ANDY KENNEDY MEDIA DAY PRESS CONFERENCE

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Men's Basketball Head Coach Looks Towards Upcoming Season

Ole Miss men's basketball head coach Andy Kennedy and four players met with the media at the team's annual Media Day. Coach Kennedy's full press conference can be seen above. Video interviews with Terence Davis, Dominik Olejniczak, Justas Furmanavicius and Breein Tyree can be found below the transcript of Coach Kennedy's press conference.

Opening statement…
“I like our group. Really the things you judge at this stage is to make sure everybody’s attitude is right and great effort, and we are certainly doing that. We have been together long enough now that we are starting to establish an identity as a team. I think we are athletic, versatile and have a number of interactive pieces and now it’s just a matter of continuing to figure out a way to be successful.”

On the offense…
“I think we have more ball handlers. Last year our biggest issue was turnovers and that has been uncharacteristic for us because typically we have had a lead guard. We have always had a guy that dominated the ball and for the most part protected it fairly well. We have been pretty efficient as it pertains to our turnover margin. Last year, we just did not have a lead guy that we felt comfortable with that was going to do the things we needed game in and game out. Once Breein (Tyree) got healthier at the end of the season, some of those things took care of themselves. Now, Breein (Tyree) is back healthy for year two, and Terence Davis who had a monster sophomore year, is much more comfortable in his role making decisions with the ball. Deandre Burnett, after being in the program now over a year as a fifth-year senior is a guy that we trust with the ball. Then you bring in a guy like Markel Crawford, who’s basketball IQ is off the charts, who can play a multitude of different positions and for the most part makes good decisions with the ball. I think overall it gives us a lot of good playmakers on the perimeter, which leads to our versatility.”

On if the amount of depth will allow him to play four guards…
“I think so. There are opportunities for Markel (Crawford) to play a phase-four. He is 6-foot-4, 210 lbs, he’s strong and understands how to guard. There are times if we wanted to put a guard-oriented group I could see Breein Tyree, Markel Crawford, Deandre Burnett, and Terence Davis all together and then still have Devontae Shuler who could be in that mix as well as one of those four. We have to be able to rebound. TD (Terence Davis) got about 5.5 per game last year as a wing, and Markel (Crawford) got about 4.5 a game. I challenged them if we could get 13 between the two, I think it will give us a lot of versatility between the two.”

On Terence Davis being on the defensive end with foul trouble…
“He is much more conscious of it. He has grown up a bit and is much more mature. We challenged him defensively and I think Markel’s (Crawford) presence has helped him. TD (Terence Davis) is probably playing better than he ever has at this point. When you get to the games and those lights come on, I think you have a tendency to overdo things, and I think that’s what happened last year, which unfortunately led to fouls to take him out of the game and out of rhythm."

On being effected by the pace of play rules…
“I think every year as you start the season there is going to be a lot of stoppages of play. There is going to be different rule emphasis, whether it’s going to be with the hands or physical contact in the post or play at the basket. There are a lot of things they talk about and hammer into these officials during the offseason. It just stands to reason that when you get into those early November and early December games, there is going to be a very tight whistle. As the officials get more comfortable with the new rules and the players get more comfortable, I think you see better flow towards the end of December. Most definitely when you get into conference play it’s going to be the most physical as always.”

On the team as a whole…
“I like this group. I like what I have seen to this point. I think we have a good mix of old with new. As I have said, I think we are athletic and have some size. We have a legitimate 7-footer with Dominik Olejniczak and Karlis Silins. Dom (Dominik Olejniczak) is about 7-feet, 250 lbs and Karlis (Karlis Silins) is about 6-foot-11, 255 lbs, so two big bodies at the basket that we haven’t had. Dom gives us something from a shot-blocking standpoint. I don’t think Dom is going to do what Reggie Buckner did, Reggie is still top five in the history of the SEC as far as shot blocks, but he does give us a real presence as far as length and athleticism, which allows us to do more things aggressively and defensively.”

