Another quality conversation with HC Grant McCasland. Will have another post later with an interesting nugget surrounding scheduling, with some more than just the quote, so look out for that.
Opening Statement:
"Excited to get back to game time playing a Wyoming team that we have some familiarity with, obviously, but, man, they're playing well, and won two games at home, and we respect the way they play. I think they're playing an efficient way right now. And you know, our biggest deal is, how do we continue to improve defensively? I thought we took a step in that direction in the first half, and then had a little stretch where we struggled offensively and it affected us defensively in the last game. So excited to get back out there and get better. Don't know about the status of those guys quite yet and having them to return to play, but looking forward to seeing how they look tomorrow and taking it a day at a time."
When Anderson and Hawkins return, will you move Darrion Williams off the ball since he's playing so well as a facilitator?
"You know, I think the role he's playing right now won't be all that much different. And the biggest thing is just those guys, I think in transition, it opens up the floor a little bit more for them to be more effective. But in the half court, we've been involving (Darrion) in a lot of different ways. And if you look at some of his assists have come from putting him closer to the rim on some dribble down opportunities. So I think he'll get utilized. I mean, the more you move him around, he's such a mismatch. You can put him anywhere. You put him in the middle of the floor, on the ball screen, you put him on the side, you can put him in the block. He's he's really been efficient, he's got a great ability to see all five guys defensively, and that's difficult to teach. We'll continue to involve in in just about every possession he's on the floor."
Chance McMillian has improved at getting downhill and into the paint, was that a point of emphasis this offseason?
"The part that I love about these guys is they all work really hard, and they worked extremely hard in that area. Like, how do we get in the paint? How do we make the right decision? And they learn, like we showed film of a few possessions and scrimmages that nobody saw, that we weren't as efficient in, because you work on scoring and individual things all summer long, and then you go out there and you try to do that when you get the first opportunity. The biggest growth I've seen, is just the simple decision making, where you decide, hey, I'm gonna score this one or I'm gonna live to fight another day and make the next play. And so I think that's been the biggest growth, is the ability to get in there and score. He's got some different finishing opportunities that he's taken advantage of, but really it's about minimizing the low percentage ones and making the next play."
You've talked about looking for an on-ball defender, and how Overton has done some of that, how do you see his defense developing over the season?
"I mean, I think if you look at the last three or four minutes of the game against Northwestern State last week, like KO really locked in to guard the ball, and that's when we had our greatest separation. In the second half, we struggled. We struggled to defend one on one in the perimeter, KO, his length and his versatility and his ability to not only be quick, but to be a problem, because he can contest shots, and he had a couple blocks in the first half just by walling up at the rim with a smaller offensive player. So I thought he was great early, and he was great late. And the thing that I think we need to see continued improvement from everybody is, can we do that for the entire game? I will say this, Christian Anderson and Elijah Hawkins return will will help us significantly at guarding the ball. I mean, their experience up there, and they've done it all their lives, and they have a they have a knack for it. They have a nuance that you have to have. There's physicality. There's also activity level on the ball with your hands and how well you move, and how you make people go where you want to go. I mean, both those guys have great experience doing it, so I think that's what will help us, is you just get reinforcements. And through the first two games, we've had to play through a lot of fatigue, and I think we'll slowly get into where we can play guys less minutes and have more energy and activity to create some deflections. It's the one area that we haven't been great. We haven't really turned anybody over in half court. We've been a little vanilla in that way. We've got to be more active on the ball. And I think being fresher helps us, and having those guys, that's where it really helps us."
What are the biggest threats from the Cowboys this week?
"I mean, coach Wicks, is really a great game planner. I think he proved last year at Green Bay he knows how to win games in a short amount of time, and he's got a knack for finding a way with the roster that he has. And they've got talent. I mean, they've got a good team. I think their inside play has shown to be difficult to defend, and they've got a good plan, and then taking away perimeter threes. The end of the clock, how well do you guard somebody one on one, when they do get in the paint, you know, and they driving in there, how well can we maintain physicality without fouling? And then I think their defense has been really solid. They've been physical and and how well do we handle them all without turning it over?"
How big of an impact has coach Linder had on your program and what do you think this game means to him?
"Coach Linder is a pro. when it comes to coaching and the game and what it means to prepare your team and what it means to run a program. I mean, he's had the winningest season in schools history at both places he's been a head coach. For me, personally, he's a friend, you know, and he's a guy that I trust. And last year, we're playing in the Big 12, I would be like, tell me what you see, you know? I mean, I'd even try to get ahold of him at halftime sometime. I consider him a guy I would talk to if we weren't coaching basketball. He's made a significant impact on our program, and his expectation for winning and execution and how you play this game is at the highest level. You can tell our guys respect him. I mean, he's a student of this game. He loves this game. He really knows what this game means, but he also knows that this is one game on the schedule. And I think his maturity, and he's been coaching long enough and won enough games, and he knows that this is a step in the processes of us preparing for what we want to play for. It's obviously the most important game on our schedule right now, but he's a pro when it comes to this, and honestly, I think he has a lot of respect for this team and for the program that we're facing, and he's got a lot of gratitude, obviously, for the opportunities he had. But at the same time, we all know this is a game, and it's one and you got to be prepared and play it to the best of your ability, and after that, you shake hands and love people and move on."
Barnett Howard & Williams PLLC is a law firm founded by three Red Raiders and based in Fort Worth. BHW attorneys handle personal injury, family law, criminal defense, and Title 9 cases all across the state. We hope you never need us, but we are in your corner when you do.
