Here are quotes from Thursday’s Cal men’s basketball practice. I talked to freshman Roman Davis, freshman Ivan Rabb, freshman Jaylen Brown, and head coach Cuonzo Martin.
Roman Davis on the Australia trip: “I’m really excited. I think we got a chance to go out there and work out some kinks and build chemistry with the guys, so I’m really excited for the trip.”
Roman Davis on his game early on in his freshman season: “I feel good. I got some holes in my game offensively, but I can contribute defensively. That’s something I can do every night. Play hard, rebound, and defend. I’m will to do anything coach needs of me.”
Roman Davis on having guys like Tyrone Wallace and Jordan Mathews as leaders: “It’s great. I learn things from them every day. They’re great leaders, great teammates on and off the floor, they’re really great guys to be around. I’m really excited. “
Roman Davis on what excites him the most about the Australia trip: “I’ve never been to Australia. It’s just a new experience for me.”
Roman Davis on his decision to come to Cal: “This [Cal] was always one of my dream schools, so when I continued to work out, they saw something in me, they offered me a scholarship, and I committed on the spot. There was no thinking from me. This was always a place that I wanted to be.”
Roman Davis on what he can bring to the team right away: “Something I can do immediately is come out and defend and play hard. Play as hard as I can. That’s something I gotta do every night. I mean, like you said, they’re not expecting me to come out and score 30 points, that’s just not where I am right now offensively, so something I can give every night is rebound, play hard, defend, and that’s something that I plan on doing.”
Roman Davis on adjusting from the high school game to the college game: “I feel like the adjustment isn’t too big. The biggest difference is the strength, that’s something I need to get used, too. I’m kinda light, so that’s something I could work on. But everything else I feel like I’m supposed to be here. I just need to get bigger, that’s all I can say for that.”
Ivan Rabb on Jaylen Brown: “Jaylen, as far as I’ve known him, he’s been really down to earth. He’s a competitor on the court, but when he’s off the court he’s really down to earth. It’s not all about basketball with him. He helps me get my mind off of it, but when he’s on the court, he pushes me.”
Ivan Rabb on how he and Jaylen Brown make each other better: “We just push each other. He’s strong, so he tries to push me around, and I thrive on that. I’m still trying to get stronger, so I just use everything to my advantage. We just push each other to the limit every time.”
Ivan Rabb on his improvement since coming to Cal: “I’ve gotten a lot better. I’ve definitely gotten a lot stronger and that’s helped my game because people aren’t moving me around on the court as much. I’m actually doing a little bit of the pushing and I love that…I’m expanding my range on my jump shot.”
Ivan Rabb on his decision to come to Cal: “My decision was kinda easy to me because I had the best relationship with the coaching staff. I know they respected not only me, but my family, they respected the process, and told me that even if I didn’t choose the school they’d still have a good relationship with me and I could really appreciate that. That really opened my eyes. It felt like family. The locker room atmosphere is great. Nobody is big headed and everybody gets along. I feel like family already.”
Ivan Rabb on getting the extra practices because of the Australia trip: “It’s helped me out a lot because I get a chance to come out here and find out what I need to work on, so as soon as I got out here I realized that I do need to get stronger.”
Ivan Rabb on going to Australia: “I thought it was a joke at first. I’m definitely really excited not only about the basketball but also about the trip.”
Ivan Rabb on what he hopes the team accomplishes in Australia: “We want to get our chemistry going.”
Ivan Rabb on Tyrone Wallace’s leadership: “He’s been in my ear a lot, I can’t really speak for Jaylen, but I’m sure he has. Just giving us pointers, telling us things we can do to improve and make the game easier. We appreciate Ty and he’s definitely been the leader on the team.”
Ivan Rabb on dealing with high expectations: “It’s something I thrive on.”
Ivan Rabb on his biggest strength: “I think it’s my energy. When I play with great energy, good things happen. I block shots, I rebound. On the offensive end when I’m playing with energy I’m doing all types of things. I’m shooting jumpers, up faking and going to the basket, getting to the free throw line, so I think everything really opens up when I play with great energy.”
Jaylen Brown on how the extra practices and Australia trip help the team: “It lets us get a rhythm… It’s a team bonding moment for us to go to Australia, get to know each other, bond with each other, and have a good time.”
Jaylen Brown’s reaction to going to Australia: “Australia’s one of the places I’ve always wanted to go. Australia and New Zealand, so when I heard I was going to Australia, I was like ‘That’s one marked off the list.’ I’m excited and hopefully we can have a good time there.”
Jaylen Brown on what he hopes to accomplish in Australia: “Getting to know some of the people, experience Australia and experience some of the things Australians experience. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Jaylen Brown on why he chose Cal: “It was an accumulative amount of things, it wasn’t one thing you could pinpoint. It was a lot of things; it was just the best choice for me and my family. I made a decision for me.”
Jaylen Brown on whether or not Ivan Rabb’s decision affected his decision to come to Cal: “It didn’t. Ivan made a decision for his family and I made a decision for mine.”
Jaylen Brown on Ivan Rabb: “He’s down to earth, real calm, respectful, very humble kid.”
