ECU Men's Basketball Holds Annual Media Day
October 13, 2017 | Men's Basketball
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Twelve days after holding their first official practice, ECU Head Coach Jeff Lebo and members of the men's basketball team met with the media Friday afternoon inside the Smith-Williams Center to discuss the first two weeks of practice and the upcoming 2017-18 season.Â
Head Coach Jeff Lebo
On newcomers meshing with the returners
"Anytime you have a lot of new faces your kind of starting over and you have to be slow because you're teaching. Sometimes that can be frustrating for the older guys because they've got to hear the same thing over and over. That's just part of being a player. We're trying to figure out what we can do, what we're going to be good at, what areas are we going to be able to exploit and what areas are we going to be weak in. That takes some time when you've got a lot of new faces."
On the development of the post players
"We lost a lot of guys in that area that were experienced players. We'll have a lot of new guys in that area. We'll need a big jump from Jabari Craig. He's going to be one of our most important players. Can he stay elevate his game? Can he stay on the floor and not foul? Can he be a staple for us so we can throw the ball into him? From a physical standpoint, there is no question he can play in this league, he's going to have to have a higher role and be able to stay on the floor for longer minutes and be productive for us. He's an important guy for us. Usman Haruna is going to be a physical defensive guy for us. He's not going to be a big scorer for us. He can screen, rebound, run and defend. He's got decent size, so his growth and his ability to pick up what we do is going to be important.
"We're still waiting on word [from the NCAA] on Seth LeDay. He's a difference maker for us. He's been really good in the first seven days of practice."
On B.J. Tyson's return
"When you get hurt at the time of the season which he did and you have to miss the amount of time that he missed and the team learns to play without you because they have to, it's hard and he pressed a little bit when he came back. He needs to get healthy for us. He's one of our best players, he's an experienced guy. He needs to be able to start and be injury free for the whole season. He didn't do much this summer because we were trying to preserve him to get to this point. Hopefully, he'll be injury free and have a great senior season."
On the backcourt depth
"We had two guys sitting out last year, Isaac Fleming and Shawn Williams. Jeremy Sheppard is a proven guy that can play. B.J. in the backcourt, KB. The strength of our team is going to be there. K.J. Davis can really shoot the basketball. We have some depth and we have some competition there. The strength of our team is going to be on the perimeter because of that experience and that depth."
On Jeremy Sheppard
"He's a talented player. He's got speed, he can shoot it, he can pass it. He can get the ball as a point guard anywhere on the floor he wants. He's got to get stronger. That was the one thing he wanted to do in the offseason so he could take the hits that you're going to take in this league. He's done that. He knows a lot more and is more comfortable with what I expect from that position."
On the non-conference schedule
"We've got a lot of home games which we're excited about. Scheduling is always very difficult. We've got different parameters now in this league which has a made it a little bit more difficult. Just about every year I've been here we've been able to play an ACC team, but that's becoming increasingly difficult with the league parameters and with the ACC going to 20 league games. That's two less non-conference games for them to get. I always thought that was really good for our program."
On goals for the season
"We'll sit and talk with our captains and our coaches to talk about what our goals and aspirations are. Each day right now in the preseason we're just focusing on getting better and try to stay healthy. We're trying to figure out what this team can do and what its strengths will be.
"We have to get better shooting the basketball. That was an Achilles heel for us last season… We've got to be able to shoot the ball consistently from the perimeter at multiple spots. We did not do that very well last year. That's an area we've got to get better and that's an area of concern for us still this year."
On the addition of Doug Wojcik to the coaching staff
"He's an experienced guy. He's been a head coach. He's been at elite programs, four of them. He's worked with terrific coaches and players. He's somebody I can lean on, somebody I can trust, somebody I know whose been through the process. He's sat in the seat for multiple years and the guys respect that. Our players respect who he's worked for and who he's worked with. We're very excited about having Doug and what he can do to help elevate this program."
On how ECU matches up in The American
"The league is going to be terrific again. We've added Wichita State to the league, who is a preseason top-10 team. A lot of publications have Cincinnati as a top-10 team and UConn has players that were hurt last year that are back. Temple also has some guys back that are going to be tough to beat, but I think we've proven that we can win in the league. The next step for us is to prove that we can win consistently in the league. The other thing we've got to get better at is playing on the road, That has been a frustrating thing for me. We've failed in that area the last couple of years. It's always hard in basketball to win on the road. If we want to move our program to where we aspire to be, we've got to be able to play much better and much more consistent on the road. That's going to be an emphasis for this year's team."
On the rotation at point guard
"We've got Isaac Fleming, who is a big, strong point guard. We've got Sheppard. I think you'll see those two guys play together. Shawn Williams is a guy that can play that position also, so our depth there is going to be pretty solid. I think you'll see them separate. I think you'll see them together. We can play two point guards. One can play off the ball. Fleming is a guy who can defend because he's strong. He's 215 pounds. He can defend a bigger two guard, which we are excited about that. We've got two very good ball handlers, drivers, scorers, passers, crafty guys. Fleming is a guy who I think can make a big splash in this league. It'll take some time for him because he hasn't played in a while. I'm excited about his physicality offensively and defensively. He's a very good defensive guy on the ball and off the ball too."
