Richard Pitino
- There was a players-only meeting after the Maryland loss, and there's been a lot of improvement since then. I usually laugh at those things, but I think there was an improvement. I'm glad that happen.
- Eric Curry’s making winning plays and freshman don’t usually do that. Amir gets all the hype and that’s just. Eric has no ego. Played games with single digit minutes and never said a word.
- Eric playing the 5 gives us a different dimension. Reggie has not shown the ability to not stay out of foul trouble. We went with Eric against Michigan State down the stretch instead of Reggie because MSU isn’t a traditional back-to-the-basket team so we had to switch on screens.
- There’s not really a difference on this team between the 4s and the 5s, like there was when Joey King was here.
- I tried to give Akeem and Dupree as much confidence as possible when they went through their slumps. The mental part of the game is so important. I think the benefit of me being young is not being oblivious to it. They have a lot on their plate. They’re under a lot of pressure. I try to be as honest as possible. It’s individual meetings as much as possible. If you avoid it, they’re not going to want to talk about it. Amir’s not as quiet off the court as he is on the court. You’re a psychologist every day in this profession.
- I tell them all the time “was that shot for you, or was that shot for the team.” Akeem shot one last game that he just wanted to go in so he could say he went one.
- Doesn’t change a whole lot with Maryland’s big not coming off the bench. He’s very good but it doesn’t change the scouting report a whole lot.
- It’s weird. I’m used to everyone hating me. It’s uncomfortable. It is different. People actually come up to me and say nice things. It’s funny. There’s the good and the bad and you just have to take it in stride, even the good. That’s sports. It’s not our fanbase; it’s the nature of the business.
- The crowds have been good but I still think it can be better. I think people are still holding back a bit, and I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s last year. The players deserve it. They’re selfless, they defend, there’s a lot of reason why. We need our fans to know that Penn State and Nebraska are really good teams. Sometimes the casual fan may not respect Penn State or Nebraska, but our program absolutely does.
- I think there’s a selflessness on this team. I didn’t play Akeem or Reggie and they didn’t care. They were the happiest guys on the bench. When I didn’t start Dupree, we had a ten second conversation about it and it was no big deal. You can’t take that for granted because not everyone has that. Mike and Ahmad have not said a word. I’ve gone with JR just because he’s a little bit older. You look at Michael Hurt on the bench, he’s the first one up, celebrating everyone’s success. You look at Gas, he’s always loud in practice and cheers everyone on. It’s been contagious.
- What we would have done with Davonte is play him at the three and the four. Next year we’ll have a lot of funs with our lineups. We could have Amir at the 2, Davonte at the 3, Curry at the 4, and Reggie at the 5. That’s a big, long lineup. We could have been extremely versatile with Fitzgerald this year. If Davonte wasn’t hurt, we could play Amir at the 2 more.
- The changes to this team’s mentality started this summer with the early morning practices. Getting up early every day and really working hard made a difference.
- At the players’ only meeting after the Maryland game, the leaders of the team said that we needed to settle down and execute, especially down the stretch.
- Nate, Akeem, and Jordan called the players’ only meeting and Nate and Akeem spoke up the most.
- Coach always texts me to stay positive. He always tells me he believes in me. The lost couple games I’ve been off; I’ve been losing it. He really believes in me. Coach always texts me and he always expects a reply (laughs).
- What makes Melo Trimble tough is coming off ball screens. Favorite is splitting the ball screen.
- He tells us on the bench to always be ready. He’s always saying it might not be this person’s night so you always have to be ready to go.
- I set big expectations for myself coming in. Coach P always told me he thinks I’m one of the best freshman in the conference.
- Having Amir here helped me out a lot. People didn’t really know me.
- Jordan helps me out a lot. I get to guard him every day and in the summer.
- My defense has really improved since I got here, especially strength-wise. I’m able to hold my own.
- The strength staff wants me to stay at 235 in-season but this offseason they want me to get up to 240.