Jaylen Brown on the expectations for the team: “It’s an honor to be ranked wherever we are, but I haven’t really paid attention to it.”
Jaylen Brown on what shines out in his game: “I have a long list of stuff I have to work on to be honest. I could start naming things, but I could be here all day. I gotta work on ball handling, dribbling, etc. It might seem that I’m good at everything, but it’s a higher level I’m trying to get to.”
Jaylen Brown on his motor and drive to get better: “Where I’m from, we really didn’t have a water break, so coaches might be a little nice to us right now. Maybe because the cameras are out, who knows, but I’m just trying to get better, it’s a day-to-day process. It’s about developing my jump shot, my perimeter game, so I’m going to put in as much effort as I can on it. If it takes 20,000 hours to be great, I’m gonna put in 30,000.
Jaylen Brown on who he models his game after: “My favorite players of all-time are Kobe and Jordan. Just their approach to the game, their skillset, they just make the game so easy. So I’ve watched a lot of film on those two.”
Jaylen Brown on the importance of Cal’s academics: “It’s kinda my identity. My family has a strong background in education. My uncles and aunties have PhDs. They made it important to us to get our education.”
Cuonzo Martin on high expectations: “Well the thing I welcome is maximizing our potential, whatever that is. I’ve never been consumed with preseason rankings.”
Cuonzo Martin on what he hopes to accomplish in Australia: “Well, you have 10 days of practice, so that’s great. I love the practice piece. I think experiencing Australia is a great educational piece for our guys as well. From a basketball standpoint our guys have more games to play against other competition. We want to showcase the best of our abilities.”
Cuonzo Martin on Jaylen Brown’s versatility: “I think what he brings to the table is he competes and he plays hard. And nowadays I look at that as a skill within itself. The advantage we have with him is that 2 defends him. Because you got a bigger guy as quick as he is having to guard somebody else. With a smaller guy on him he has the ability to make plays. He does a great job reading the defense and he takes what you give him.”
Cuonzo Martin on Ivan Rabb: “You’re talking about a guy that’s almost 6’11, he’s long, he makes shots, he scores around the rim, he gets big rebounds, runs the floor, he competes, and I think he’s a really good defender as far as his feel for the game defensively.”
Cuonzo Martin on Stephen Domingo: “One of the things that Stephen brings to the table is he makes shots from the perimeter. Where he has improved is his ability to shot fake and be aggressive and explode to the rim.”
Cuonzo Martin on Kinglsey Okoroh’s development: “Kingsley is doing a great job. What Kingsley brings to the table is he protects the lane. He has size and blocks shots.”
Roman Davis on the Australia trip: “I’m really excited. I think we got a chance to go out there and work out some kinks and build chemistry with the guys, so I’m really excited for the trip.”
Roman Davis on his game early on in his freshman season: “I feel good. I got some holes in my game offensively, but I can contribute defensively. That’s something I can do every night. Play hard, rebound, and defend. I’m will to do anything coach needs of me.”
Roman Davis on having guys like Tyrone Wallace and Jordan Mathews as leaders: “It’s great. I learn things from them every day. They’re great leaders, great teammates on and off the floor, they’re really great guys to be around. I’m really excited. “
Roman Davis on what excites him the most about the Australia trip: “I’ve never been to Australia. It’s just a new experience for me.”
Roman Davis on his decision to come to Cal: “This [Cal] was always one of my dream schools, so when I continued to work out, they saw something in me, they offered me a scholarship, and I committed on the spot. There was no thinking from me. This was always a place that I wanted to be.”
Roman Davis on what he can bring to the team right away: “Something I can do immediately is come out and defend and play hard. Play as hard as I can. That’s something I gotta do every night. I mean, like you said, they’re not expecting me to come out and score 30 points, that’s just not where I am right now offensively, so something I can give every night is rebound, play hard, defend, and that’s something that I plan on doing.”
Roman Davis on adjusting from the high school game to the college game: “I feel like the adjustment isn’t too big. The biggest difference is the strength, that’s something I need to get used, too. I’m kinda light, so that’s something I could work on. But everything else I feel like I’m supposed to be here. I just need to get bigger, that’s all I can say for that.”
Ivan Rabb on Jaylen Brown: “Jaylen, as far as I’ve known him, he’s been really down to earth. He’s a competitor on the court, but when he’s off the court he’s really down to earth. It’s not all about basketball with him. He helps me get my mind off of it, but when he’s on the court, he pushes me.”
Ivan Rabb on how he and Jaylen Brown make each other better: “We just push each other. He’s strong, so he tries to push me around, and I thrive on that. I’m still trying to get stronger, so I just use everything to my advantage. We just push each other to the limit every time.”
Ivan Rabb on his improvement since coming to Cal: “I’ve gotten a lot better. I’ve definitely gotten a lot stronger and that’s helped my game because people aren’t moving me around on the court as much. I’m actually doing a little bit of the pushing and I love that…I’m expanding my range on my jump shot.”
