JT: I would say just the system. I think, you know, when I was at a place for four years, I'm familiar with everything and it's kind of second nature at this point. But right now, I'm just trying to make sure that I get my reps in and make it second nature here.
What are some of the differences coming from Colorado State? What do you feel like are some of the differences in the systems?
JT: Yeah, one thing that people don't talk about a lot is terminology. Just the simple terminology. We're talking about the same spot. And even sometimes, we have certain words and cute names that we have here that we had there but it means completely different things. So I would just say those quick words and terminologies to spots is a tough one.
You were the first transfer to come in this offseason. And I think you were only in the portal for less than a week. Tell me kind of what made Mizzou an easy decision for you to come to?
JT: First things first, I like (head coach Dennis) Gates. Gates instantly stood out from all the other coaches. And I can see that he took it very seriously and I saw that, on my visit, I realized this is a place I can get better. Also, the coaches weren't afraid to give me feedback and a lot of the coaches around the nation were giving me a lot of praise, but this school wasn't afraid to tell me some of the things they wanted me to improve on. So I saw myself getting better here and that ultimately brought me here.
For people who haven't seen you play before, how would you describe your game and how do you feel like it fits into what this team does?
JT: I feel like I have pretty good touch when it comes to shooting. I'm someone that works hard, is looking to win. Also, an unselfish player that's also just trying to continue to get better every day and improve. And when things go wrong, I want to be able to point to myself first before I point to anyone else.
One thing that stands out about this team is it's a lot of fifth-year seniors going into their final year of eligibility. Do you feel like, with the number of newcomers, having that experience helps kind of mesh everybody together?
JT: Absolutely it helps. I mean, from a leadership standpoint, it's not just one leader, there's numerous, like you said. So I think it helps a lot. It helps the freshmen and also — I can bring a little bit of leadership but I also need the leaders that have been in the system. So you know, the returning guys like Sean East, Noah Carter, Nick Honor have been a big help for me personally.
Going into last year, you know, any bucket-list goals that you want to scratch off before the season's over?
JT: I would just say I don't have any concrete goals. But I think I just want to go and compete in the SEC. A couple of the checklist points are just the away games. I want to go play at Kentucky, I want to go play all the different schools in SEC and just live it up the best I can in my one year that I have.
How are you feeling about Jamaica?
JT: I'm excited about it. I heard we're on a resort, nice beach. So I'm always excited to get out there in nature and change the climate a little bit. So I'm happy about it.
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