Video:
Transcript:
PAT KELSEY: We’re excited to be here this event every single year, and I’ve been a lady coach for many years before I even came to Louisville, but every year when you go to media day, it just — something else, your heart beats a little bit faster, your blood gets boiling a little bit more because you look around, you see other athletes that you’re going to compete against in their uniforms. You see the other coaches. We’re all competitors.
When we look at each other, there’s obviously
a mutual respect, but we can’t wait to get back on the airplane, go back and start coaching our guys up again. This really gets this thing going in a big direction. We’re proud to be a part of this great, great conference. In my opinion, the greatest basketball conference in the history of college basketball going back years and years and years.
I was lucky early in my career to be an assistant coach at Wake Forest, which is really close to the epicenter, the founding area of this conference in Greensboro, and it’s cool that we’re going back there for the ACC tournament. We’re looking forward to that.
But we are mostly focused on the next thing, which is what we talk about every day in our program, and that’s getting back tomorrow and having the best practice in the United States of America. Blessed to be here, though.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach.
Q. I’ve got a two-part question. First question is tremendous job your first two years. What have you learned in your first two years in the ACC? Secondly, your roster is assimilated differently this year. You’re larger, longer, not as much a three-point shooting team. Did what you learned have anything to do with your roster this year?
PAT KELSEY: Yeah, no, that’s a great question. You asked what I learned the last two years in the ACC. Obviously there’s great coaches, great programs, powerful brands. If you can win this conference, you can win a national championship. We’re excited about competing for that.
You asked about our roster construction. There’s no question that we are intentional this year as to how we built our roster, and there was an emphasis on defense and rebounding and improving our rim protection and our length and our overall physicality I think without losing our offensive firepower as well.
You mentioned shooting, and I think one of the hallmarks of our offensive teams the last two years is we’ve been elite shooting teams, and I think we still are a good, hopefully very good, shooting team.
But you know, the length and athleticism that we added hopefully will make us an elite defensive and rebounding team as well in competing at this level. We’ve had a lot of success the last two years, but I think to take that next step and get over the hump, those were two areas we really needed to address, and I feel like we did.
Q. I’m going to ask about Seth and LJ who are both awaiting on a ruling I believe in court next week. There’s a hearing about their case to try to get eligible. I know you guys are trying to — always trying to stay within the rules, but it seems like the rules are changing constantly. How frustrating is that for you as a coach, and just do you have any concerns about this process playing out further into the season where, you know, these guys may get eligible heading into the season, but, you know, as the case keeps going and things go back and forth in court, that there may be a chance that they’re not eligible for stretches of the season?
PAT KELSEY: Yeah. You asked if it’s frustrating. It just is what it is. There’s quite a bit of chaos going on right now, and I think coaches have to be able to be flexible and adjust and bob and weave a little bit, and we sure hope those guys both become eligible. Your guess is as good as mine right now.
Somehow I’ve become an expert in what a TRO is and what a stay is and what an injunction is. I wouldn’t have known that from a bucket of paint several months ago, so we’ll see.
We’re proceeding and we’re coaching and we’re operating every day like they will be eligible. That’s the only way I know how to do it. If we have to adjust at some point, we will. They were both great additions to our team not only because they’re both really good players, but we turned to our leadership council, and these are two members of our leadership council, and we made no decision until, you know, we checked with those guys.
I explained to them the caliber of human beings, the caliber of competitive character, the team-first mentality that those guys had, and they were both amongst other guys, and they said, bring them on. They’ve been great additions.
Q. E plus R equals O. Could you talk about that formula that you’ve kind of implemented into your team and how they’re responding to it as well as the community that’s backing the team?
PAT KELSEY: Yeah, I have to give a shout-out to the I guess founder, creator of E plus R equals O. Passed away not too long ago, Tim Kight, who was the founder of Focus 3, a book I read a long time ago, and E plus R equals O is events plus response equals outcome.
You can’t do anything about the events that happen on a daily basis. It’s something that I convey and teach to our guys every day. And you really can’t — you can’t totally dictate the outcome all the time, but what you can focus on is your daily response and your seriousness, purpose, your discipline and your daily process, and the outcome will take care of itself.
I didn’t know this became like a motivation session and a philosophy session, but that is at the core of how we operate on a daily basis.
Q. Going into today you and I spoke about the roster. You said fire and ice. What does that mean to you?
PAT KELSEY: Well, you said something. How did we get the fire and ice? I forget about that.
Q. Talking about speed and —
PAT KELSEY: I’m a big marketing guy, so I love slogans. Fire and ice sounded really good, but how did we get to that?
Q. (Off microphone.)
PAT KELSEY: You said the speed with the muscle, right? Yeah, it just kind of rolled off my tongue, fire and ice. I don’t know why. Hold up. We’re deep in ACC territory right now, and one of our rivals, if you will, NC State, had a famous fire and ice years ago, so let’s nix that from the docket. We’re going to come up with something else.
