We spoke with Tubby Smith as a group on Thursday afternoon, as the Red Raiders are now a week and a half deep into fall practice as they prepare to get the basketball season underway.
First, and if you haven't heard, Coach Smith was given the John R. Wooden Award's Legends of Coaching honor this week, something he'll formally receive next April. It's given out anunally, and it recognizes coaches who exemplify Wooden's standards of coaching success and personal integrity.
Coach Smith spoke a bit on receiving the award and just what it means to him.
"First, I want to thank the selection committee for the John Wooden Legacy award. It's an honor, one of the most prestigious awards you can be selected for or receive, so I'm really -- there's no words you can really describe it, but I just want to thank all the folks who ever helped me reach this level. A lot of players, assistant coaches, a lot of people along the way, so I want to thank them."
"I knew Coach Wooden years ago, and the first book I ever read was 'They call me coach,' and I had him autograph it years ago. We also had the chance to be the inaugural, first team to ever play in the John Wooden Classic in Anaheim, California when I was at Kentucky, so a lot of firsts. You'd see him at all the Final Fours, and he's not only a great coach, but a great man. A great man."
*Tubby also noted that he and many other coaches have taken so much from Coach Wooden, his teachings, and he even noted that Pete Carroll did as well after watching the 30 for 30 over USC earlier this week.
*Coach Smith thought the trip to Canada really helped the young guys on his roster grow up quite a bit and make a big jump with progress from freshmen to sophomores.
"That leap from your freshman year to your sophomore year is a tremendous learning curve, and guys like Zach, Norense, Isaiah, Justin, and Keenan, you can see how much more confident they are in our system and what we're trying to do. I think it's been very beneficial. We're starting to get to the point where the team is starting to run itself. They're policing themselves, coaching each other, and that's what you hope, and that's what we were hoping would happen."
*Tubby noted that Norense Odiase is doing much, much better health-wise after receiving PRP injections into his knee after the Canada trip, and he isn't missing practice anymore. He's healthy, and Coach Smith believes he's had the best fall of any player so far.
"I think Norense, probably. He's showing tremendous leadership, maturity. He's playing extremely hard, and he's always given a great effort. So, he's improved his free throw shooting, which is something he struggled with. He's a guy that you tell him, you show him, and he's very coachable. I would say he's probably -- and the rest of the guys are doing a good job -- but I think he's probably the one I'd pinpoint as the guy whose had the best fall practice."
*Coach Smith also thinks the team has grown quite a bit from a ball-handling standpoint. Players have grown, and he feels that Devon Thomas, CJ Williamson, and Jordan Jackson are all already great ball handlers.
*The one bit of bad news is that Justin Gray had to have his knee scoped on Monday afternoon, and they've shut him down for another three to four weeks. Things seem a bit up in the air with his health right now.
First, and if you haven't heard, Coach Smith was given the John R. Wooden Award's Legends of Coaching honor this week, something he'll formally receive next April. It's given out anunally, and it recognizes coaches who exemplify Wooden's standards of coaching success and personal integrity.
Coach Smith spoke a bit on receiving the award and just what it means to him.
"First, I want to thank the selection committee for the John Wooden Legacy award. It's an honor, one of the most prestigious awards you can be selected for or receive, so I'm really -- there's no words you can really describe it, but I just want to thank all the folks who ever helped me reach this level. A lot of players, assistant coaches, a lot of people along the way, so I want to thank them."
"I knew Coach Wooden years ago, and the first book I ever read was 'They call me coach,' and I had him autograph it years ago. We also had the chance to be the inaugural, first team to ever play in the John Wooden Classic in Anaheim, California when I was at Kentucky, so a lot of firsts. You'd see him at all the Final Fours, and he's not only a great coach, but a great man. A great man."
*Tubby also noted that he and many other coaches have taken so much from Coach Wooden, his teachings, and he even noted that Pete Carroll did as well after watching the 30 for 30 over USC earlier this week.
*Coach Smith thought the trip to Canada really helped the young guys on his roster grow up quite a bit and make a big jump with progress from freshmen to sophomores.
"That leap from your freshman year to your sophomore year is a tremendous learning curve, and guys like Zach, Norense, Isaiah, Justin, and Keenan, you can see how much more confident they are in our system and what we're trying to do. I think it's been very beneficial. We're starting to get to the point where the team is starting to run itself. They're policing themselves, coaching each other, and that's what you hope, and that's what we were hoping would happen."
*Tubby noted that Norense Odiase is doing much, much better health-wise after receiving PRP injections into his knee after the Canada trip, and he isn't missing practice anymore. He's healthy, and Coach Smith believes he's had the best fall of any player so far.
"I think Norense, probably. He's showing tremendous leadership, maturity. He's playing extremely hard, and he's always given a great effort. So, he's improved his free throw shooting, which is something he struggled with. He's a guy that you tell him, you show him, and he's very coachable. I would say he's probably -- and the rest of the guys are doing a good job -- but I think he's probably the one I'd pinpoint as the guy whose had the best fall practice."
*Coach Smith also thinks the team has grown quite a bit from a ball-handling standpoint. Players have grown, and he feels that Devon Thomas, CJ Williamson, and Jordan Jackson are all already great ball handlers.
*The one bit of bad news is that Justin Gray had to have his knee scoped on Monday afternoon, and they've shut him down for another three to four weeks. Things seem a bit up in the air with his health right now.
