Zack
You were one of the first to note Kevin Willard’s stricter practice attitude last year. Do you feel that had any bearing on the Hall’s season last year?
Jerry
There is no doubt in my mind. I think there’s no question Kevin set a tougher tone and the players responded to it. A big part was that he was willing to get on his best players. In particular Angel Delgado, who came into the season out of shape.
There were a lot of locker room problems in his first five years. That was minimized last season because Kevin was tougher. He benched Desi last year a few times. I also think having Derrick Gordon helped.
The hidden secret behind last year’s success was Willard’s attitude, his tighter grip. I don’t think it’s his nature, but we’ll see if it continues this season.
This year’s practice I attended wasn’t lax, but he wasn’t as intense as last year’s preseason.
I think to add to that Kevin trusts this group and their experience. They’ve been up the mountain and he trusts them as a bunch of juniors who are now playing their third year to police themselves more. Maybe he feels like he doesn’t need to crack the whip as much, but we’ll see over the longer haul.
Zack
What do you see as the difference between a Kevin Willard practice and a Steve Pikiell practice?
Jerry
Their programs are in much different places. Pikiell has to start from zero so I saw just all drills. Plus that goes further than just the basic fundamentals....he's trying to change the culture and the attitude there. What I saw was a very intense drill-oriented practice.
Kevin’s practices are drill-oriented too, but the team played a lot more full court last week, working on some full court defensive schemes and ball-sharing stuff, which they looked really good at.
Pikiell’s practice looked a lot like Willard’s of years past. I think Kevin is fine-tuning a lot of stuff, even though he has experienced players.
Both practices I attended were drill-oriented, detail-oriented, a lot of hustle, a lot of intensity. Rutgers practices have not been that way.previously. They would just sort of run up and down the court playing pickup.
Zack
What do you feel will be the key to the 2017 season?
Jerry
They have to get point guard play. We said this last year too, but last year we knew there was enormous upside for Isaiah Whitehead if he caught on, which he did over the course of the season. I don’t know that there’s this enormous upside this year. It’s three guys trying to fill one position.
Now I will say this....Madison Jones looked pretty good. He’s impressed the coaching staff so far. He would seem to be the point guard for now and Jevon Thomas can join in later in the year with Carrington filling in when needed.
There’s no question that the team has talent, depth and balance. It has a lot going for it, but it doesn’t have a play maker that has proven to be able to do that at a high and consistent major level.
Number two is who’s going to score and have the ball in their hands with the clock ticking down. It looks like Khadeen Carrington, but again he’s been thrust into that role and that can be an adjustment for guys at times.
Number 3 is where’s the leadership coming from? It came from Derrick Gordon and Whitehead last year. Isaiah really developed in that role. It seems like Khadeen Carrington will be that guy, but it doesn't seem to be in his nature.
Maybe Ish will help…. Kevin also didn’t seem to know, but you can’t have a leaderless team. Sometimes guys grow into it, but we’ll have to see.
Zack
Anything surprise you regarding Wednesday’s practice?
Jerry
I won’t say surprised, but what caught my attention is Angel Delgado is in much better shape because it took him half the season last year to look like he looks now. He can be a dominant post player in the league.
Veer Singh is much bigger and stronger. I mean muscle, he’s put on muscle mass. It’s obvious and he was already tall, 6’7 for a 3-point specialist tall, but he’s put on that muscle which will help.
He was out of his league on one side of the ball (defensively) last year. He has the potential to be a nice puzzle piece. He’s a 4-year guy, and a guy that size is going to get looks. He’s definitely a part of the rotation as as I said he’s noticeably bigger.
Overall, the ball movement was fantastic. Again this is a team that lost a stellar point guard. The ball movement one through 12 was fantastic. Not just good passing, but all fundamentally sound passes, unselfish plays, unselfish passes. The bigs finding the ball out of the post… it was impressive how they shared the ball. I thought that was a very good sign.
It depends on what they’re running in a practice. Sometimes if a team is running drills you can tell when you’re watching if guys are trying to make plays one on one or if they’re trying to move the ball and get everyone involved and I thought the latter was the case. They did run a lot of sets, but I thought when they did the ball movement was exceptional. Will that transition to the games? I don’t know, but you’d rather see it than not see it.
I didn’t see that ball movement at this time last year and it took them about half the season last year to understand what Kevin wanted.
