Wyking Jones, Paris Austin, and Connor Vanover all addressed the media today in advance of their first official practice of the season. Trace and I were both present. I'll get a transcription in here along with video as those become available, but I wanted to start off by providing a quick summary.
Wyking Jones talked about how he wants to take things more slowly in his second year. He felt like he rushed through things too much in his first year, not allowing guys to ease into things. He also talked about Jacobi Gordon and how he is progressing. The Achilles still flares up from time to time and so when that happens, they have to pull him out and put him on a bike. It does sound like Gordon is progressing and should be on track to be able to play by opening night. Wyking also feels like Grant Anticevich has made significant strides from last year and that Andre Kelly is starting to really get into shape, shedding the weight and becoming much more mobile on the court. Obviously, having Paris Austin out there changes things a lot. He brings leadership and also the ability to be a true point guard.
As for Paris Austin, he's super excited to be able to play after having to sit out a year. Similar to Mi'Cole Cayton, he felt like he learned a lot from having to sit out for a year and watch. It helped him see the game through a different lens. The thing Paris talked about is just his fire and excitement, similar to Mi'Cole. From a more technical standpoint, Paris talked about how he likes to get guys the ball in their preferred spots, he mentioned specifically about how he knows where Jacobi likes to catch the ball. I believe it's the corner, but the transcription will confirm. Paris also had high praise for Darius McNeill. He thinks McNeill is going to have a "breakout year", really praising the work he's put into the summer.
As for Connor Vanover, both Paris and Wyking really praised him for his ability to shoot lights out from deep. Vanover said he had a coach growing up that really emphasized the importance of shooting to him when he was young. His mom who played at Arkansas also had a big influence on him as she was a really good shooter in college. Connor understands he'll get a lot of minutes this year and he's excited for that. He feels like getting a lot of minutes early will do him a lot of good, even if he messes up a lot early on.
Wyking Jones talked about how he wants to take things more slowly in his second year. He felt like he rushed through things too much in his first year, not allowing guys to ease into things. He also talked about Jacobi Gordon and how he is progressing. The Achilles still flares up from time to time and so when that happens, they have to pull him out and put him on a bike. It does sound like Gordon is progressing and should be on track to be able to play by opening night. Wyking also feels like Grant Anticevich has made significant strides from last year and that Andre Kelly is starting to really get into shape, shedding the weight and becoming much more mobile on the court. Obviously, having Paris Austin out there changes things a lot. He brings leadership and also the ability to be a true point guard.
As for Paris Austin, he's super excited to be able to play after having to sit out a year. Similar to Mi'Cole Cayton, he felt like he learned a lot from having to sit out for a year and watch. It helped him see the game through a different lens. The thing Paris talked about is just his fire and excitement, similar to Mi'Cole. From a more technical standpoint, Paris talked about how he likes to get guys the ball in their preferred spots, he mentioned specifically about how he knows where Jacobi likes to catch the ball. I believe it's the corner, but the transcription will confirm. Paris also had high praise for Darius McNeill. He thinks McNeill is going to have a "breakout year", really praising the work he's put into the summer.
As for Connor Vanover, both Paris and Wyking really praised him for his ability to shoot lights out from deep. Vanover said he had a coach growing up that really emphasized the importance of shooting to him when he was young. His mom who played at Arkansas also had a big influence on him as she was a really good shooter in college. Connor understands he'll get a lot of minutes this year and he's excited for that. He feels like getting a lot of minutes early will do him a lot of good, even if he messes up a lot early on.
