Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Men's Basketball hosts local Media Day in Carbondale
10/14/2016 | 5:15:00 | Men's Basketball
Team Opening Statement (Read by seniors Sean O'Brien, Mike Rodriguez, Tyler Smithpeters, Leo Vincent)
On behalf of the Saluki Men's Basketball Family: In light of recent events involving race relations in the United States, our team has placed an emphasis on understanding the sacrifice that men and women make every day serving our country. After in-depth discussions with members of local law enforcement and Saluki alum and veteran Harvey Welch, we have decided as a team that we will stand and place our hand over our hearts for the playing of the national anthem.Â
We stand with our hand over our hearts for the playing of the Star Spangled Banner to show the utmost respect and gratitude to those who have served and continue to serve our country. We are forever indebted to the men and women who have given their lives in order for us to have the freedoms bestowed by the First Amendment. As racial injustice continues to be seen around America, it is clear that change is needed. We respect the right people have to protest, but believe the true way for change is coming together as a society.Â
Before every game we walk past a quote by Rick Warren that says, "It's not about you!" We choose to embody this not only by our play on the court, but also in our actions off of it. Thank you.
Barry Hinson Opening Statement
Thanks for coming to our media day. I'm certainly excited…I'm going to address what these guys did. These guys did this on their own. The seniors came up with this. I thought it was a very pointed statement. For the last four or five weeks we've had guest speakers and local law enforcement come and talk to our guys. We also had a former alum as well a former basketball player and a veteran speak, come in and share his ideas and thoughts. We had an open to discussion and we wanted to make sure our guys all stood together, and I stand with these young men in their decisions. I'll tell you this…and I'll tell you now. I'll always stand with my players. These are difficult times right now in our society…we all know that. We certainly wanted to make sure you all knew where we stand as a basketball unit. I can't tell you if it's right or wrong. I can just tell you that's where we stand….ALRIGHT LET'S TALK BASKETBALL. I pulled the guys in the other day on the first day of practice and I meant every word I said…I'm starting my 36th season as a basketball coach and I cannot remember in 36 seasons when I've been this excited to start a year than I am this year. It sounds like a broken record every year. The only year I cannot make that statement will be the year I decide to get out of coaching. I am absolutely (absaluki) thrilled about this group of young men. I love our team chemistry. I like the potential that we have. I'm excited about our schedule. I'm excited about our fans because everywhere I go in this community they seem to be excited and it's amazing. Cal Davis had it right, 'just win baby, 22-win season creates a little stir in your community and a little bit of excitement. Certainly that has been the prelude going into this season.
Media Q&A with Coach Hinson
I want to ask you about some of your walk-ons. Crishawn Cook, what will he give you? Can or will he help you?
I'm going to tell you both of them will. We haven't had a real good run of luck here with walk-ons. What they give us every day in practice is somebody that competes their tail off and makes us better. It's the most unheralded job possible other than being a manager of a college athletic program. But, at the same time it's probably one of the most valuable positions we have. You have to be a jack-of-all-trades. You have to be excited and ready to go every day of practice. You cannot take a day off or have a bad day. What these guys bring to us every single day is an opportunity for us to get better. We didn't even get to the first game of the season last year before we lost both of our walk-ons. I'd like to make a bold statement and say that they will make it to the first exhibition game. We'll wait to see if they make the first regular season game. I'm just teasing…they'll both make it.
Will Crishawn help you defensively, perhaps? From the film I've seen he looks good defensively.Â
He gets out on the floor and guards his tail off. He certainly helps us every day in practice.Â
Barry, you have some size from generally some guys that haven't played a lot for you. How do you feel playing with your size?
