Below is a full transcription of Wyking Jones' presser from today.
Q. Your thoughts on your schedule and then you have the two games in between those at home.
WYKING JONES: Well, it's going to be a lot of travel, obviously. The good thing about the China trip is that we're there for six days before we actually have to play. So we have enough time to get acclimated to the time, to the different circumstances, the hotel, the whole deal.
But it's a business trip. We're there first and foremost to win the game, and we're really looking forward to it. It's going to be a great experience for our guys, culturally enriching experience for our guys and our staff.
But like I said, it's a business trip. We have to go get the win. And then we come back home and play right away. We land on the 11th and play on the 13th, and so we're going to have to get acclimated and get to work and get prepared for those games, and then two days later, four days later, we're headed to Brooklyn. So it's going to be a lot of travel, but we'll be ready.
Q. How much of a concern is that for you, the traveling?
WYKING JONES: You know, a little bit of a concern, but the guys have to play a 40-minute game. They should be ready to go.
Q. What else are you guys going to be doing in China while you're over there?
WYKING JONES: We're going to be at -- Disney in Shanghai is one of the stops. We're going to be visiting Alibaba campus while we're there. They have a couple things that we're -- a couple stops for us while we're there.
Q. What are some ways that Cal fans can expect the team to look different this year?
WYKING JONES: We're going to be a lot smaller this year, a lot more guard-oriented this year, having Paris Austin at the point this year is going to -- I think that automatically makes us better. He's been playing that position his whole life. He's a natural leader. He's from Oakland, so he has a lot of pride in wearing that Cal jersey, and I'm just really looking forward to him quarterbacking our team this year.
Along with that, you can expect us to shoot the ball a lot better than we did last year. I feel like we haven't -- we've upgraded our talent 1 through 10, and we won't have Marcus and King, big bodies, but I feel good about us being able to stretch the defense with guys that can really shoot the ball. Our big guys, Connor Vanover, Andre Kelly, Grant Anticevich, they all shoot the ball, so it's a different look than what we saw last year.
Q. You continue to have Justice play the 4, a little bit of small ball out there?
WYKING JONES: A hundred percent. Justice will play some 4, he'll play his natural position at 3, as well. From an offensive standpoint he gives us a clear-cut advantage at the 4. He stretches the defense. He opens up the floor. And you know, he goes down there, he battles, he rebounds. But he'll also play some minutes at the 3, as well, so definitely will use him at the 3 and the 4 this year.
Q. You mentioned Paris is kind of like your quarterback out there. Are you comfortable with other guys handling the ball like Justice, like Darius?
WYKING JONES: 100 percent. Juhwan Harris-Dyson, Darius was our point guard last year. He's still out there. He moves to his natural position at the 2 where he can really focus on shooting the ball and scoring. But if we need him to back up at the point, he can do that. He's done that. He's got a year of that under his belt.
And just even our big guys handle the ball. So I'm looking forward to the versatility that we'll be able to have out there on the floor.
Q. You have four quality freshmen coming in. Talk about how the new pieces are fitting and integrating the first few practices.
WYKING JONES: I think the thing that I'm most happy about is the cohesiveness amongst our team, how close these guys are, how much time they spend together on and off the court and how much they trust each other.
In practice, I'm always applauding them for sharing the ball. It's not a lot of one-on-one, it's a lot of making the extra pass, getting open looks. More versatile group. More versatile group overall. I'm excited about them being close. I'm excited about them caring about each other. I'm excited about them being able to play team basketball on the offensive end as well as the defensive end, trusting each other.
Q. Your thoughts on your schedule and then you have the two games in between those at home.
WYKING JONES: Well, it's going to be a lot of travel, obviously. The good thing about the China trip is that we're there for six days before we actually have to play. So we have enough time to get acclimated to the time, to the different circumstances, the hotel, the whole deal.
But it's a business trip. We're there first and foremost to win the game, and we're really looking forward to it. It's going to be a great experience for our guys, culturally enriching experience for our guys and our staff.
But like I said, it's a business trip. We have to go get the win. And then we come back home and play right away. We land on the 11th and play on the 13th, and so we're going to have to get acclimated and get to work and get prepared for those games, and then two days later, four days later, we're headed to Brooklyn. So it's going to be a lot of travel, but we'll be ready.
Q. How much of a concern is that for you, the traveling?
WYKING JONES: You know, a little bit of a concern, but the guys have to play a 40-minute game. They should be ready to go.
Q. What else are you guys going to be doing in China while you're over there?
WYKING JONES: We're going to be at -- Disney in Shanghai is one of the stops. We're going to be visiting Alibaba campus while we're there. They have a couple things that we're -- a couple stops for us while we're there.
Q. What are some ways that Cal fans can expect the team to look different this year?
WYKING JONES: We're going to be a lot smaller this year, a lot more guard-oriented this year, having Paris Austin at the point this year is going to -- I think that automatically makes us better. He's been playing that position his whole life. He's a natural leader. He's from Oakland, so he has a lot of pride in wearing that Cal jersey, and I'm just really looking forward to him quarterbacking our team this year.
Along with that, you can expect us to shoot the ball a lot better than we did last year. I feel like we haven't -- we've upgraded our talent 1 through 10, and we won't have Marcus and King, big bodies, but I feel good about us being able to stretch the defense with guys that can really shoot the ball. Our big guys, Connor Vanover, Andre Kelly, Grant Anticevich, they all shoot the ball, so it's a different look than what we saw last year.
Q. You continue to have Justice play the 4, a little bit of small ball out there?
WYKING JONES: A hundred percent. Justice will play some 4, he'll play his natural position at 3, as well. From an offensive standpoint he gives us a clear-cut advantage at the 4. He stretches the defense. He opens up the floor. And you know, he goes down there, he battles, he rebounds. But he'll also play some minutes at the 3, as well, so definitely will use him at the 3 and the 4 this year.
Q. You mentioned Paris is kind of like your quarterback out there. Are you comfortable with other guys handling the ball like Justice, like Darius?
WYKING JONES: 100 percent. Juhwan Harris-Dyson, Darius was our point guard last year. He's still out there. He moves to his natural position at the 2 where he can really focus on shooting the ball and scoring. But if we need him to back up at the point, he can do that. He's done that. He's got a year of that under his belt.
And just even our big guys handle the ball. So I'm looking forward to the versatility that we'll be able to have out there on the floor.
Q. You have four quality freshmen coming in. Talk about how the new pieces are fitting and integrating the first few practices.
WYKING JONES: I think the thing that I'm most happy about is the cohesiveness amongst our team, how close these guys are, how much time they spend together on and off the court and how much they trust each other.
In practice, I'm always applauding them for sharing the ball. It's not a lot of one-on-one, it's a lot of making the extra pass, getting open looks. More versatile group. More versatile group overall. I'm excited about them being close. I'm excited about them caring about each other. I'm excited about them being able to play team basketball on the offensive end as well as the defensive end, trusting each other.