Ivan Rabb on his decision to come to Cal: “My decision was kinda easy to me because I had the best relationship with the coaching staff. I know they respected not only me, but my family, they respected the process, and told me that even if I didn’t choose the school they’d still have a good relationship with me and I could really appreciate that. That really opened my eyes. It felt like family. The locker room atmosphere is great. Nobody is big headed and everybody gets along. I feel like family already.”
Ivan Rabb on getting the extra practices because of the Australia trip: “It’s helped me out a lot because I get a chance to come out here and find out what I need to work on, so as soon as I got out here I realized that I do need to get stronger.”
Ivan Rabb on going to Australia: “I thought it was a joke at first. I’m definitely really excited not only about the basketball but also about the trip.”
Ivan Rabb on what he hopes the team accomplishes in Australia: “We want to get our chemistry going.”
Ivan Rabb on Tyrone Wallace’s leadership: “He’s been in my ear a lot, I can’t really speak for Jaylen, but I’m sure he has. Just giving us pointers, telling us things we can do to improve and make the game easier. We appreciate Ty and he’s definitely been the leader on the team.”
Ivan Rabb on dealing with high expectations: “It’s something I thrive on.”
Ivan Rabb on his biggest strength: “I think it’s my energy. When I play with great energy, good things happen. I block shots, I rebound. On the offensive end when I’m playing with energy I’m doing all types of things. I’m shooting jumpers, up faking and going to the basket, getting to the free throw line, so I think everything really opens up when I play with great energy.”
Jaylen Brown on how the extra practices and Australia trip help the team: “It lets us get a rhythm… It’s a team bonding moment for us to go to Australia, get to know each other, bond with each other, and have a good time.”
Jaylen Brown’s reaction to going to Australia: “Australia’s one of the places I’ve always wanted to go. Australia and New Zealand, so when I heard I was going to Australia, I was like ‘That’s one marked off the list.’ I’m excited and hopefully we can have a good time there.”
Jaylen Brown on what he hopes to accomplish in Australia: “Getting to know some of the people, experience Australia and experience some of the things Australians experience. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”
Jaylen Brown on why he chose Cal: “It was an accumulative amount of things, it wasn’t one thing you could pinpoint. It was a lot of things; it was just the best choice for me and my family. I made a decision for me.”
Jaylen Brown on whether or not Ivan Rabb’s decision affected his decision to come to Cal: “It didn’t. Ivan made a decision for his family and I made a decision for mine.”
Jaylen Brown on Ivan Rabb: “He’s down to earth, real calm, respectful, very humble kid.”
Jaylen Brown on the expectations for the team: “It’s an honor to be ranked wherever we are, but I haven’t really paid attention to it.”
Jaylen Brown on what shines out in his game: “I have a long list of stuff I have to work on to be honest. I could start naming things, but I could be here all day. I gotta work on ball handling, dribbling, etc. It might seem that I’m good at everything, but it’s a higher level I’m trying to get to.”
Jaylen Brown on his motor and drive to get better: “Where I’m from, we really didn’t have a water break, so coaches might be a little nice to us right now. Maybe because the cameras are out, who knows, but I’m just trying to get better, it’s a day-to-day process. It’s about developing my jump shot, my perimeter game, so I’m going to put in as much effort as I can on it. If it takes 20,000 hours to be great, I’m gonna put in 30,000.
Jaylen Brown on who he models his game after: “My favorite players of all-time are Kobe and Jordan. Just their approach to the game, their skillset, they just make the game so easy. So I’ve watched a lot of film on those two.”
Jaylen Brown on the importance of Cal’s academics: “It’s kinda my identity. My family has a strong background in education. My uncles and aunties have PhDs. They made it important to us to get our education.”
Cuonzo Martin on high expectations: “Well the thing I welcome is maximizing our potential, whatever that is. I’ve never been consumed with preseason rankings.”
Cuonzo Martin on what he hopes to accomplish in Australia: “Well, you have 10 days of practice, so that’s great. I love the practice piece. I think experiencing Australia is a great educational piece for our guys as well. From a basketball standpoint our guys have more games to play against other competition. We want to showcase the best of our abilities.”
Cuonzo Martin on Jaylen Brown’s versatility: “I think what he brings to the table is he competes and he plays hard. And nowadays I look at that as a skill within itself. The advantage we have with him is that 2 defends him. Because you got a bigger guy as quick as he is having to guard somebody else. With a smaller guy on him he has the ability to make plays. He does a great job reading the defense and he takes what you give him.”
Cuonzo Martin on Ivan Rabb: “You’re talking about a guy that’s almost 6’11, he’s long, he makes shots, he scores around the rim, he gets big rebounds, runs the floor, he competes, and I think he’s a really good defender as far as his feel for the game defensively.”
Cuonzo Martin on Stephen Domingo: “One of the things that Stephen brings to the table is he makes shots from the perimeter. Where he has improved is his ability to shot fake and be aggressive and explode to the rim.”
Cuonzo Martin on Kinglsey Okoroh’s development: “Kingsley is doing a great job. What Kingsley brings to the table is he protects the lane. He has size and blocks shots.”
