Tommy Lloyd, Jaden Bradley, and KJ Lewis Share Insights After Arizona’s Dominant Season Opener Against Canisius
It was a fairly decent outcome for the season’s first game against a weaker rival. However, it was far from ideal and will not suffice when Arizona faces stronger opponents in the future.
“It’s fine,” stated UA coach Tommy Lloyd following Monday’s 93-64 victory against Canisius, as the Wildcats can now use it as a learning experience for their upcoming game and future.
Lloyd suggested that perhaps we were a bit too easily offended today. We didn’t make all of our shots, missed some easy baskets, and I thought our overall energy level dropped a bit. It will serve as an excellent teaching aid. I’m not happy about it, but it happened, so we will address it. I believe we can increase our level of intensity, we can enhance our performance, we can end with more power in the paint. The men failed to make a couple of layups, which may have deflated their momentum slightly.
The recap of our game is available at this location. Following is the additional information provided by Lloyd and the guards Jaden Bradley and KJ Lewis afterwards.
I will aim to discover how to use certain lineups effectively instead of using random ones. I need to take some time in the upcoming days to carefully plan things out, so that I can ensure I arrive with the correct combinations. I’ve always said that I prefer to let things unfold naturally. I’m at a stage where I need to start getting more involved and focus on playing to our strengths.
On Canisius playing extensive zone defense: “I expected them to play some zone.” I wasn’t anticipating them to zone so much, but it was okay. Overall, I am not concerned about our offense with this particular group. I believe everything will be okay, but there’s room for improvement.
In the media: “We didn’t spend the entire summer working on it just for Canisius. Hopefully, we can use that throughout the year, and I will need to adapt to it. I believe we could have been more assertive and ready to seize opportunities. I believed it was successful… however, I also sensed that there were some trap possibilities that we could improve on. The main goal initially is to ensure you can get evenly matched up once the game reaches half court, before focusing on scoring. We dedicated a significant amount of time to trying to solve that problem. And now perhaps we can be slightly more assertive in the beginning. I can’t wait to see it. Perhaps there are a couple more things that we have hidden in store.
If Arizona attempted to accomplish too many tasks in the initial game: “During the installation process, coaches sometimes overload players with information, and then they need to refocus and review things multiple times.” And as you improve, you also enhance your teaching abilities. I may have been deliberately installing too many things, and while we may be somewhat diluted, there is a purpose behind it. Now we need to return and practice in live game situations, watching and recording the reps. Alright, they don’t comprehend this. We must improve in that aspect, enabling you to target particular areas. I don’t believe it is an efficient method for teaching and learning, as they are already familiar with the content. We had been working on it either three weeks ago, two weeks ago, or one week ago, and now they are revisiting it, and you are refining it.
When we have many offensive choices, I aim to ensure that we are playing cohesively as a team. I believe we did well tonight, for the most part. I may need to show some leniency towards some of these men. In the initial game, it was slightly distinct from a typical exhibition match. Some men may not have reacted effectively to a missed shot or a turnover, but I believe they will become more at ease.
When he spoke with Henri Veesaar after being fouled hard, he realized that the teaching moment was understanding that the foul was intentional. Therefore, they will assess it and most likely classify it as a flagrant. Don’t understand his expression. Let’s make sure it becomes a complete positive outcome for us. At the moment, it may not be important, but I am confident that at some stage during the season, there will be a contentious situation while traveling. How do your team members react? Pay attention, there is a delicate balance. I understand, I know what you mean. Men become angry. When something similar occurs, you may feel the urge to react, but you must also consider the possibility of winning before taking action.
Regarding Carter Bryant’s first performance: “It was great to witness Carter demonstrating some physicality.” Every time Carter plays on the court, he experiences many teaching opportunities, and he’s improving more and more every day. He requires these experiences, both positive and negative, in order to develop. All the boys participate. Our role as a team is to assist individuals in comprehending both positive and negative experiences as learning opportunities.
Regarding the experience of the guards in the backcourt: “It’s not common for a team like Arizona to have a returning group of guards who have played together for one year come back the next year, is it?” In the present time. Having those individuals around makes it seem like you’re interacting with experienced, young, and knowledgeable players. They are experienced players who have developed as a team, supporting each other greatly. “It was nice to see that.”
