Wyking Jones spoke to the media on Tuesday during the second Pac-12 men's basketball teleconference of the season. Quotes are below.
Q: Just wanted to get your thoughts on the upcoming road trip to the Rockies. It’s arguably the most difficult road trip in the Pac-12. Can you talk about what makes that road trip so difficult? Is it as simple as the altitude difference? And then as a part B to the question, how nice is it to get that win over Oregon State as you head into this road trip?
Wyking Jones: “It’s a tough road trip. You know, it’s a little bit further travel. Your guys experience time zone for the only time during the road season and the altitude does play a factor and when you go to places like that they make sure that you know that the altitude is gonna make a factor and so if it can get into your guys’ head then yeah it becomes a factor. If you can kinda zone it out and phase it out and not let it bother you then maybe it’s not as much of a factor. And then they’re talented teams. You play Colorado, you play Utah, they’re very good basketball teams, very well coached teams, so that on top of the time zone, on top of the altitude, you have to play a very good opponent and so that’s what makes that trip probably one of the tougher road trips in our conference.
“For question number two, it was great to get a win and feel that energy again and having that excitement, happiness for my guys. They worked hard on Saturday and we earned the victory and I challenged our guys before the game; I said it has to be all hands on deck. It has to be a complete team win. Everybody has to give us something and I felt like everybody that played in the game really gave us something and our bench was great as well. So it felt good to get a win.”
Q: Just to get a little bit more specific about Colorado. What do you see in them both personnel wise and scheme wise? Can you evaluate them a little bit?
Wyking Jones: “Well, McKinley Wright is a great point guard. He takes care of his teammates, he does a great job distributing the ball and making sure that all of their scorers get a chance to get their looks and their touches and he’s a very good scorer himself and so he’s young but he doesn’t play like he’s young, he plays like a veteran. So you start there with him. And then you got guys like George King who’s been around. It seems like he’s been around forever hitting shots forever and so you have a veteran guy in George King who’s kind of their stabilizer and anytime they need a big play it seems like they go to him.
“And then you got talented guys like Tyler Bey and Namon Wright and they just have a very balanced team. I think off the bench with [Dominique] Collier and he’s a very good basketball player himself who’s been around for a while and so, they’re playing more zone than they have in the past, Tad was always a man to man guy and so they try to keep you off balance playing between pressing and mixing it up between man and zone. They’re talented. They have a great home court atmosphere and they’ve been able to win some big games at home. They’re very very good at home and so they’re talented, they’re well coached, and they have a great home atmosphere.”
Q: You’ve had a lot of different guys step up this year. Who’s been in your mind your biggest surprise this year? Maybe an unknown that maybe you didn’t know you were going to have?
Wyking Jones: “Yeah, I would say Justice Sueing. When he signed with us we knew he was kinda under the radar a little bit. Thought that maybe he was a guy that people didn’t pay enough attention to because he’s so versatile and so we felt like when we signed him, when he committed to us that we were getting a steal. But him, once Pac-12 started, and for him to put together the string of games that he was able to put together; shooting the ball at a high level, knocking down his free throws, being able to take guys off the bounce and pull up, 15-footers, one-dribble pull ups; he just has a lot to his game and so I would say that he’s definitely the biggest surprise. Being the second leading freshman scorer in the conference. He’s ahead of schedule I would have to say.”
Q: Just for you personally, how has the first year as a head coach gone for ya?
Wyking Jones: “Well, we haven’t won the number of games that obviously anyone would want us to at this point. But it’s funny because I talk to a lot of head coaches and the constant theme that we all say to each other is winning is hard. Winning is hard. It’s not easy to beat anybody. It doesn’t matter who you play. Nobody’s going to give you a win and so I think my team is learning a lot. I’m learning a lot and I’m just chalking up the year as a great learning experience.
“With the new team I’ve had a chance to look at some different lineups, look at some different defenses, look at some different offenses, and just trying to figure out what works for who we got. It’s been a very learning year for me and my team and my program. And people call it rebuilding, I just say at the end of the day we’re just trying to get better game in, game out. That’s how I’m kinda gauging the season. Are we getting better?”
Q: And do you think you are?
Wyking Jones: “I do. I do. I see progress. I see progress and I think that as long as you know, Kingsley Okoroh to me has always been the guy that I’ve challenged the most consistently throughout the season because he’s a veteran. He’s been in these games, he’s been in the conference, he’s in his fourth year, he knows most of the personnel and how these other teams are going to play and for him to step up in the last game and do what he did, I’m very happy about that, but I’m still on him. I’m still saying ok you showed us against Oregon State, I need you to continue to give us that night in, night out for the remainder of the season.
“And so, he’s a big x-factor for us. When you block five shots, you’re changing 10 when it’s all said and done, you’re changing 11, 12 when it’s all said and done. So you have a great presence down there from a rim protection stand point, but then at the same time you go 12-14 from the free throw line, you’re getting fouled, you’re getting guys in foul trouble, and so for him to do what he did for us in the last game was very refreshing and hopefully he continues to play that way.”
