Here are Tyrone Wallace's quotes from Wednesday's press conference.
Tyrone Wallace on “Real Talk” sessions: “We’ve been doing it for two years now, we did it last year also, so it’s not new to me, I think it’s really good. We just talk about different subjects of life, different things going around, going around the world, and I think it is a team builder. We get to learn from each other as well as the coaches and some of the staff who attend at times, and so it’s just a chance for us all to be together and bond.”
Tyrone Wallace on how the team is gelling together. Especially with Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown: “Yeah, I think we spend a lot of time together off the court, we play video games, whatever we may doing, go to football games together, so I think we’re really close and I think that translates onto the court. We’re able to play together well and gel.”
Tyrone Wallace on the freshman class and their ability to gel so quickly with the team: “I just think they’re very good guys. I think all our personalities are all in line. We all have one goal, we want to win, we want to be as successful as we can. So, I think they don’t come in here thinking any other way.”
Tyrone Wallace on his role with the team: “I don’t see it [my role on the team] changing too much. Coach has stated that he still wants me to be the same player and I don’t think I can see myself really changing from the player I am as far as the things that I do. There’s areas that I need to grow in, which I feel I’ve been doing a good job, but I think I’ll still be the same player.”
Tyrone Wallace on his decision to come back: “Just a chance to win, a chance to be here with the coaching staff and with these guys one more time, finish off school, get my degree, all those things played a big role and I just think it’s a great opportunity here.”
Tyrone Wallace on how the freshmen carry themselves: “I think their willingness to learn, to be coached. You know, Ivan and Jaylen and Roman, they all listen. They’re all willing to get better and so whether it’s coach telling them something or whether it’s Nick Hamilton telling them something, Cole, or myself, they’re listening, they’re attentive, and they’re just willing to use that to try to get better.”
Tyrone Wallace on the benefits of the Australia trip: “I think the chemistry is probably the most helpful thing, just to get us out there on the court together and be able to play together. We didn’t have a lot of sets or anything yet, so we’re just kinda out there playing and it also shows where we need to get better at. We didn’t have scouting reports, so I think on the defensive side we made mistakes, we gotta rebound the ball better, just little things that I think when we look at film, when Coach [Martin] looks at film, he can kind of see what we need to work on and use that for the practice plan.”
Tyrone Wallace on handling the big expectations as the team leader: “I think we just have to focus on every day. Take every day at a time, don’t look ahead too far ahead, we have games coming up, exhibitions, and that type of thing where we just gotta practice every day, practice hard. Then when the games come, then we just gotta handle those and knock them out each and every time.”
Tyrone Wallace on Cal being on the national map: “I think it’s nice. Like I said, I don’t think we can pay too much attention to it with the season not having even started yet, so it’s good to know that people think of us as a good team, but like I said, we can start our season and not do well, and then we’re not on the national map, so it doesn’t really have that big of an effect.”
Tyrone Wallace on Jaylen Brown taking over games in Australia and whether or not that surprised him: “I knew he was a good player, he’s been working hard, he’s been working on his game, his shot and everything, so when he gets into the game and makes those plays, I know those are things he is capable of doing.”
Tyrone Wallace on what he’s doing to build team camaraderie and leadership: “I just think I need to stay vocal in practice, rallying the guys, when my team is losing or whatever, when we’re winning, just kinda stay motivating them to play better.”
Tyrone Wallace on Stephen Domingo: “I’m happy for him. Steph’s my roommate. He wasn’t allowed to play last year obviously, but he practiced really hard with us every time. He’s always there as a good teammate, great person, so I’m happy that he’s able to get out there on the court with us this year. I think he can stretch the floor. When we play small, he can play the four at times, he’s a very good shooter, he defends the ball really well, he’s always going try his best, he’s going to hustle, he’s going to play hard, and so I think he’ll add a lot to the team. He’s willing to guard some of the better players, he’s willing to try at it and work hard, and so that’s the thing I’ve been seeing since last year, too. I think he definitely does take pride in defense as well as offense and so I think he’ll be good in that area.”
Tyrone Wallace on Australia: “I thought it was really fun. We got a chance to go out and site see and we rode bikes around the towns and all that other stuff and so it was really fun. We got to got out to different restaurants, eat different type of foods, shopping malls, we did site seeing with the whole team where we went to different places and different buildings and we got to look around and so that was cool. I bought little bear key chain things home for my family members and hats and little stuff like that. Not anything too crazy.”
Tyrone Wallace on how Justin Cobbs, Richard Solomon, Allen Crabbe, and David Kravish helped him with his leadership skills: “I think those guys, they never cut me any slack. In terms of in practice, they’re always going at me, putting pressure on me, and leading out there vocally and by example and so I think those are things I can take from that to just never go easy and let the freshman or underclassmen get away with stuff. I gotta always be in attack mode because these are the things that they’re gonna see out there on the court when are playing against other teams.”
Tyrone Wallace on blocking out the noise: “I just don’t pay any attention to it. I kinda have a small circle anyways, family, friends. I don’t really pay attention it.”
Tyrone Wallace on how much it helps him as a point guard playing with guys like Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb: “I think it helps a lot. I’m able to throw lobs and do things that I probably haven’t been able to do in the past. Ivan can stretch the floor, shoot the ball midrange. He can pick and pop, pick and roll. He’s gonna finish, so I have that faith in him to throw the ball up there and know he’s going to go get it. As well as the other guys, just knowing my shooters out there are gonna knock down shots and stuff like that, so I think it helps a lot from my aspect to just be able to know when I pass the ball that we got guys out there that are gonna be capable to handle it.”
