San Francisco, CA
Welcome to the Bracketeer’s ongoing coverage of 2021-22 Pac-12 Media Day. I will update this post throughout the day to recap all 12 of the schools in the conference and any additional nuggets that I personally gather. Only four weeks until Tip-Off!
First: A visit with Andy Katz on Bracketology
Pac-12 in Order of Media Poll
1) UCLA
HC Mick Cronin
- Not affected by the pressure of expectations. Feels more pressure by living up to UCLA's historical precedent.
- One of the ways he stays focused is to consistently put the focus on his players. Both internal and external.
- Talked about the starting point in practice being so much higher this season. Praised the added intellectual wisdom that Myles Johnson brings.
- Discussed last season’s ending at great length. Said he continued to believe in his team despite the late struggles. Talked about the team needing a big win to see it for themselves. Discussed the Michigan State game as representing that moment during the First Four.
- Cited the loss at Oregon late last year as a make-up game they had to play without practicing. A covid test was a false positive. By the time the team found out, they had to get to the airport and fly to Eugene. UCLA still led in the second half of that game, before falling short.
- Also reviewed the inconsistent roster issues that plagued the Bruins most of last season. Having Juzang miss time, then losing Chris Smith right after. Also talked about Cody Riley being a warrior and playing through a foot injury that should have sidelined him for a month or longer.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/2021-pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-ucla-press-conference
2) Oregon
HC Dana Altman
- Does not know for sure who the Alpha will be this year. Comes down to who has the drive. Duarte and Pritchard were always the first people in the gym and the last ones to leave.
- In favor of NIL, wants to promote players. Aligns with Pac-12 values.
- Small ball lineups last year led to some real struggles against big teams. Altman believes he addressed this by getting N’Faly Dante back healthy, also thinks Nate Bittle will develop.
- Does not want to retire anytime soon. Doesn’t know what he would do with himself.
- On Quincy Guerrier - he is a prototypical fit defensively who can guard a lot of space.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/2021-pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-oregon-press-conference
3) USC
HC Andy Enfield
- USC's edge will come from experience (first seven guys in rotation are Jr. or Sr.’s)
- Roster provides flexibility with playing different styles and mixing tempo
- Staff will always coach to roster strengths regardless
-High on his wing players this season (Drew Peterson, Chevez Goodwin, Isaiah White namely)
- Credited his staff for finding players who consistently make their rosters more dynamic each year.
- Mentioned Joshua Morgan and Boubacar Coulibaly as counted on bigs.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-usc-press-conference
T4) Arizona
HC Tommy Lloyd
- On taking over the highest-scoring team in the league: He loves it, would love to score over 90 PPG
- Tempo/Pace is key to create easy baskets fuels the system (sounds just like Gonzaga, no stunner there).
- The team is mastering the fundamentals of the system now, happy where team is at today - More packages to be put in - ISO's/Post pakages, etc. Asked to check with him in a month and see how he feels.
- A lot of conversation between Ben Mathurin and PJ Carlesimo during this time and it led to Coach Lloyd chiming in about how he looks up to international coaches and style of play. He also understands at Arizona there is an importance on taking homegrown talent. This will be a balance annually for him. This year’s team has eight international players and the rest are from the U.S.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-arizona-press-conference
T4) Oregon State
HC Wayne Tinkle
- Discussed the fact that OSU has brought in some talent. Talked about having guys that really understood what put the Beavers in a position to make that run back, but he challenges them by asking, “are they going to feeling content, or are they going to thirst for more?”
- Pillars of the program have been enforced daily at practice. Leadership is required each day - "Accountability within."
- Last season's turning point occurred during the win at Stanford - Tinkle mentioned that they had to "Squashed the non-sense." And from there it really felt like a changed team.
- Discussed transfers that are now hungry to come in be a part of the success with the vets. So there’s been a little marking your territory for the vets in play now.
- Expectations for the team and goals stay in-house. Tinkle noted that it worked very well for them a season ago. Also acknowledged that being picked tied for 4th was a test for him, one year after being picked 12th by many of the same voters.
- Side Note: I planned to ask if Deshawn Davis is the best kept secret in the league right now. Sadly, we ran out of time.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/2021-pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-oregon-state-press-conference
6) Colorado
HC Tad Boyle
- Keeshawn Barthelemy had a great off-season. Stayed on campus, worked hard. Has improved a lot.
- KJ Simpson and Julian Hammond III are part of the mix at PG
- Tad made it perfectly clear: Most important metrics in the CU program are: FG% Defense & Rebounding margin
- Very stable leadership, led by Battey, gives him optimism for the upcoming year.
- Losing to Tennessee and Florida State last year taught the staff a lot about matchups. Admitted they were outclassed in those matchups and are implementing changes. (CU hosts Kansas and Tennessee this year for their marquee non-conference matchups).
- Eli Parquet takes defense personally. Takes a ton of pride in it. Tad says he is one of the best in the country at weak-side shot blocking.
- Acknowledged that Jabari Walker will be called upon to take a considerable step forward in leading the team in scoring production.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/2021-pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-colorado-press-conference
7) Arizona State
HC Bobby Hurley:
- D.J. Horne is his choice as the most under-the-radar player this season that nobody is talking about.
- Touched on a re-focused commitment to defensive-end. Talked a bit about Alonzo Gaffney's 7'3 wingspan and being a key stopper.
- Mentioned that Mo Jackson was MAC P.O.Y. last season, but did not comment on why he was left off the preseason all-conference teams or even appear on the honorable mention list.
- Recognized that last year’s team had difficulty sharing the basketball. Said this in a somewhat relieved manner - as if this has now been resolved.