On his health
"I feel great. For two years I was in pain and for one I didn't know what it was. Now I'm able to be out on the floor. I can jump in some of the drills. I can teach a lot easier. I can stand being out there for two and a half hours. It's all behind me now."
Junior Kentrell Barkley
On his new hairstyle
"I feel like it's a more professional look. I'm 21 now so it's a great start in my life."
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On the challenge of having so many new teammates
"We're just trying to get everyone on the same page and make sure we clique. We're [deep] in a lot of positions, but we're kind of small at the five spot from last year. We just want to make sure that spot is strong as well, along with the other positions."
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On the team's comradery
"We mesh really well. We laugh a lot, we talk junk a lot. I guess that's just part of basketball."
Senior B.J. Tyson
On the start of a new season
"I'm just excited. We've got a lot of new guys and I see potential in all of them. It's going to be pretty fun playing beside these guys. A lot of people have seen them yet, but we're going to be a pretty good team."
Â
On recovering from injury
"I'm getting there. I wouldn't say I'm fully 100 percent, but I'm getting back to the old BJ. I'm finding my way around the mid-range and finding my way outside so I'm feeling pretty comfortable."
Â
On the thought of this being his final season
"This is my last year, I want to bring everything that I have and leave it out on the court. I'm actually the only guy here since 2013, and that's pretty crazy, but it's amazing. I try to coach up the young guys because they look at me as a dad."
Sophomore Jeremy Sheppard
On his ability to build off his all-rookie season
"Very confident. My teammates and I have been working very hard all summer trying to build the chemistry up. I am going to continue to work hard, and improve my game, and keep everything going."
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On the energy level in practice
"It's going! It's really loud at practice, we try to pick up a lot. It's getting closer to the season. The first game is a month away and the first scrimmage is about two weeks away, so we are just making sure we get everything together."
Junior Isaac Fleming
On what he learned while sitting out last season
"The system, how things are run here, and getting used to this style of play."
Â
On getting acclimated to playing in games again
"It's going great, I'm just ready to shock the world! A lot of people think that they know what we're going to do this year, but they don't even know, It's going to be a good feeling."
Â
On the team's depth at point guard
"We are deep at point guard this year and that was really our problem last year. I just feel like this year with the players we have, we'll be healthy and strong.".
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Head Coach Jeff Lebo
On newcomers meshing with the returners
"Anytime you have a lot of new faces your kind of starting over and you have to be slow because you're teaching. Sometimes that can be frustrating for the older guys because they've got to hear the same thing over and over. That's just part of being a player. We're trying to figure out what we can do, what we're going to be good at, what areas are we going to be able to exploit and what areas are we going to be weak in. That takes some time when you've got a lot of new faces."
On the development of the post players
"We lost a lot of guys in that area that were experienced players. We'll have a lot of new guys in that area. We'll need a big jump from Jabari Craig. He's going to be one of our most important players. Can he stay elevate his game? Can he stay on the floor and not foul? Can he be a staple for us so we can throw the ball into him? From a physical standpoint, there is no question he can play in this league, he's going to have to have a higher role and be able to stay on the floor for longer minutes and be productive for us. He's an important guy for us. Usman Haruna is going to be a physical defensive guy for us. He's not going to be a big scorer for us. He can screen, rebound, run and defend. He's got decent size, so his growth and his ability to pick up what we do is going to be important.
"We're still waiting on word [from the NCAA] on Seth LeDay. He's a difference maker for us. He's been really good in the first seven days of practice."
On B.J. Tyson's return
"When you get hurt at the time of the season which he did and you have to miss the amount of time that he missed and the team learns to play without you because they have to, it's hard and he pressed a little bit when he came back. He needs to get healthy for us. He's one of our best players, he's an experienced guy. He needs to be able to start and be injury free for the whole season. He didn't do much this summer because we were trying to preserve him to get to this point. Hopefully, he'll be injury free and have a great senior season."
On the backcourt depth
"We had two guys sitting out last year, Isaac Fleming and Shawn Williams. Jeremy Sheppard is a proven guy that can play. B.J. in the backcourt, KB. The strength of our team is going to be there. K.J. Davis can really shoot the basketball. We have some depth and we have some competition there. The strength of our team is going to be on the perimeter because of that experience and that depth."
On Jeremy Sheppard
"He's a talented player. He's got speed, he can shoot it, he can pass it. He can get the ball as a point guard anywhere on the floor he wants. He's got to get stronger. That was the one thing he wanted to do in the offseason so he could take the hits that you're going to take in this league. He's done that. He knows a lot more and is more comfortable with what I expect from that position."