Yeah, I think there’s a good mix of that speed and athleticism that we like to play with, that size and physicality as well. I’ll come up with a nickname. I don’t have one right now.
THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you. Questions for Flory Bidunga.
Q. Coach noted that he was confident in his additions to this team, the length and athleticism that we added, he noted, was important. You’re noted at 6’9″. Is that correct for you? What do you think you add to this as far as the length and athleticism that he was talking about?
FLORY BIDUNGA: I mean, I would say I’m a pretty good shot blocker, so, I mean, just — I mean, that’s one aspect I can bring to a game, just me being able to — you know, being a defense presence I think. That’s one of the biggest tool, you know, you can bring in basketball, so…
Q. What do you see as your role on this team this year?
FLORY BIDUNGA: What do I see as my role this year? I mean, there’s a lot I can talk about, but eventually, you know, we have a lot of freshmen, and I would say that I play, you know, some competitive game.
Then, you know, just have the experience based on that, and then just being able to, you know, lead in your generation. And then as far as, you know, my attribute, I feel like, you know, again, we have great teammate and they’re willing to listen.
So as far as experience, I can talk about being just vocal and stuff like that.
Q. Coming from the Big 12 and being Defensive Player of The Year last year at Kansas, what was it that spoke to you about Louisville to shift from Kansas to this program.
FLORY BIDUNGA: Oh, man. Coach Kelsey, a great dude, great coach.
Again, I’ve been saying I haven’t seen something like him before. Just seeing him as a person, as a coach being able to train with us, practice with us, do the drill with us. You know, my visit really spoke a lot to me.
I trust him as a coach, as a player, and I think we can do something special as a team.
Q. What went into your decision? I’m sure you had other places you could have gone. Why Louisville? What was it about it at Louisville that drew you to the Cardinals?
FLORY BIDUNGA: Yeah, again, like I said PK. Obviously love (indiscernible) culture and the man in the world of basketball, no doubt about it.
Again, just being able to, you know, hang with the coaching staff, I think they showed me something special. They believe in me, and I do the same with them. I’m just excited for…
THE MODERATOR: You wear No. 40 for a reason. For the folks that don’t know the reason why you wear No. 40, would you please tell them?
FLORY BIDUNGA: Because 40 goes with Flory. Actually, no. So my high school year when I first came to the States, 40 was the only biggest jersey they had, so I have to go with it. It’s not bad, so…
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Adrian.
Q. When we spoke last season, you talked about the next step for you is to become a vocal leader. I’m just wondering in what ways that you saw yourself taking that next step this summer as the only scholarship player to come back from last year’s team?
ADRIAN WOOLEY: Yeah, for sure. I feel like I stepped up into that role a lot this year just due to the fact that I’ve seen what the ACC has to offer. I know how we play.
So just getting everybody along with how we play and how we move is just something I’ve been doing real good at this summer.
Q. When you look at the guys that are coming in in the back court from Dayton, from a bunch of different schools, Arkansas, Oregon, what can you say about the transfers that have come in to help you in this back court? What can we expect from the back court of Louisville this year?
ADRIAN WOOLEY: The back court that we have this year I feel like is very special. Each and every person on our team is very special, but this certain back court that we have this year is just gritty as much as can be. The best competitors that I done played with and against.
So just going against each other every day from a competitive standpoint is real good, for sure.
THE MODERATOR: You played last year in all 35 games. You were called off the bench for 18 of those games, which means you started 17. What’s your approach to being a starter, and what’s your approach to knowing that you might be a sub in the game?
ADRIAN WOOLEY: Either/or, man. I feel like I’m a team player when it comes down to that. I’m willing to do anything that my teammates need me to do. If that’s come off the bench and create havoc, that’s what I’m going to do. If that means come off — start the game off, I’m going to create havoc. That’s what I’m going to do. Being able to be that player that my teammates need me to be each and every night.
Q. Since Coach is great with marketing, what name are you going to have this year?
ADRIAN WOOLEY: They call me a lot of names, but this year I feel like it’s going to be Wooski for sure.
Q. You all have one of the toughest schedules in the country. What is your approach to handle that schedule?
ADRIAN WOOLEY: Taking it day by day, man. Next game after next game. I feel like Coach said, it’s a day by day thing. He preaches process to us each and every day, so just going throughout the process and just knowing that the next day is probably going to be the best day, and it will be the best day because it’s the next game.
Q. He was up here talking about just how good of a shot blocker he is. I’m curious what it’s like going up in practice against him. You’re taking the ball to the rim and you have him back there trying to stop you. Have you gone up against anything else quite like that in your time playing basketball?
ADRIAN WOOLEY: Oh, man. I really can’t tell you that I’ve played against or played with anybody of his caliber, so just being able to play against him at practice is just preparing me and preparing everybody else for what’s to come in the future.
