2020 Pac-12 Media took place on Zoom instead of Pac-12 HQ’s this year.
Welcome to the Bracketeer’s coverage of Pac-12 Media Day. We had six hours worth of coaches and players from all 12 schools join the conference call. Only four weeks until Tip-Off!
1) UCLA
HC Mick Cronin:
- Coach Cronin says it was a priority to get in as many good games as they could, gave praise to the San Diego State and Pepperdine programs coming back and is glad they pulled them on the schedule. Kentucky and Marquette games were preserved as well.
- LA County’s stricter requirements and advised San Diego State to host the games to open the year.
- Picked first in preseason, says it doesn't matter. Appreciates the publicity, but also makes his job tougher.
- Encourages players to focus on what they can control. Not to focus on social media or preseason polls, but rather rebounding and getting stops.
- Johnny Juzang was discussed as a player who has come in and worked hard, could be poised for a great year.
2) Arizona State
HC Bobby Hurley
- Exhausted the MTE process looking for best event. Looked at both hosting events and travel opportunities. He's thankful that Mohegan Sun was well-organized and he’s looking forward to getting out to Connecticut.
- Optimistic on the season, but making no promises or predictions on how things will play out. He eluded to the fact that a lot of factors with getting games in is out of their control, but they are doing everything they can.
- Encourages star NBA prospects like Remy Martin, to go get feedback and go through the draft process. Of course this year was different during Covid, but it worked out well for ASU in the end.
3) Oregon
HC Dana Altman
- Players tested every morning. Guys are incredibly careful, but doesn't prevent positives. Coach Altman provided examples of cases where a player could do everything right and still have a positive test. He also mentioned human interaction on campus being important for the team while taking extreme caution.
- LJ Figueroa waiver is still pending, school is working thru it.
- 3 MTEs cancelled during the course of the offseason, beginning with the event in Florida. Hoping 4th one is a charm out in Connecticut. Heading to CT to play VTech and Mizzou on 12/2 and 12/3.
- Commented on how different it will be without fans this season and said he wishes they had a guy like Dillon Brooks around to bring energy.
4) Stanford
HC Jerod Haase
- Guys spent a lot of time together. Went through unique time having to get practices in outdoors on the campus tennis courts.
- Daejon Davis and Oscar Da Silva will be key leaders during a rocky season. Captains haven't been officially named.
- Coach talked about Oscar Da Silva speaking six languages and being a Stem Cell researcher.
- On Ziaire Williams: he will have a tremendous impact in a lot of different ways. Really talented, but he's not a one-dimensional player. He has the ability to shoot the basketball, penetrate, make plays for others.
5) Arizona
HC Sean Miller
- High praise for Christian Koloko, the 7-footer. Has many facets to his game that will carryover to the NBA.
- Talked about in-game bench players will be spread out with masks on. Will be a significant change to gameday routines and take work to manage it.
- Did not address the sanctions from the NCAA.
- He said the fifth-place projection was much higher than he would’ve anticipated.
- Talked about losing 10 scholarship players from last year, complimented this team with having great work ethic and good consistency thus far.
6) USC
HC Andy Enfield
- Held practices in 95 degree heat during August where players couldn't share the basketball with others.
- Proud of Defensive Efficiency overall last year and want to build on it. Trojans led the PAC12 in three core efficiency categories last season.
- Commented on being in a conservative state for Covid-19, and rules are different in LA County then the rest of the country. He appreciates it. What keeps him up at night, is thinking about what happens when someone on the roster gets infected.
7) Colorado
HC Tad Boyle
- Loves that McKinley Wright feels disrespected by the 7th place prediction. He says the Buffs are usually best when people are sleeping on them.
- Gave more praise to Wright, says he is lucky to be able to coach him. Says he is the epitome of what it means to be a Colorado Buffalo.
- On schedule, Kansas State and Drake are still committed to the Little Apple Classic, a fourth team should be named in the next 48 hours.
8) Utah
HC Larry Krystkowiak
- Went through Pac-12 play without winning a road game last year, he takes that as a reflection on himself.
- Cancelled on South Dakota’s Crossover Classic, due to risks with spread in surrounding area.
- Players are staying as isolated as possible during local surge in cases. Coach noted that they isolate from other athletic programs on campus and work hard at staying disciplined daily.
- Has instructed players to treat any person they come into contact with as if they have the virus.
9) Washington
HC Mike Hopkins
- Prior to the session, UW announced that Erik Stevenson got his waiver and rolled out their non-conference schedule.
- Cole Bajema waiver is not officially approved still, but that's expected to come in soon.
- Did not provide any updates on Naz Carter. Presumed out until further notice.
- Praised Nate Roberts' motor. Big energy when he's on the floor.
- On Stevenson: He’s a proven player at the highest level. Hop is impressed by his competitiveness and high basketball IQ.
10) California
HC Mark Fox
- Coach Fox appears confident that the Bears can exceed expectations.
- Expects Matt Bradley to become a more complete player, Betley and Foreman to bring shooting and leadership.
-Process of teaching his team became difficult to navigate when team had long delays due to local restrictions on workouts, then came another shutdown right after getting cleared, due to Covid-19.
- Coach says schools who have been able to train consistently have a distinct advantage this season.
- Mentioned teams who have a team who has already players recover from the virus, have an advantage because they are less likely to be concerned or have games cancelled.
11) Washington State
HC Kyle Smith
- He was satisfied with the progress in year one. Says they need to keep doing what they are doing to build a program.
- Would’ve loved to keep C.J. Elleby to keep more momentum and have more experience.
- This team is young, and they need to mature game to game. Won’t have the same leader scorer this year, more balanced scoring is anticipated.
12) Oregon State
HC Wayne Tinkle
- Emotional ending to last season ending abruptly. Tough way for his son and Kylor Kelley to end their careers. Used it as a teaching moment for the returning team and preached it as a "life lesson."
- Goal this season for the new bigs to defend at a high level.
- Promises that the Beavers won’t finish 12th while taking notice to the preseason poll.
- Emphasized the importance of 3-point defense. Before Tres Tinkle, the Beavers excelled in this area.
The Final Tally (Media Poll)
Team (First Place Votes) Points
1. UCLA (9) 251
2. Arizona State (5) 246
3. Oregon (7) 241
4. Stanford (1) 209
5. Arizona 173
6. USC (1) 154
7. Colorado 149
8. Utah 131
9. Washington 85
10. California 65
11. Washington State 54
12. Oregon State 36
Preseason All-Conference Teams
First Team
Timmy Allen Utah
Matt Bradley Cal
Oscar da Silva Stanford
Chris Duarte Oregon
Remy Martin Arizona St.
Evan Mobley USC
Will Richardson Oregon
Chris Smith UCLA
Ziaire Williams Stanford
McKinley Wright Colorado
Second Team
Isaac Bonton, Washington State
Tyger Campbell, UCLA
Josh Christopher, Arizona State
Ethan Thompson, Oregon State
Alonzo Verge Jr. Arizona State