Wyking Jones addressed the media in advance of tomorrow's game against UCLA. He said he's really pleased with the development of Connor Vanover and how he's becoming more comfortable protecting the paint and expanding his game beyond being a 3-point shooter. He also said Connor's teammates are becoming more trusting of him as well. Earlier in the year it was just the pick and pop, but now they're looking for him in a variety of ways.
As for UCLA, Jones said they like to play fast and up tempo, which is what we saw from them at Pauley Pavilion. He said having David Grace on staff helps from the standpoint of him knowing their mentality and what they like to do. Obviously, Cal can't let them turn the game into too much of a track meet.
Jones also touched on Jacob Orender a bit. He said Orender is one of the most complete team players on the team and he felt that he could help them. He's previously said Orender is one of the most vocal guys in practice, so he is out there to provide a calming presence. However, I do think the main reason Jones has been putting him is to spark the offense a bit, which so far he hasn't really done. It'll be interesting to see if we see more of Orender down the stretch of the season. I imagine that we will.
On Darius McNeill, Jones said the key with him is staying aggressive for all 40 minutes. He feels like McNeill too often gets passive and doesn't always aggressively look for his shot.
Lastly, this won't go in the transcription because Jones wasn't yet "on the air", but we had a fun conversation with him about his acting career. He said what got him into acting was after his college career, the agency he signed up with also had some Hollywood connections and they said if you sign with us, we could set you up on that side as well. From there, he got tapped do some acting and more doors opened.
He also said the players are liking Under Armour. Just due to all the options they are given in terms of sneaker and gear combinations. He said they have like 10 different pairs of game shoes that they can wear, which is pretty crazy.
I'll provide a link to a transcription and video in here as soon as possible.
As for UCLA, Jones said they like to play fast and up tempo, which is what we saw from them at Pauley Pavilion. He said having David Grace on staff helps from the standpoint of him knowing their mentality and what they like to do. Obviously, Cal can't let them turn the game into too much of a track meet.
Jones also touched on Jacob Orender a bit. He said Orender is one of the most complete team players on the team and he felt that he could help them. He's previously said Orender is one of the most vocal guys in practice, so he is out there to provide a calming presence. However, I do think the main reason Jones has been putting him is to spark the offense a bit, which so far he hasn't really done. It'll be interesting to see if we see more of Orender down the stretch of the season. I imagine that we will.
On Darius McNeill, Jones said the key with him is staying aggressive for all 40 minutes. He feels like McNeill too often gets passive and doesn't always aggressively look for his shot.
Lastly, this won't go in the transcription because Jones wasn't yet "on the air", but we had a fun conversation with him about his acting career. He said what got him into acting was after his college career, the agency he signed up with also had some Hollywood connections and they said if you sign with us, we could set you up on that side as well. From there, he got tapped do some acting and more doors opened.
He also said the players are liking Under Armour. Just due to all the options they are given in terms of sneaker and gear combinations. He said they have like 10 different pairs of game shoes that they can wear, which is pretty crazy.
I'll provide a link to a transcription and video in here as soon as possible.