Regarding passing up certain opportunities in the second half, the speaker expressed uncertainty about facing opponents so focused on pick and pop plays in future games, but mentioned having a strategy as the season progresses. Today, I thought it would be best for us to improvise and figure things out as we went along, and that’s exactly what we did. We possessed many valuable items with our aggressive ball pressure and coverage, resulting in either disrupting the pass or forcing a turnover. Occasionally, they may place us in a rotation where one person might not participate in the rotation. And, as I mentioned, great for acquiring knowledge from.
While leading 23-4 and easing up on the throttle, it is clear that human behavior can have a significant impact. The second unit, consisting mainly of inexperienced players, showed that many are new to the team or their positions. I wanted to give them the benefit of the doubt. Hopefully, we can find a way to mix and match lineups so we don’t have a strict rotation of players. I’m not sure if we want to proceed in that manner. I believe many lineups have a strong sense of unity. We need to play both group A and group B, not just one of them.
I enjoy starting things off on the right foot. This does not imply that if you are up 20-4, you will automatically be up 40-8, and then up 80-16. This is not the way it operates. I hope it would occasionally, but it doesn’t. We need to investigate the reason for the slight decrease, whether it was due to lack of effort or poor execution.
When it comes to Caleb Love, all I want is to see him consistently making fantastic basketball plays. And he is very grown-up. I thought he appeared very attractive this evening. I admire how he performed with composure and stability. The position he had with Jaden and KJ just felt right and everything fell into place perfectly. I inform Caleb that we discuss my desires privately, and I want him to realize not everything revolves around him.
Regarding Motiejus Krivas’ comeback: “He was on the court for 10 minutes this evening, which was our objective, just to maintain his presence.” It is likely the highest number of times he has moved up and down in a row, even when including practices. I believe he is accurate. We have had another productive week to assess his progress and encourage his development further. Clearly, he is an excellent player. I believe there are a couple of easy shots that I would have preferred he convert. Perhaps I can be a bit excessive at times, but that’s just how it is. I am confident that child will be able to succeed. I have great hopes for him.
Using Krivas and Veesaar in combination: “They are both skilled basketball players with a strong understanding of the game.” Clearly, their size is impressive. It will be intriguing to observe throughout the season our capability to achieve that. Perhaps it is quite efficient. I will continue to watch it closely and perhaps we can play together on the court. You appreciate their size and both excel at handling the ball, passing, and making an impact on the game at both ends of the court.
Regarding whether Emmanuel Stephen will redshirt: “A decision has not been made yet.” I believe we’re still having a conversation. It is a difficult decision for young men to make. They have been participating in this activity for their entire lives and they are thrilled to be present in this place. However, it is my responsibility to guide him in understanding reality and considering the larger perspective, both for himself and for the program. I’m saying, he has performed exceptionally well. He has come a long way. He has others in front of him, but all the current big players also had mentors in the program. This is basically how college basketball operates.”
Bradley’s thoughts on the initial game: “Returning to action with our complete roster.” Watching all of our team members play together at McKale Stadium was a positive experience.
Regarding Arizona’s roster flexibility, there are numerous lineups that we can utilize. “We are capable of playing whatever Coach desires at any given moment.”
Regarding the full-court press, the speaker believes that their team’s strong defensive activity and high energy can force turnovers and lead to easy scoring opportunities.
Lewis commented on the initial game, stating that it was a positive experience returning to the field, particularly with the new team and the effort put in during the summer. “It feels fantastic.”
Upon Krivas’ arrival back, we noticed him exercising daily following practice to aid in his recovery. I believe he is prepared, they are just being careful with him.
Regarding the chemistry of the backcourt: “It’s not unfamiliar to us, we have all spent time together in the gym during the summer.” It’s beneficial to go out and complete the first task. We plan to watch a movie and learn how we can develop as a group of three.
The crucial aspect of playing against a zone is the movement of both the ball and the players. Something that comes naturally to us here. This is the furthest we have ever been from the exhibitions. We will be ready for any challenges the defense presents to us.