BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Texas Southern head men's basketball coach Johnny Jones participated in the SWAC Basketball Teleconference.
SWAC Basketball Teleconference
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Texas Southern Men's Basketball Head Coach Johnny Jones
Opening Statement
"Good morning we're certainly excited about the upcoming season, we're all new to each other in terms of players and coaches. It's been a challenge but certainly a great experience. The guys have worked extremely hard and we feel like only three out of the four guys we have returning will dress-up this year. The nine new faces that we have that will be on the floor this year certainly gives us a reason to be excited and putting this group together is something that I've been looking forwards to since taking the job on July 1st."
On SWAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year Trayvon Reed
"I loved Trayvon Reed in high school, I actually tried to recruit him out of high school but unfortunately we lost that battle but I'm really excited about having the chance to coach and lead him. I can tell from day one his ability to block shots, his talent level, ability to score around the rim and rebound the ball is something that we think will impact this basketball team. We just want to make sure we highlight the good things he can do around the rim and continue to improve in those areas and make sure that we try to stay away from areas he's not as effective in. But we certainly feel like he can impact the game on both ends of the floor and we look forward to trying build this team around him."
On the difference in coaching styles between current and former staff
"It's hard to say because coach and I never had an opportunity to coach together against Coach Davis but I've had the ability to watch his teams play. He's an incredible basketball coach, we're talking about a guy who took his team to the Final Four multiple times, and not only the Final Four but the championship game let's you know of his abilities and his talent. He did a superb job here at Texas Southern at putting a team together and allowing them to advance and get to the championship and then get to the NCAA Tournament. I think speaks volume to his abilities and his talent. I certainly would play up-tempo because of the points being scored but our system would probably be different but our end goal is to score that would be a lot of things that we do the same. We both try to put points on the board and play up-tempo but our offense will totally be different."
On TSU transfers Jeremy Combs and Jaylyn Patterson
"Jaylyn played for me at LSU, he was a point guard on the team there in the same class with Ben Simmons. He has a lot of ability and great talent. I'm excited about his ability and I'm hoping he can come in and quarterback this basketball team. I think the sign of a good team is really when they have a really good quarterback on the floor and I think that Jaylyn Patterson will be able to provide that force. He has good court awareness, he can hit open shots, create opportunities for others around him and he has the ability to score. I remember in his freshman year at LSU, late in games we would put him in when we needed to make defensive stops, so he's another guy that can possibly affect both ends of the floor. Jeremy Combs, 6-7, 220 pounds did a tremendous job at North Texas, averaged a double-double before transferring to LSU. Unfortunately, his injuries sidelined him there and decided that he'll play his last year here with us. I knew Jeremy was a gamer and a tough player. From what he's shown in these early practices are what he's going to be able to provide to this team with his urgency, sense of toughness, his leadership. That means a lot to us and his ability to score and his basketball IQ is certainly going to allow him to impact this team in a positive way."
On team buying into the new philosophy
"The good thing is when I came in we were all new to each other, and I told them the slate was clean. You had guys here who probably didn't play minutes that they wanted to and you had guys sitting out, and there's guys that we had to go out and recruit. So were all new to each other and there's great opportunities for everyone, and I think a little bit of my background certainly helps. The places that I've been and the guys I've had the opportunity to coach certainly helped and give me a little credibility. Getting these guys on the floor and showing them how we are going to play and areas where they would have scoring opportunities and then have a chance to impact this team. I made sure there no favoritism going on because I was new to them. I think this has given them an opportunity to welcome me with open arms as I've had the opportunity to do them, and the staff as well. It's the first time that I've transitioned as a coach in a position that I've had the higher position. This has really been good for me and I think the newness has been something bright for our staff and team as well."
On guard Derrick Bruce
"He's a good player, he's tough, talented and he's a guy who can really excel in the open floor. From watching tape of his abilities and talent last year, I can tell he's certainly a gamer. I think the scheme and the way we will play will benefit his game with the minutes we feel like he can produce out there on the floor as well."
On expectations for the team this year
"My expectations for this group is for them to go out and play as hard as they can possibly play night in and night out. That's what we're trying to build and that's on both in ends of the floor in terms of buying in. We have a very tough and challenging schedule to open up the season and I'm not sure how those games will turn out but my mission and goal is when we tip it off these guys are excelling and playing as hard as they can until that final buzzer. If we can develop some really good habits that at the end of the day some really great things will happen for this basketball team. So I don't have any preconceived idea in terms of where we going to finish, but we've got great coaches in this league. There's a lot of guys returning from last year. You also have Grambling State, Prairie View A&M and Arkansas Pine-Bluff sitting there at the top of the league and their coaches have done a tremendous job. So it's going to be a challenge and I know that every night we're going to have to be prepared for conference play but even in the pre-season I have to have these guys ready to play. It's certainly going to be a challenge to compete night in and night out on the road like we'll have these nine preseason games out there."
On the setup of the non-conference schedule
"If I had to choose I would play all my games at home, but I understand that we do have to play some road games and with that being said we look forward to the challenge. We're fortunate that we're going the have the opportunity to play a couple of non-conference games here at home. Mike played 13 straight on the road last year, his first home game was a late game. I'll play nine games on the road and I think we have a couple home games which we'll start a series with Lamar University out there on the road. We play two D2 schools here at home which gives the fans a chance to see us prior to getting into conference action so were excited about that. But like Mike, I do want to challenge these guys on this team, they do want to play against the tough competition. These are guys they've seen growing up, playing AAU basketball and have had great challenges against. It's going to give them the opportunity to go on that floor and have the opportunity to be at their best on those nights. Just like Coach Davis, I look forward to those challenges as well."
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