ON WHAT HE'S WANTED TO IMPROVE ON THIS SUMMER:
More speed and losing weight. Coach P. wanted me to lose weight, so right now I'm 173 ½ (pounds), and I feel more quicker, and I'm getting more stronger. … I've lost nine pounds.
ON IF HE'S EVER HAD TO LOSE WEIGHT BEFORE:
No, because I always thought in high school you had to try to get more stronger, more bigger, so I would just eat anything. It's strange, very strange. But I think I was 12 percent body fat, and now I'm like 7 percent. … I've pretty much been running and doing a lot of cardio every day.
ON IF HE'S BEEN WORKING ON HIS SHOT ARC:
That was one of the biggest things that (Pitino) stressed was the shot and my arc. That's getting better, too. I'm just staying out after individuals and practices and working on my arc.
ON IF THAT'S DIFFICULT TO LEARN CONSIDERING THAT HE'S SHOT A DIFFERENT WAY HIS WHOLE LIFE:
I had to change my shot a little bit. That's the thing. I just try to get a little more air under the ball instead of shooting real flat, how I used to shoot it. When I first did it in the summer, I was working with Tim Barnett, and he was fixing my shot. He really got my shot together and all that.
ON BUILDING CONFIDENCE AT THE END OF LAST SEASON:
I started having confidence about the Syracuse game. That's when I had Montrezl (Harrell) or Terry (Rozier) and Wayne (Blackshear) telling me, 'We all got your back,' before the game. When they said that, I got real comfortable. I got on the court, and I wasn't real nervous at all. I just came out there like I was playing for Ballard. I was just playing my game. … I feel more comfortable now in my sophomore year because I have already been through experience my freshman year. Playing against Chris (Jones) and Terry every day in practice, that was probably one of the hardest things ever, staying in front of them and them guarding me. This year it's going to be a lot easier and more comfortable.
ON THE SURPRISING IDEA THAT HE'S THE LEADING RETURNING SCORER ON THE TEAM AND WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE CARDS:
We've brought in Damion Lee and Trey Lewis. Trey Lewis is an outstanding scorer and can shoot the ball real well. Damion Lee is one hell of a scorer, too. We have scorers back. This team is going to be different. We have two veterans with Damion and Trey, but we're still going to be young. But we're going to have Jaylen (Johnson) who's going to play a lot. Chinanu (Onuaku) is still going to be there. It's going to be real different this year.
Chinanu has been on the road because he's been with USA (Basketball). Mangok (Mathiang) is playing with the Australian team. So we can't really tell right now. We've only had two practices and then individuals and pick-up ball.
ON THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN HIM AND TREY LEWIS:
This team we have has very good chemistry. Me and Trey play pickup together, and I find him, and he finds me. It's basically a good thing.
ON WHICH OF THEM WILL PLAY PG PRIMARILY AND WHICH WILL PLAY SG, OR IF THEY'LL SHARE DUTIES:
I'm not real sure yet, but when we were playing pickup, he was playing off the ball and he wanted me to run the point, and he pretty much liked it like that.
ON HOW MUCH HIS ROLE WILL CHANGE THIS YEAR, PROBABLY BEING THE STARTING PG:
This is going to be a changing thing, but Coach P. wants me to learn the '1' and the '2' and play both those positions like how Terry did.
ON HOW THE POINT GUARD ROLE SEEMED TO BE INTERCHANGEABLE WITH PEYTON SIVA AND RUSS SMITH OR CHRIS JONE AND RUSS SMITH:
It's basically like that, how Chris and Terry (did). This year it's basically going to be like Trey and me or Donovan and Trey. There's going to multiple positions you've got to learn. I've got to learn the '1' and '2.'
ON IF THERE HAS BEEN A NEW GUY WHO HAS BLOWN HIM AWAY SO FAR?
Deng Adel. I like Deng's game. He's got that real good pro game, good footwork and all that. … He's real strong. Guarding him, he'll bulldoze you, and he's got a very good handle as a 3-man. He's real tall, very athletic, and he can shoot the ball real well.
ON JAYLEN JOHNSON'S IMPROVEMENT:
The thing about Jaylen is he gets a lot of rebounds, a lot of putback rebounds. He's real smart and has a good basketball IQ.
http://www.courier-journal.com/stor...arrell-a-first-round-nba-draft-pick/29295169/
ON IF HE SPOKE WITH HARRELL OR ROZIER SINCE THURSDAY NIGHT:
I texted Terry and Trezl. Terry texted me back, and I think Trezl, people were still texting his line, so I haven't gotten a text back from him yet.
ON SEEING THEM GET DRAFTED:
It was real great. It's very exciting seeing Terry go No. 16 (to Boston) when you were seeing people say he would go second round. That was very exciting.
ON THE TRIP TO PUERTO RICO:
I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a lot of fun, being away from Louisville, being out in the sun and feel good.
ON RAYMOND SPALDING AND DONOVAN MITCHELL:
Ray's been playing real, real well in this past individual and practice. Donovan is just so athletic. He's developing a jump shot. His jump shot is getting real good. But the best one I've seen probably is Deng Adel.