On Karlis Silins injury…
“He had the ACL tear in a non-contact in early December. The surgery was not until after Christmas. The difference between him and Breein (Tyree), he is such a big kid. He is 260 lbs and with that comes a wait-and-see approach. He is back full speed and hasn’t missed a day. He says it doesn’t bother him, and he is trying to get more confident with it. I try to remember back to when Breein was first cleared to play last year in five-on-five and boy how un-athletic and tentative he was. For a guy who has been through six knee operations, two ACL’s, I get that.”

On turnovers and protecting the ball…
“Breein (Tyree) is much improved physically. He has a lot more confidence in what we are doing just based on his experience. He has the ability to separate. A lot of the time, turnovers are because you can’t separate, you are constantly playing in traffic because of your physical abilities, or what have you, to separate. Now it is just a matter of him making good decisions with the ball. He wants to be a home run hitter a little too much, he is trying to make the play opposed to what the game gives him, but that is just another step in his maturation. His ability now is completely different than really where he ended last year.”

On if Breein Tyree’s emergence has made Deandre Burnett more comfortable…
“Deandre Burnett is going to play some at the one this year. I think he is fine at the one. Dre (Deandre Burnett) played all year with a torn ligament in his thumb and then he had some knee problems. He had been sitting out for a long time if you think about his track. He goes to Miami and gets hurt right before the exhibition game, so sits out all of his freshman year, plays as a redshirt-freshman and then sits out for us, so in essence he has been sitting two of the past three years prior to him being eligible for us last year. and he still got around 17 points per game. He isn’t as efficient as he needs to be and he will be the first one to tell you that, but he is much improved as well from the experience. This is the first time in his collegiate career he is going to play back-to-back years.”

On who backs up Dominik Olejniczak…
“Bruce (Stevens) is a guy that we are trying to get where we can play Dom (Dominik Olejniczak), Bruce (Stevens) and Karlis (Silins) together. Bruce came here as a five. He is 6-foot-8, 260lbs, athletic, he can shoot it. If you had to categorize it, he is probably a stretch five and we need him to play some stretch four. So where does that come into effect? Really only defensively on his ability to guard a four that can bounce the ball. Justas (Furmanavicius) is a four/three, that really the opportunity for him will be more at the four. KG (Marcanvis Hymon) is a five/four, so we have a number of different pieces and are just trying to figure out who can compliment one another.”

On where Bruce Stevens making the transition with a faster pace of play in the SEC…
“I try not to get caught up on weight. I just try to see how he can move his feet because everybody is built differently. What I’m hearing from (assistant coach) Rahim (Lockhart), and Rahim has had him for the last two years, he thinks from an effort standpoint that he isn’t missing any of his times. He’s changing his body. He’s gotten a lot stronger. He’s gotten a lot more explosive. For him, it’s just a matter of understanding. He’s just a new guy in our program, and we’ve put a lot of stuff on him already. We’ll continue to build in preparation for our games which are right around the corner. So right now, he’s still thinking and processing as opposed to playing loose and free. He’s doing everything we’ve asked him to do, and I think physically he’ll be fine.”

On if this is the deepest the SEC has been in a number of years…
“I think so. You never really know, and it’s a lot of speculation, but my assumption is Kentucky is going to be Kentucky. As long as Cal (UK head coach John Calipari) is there and they’re getting the guys that they get, they’re going to be Kentucky. I think Texas A&M is going to be outstanding this year. Everybody is anticipating Alabama. They are the buzz team because of the class they put together and who they have returning. Really the difference is going to be the back end of the league. A team like Missouri, who had had their struggles the last few years, now all of the sudden people are projecting them to be an NCAA Tournament team. I would agree with that simply based on who they have returning and the fact that they brought in a top-five class led by consensus top prospect in the country in Michael Porter. Auburn is in year four with Bruce Pearl, and he’s got a collection of guys. So, when you start thinking about the teams that were typically playing on Wednesday night (of the SEC Tournament) as the bottom four, the back of the league get better. The top of the league has always been strong, and with the middle, a bad weekend will take you from fifth to ninth. Two bad weekends in a row will take you from fifth to 13th. We’ve had six consecutive seasons of .500 or better in SEC play, and over the last two, we’ve gone 10-8 and 10-8. This year if we go 10-8 and based on what we’re supposed to do in our non-league, it’s going to be good enough to get you in the (NCAA Tournament) field based on the overall strength of the league.”

http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/m-b ... 17aaa.html
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