Zach, your emotions for a real game here. I know the other night was the trial run, but now it counts. Did they change at all?
No. It felt great to get back out there the other night. Being back on the floor and just fans and everything was just... Felt good to be back.
What do you want to get out of the opener? Areas of emphasis, what you guys hope to accomplish, things like that?
Just prove ourself. I think that's expectation for every game, is just to prove ourself. So just go in there and do our thing, show everyone what we can do.
Faster start, maybe?
Yeah.
Been emphasized the last couple days?
Doing what we're supposed to do.
What'd you think about coming off the bench in that one? Did it matter at all to you or-
No. It didn't matter at all because I came in and did what I was supposed to do.
What do you feel like... I know we asked you over the summer what your role is or what you think it might be.
Yeah.
What do you feel like it really is now, a day ahead of the open?
Honestly, just coming in and doing what I'm supposed to do. Shooting the ball, rebounds, blocked shots; just all the things that the big needs to do.
You guys turned up the pressure the other night.
Yeah.
Do you anticipate doing that more often this year than maybe you did last year, or have in the past?
No. Just new team-
What was Coach's opinion of that first game after he looked at the film? Was he happy with you guys or mad or...?
It was a little bit of both. He saw some good and saw some bad.
You mentioned that it would be a joint thing, him and Norm, just in practice. Do you see a joint thing, or is it still Bill leading-
No, it's definitely a little combined. But it's going to be fine, still. A little different.
Jalen and Dajuan talked about Coach Roberts and him on game day and that kind of thing. What do you expect from him on game nights, with him running the show?
Same thing, honestly. I think he's been around long enough to know what he needs to do, so I think it's going to be a lot of similarities in that.
Has he helped you as a... You're kind of a big and a small, but has he helped you the last couple years as a big?
Yeah, for sure.
They mentioned finishing each other's sentences. Have you seen that at all in the last handful of days?
Little bit.
How does that come up?
It just does. It's just one of those things where you've been around your best friend for so long, you just happen to know what he's going to say next.
Zach, you said, "Prove yourselves." Is there an area that you think this team needs to prove, to whoever's watching, maybe more than anything?
Show that we're capable, I think. I know we're a younger team, so I think just showing everyone that we're here, and we can do it.
And what'd you learn with in those regards from the exhibition? Yourself personally?
Just we got to get into it a little faster. We need a little pickup at the beginning, but about it.
Yesterday the football team won again. Were you in the Potter Lake area? For the post?
I was near, but not there.
Did you see it all, or...?
Yeah, I saw a couple videos of it.
No. It felt great to get back out there the other night. Being back on the floor and just fans and everything was just... Felt good to be back.
What do you want to get out of the opener? Areas of emphasis, what you guys hope to accomplish, things like that?
Just prove ourself. I think that's expectation for every game, is just to prove ourself. So just go in there and do our thing, show everyone what we can do.
Faster start, maybe?
Yeah.
Been emphasized the last couple days?
Doing what we're supposed to do.
What'd you think about coming off the bench in that one? Did it matter at all to you or-
No. It didn't matter at all because I came in and did what I was supposed to do.
What do you feel like... I know we asked you over the summer what your role is or what you think it might be.
Yeah.
What do you feel like it really is now, a day ahead of the open?
Honestly, just coming in and doing what I'm supposed to do. Shooting the ball, rebounds, blocked shots; just all the things that the big needs to do.
You guys turned up the pressure the other night.
Yeah.
Do you anticipate doing that more often this year than maybe you did last year, or have in the past?
No. Just new team-
What was Coach's opinion of that first game after he looked at the film? Was he happy with you guys or mad or...?
It was a little bit of both. He saw some good and saw some bad.
You mentioned that it would be a joint thing, him and Norm, just in practice. Do you see a joint thing, or is it still Bill leading-
No, it's definitely a little combined. But it's going to be fine, still. A little different.
Jalen and Dajuan talked about Coach Roberts and him on game day and that kind of thing. What do you expect from him on game nights, with him running the show?
Same thing, honestly. I think he's been around long enough to know what he needs to do, so I think it's going to be a lot of similarities in that.
Has he helped you as a... You're kind of a big and a small, but has he helped you the last couple years as a big?
Yeah, for sure.
They mentioned finishing each other's sentences. Have you seen that at all in the last handful of days?
Little bit.
How does that come up?
It just does. It's just one of those things where you've been around your best friend for so long, you just happen to know what he's going to say next.
Zach, you said, "Prove yourselves." Is there an area that you think this team needs to prove, to whoever's watching, maybe more than anything?
Show that we're capable, I think. I know we're a younger team, so I think just showing everyone that we're here, and we can do it.
And what'd you learn with in those regards from the exhibition? Yourself personally?
Just we got to get into it a little faster. We need a little pickup at the beginning, but about it.
Yesterday the football team won again. Were you in the Potter Lake area? For the post?
I was near, but not there.
Did you see it all, or...?
Yeah, I saw a couple videos of it.