Q: Just wanted to get your thoughts on the upcoming road trip to the Rockies. It’s arguably the most difficult road trip in the Pac-12. Can you talk about what makes that road trip so difficult? Is it as simple as the altitude difference? And then as a part B to the question, how nice is it to get that win over Oregon State as you head into this road trip?
Wyking Jones: “It’s a tough road trip. You know, it’s a little bit further travel. Your guys experience time zone for the only time during the road season and the altitude does play a factor and when you go to places like that they make sure that you know that the altitude is gonna make a factor and so if it can get into your guys’ head then yeah it becomes a factor. If you can kinda zone it out and phase it out and not let it bother you then maybe it’s not as much of a factor. And then they’re talented teams. You play Colorado, you play Utah, they’re very good basketball teams, very well coached teams, so that on top of the time zone, on top of the altitude, you have to play a very good opponent and so that’s what makes that trip probably one of the tougher road trips in our conference.
“For question number two, it was great to get a win and feel that energy again and having that excitement, happiness for my guys. They worked hard on Saturday and we earned the victory and I challenged our guys before the game; I said it has to be all hands on deck. It has to be a complete team win. Everybody has to give us something and I felt like everybody that played in the game really gave us something and our bench was great as well. So it felt good to get a win.”
Q: Just to get a little bit more specific about Colorado. What do you see in them both personnel wise and scheme wise? Can you evaluate them a little bit?
Wyking Jones: “Well, McKinley Wright is a great point guard. He takes care of his teammates, he does a great job distributing the ball and making sure that all of their scorers get a chance to get their looks and their touches and he’s a very good scorer himself and so he’s young but he doesn’t play like he’s young, he plays like a veteran. So you start there with him. And then you got guys like George King who’s been around. It seems like he’s been around forever hitting shots forever and so you have a veteran guy in George King who’s kind of their stabilizer and anytime they need a big play it seems like they go to him.
“And then you got talented guys like Tyler Bey and Namon Wright and they just have a very balanced team. I think off the bench with [Dominique] Collier and he’s a very good basketball player himself who’s been around for a while and so, they’re playing more zone than they have in the past, Tad was always a man to man guy and so they try to keep you off balance playing between pressing and mixing it up between man and zone. They’re talented. They have a great home court atmosphere and they’ve been able to win some big games at home. They’re very very good at home and so they’re talented, they’re well coached, and they have a great home atmosphere.”
Q: You’ve had a lot of different guys step up this year. Who’s been in your mind your biggest surprise this year? Maybe an unknown that maybe you didn’t know you were going to have?
Wyking Jones: “Yeah, I would say Justice Sueing. When he signed with us we knew he was kinda under the radar a little bit. Thought that maybe he was a guy that people didn’t pay enough attention to because he’s so versatile and so we felt like when we signed him, when he committed to us that we were getting a steal. But him, once Pac-12 started, and for him to put together the string of games that he was able to put together; shooting the ball at a high level, knocking down his free throws, being able to take guys off the bounce and pull up, 15-footers, one-dribble pull ups; he just has a lot to his game and so I would say that he’s definitely the biggest surprise. Being the second leading freshman scorer in the conference. He’s ahead of schedule I would have to say.”
Q: Just for you personally, how has the first year as a head coach gone for ya?
Wyking Jones: “Well, we haven’t won the number of games that obviously anyone would want us to at this point. But it’s funny because I talk to a lot of head coaches and the constant theme that we all say to each other is winning is hard. Winning is hard. It’s not easy to beat anybody. It doesn’t matter who you play. Nobody’s going to give you a win and so I think my team is learning a lot. I’m learning a lot and I’m just chalking up the year as a great learning experience.
“With the new team I’ve had a chance to look at some different lineups, look at some different defenses, look at some different offenses, and just trying to figure out what works for who we got. It’s been a very learning year for me and my team and my program. And people call it rebuilding, I just say at the end of the day we’re just trying to get better game in, game out. That’s how I’m kinda gauging the season. Are we getting better?”
Q: And do you think you are?
Wyking Jones: “I do. I do. I see progress. I see progress and I think that as long as you know, Kingsley Okoroh to me has always been the guy that I’ve challenged the most consistently throughout the season because he’s a veteran. He’s been in these games, he’s been in the conference, he’s in his fourth year, he knows most of the personnel and how these other teams are going to play and for him to step up in the last game and do what he did, I’m very happy about that, but I’m still on him. I’m still saying ok you showed us against Oregon State, I need you to continue to give us that night in, night out for the remainder of the season.
“And so, he’s a big x-factor for us. When you block five shots, you’re changing 10 when it’s all said and done, you’re changing 11, 12 when it’s all said and done. So you have a great presence down there from a rim protection stand point, but then at the same time you go 12-14 from the free throw line, you’re getting fouled, you’re getting guys in foul trouble, and so for him to do what he did for us in the last game was very refreshing and hopefully he continues to play that way.”