Opening Statement:
"Excited to get back to game time playing a Wyoming team that we have some familiarity with, obviously, but, man, they're playing well, and won two games at home, and we respect the way they play. I think they're playing an efficient way right now. And you know, our biggest deal is, how do we continue to improve defensively? I thought we took a step in that direction in the first half, and then had a little stretch where we struggled offensively and it affected us defensively in the last game. So excited to get back out there and get better. Don't know about the status of those guys quite yet and having them to return to play, but looking forward to seeing how they look tomorrow and taking it a day at a time."
When Anderson and Hawkins return, will you move Darrion Williams off the ball since he's playing so well as a facilitator?
"You know, I think the role he's playing right now won't be all that much different. And the biggest thing is just those guys, I think in transition, it opens up the floor a little bit more for them to be more effective. But in the half court, we've been involving (Darrion) in a lot of different ways. And if you look at some of his assists have come from putting him closer to the rim on some dribble down opportunities. So I think he'll get utilized. I mean, the more you move him around, he's such a mismatch. You can put him anywhere. You put him in the middle of the floor, on the ball screen, you put him on the side, you can put him in the block. He's he's really been efficient, he's got a great ability to see all five guys defensively, and that's difficult to teach. We'll continue to involve in in just about every possession he's on the floor."
Chance McMillian has improved at getting downhill and into the paint, was that a point of emphasis this offseason?
"The part that I love about these guys is they all work really hard, and they worked extremely hard in that area. Like, how do we get in the paint? How do we make the right decision? And they learn, like we showed film of a few possessions and scrimmages that nobody saw, that we weren't as efficient in, because you work on scoring and individual things all summer long, and then you go out there and you try to do that when you get the first opportunity. The biggest growth I've seen, is just the simple decision making, where you decide, hey, I'm gonna score this one or I'm gonna live to fight another day and make the next play. And so I think that's been the biggest growth, is the ability to get in there and score. He's got some different finishing opportunities that he's taken advantage of, but really it's about minimizing the low percentage ones and making the next play."
You've talked about looking for an on-ball defender, and how Overton has done some of that, how do you see his defense developing over the season?
"I mean, I think if you look at the last three or four minutes of the game against Northwestern State last week, like KO really locked in to guard the ball, and that's when we had our greatest separation. In the second half, we struggled. We struggled to defend one on one in the perimeter, KO, his length and his versatility and his ability to not only be quick, but to be a problem, because he can contest shots, and he had a couple blocks in the first half just by walling up at the rim with a smaller offensive player. So I thought he was great early, and he was great late. And the thing that I think we need to see continued improvement from everybody is, can we do that for the entire game? I will say this, Christian Anderson and Elijah Hawkins return will will help us significantly at guarding the ball. I mean, their experience up there, and they've done it all their lives, and they have a they have a knack for it. They have a nuance that you have to have. There's physicality. There's also activity level on the ball with your hands and how well you move, and how you make people go where you want to go. I mean, both those guys have great experience doing it, so I think that's what will help us, is you just get reinforcements. And through the first two games, we've had to play through a lot of fatigue, and I think we'll slowly get into where we can play guys less minutes and have more energy and activity to create some deflections. It's the one area that we haven't been great. We haven't really turned anybody over in half court. We've been a little vanilla in that way. We've got to be more active on the ball. And I think being fresher helps us, and having those guys, that's where it really helps us."
What are the biggest threats from the Cowboys this week?
"I mean, coach Wicks, is really a great game planner. I think he proved last year at Green Bay he knows how to win games in a short amount of time, and he's got a knack for finding a way with the roster that he has. And they've got talent. I mean, they've got a good team. I think their inside play has shown to be difficult to defend, and they've got a good plan, and then taking away perimeter threes. The end of the clock, how well do you guard somebody one on one, when they do get in the paint, you know, and they driving in there, how well can we maintain physicality without fouling? And then I think their defense has been really solid. They've been physical and and how well do we handle them all without turning it over?"
How big of an impact has coach Linder had on your program and what do you think this game means to him?
"Coach Linder is a pro. when it comes to coaching and the game and what it means to prepare your team and what it means to run a program. I mean, he's had the winningest season in schools history at both places he's been a head coach. For me, personally, he's a friend, you know, and he's a guy that I trust. And last year, we're playing in the Big 12, I would be like, tell me what you see, you know? I mean, I'd even try to get ahold of him at halftime sometime. I consider him a guy I would talk to if we weren't coaching basketball. He's made a significant impact on our program, and his expectation for winning and execution and how you play this game is at the highest level. You can tell our guys respect him. I mean, he's a student of this game. He loves this game. He really knows what this game means, but he also knows that this is one game on the schedule. And I think his maturity, and he's been coaching long enough and won enough games, and he knows that this is a step in the processes of us preparing for what we want to play for. It's obviously the most important game on our schedule right now, but he's a pro when it comes to this, and honestly, I think he has a lot of respect for this team and for the program that we're facing, and he's got a lot of gratitude, obviously, for the opportunities he had. But at the same time, we all know this is a game, and it's one and you got to be prepared and play it to the best of your ability, and after that, you shake hands and love people and move on."
Barnett Howard & Williams PLLC is a law firm founded by three Red Raiders and based in Fort Worth. BHW attorneys handle personal injury, family law, criminal defense, and Title 9 cases all across the state. We hope you never need us, but we are in your corner when you do.