Tyrone Wallace on “Real Talk” sessions: “We’ve been doing it for two years now, we did it last year also, so it’s not new to me, I think it’s really good. We just talk about different subjects of life, different things going around, going around the world, and I think it is a team builder. We get to learn from each other as well as the coaches and some of the staff who attend at times, and so it’s just a chance for us all to be together and bond.”
Tyrone Wallace on how the team is gelling together. Especially with Ivan Rabb and Jaylen Brown: “Yeah, I think we spend a lot of time together off the court, we play video games, whatever we may doing, go to football games together, so I think we’re really close and I think that translates onto the court. We’re able to play together well and gel.”
Tyrone Wallace on the freshman class and their ability to gel so quickly with the team: “I just think they’re very good guys. I think all our personalities are all in line. We all have one goal, we want to win, we want to be as successful as we can. So, I think they don’t come in here thinking any other way.”
Tyrone Wallace on his role with the team: “I don’t see it [my role on the team] changing too much. Coach has stated that he still wants me to be the same player and I don’t think I can see myself really changing from the player I am as far as the things that I do. There’s areas that I need to grow in, which I feel I’ve been doing a good job, but I think I’ll still be the same player.”
Tyrone Wallace on his decision to come back: “Just a chance to win, a chance to be here with the coaching staff and with these guys one more time, finish off school, get my degree, all those things played a big role and I just think it’s a great opportunity here.”
Tyrone Wallace on how the freshmen carry themselves: “I think their willingness to learn, to be coached. You know, Ivan and Jaylen and Roman, they all listen. They’re all willing to get better and so whether it’s coach telling them something or whether it’s Nick Hamilton telling them something, Cole, or myself, they’re listening, they’re attentive, and they’re just willing to use that to try to get better.”
Tyrone Wallace on the benefits of the Australia trip: “I think the chemistry is probably the most helpful thing, just to get us out there on the court together and be able to play together. We didn’t have a lot of sets or anything yet, so we’re just kinda out there playing and it also shows where we need to get better at. We didn’t have scouting reports, so I think on the defensive side we made mistakes, we gotta rebound the ball better, just little things that I think when we look at film, when Coach [Martin] looks at film, he can kind of see what we need to work on and use that for the practice plan.”
Tyrone Wallace on handling the big expectations as the team leader: “I think we just have to focus on every day. Take every day at a time, don’t look ahead too far ahead, we have games coming up, exhibitions, and that type of thing where we just gotta practice every day, practice hard. Then when the games come, then we just gotta handle those and knock them out each and every time.”
Tyrone Wallace on Cal being on the national map: “I think it’s nice. Like I said, I don’t think we can pay too much attention to it with the season not having even started yet, so it’s good to know that people think of us as a good team, but like I said, we can start our season and not do well, and then we’re not on the national map, so it doesn’t really have that big of an effect.”
Tyrone Wallace on Jaylen Brown taking over games in Australia and whether or not that surprised him: “I knew he was a good player, he’s been working hard, he’s been working on his game, his shot and everything, so when he gets into the game and makes those plays, I know those are things he is capable of doing.”
Tyrone Wallace on what he’s doing to build team camaraderie and leadership: “I just think I need to stay vocal in practice, rallying the guys, when my team is losing or whatever, when we’re winning, just kinda stay motivating them to play better.”
Tyrone Wallace on Stephen Domingo: “I’m happy for him. Steph’s my roommate. He wasn’t allowed to play last year obviously, but he practiced really hard with us every time. He’s always there as a good teammate, great person, so I’m happy that he’s able to get out there on the court with us this year. I think he can stretch the floor. When we play small, he can play the four at times, he’s a very good shooter, he defends the ball really well, he’s always going try his best, he’s going to hustle, he’s going to play hard, and so I think he’ll add a lot to the team. He’s willing to guard some of the better players, he’s willing to try at it and work hard, and so that’s the thing I’ve been seeing since last year, too. I think he definitely does take pride in defense as well as offense and so I think he’ll be good in that area.”
Tyrone Wallace on Australia: “I thought it was really fun. We got a chance to go out and site see and we rode bikes around the towns and all that other stuff and so it was really fun. We got to got out to different restaurants, eat different type of foods, shopping malls, we did site seeing with the whole team where we went to different places and different buildings and we got to look around and so that was cool. I bought little bear key chain things home for my family members and hats and little stuff like that. Not anything too crazy.”
Tyrone Wallace on how Justin Cobbs, Richard Solomon, Allen Crabbe, and David Kravish helped him with his leadership skills: “I think those guys, they never cut me any slack. In terms of in practice, they’re always going at me, putting pressure on me, and leading out there vocally and by example and so I think those are things I can take from that to just never go easy and let the freshman or underclassmen get away with stuff. I gotta always be in attack mode because these are the things that they’re gonna see out there on the court when are playing against other teams.”
Tyrone Wallace on blocking out the noise: “I just don’t pay any attention to it. I kinda have a small circle anyways, family, friends. I don’t really pay attention it.”
Tyrone Wallace on how much it helps him as a point guard playing with guys like Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb: “I think it helps a lot. I’m able to throw lobs and do things that I probably haven’t been able to do in the past. Ivan can stretch the floor, shoot the ball midrange. He can pick and pop, pick and roll. He’s gonna finish, so I have that faith in him to throw the ball up there and know he’s going to go get it. As well as the other guys, just knowing my shooters out there are gonna knock down shots and stuff like that, so I think it helps a lot from my aspect to just be able to know when I pass the ball that we got guys out there that are gonna be capable to handle it.”