Zack
Who takes Derrick Gordon’s place as locker room leader?
Jerry
I think that question is extremely important. It’s impossible to have a team that can reach it’s potential without leadership. It’s a hidden ingredient. It’s hard for talent scouts to evaluate. It’s hard for fans to grasp.
Yes you have to have raw talent and coaching, but the leadership that comes from the locker room and the huddle, in the lifting sessions, in practice....it’s vital.
I don’t know where it’s going to come from. It certainly seems like Khadeen Carrington’s team. He’s got a ton of experience.
Ish is not a talkative guy, but he’ s got a good head on his shoulders, he’s tough. He’s a lead by example kind of guy.
In truth I don’t know where it will come from. There’s a lot of experience there this year, but there’s not a lot of leadership at this early stage.
I did ask Kevin that question and he mentioned Khadeen and said we’ll lean on everybody. I don’t believe in that. I think you need one, two or three guys to lead. I would say it’ll have to be Carrington and Ish is a wild card to be a leader.
Zack
Where do points come from in the absence of Isaiah Whitehead?
Jerry
I don’t’ think they’ll have a problem scoring. Desi will score as he developed a nice shot last year. Plus he's great in the open court.
They will probably run a lot of inside out offensive sets. When you have Angel Delgado, who’s a polished offensive player now and is so experienced and can dominate his position, you’d be foolish not to go there. So you have three guys (including Carrington) that should average healthy double figures.
You bring a guy like (Myles) Powell off the bench who can shoot the ball. There’s firepower there, just not as much as with Isaiah Whitehead.
Kevin mentioned a couple of times he’d like Ish to develop an offensive game. Most of Ish’s points come from junkyard plays as he was good at finishing around the rim, but I think Kevin wants him to expand from the rim. Same with Michael Nzei.
Then you have a guy like Veer who is capable of hitting from range off the bench. Plus good point guard play from Thomas and Jones running the offense....so I don’t think they’ll have a problem scoring points plus they'll be pretty balanced in doing so.
I think the big question is who’s going to take that late game shot and who’s going to make it? Not everybody wants that shot and not everyone’s capable of handling it. That's where Carrington might be so vital to this team.
To be continued......
You were one of the first to note Kevin Willard’s stricter practice attitude last year. Do you feel that had any bearing on the Hall’s season last year?
Jerry
There is no doubt in my mind. I think there’s no question Kevin set a tougher tone and the players responded to it. A big part was that he was willing to get on his best players. In particular Angel Delgado, who came into the season out of shape.
There were a lot of locker room problems in his first five years. That was minimized last season because Kevin was tougher. He benched Desi last year a few times. I also think having Derrick Gordon helped.
The hidden secret behind last year’s success was Willard’s attitude, his tighter grip. I don’t think it’s his nature, but we’ll see if it continues this season.
This year’s practice I attended wasn’t lax, but he wasn’t as intense as last year’s preseason.
I think to add to that Kevin trusts this group and their experience. They’ve been up the mountain and he trusts them as a bunch of juniors who are now playing their third year to police themselves more. Maybe he feels like he doesn’t need to crack the whip as much, but we’ll see over the longer haul.
Zack
What do you see as the difference between a Kevin Willard practice and a Steve Pikiell practice?
Jerry
Their programs are in much different places. Pikiell has to start from zero so I saw just all drills. Plus that goes further than just the basic fundamentals....he's trying to change the culture and the attitude there. What I saw was a very intense drill-oriented practice.
Kevin’s practices are drill-oriented too, but the team played a lot more full court last week, working on some full court defensive schemes and ball-sharing stuff, which they looked really good at.
Pikiell’s practice looked a lot like Willard’s of years past. I think Kevin is fine-tuning a lot of stuff, even though he has experienced players.
Both practices I attended were drill-oriented, detail-oriented, a lot of hustle, a lot of intensity. Rutgers practices have not been that way.previously. They would just sort of run up and down the court playing pickup.
Zack
What do you feel will be the key to the 2017 season?
Jerry
They have to get point guard play. We said this last year too, but last year we knew there was enormous upside for Isaiah Whitehead if he caught on, which he did over the course of the season. I don’t know that there’s this enormous upside this year. It’s three guys trying to fill one position.
Now I will say this....Madison Jones looked pretty good. He’s impressed the coaching staff so far. He would seem to be the point guard for now and Jevon Thomas can join in later in the year with Carrington filling in when needed.