- Marcus Bagley entered the portal to explore all options, decided to return once he realized ASU was still his top choice.
- Spoke highly about Luther Muhammed, looks ready to produce.
- Discussed using some bigger lineups to get more defensive stops, based on particular matchups. Said that we could see Marcus Bagley moved to the three in those scenarios and pair him with Kamani Lawerence and Alonzo Gaffney.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/2021-pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-arizona-state-press-conference
8) Washington State
HC Kyle Smith
- "Ty is a bucket." on Tyrell Roberts
- Mentioned that Ty (yes, he goes by Ty) Roberts was championship leader at the High School level when he first started recruiting him and played on a 30-1 D2 school. That winning mentality really convinced Coach Smith to bring him in.
- Ball pressure defense is a big focus. Named Noah Williams, Mouhamed Gueye, and Jefferson Koulibaly as primary examples. Will be a reoccurring theme for opposing teams.
- Talked about the relationship with NBA Africa program and connection to Efe. Those pipelines have opened doors for the WSU program.
- He thinks the three core bigs (Efe Abogidi, TJ Bamba, and Dishon Jackson) are poised to make a jump forward this season in development.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/2021-pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-washington-state-press-conference
9) Stanford
HC Jerod Hasse
- Defense will always be a high priority under Haase (#7 in 2020 AdjD, #28 in 2021)
- On disappointing finishes: Tries to remember how it was as a player and the emotions he used to go through. Talked a lot about Balance with Life and academics for the unique Stanford rigor.
- It was challenging to be in Santa Clara for a big chunk of the '21 season. Just a lot of inconsistencies daily and hard to get into a routine or for players to form bonds.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-stanford-press-conference
10) Utah
HC Craig Smith
- Team has become stronger, more versatile, and improved movement since he got there. Pointed to the physiques of Battin and Carlson as prime examples.
- Spoke highly on David Jenkins, talked about losing to him in the Summit League title game (DJ had 29 as a member of South Dakota State vs. Craig Smith’s South Dakota Coyotes at the time).
- Praised Riley Battin for being the ultimate team guy since he got the job.
- Craig Smith is fired up to be at Utah, his energy was high throughout the day and said he’s enjoyed the short move to Salt Lake City.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/2021-pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-utah-press-conference
11) Washington
HC Mike Hopkins
- Re-committed to the Zone and prepared to "muck" it up with a mirage of different zone looks this season..
- Team now is equipped with great ballhandlers (Daejon Davis & Terrell Brown namely).
- Incoming transfers Emmitt Mathews, Terrell Brown and Daejon Davis are big believers in the zone principles and have felt the zone as opponents. Mathews was a member of West Virginia last season, who was eliminated from the NCAA 2nd Round vs. Syracuse and their trademark 2-3 zone defense.
- Wyking Jones hire as an Assistant Coach has already paid off early. Working with the bigs on a variety of areas, but none more important than rebounding.
- He also praised new Assisitant Coach Quincy Pondexter for coming in and bringing a ton of energy each day alongside fellow Assistant Coach, Will Conroy - “the Heart and Soul of the program.”
- Defending without fouling has been emphasized
- Being unselfish and maintaining toughness were highlighted.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/2021-pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-washington-press-conference
MORE WITH COACH HOPKINS (Audio Interview)
12) California
HC Mark Fox
- Genuine excitement in his voice about this team's prospects for this year due to age and experience.
- Roster construction challenges with Portal due to Cal's academic requirements.
- The team felt like they were right there after seeing peer teams succeed in NCAA's.
- Having an older team should help this team. Andre Kelly mentioned that when he was a younger player, it was difficult to manage emotions. With this older team in place, this shouldn’t be as much of a challenge.
- Coach expressed the importance of a good offense. The team is looking to be more effective in scoring and he expects an uptick in production this season, despite the loss of production leader, Matt Bradley.
PRESS CONFERENCE: https://pac-12.com/videos/2021-pac-12-mens-basketball-media-day-california-press-conference
The Final Tally (Media Poll)
TEAM (first-place votes) POINTS
1. UCLA (32) 404 points
2. Oregon (2) 373
3. USC 320
T4. Arizona 245
T4. Oregon State 245
6. Colorado 235
7. Arizona State 224
8. Washington State 221
9. Stanford 151
10. Utah 105
11. Washington 85
12. California 44
Preseason All-Conference Teams
First Team
Warith Alatishe, Sr., F, Oregon State
Marcus Bagley, So., F, Arizona State
Evan Battey Sr., F, Colorado
Tyger Campbell, Jr. G, UCLA
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Jr., G/F, UCLA
Johnny Juzang, Jr., G, UCLA
Bennedict Mathurin, So., G, Arizona
Isaiah Mobley Jr., F, USC
Will Richardson, Sr., G, Oregon
Noah Williams, Jr., G, Washington State
Second Team
Boogie Ellis, Jr., G, USC
Quincy Guerrier, Jr., F, Oregon
De'Vion Harmon Jr., G, Oregon
Jarod Lucas Jr., G, Oregon State
Azuolas Tubelis, So., F, Arizona
BRACKETEER.ORG Selections
Order of Finish (Went game-by-game)
1. UCLA
2. Oregon
3. Arizona
T4. Arizona State
T4. USC
T6. Oregon State
T6. Washington State
T6. Colorado
9. Utah
10. Washington
11. Stanford
12. California
All-Conference (10 players only)
Ben Mathurin, Arizona
Marcus Bagley, ASU
Mo Jackson, ASU
Jabari Walker, Colorado
De'Vion Harmon, Oregon
Will Richardson, Oregon
Jamie Jaquez, UCLA
Johnny Juzang, UCLA
Isaiah Mobley, USC
Noah Williams, WSU