I think we got size that can really play. We have Thik and Rudy, Austin Weiher, Wiley, and Sean O'Brien…there's no question, it's the best collection of bigs we've had since I've been here in five years. It's also a great collection of guys that can finish around the basket…Guys that can pass, dribble, and shoot…Guys that understand the game…Thik Bol brings us something we haven't had since I've been here…he alters shots and he can block shots. He can finish around the basket up in the air and run like a gazelle…for about two minutes. He's very athletic and will only get better as he gets into shape. Austin Weiher - a big much like a guy from Northern Iowa, he's a big guy that can step out and shoot it. Rudy in all honesty probably has as good of a feel from now and the past two years from playing in the world games for his country. Jonathan Wiley had his best practice of the year two practices ago, and I went home saying that he's really going to help us. I'll tell you right now, Sean O'Brien has a chance to be an All-League player. I think that he's really come into his own, and you're about to see a different Sean O'Brien. This time last year Sean O'Brien was on a treadmill. This year, Sean O'Brien hasn't missed a summer workout or a single practice and he feels better than he's ever felt. He's being a leader every single day in practice and I'm just really excited for him and the rest of our bigs."
Barry, is the growth more apparent from freshman to sophomore year? Or is it elsewhere?
In my opinion, the biggest growth you ever see in a player is between junior and senior year. It just blows my mind. Whether it's in high school or in college it never ceases to amazing how much better of a player they are when they are a senior. It is unheralded. I actually said that the other day when I was visiting with a group of boosters. I was telling them that they are going to be blown away by our four seniors and how much better they are. If Tyler Smithpeters rises up right now and shoots the three, that's the shot we're looking for. Every time Leo Vincent shoots the ball I think it's going in. I already talked about and alluded to Sean O'Brien. Michael Rodriguez has been out with an injury for six weeks, but I can't think of another guard in the league, with the exception of maybe of Paris Lee, that is as fast as Michael end to end, north to south, east to west. One of the byproducts of Michael being out for six weeks is that he's going to have really fresh legs throughout the season. His little body takes a beating throughout the season, so I'm looking at this as a blessing in disguise. I think all four seniors are going to have a phenomenal year…I'm expecting it.Â
When did Michael start practice again?
Michael had his first practice two days ago and he will have his second practice today. We practiced a few days ago at Carterville High School and we have a second one today. But he's been cleared.
What is it like to have these four seniors on your team this season?
MK, you know I've said this before and I think I maybe even have said in your study once, but you're only as good as your seniors and you're only as good as your experience. We have a combination of both. We have two players that are coming from the junior college system. I've always said this, I think junior college players have a great opportunity their junior years, but it's their senior year when they really blossom. Leo and Michael are just going to have a great year. Tyler and Sean, the most impressive thing I can tell you about these gentlemen is that they chose to come to this institution when it was not a popular place to play. They stuck by it; they stuck with program and stayed true to their commitment. I was just tickled to death by a video by a former Chiefs coach about how you're either committed or interested. Tyler and Sean were committed to this program four years ago and still committed to this day. It speaks volumes. I want those two along with our other two seniors to make it to the postseason about as bad as anything I've ever wanted.Â
You have a lot of guards on the team. Can you talk about how you plan to incorporate all of them in your system?
That's a good question. I like your glasses by the way. Cool guys like us wear glasses like that. Maybe afterwards we'll take a picture and put in swag magazine. I didn't learn that word till the other day, so I thought I'd turn it in today. I told someone the other day that I look bad, and they said 'if you look bad, now, you really do look bad. Bad doesn't mean good.' So, I asked him what do I look? He told me that I want to look swag. So, I appreciate your swag….You know, how do you incorporate all the guards? They incorporate themselves. We are going to play fast this year. Our kids may laugh, but you know what, we're going to play fast in full court. One of the things we want to do is play a lot of guys. Our philosophy going into this season is if you're tired, you're coming off the court. If you're playing tired we'll sub you out. Our practices are more competitive than they have ever been since I have been here. Part of it is because we are recruiting better players. In practice, the first or second unit, however you want to divide it, comes up and beats the other unit. We just have great competition. But, the dividing line comes down to those guys. We have some guys that are possibly going to be redshirted. We have one guy that is coming in as a transfer who will obviously sit out one year. But as much as I talk about our seniors and our bigs, I like the potential of our guards. We scrimmaged the other day and the last segment was all our guys coming back and it was the last minute when we played. I really like that.
Will Jonathan Wiley be an inside player for you?
I think Jonathan can bring it down the for us. I think Jonathan is going to be a good player for us. He's going to play a lot of spots. Sean O'Brien can play point guard for us some this year. Don't be surprised if you see those guys bringing the ball down the floor.