There’s no question that the team has talent, depth and balance. It has a lot going for it, but it doesn’t have a play maker that has proven to be able to do that at a high and consistent major level.
Number two is who’s going to score and have the ball in their hands with the clock ticking down. It looks like Khadeen Carrington, but again he’s been thrust into that role and that can be an adjustment for guys at times.
Number 3 is where’s the leadership coming from? It came from Derrick Gordon and Whitehead last year. Isaiah really developed in that role. It seems like Khadeen Carrington will be that guy, but it doesn't seem to be in his nature.
Maybe Ish will help…. Kevin also didn’t seem to know, but you can’t have a leaderless team. Sometimes guys grow into it, but we’ll have to see.
Zack
Anything surprise you regarding Wednesday’s practice?
Jerry
I won’t say surprised, but what caught my attention is Angel Delgado is in much better shape because it took him half the season last year to look like he looks now. He can be a dominant post player in the league.
Veer Singh is much bigger and stronger. I mean muscle, he’s put on muscle mass. It’s obvious and he was already tall, 6’7 for a 3-point specialist tall, but he’s put on that muscle which will help.
He was out of his league on one side of the ball (defensively) last year. He has the potential to be a nice puzzle piece. He’s a 4-year guy, and a guy that size is going to get looks. He’s definitely a part of the rotation as as I said he’s noticeably bigger.
Overall, the ball movement was fantastic. Again this is a team that lost a stellar point guard. The ball movement one through 12 was fantastic. Not just good passing, but all fundamentally sound passes, unselfish plays, unselfish passes. The bigs finding the ball out of the post… it was impressive how they shared the ball. I thought that was a very good sign.
It depends on what they’re running in a practice. Sometimes if a team is running drills you can tell when you’re watching if guys are trying to make plays one on one or if they’re trying to move the ball and get everyone involved and I thought the latter was the case. They did run a lot of sets, but I thought when they did the ball movement was exceptional. Will that transition to the games? I don’t know, but you’d rather see it than not see it.
I didn’t see that ball movement at this time last year and it took them about half the season last year to understand what Kevin wanted.
Zack
Who takes Derrick Gordon’s place as locker room leader?
Jerry
I think that question is extremely important. It’s impossible to have a team that can reach it’s potential without leadership. It’s a hidden ingredient. It’s hard for talent scouts to evaluate. It’s hard for fans to grasp.
Yes you have to have raw talent and coaching, but the leadership that comes from the locker room and the huddle, in the lifting sessions, in practice....it’s vital.
I don’t know where it’s going to come from. It certainly seems like Khadeen Carrington’s team. He’s got a ton of experience.
Ish is not a talkative guy, but he’ s got a good head on his shoulders, he’s tough. He’s a lead by example kind of guy.
In truth I don’t know where it will come from. There’s a lot of experience there this year, but there’s not a lot of leadership at this early stage.
I did ask Kevin that question and he mentioned Khadeen and said we’ll lean on everybody. I don’t believe in that. I think you need one, two or three guys to lead. I would say it’ll have to be Carrington and Ish is a wild card to be a leader.
Zack
Where do points come from in the absence of Isaiah Whitehead?
Jerry
I don’t’ think they’ll have a problem scoring. Desi will score as he developed a nice shot last year. Plus he's great in the open court.
They will probably run a lot of inside out offensive sets. When you have Angel Delgado, who’s a polished offensive player now and is so experienced and can dominate his position, you’d be foolish not to go there. So you have three guys (including Carrington) that should average healthy double figures.
You bring a guy like (Myles) Powell off the bench who can shoot the ball. There’s firepower there, just not as much as with Isaiah Whitehead.
Kevin mentioned a couple of times he’d like Ish to develop an offensive game. Most of Ish’s points come from junkyard plays as he was good at finishing around the rim, but I think Kevin wants him to expand from the rim. Same with Michael Nzei.
Then you have a guy like Veer who is capable of hitting from range off the bench. Plus good point guard play from Thomas and Jones running the offense....so I don’t think they’ll have a problem scoring points plus they'll be pretty balanced in doing so.
I think the big question is who’s going to take that late game shot and who’s going to make it? Not everybody wants that shot and not everyone’s capable of handling it. That's where Carrington might be so vital to this team.
To be continued......