On the non-conference schedule
"We've got a lot of home games which we're excited about. Scheduling is always very difficult. We've got different parameters now in this league which has a made it a little bit more difficult. Just about every year I've been here we've been able to play an ACC team, but that's becoming increasingly difficult with the league parameters and with the ACC going to 20 league games. That's two less non-conference games for them to get. I always thought that was really good for our program."
On goals for the season
"We'll sit and talk with our captains and our coaches to talk about what our goals and aspirations are. Each day right now in the preseason we're just focusing on getting better and try to stay healthy. We're trying to figure out what this team can do and what its strengths will be.
"We have to get better shooting the basketball. That was an Achilles heel for us last season… We've got to be able to shoot the ball consistently from the perimeter at multiple spots. We did not do that very well last year. That's an area we've got to get better and that's an area of concern for us still this year."
On the addition of Doug Wojcik to the coaching staff
"He's an experienced guy. He's been a head coach. He's been at elite programs, four of them. He's worked with terrific coaches and players. He's somebody I can lean on, somebody I can trust, somebody I know whose been through the process. He's sat in the seat for multiple years and the guys respect that. Our players respect who he's worked for and who he's worked with. We're very excited about having Doug and what he can do to help elevate this program."
On how ECU matches up in The American
"The league is going to be terrific again. We've added Wichita State to the league, who is a preseason top-10 team. A lot of publications have Cincinnati as a top-10 team and UConn has players that were hurt last year that are back. Temple also has some guys back that are going to be tough to beat, but I think we've proven that we can win in the league. The next step for us is to prove that we can win consistently in the league. The other thing we've got to get better at is playing on the road, That has been a frustrating thing for me. We've failed in that area the last couple of years. It's always hard in basketball to win on the road. If we want to move our program to where we aspire to be, we've got to be able to play much better and much more consistent on the road. That's going to be an emphasis for this year's team."
On the rotation at point guard
"We've got Isaac Fleming, who is a big, strong point guard. We've got Sheppard. I think you'll see those two guys play together. Shawn Williams is a guy that can play that position also, so our depth there is going to be pretty solid. I think you'll see them separate. I think you'll see them together. We can play two point guards. One can play off the ball. Fleming is a guy who can defend because he's strong. He's 215 pounds. He can defend a bigger two guard, which we are excited about that. We've got two very good ball handlers, drivers, scorers, passers, crafty guys. Fleming is a guy who I think can make a big splash in this league. It'll take some time for him because he hasn't played in a while. I'm excited about his physicality offensively and defensively. He's a very good defensive guy on the ball and off the ball too."
On his health
"I feel great. For two years I was in pain and for one I didn't know what it was. Now I'm able to be out on the floor. I can jump in some of the drills. I can teach a lot easier. I can stand being out there for two and a half hours. It's all behind me now."
Junior Kentrell Barkley
On his new hairstyle
"I feel like it's a more professional look. I'm 21 now so it's a great start in my life."
Â
On the challenge of having so many new teammates
"We're just trying to get everyone on the same page and make sure we clique. We're [deep] in a lot of positions, but we're kind of small at the five spot from last year. We just want to make sure that spot is strong as well, along with the other positions."
Â
On the team's comradery
"We mesh really well. We laugh a lot, we talk junk a lot. I guess that's just part of basketball."
Senior B.J. Tyson
On the start of a new season
"I'm just excited. We've got a lot of new guys and I see potential in all of them. It's going to be pretty fun playing beside these guys. A lot of people have seen them yet, but we're going to be a pretty good team."
Â
On recovering from injury
"I'm getting there. I wouldn't say I'm fully 100 percent, but I'm getting back to the old BJ. I'm finding my way around the mid-range and finding my way outside so I'm feeling pretty comfortable."
Â
On the thought of this being his final season
"This is my last year, I want to bring everything that I have and leave it out on the court. I'm actually the only guy here since 2013, and that's pretty crazy, but it's amazing. I try to coach up the young guys because they look at me as a dad."
Sophomore Jeremy Sheppard
On his ability to build off his all-rookie season
"Very confident. My teammates and I have been working very hard all summer trying to build the chemistry up. I am going to continue to work hard, and improve my game, and keep everything going."
Â
On the energy level in practice
"It's going! It's really loud at practice, we try to pick up a lot. It's getting closer to the season. The first game is a month away and the first scrimmage is about two weeks away, so we are just making sure we get everything together."
Junior Isaac Fleming
On what he learned while sitting out last season
"The system, how things are run here, and getting used to this style of play."
Â
On getting acclimated to playing in games again
"It's going great, I'm just ready to shock the world! A lot of people think that they know what we're going to do this year, but they don't even know, It's going to be a good feeling."
Â
On the team's depth at point guard
"We are deep at point guard this year and that was really our problem last year. I just feel like this year with the players we have, we'll be healthy and strong.".
Â
Players Mentioned
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