Sophomore point guard Quentin Snider will spend much of his offseason trying to "raise his game" on defense, Pitino said. Snider, a Louisville native who started 24 games, "had a very good year," Pitino said, and does "everything you want from a point guard" on offense.
"Now he has to dig in on man defense and off-the-ball defense and rebounding the ball," Pitino said. "He doesn’t have to be a great defensive player; he just can’t hurt the team."
Pitino put a similar challenge to freshman Donovan Mitchell, who enjoyed a strong first campaign but struggled in one-on-one situations. Pitino said the former five-star prospect is at 207 pounds and is working his way toward 195, which will make him quicker.
"If you asked me what our biggest weakness was, it was the ability to go one-on-one like Russ Smith or Terry Rozier, and to defend one-and-one," Pitino said. "That’s what Donovan needs to work on, on both ends of the floor. Outside of that, he’s improved his shot, his passing. He's a freak jumper. You know he has a great attitude."
Well there's a bit more on the goal weight Pitino wanted for Mitchell. Mitchell's already down to 207 so hopefully getting to around 195 will make him faster and have more endurance without taking away too much of his strength.
"Now he has to dig in on man defense and off-the-ball defense and rebounding the ball," Pitino said. "He doesn’t have to be a great defensive player; he just can’t hurt the team."
Pitino put a similar challenge to freshman Donovan Mitchell, who enjoyed a strong first campaign but struggled in one-on-one situations. Pitino said the former five-star prospect is at 207 pounds and is working his way toward 195, which will make him quicker.
"If you asked me what our biggest weakness was, it was the ability to go one-on-one like Russ Smith or Terry Rozier, and to defend one-and-one," Pitino said. "That’s what Donovan needs to work on, on both ends of the floor. Outside of that, he’s improved his shot, his passing. He's a freak jumper. You know he has a great attitude."
Well there's a bit more on the goal weight Pitino wanted for Mitchell. Mitchell's already down to 207 so hopefully getting to around 195 will make him faster and have more endurance without taking away too much of his strength.
