Bryan Mullins press conference
01/21/2021 | 8:19:00 | Men's Basketball
OPENING STATEMENT
We're excited to get back playing, obviously. We're playing an extremely tough opponent. I think Indiana State is playing as well as anyone in our league right now. Their backcourt is experienced with Key and Neese. I think those our two of the better guards in our league. In their frontcourt, with LaRavia and Williams, they present a lot of challenges. LaRavia is so different; he can play 1 through 5. Williams has a great feel and brings a toughness to them down low and a physical presence. And they have two grad transfers in Howard and Miller who can score the ball at high levels. Coach Lansing has done a great job with this group. They play extremely hard, and they're probably one of the most physical teams in our league, as well.
Will players take time to get their legs under them after a quarantine or getting COVID?
It won't happen within a day or two. We had a pause before the season got going, so we experienced it with some of our student-athletes. It's a long time. Anytime you take 10 to 17 days off after you have been working out at a high intensity for an extended period of time, then you have to do nothing for that stretch of time, it just takes time. It's not just two practices, and then you feel great again. It takes about a week or two weeks to get back to where you were before that period. We know it's a process with our guys.
What have you been able to do over the past couple weeks?
Starting today, we will start focusing on Indiana State with the guys that we have available to practice. We have to get the guys who will be able to play Monday and Tuesday as prepared as possible. Obviously, Indiana State will be ready to go. Their series against Evansville was canceled, so they have all week to prepare for us, as well. We had some Zooms with the guys, and we also had some guys who were not in quarantine, so they were able to do some individual workouts. It's not ideal, that's for sure. You can't control everything. If you spend time worrying about it or making excuses, I don't think that does anything productive, as coaches or players. You try to spin it to your advantage. You try to come up with creative ways for the team to get closer. When you do face adversity, it can help you in the future. You try to do the best with what's going on presently and prepare for the future. I think our guys will be ready to compete at Indiana State.
How do you balance staying healthy and preparing for the next game?
I think student-athletes are understanding what this season is and the things that can happen, how important it is to focus on the things you can control. Like I've said before, I give our guys a lot of credit. They're an extremely close group. They've stayed together. I think they're excited for this upcoming weekend. When things happen, when adversity hits, they don't look backwards. They look forward. They stay together. The good thing is, the Valley has done a great job with the scheduling. We're going to be able to get our games in. Our guys just want an opportunity to compete.
Do you feel good about being able to play Monday and Tuesday against Indiana State?
We should, as long as nothing happens with injuries or testing situations. We should have a minimum of eight scholarship players to play Monday.
How can Kyler Filewich impact the series?
One of the reasons Indiana State is so good is that they're versatile. They will play a lot of different lineups. LaRavia will play the 5, the 4 with Williams. With Kyler, we will need his physicality and toughness. The games that he has been at his best, he has dominated with his energy. That's a challenge that we've talked to him about these last couple weeks, moving into the rest of the Valley season.