More speed and losing weight. Coach P. wanted me to lose weight, so right now I'm 173 ½ (pounds), and I feel more quicker, and I'm getting more stronger. … I've lost nine pounds.
ON IF HE'S EVER HAD TO LOSE WEIGHT BEFORE:
No, because I always thought in high school you had to try to get more stronger, more bigger, so I would just eat anything. It's strange, very strange. But I think I was 12 percent body fat, and now I'm like 7 percent. … I've pretty much been running and doing a lot of cardio every day.
ON IF HE'S BEEN WORKING ON HIS SHOT ARC:
That was one of the biggest things that (Pitino) stressed was the shot and my arc. That's getting better, too. I'm just staying out after individuals and practices and working on my arc.
ON IF THAT'S DIFFICULT TO LEARN CONSIDERING THAT HE'S SHOT A DIFFERENT WAY HIS WHOLE LIFE:
I had to change my shot a little bit. That's the thing. I just try to get a little more air under the ball instead of shooting real flat, how I used to shoot it. When I first did it in the summer, I was working with Tim Barnett, and he was fixing my shot. He really got my shot together and all that.
ON BUILDING CONFIDENCE AT THE END OF LAST SEASON:
I started having confidence about the Syracuse game. That's when I had Montrezl (Harrell) or Terry (Rozier) and Wayne (Blackshear) telling me, 'We all got your back,' before the game. When they said that, I got real comfortable. I got on the court, and I wasn't real nervous at all. I just came out there like I was playing for Ballard. I was just playing my game. … I feel more comfortable now in my sophomore year because I have already been through experience my freshman year. Playing against Chris (Jones) and Terry every day in practice, that was probably one of the hardest things ever, staying in front of them and them guarding me. This year it's going to be a lot easier and more comfortable.
ON THE SURPRISING IDEA THAT HE'S THE LEADING RETURNING SCORER ON THE TEAM AND WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE CARDS:
We've brought in Damion Lee and Trey Lewis. Trey Lewis is an outstanding scorer and can shoot the ball real well. Damion Lee is one hell of a scorer, too. We have scorers back. This team is going to be different. We have two veterans with Damion and Trey, but we're still going to be young. But we're going to have Jaylen (Johnson) who's going to play a lot. Chinanu (Onuaku) is still going to be there. It's going to be real different this year.
Chinanu has been on the road because he's been with USA (Basketball). Mangok (Mathiang) is playing with the Australian team. So we can't really tell right now. We've only had two practices and then individuals and pick-up ball.
ON THE CHEMISTRY BETWEEN HIM AND TREY LEWIS:
This team we have has very good chemistry. Me and Trey play pickup together, and I find him, and he finds me. It's basically a good thing.
ON WHICH OF THEM WILL PLAY PG PRIMARILY AND WHICH WILL PLAY SG, OR IF THEY'LL SHARE DUTIES:
I'm not real sure yet, but when we were playing pickup, he was playing off the ball and he wanted me to run the point, and he pretty much liked it like that.
ON HOW MUCH HIS ROLE WILL CHANGE THIS YEAR, PROBABLY BEING THE STARTING PG:
This is going to be a changing thing, but Coach P. wants me to learn the '1' and the '2' and play both those positions like how Terry did.
ON HOW THE POINT GUARD ROLE SEEMED TO BE INTERCHANGEABLE WITH PEYTON SIVA AND RUSS SMITH OR CHRIS JONE AND RUSS SMITH:
It's basically like that, how Chris and Terry (did). This year it's basically going to be like Trey and me or Donovan and Trey. There's going to multiple positions you've got to learn. I've got to learn the '1' and '2.'
ON IF THERE HAS BEEN A NEW GUY WHO HAS BLOWN HIM AWAY SO FAR?
Deng Adel. I like Deng's game. He's got that real good pro game, good footwork and all that. … He's real strong. Guarding him, he'll bulldoze you, and he's got a very good handle as a 3-man. He's real tall, very athletic, and he can shoot the ball real well.
ON JAYLEN JOHNSON'S IMPROVEMENT:
The thing about Jaylen is he gets a lot of rebounds, a lot of putback rebounds. He's real smart and has a good basketball IQ.
http://www.courier-journal.com/stor...arrell-a-first-round-nba-draft-pick/29295169/
ON IF HE SPOKE WITH HARRELL OR ROZIER SINCE THURSDAY NIGHT:
I texted Terry and Trezl. Terry texted me back, and I think Trezl, people were still texting his line, so I haven't gotten a text back from him yet.
ON SEEING THEM GET DRAFTED:
It was real great. It's very exciting seeing Terry go No. 16 (to Boston) when you were seeing people say he would go second round. That was very exciting.
ON THE TRIP TO PUERTO RICO:
I'm looking forward to it. It's going to be a lot of fun, being away from Louisville, being out in the sun and feel good.
ON RAYMOND SPALDING AND DONOVAN MITCHELL:
Ray's been playing real, real well in this past individual and practice. Donovan is just so athletic. He's developing a jump shot. His jump shot is getting real good. But the best one I've seen probably is Deng Adel.