How do you replace Anthony Beane?
There have been two popular questions everywhere I go. Why are you so excited? You've got a guy that transferred to another school and you lose 20 points a game. We might as well talk about the elephant in the room. We've got guys that are committed to this program and that's why we're going to be better. How do we replace Anthony Beane? I don't know. It's hard to replace a guy that get 20 points a game and can beat guys off the dribble with one catch and go. But, I will say this, I think collectively we can do that. We may not have that guy that continually beats a guy or go get that last-second bucket, but we've got guys that can beat guys off the dribble and go get other guys shots. This will be a different style of playing basketball than we've had in the last four years. I think you're going to see us move the ball more freely and openly. I think our assist to turnover ratio will improve dramatically. I think you'll see our guards are capable of scoring in different ways that you've seen in the past. We've really not had an opportunity to score off of what I consider a penetrate and pitch. We've never had a big guy that we can come down the floor and throw it up to for a monstrous dunk. Not just in Thik. Austin can do it. Rudy can do it. Jonathan can do it. Sean is as healthy as he can be, I don't know if how much he'll be high flying and throwing back dunks, but he's got the capability. We actually may run some alley-oop plays this year.
Will the schedule help you have a better team than last year?
Let's quit talking about Louisville, Minnesota, Arkansas and UNLV. Lets talk about Wright State, Murray State, Saint Louis, SIUE, that beat our butt here. A Mike Davis-coached team from Texas Southern. The last time he was here he coached for Indiana. I told Mike Reis a few weeks ago on the radio that I hope we have the same outcome that they had when they beat Indiana. I know everyone is putting an emphasis on the four teams we're playing on the road, but no one is talking about the eight teams we play at home. We have one of, if not the toughest schedule of all the teams in the Valley. I think one of the things the schedule has done is set off an alarm clock. We'll have a reference every single day in practice. I think our players are more excited than anything. When the schedule came out Mike Rodriguez texted me and said thank you for my senior gift. I think he is without question one of the most excited about the schedule.
How much tougher is the Missouri Valley Conference this season?
I think the Valley is the Valley, guys. That's the great thing about it. You can ask that question the next five years and I'll be able to give you the same answer. I'm biased. I'm the dean of the league. I don't know if that's good or bad, it just says I'm getting old. I love this conference. I think, without argument, it is the best mid-major conference, from top to bottom, in the country. I look at everybody in the league this year, and there's not one game I look at and I say, "yep, that's a win". There's none of those. Everyone, from top to bottom, is going to be improved. I think a tell-tale sign for our program is that I look for us to be picked from any where between third and fifth. I think were going to be picked in the top half of the league. I think that's a compliment to the young men behind you.
What's the best thing that Sean O'Brien does?Â
I think the best thing Sean O'Brien does is he's a player. He has an unbelievable feel for the game, and he doesn't have a selfish bone in his body. It's funny that when you say this a lot of times in practice, I'll say "I want the ball in Sean O'Brien's hands as much as possible. Play through Sean O'Brien." And a lot of times you'd have guys that would roll their eyes, or do this or that. But our guys are excited to get the ball to Sean because they know if they get the ball to him, he's going to make the right play. The one challenge, and he's working on this, he really is, because it takes him out of his personality and his character, but he's really getting to the point where he's becoming a good leader. Michael is back on the floor, and guys miss defensive assignments or whatever, and Sean got on Rudy the other day. It was probably the best tell tale moments we've had. Rudy appreciated it. And our team appreciated it. Michael is going to be that guy. Leo and Tyler we need to get more into that role. They know this. I'm not saying anything that these guys haven't already heard before. When you have four seniors that are committed like these guys are, I think it just makes for good basketball.
What are you most excited for this basketball season?
I'm excited that my daughter got engaged, and I like the guy. That's a plus! The excitement for this year, is that everyone thinks were not going to be that good, cause we lost a guy who transferred to a BCS school and a guy who scored 20 points per game, and I really enjoy being around these guys on a daily basis. Every day. I like being around these guys. Were getting ready to have our 13th practice today. I come into practice everyday like I'm on Mountain Dew and Skittles, I'm like a spider monkey. I'm ready to go, every day. Â
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