John Groce: We do have what I call 'Illini Guys'
July 5, 2013 10:23 AM
John Groce was on the Tay and J Show on Wednesday.
On the SEAL team training-
"Certainly as hard a workout as I've had since I was in college. It was good. To have a chance to go through it with the players, certainly made our players feel like 'boy these guys are in it with us,' which is totally true. We are in it with them. The experience was great not only for the players but for the support staff as well as the staff."
On the team-
"Everything we do right now is geared towards two things. One, does it make our team closer? We've just completed week 4 of an 8 week summer training camp. We're trying to put things together for them to do within what we're allowed that will put them position where they got a chance to communicate and really encourage bonding and getting closer as a team.
"We've only been together for 4 weeks. We're in the ballpark right now but we haven't even stepped up to the batter's box, let alone 1st, 2nd, 3rd base, getting around to the plate. So we've got a long way to go. We're at least in the ballpark now. I think guys got an idea now of what we expect a little bit more after 4 weeks.
"The second thing we're trying to do is put them in situations were they're tested and they're held accountable at a high level. We have a saying in our program: We're going to be very demanding without being disrespectful or demeaning.
"We have been demanding on purpose. Trying to test our guys, see how they handle adversity. Making sure that our older guys that have returned continue to embody what our standards are on a daily basis. We want those guys to shoot for those standards every day. Not only our newcomers but also our returning guys. That's really been our focus here for the first 4 weeks and will continue to be for the last 4 weeks of the summer as well."
"Right now we've got 9 guys that are trying to figure out what our culture is. Obviously we've talked with them a great deal about that in the recruiting process so that they would have a feel for what we're about and how we're going to do things. But it's one thing to explain it and hear it and do the best job you can to put them in situations where they can visualize it while they're visiting and it's another thing to actually be here for 4 weeks and go through it yourself.
"The biggest thing is our older guys -- Joe, Ray, Tracy, Nnanna, Mike LaTulip -- have done a really good job of showing those guys how we work in the offseason and what we do academically in the offseason and year-round for that matter. What we do in the weightroom. So all those things have certainly helped -- I think it's helped the learning curve get a little bit more shallow after 4 weeks.
"The challenge is obviously when you bring 9 guys together from varying backgrounds and all of them are new and none of them have been on campus more than a day or two for a visit, obviously that's a huge endeavor. You have 13 scholarship guys -- 14 total -- 9 of them weren't on campus last year. Weren't on campus in the spring for that matter.
"That's a big challenge, one that we embrace as a staff. As I've talked to coaches, I don't know if I've found anybody yet that's brought in 9 players at one time, that's a lot. But we love the challenge, we do. We're competitive and we love the fact that we've got a chance to mold 'em.
"I think the one thing about the group is we do have what I call 'Illini Guys.' We've got guys that I think do care about getting better. They're passionate about the game and people. I think they want to compete. They love challenges and I saw that through the SEAL team experience that we have some competitive guys.
"We've learned a lot in 4 weeks but still have a lot more to learn."
On Maverick Morgan-
* Lost 17 lbs in 4 weeks [1 more lb since the WDWS interview]
* Came in a shade overweight and out of condition, been working real hard during workouts.
* You can't teach size & strength, he's 6'10" plus. Came in 260-265, going to play at 245.
On Austin Colbert-
* Athletic, great runner & jumper.
* Tremendous wingspan.
* One of the best freshman passing bigs Groce has had as a head coach.
On Jaylon Tate & Kendrick Nunn-
* Daggone tough.
* Used to winning.
* Unflappable.
* They don't flinch a whole lot.
On Malcolm Hill-
* Had his best practice so far on Wednesday.
* Can really score.
* Legit size as a 6'6" perimeter.
Starts 10:35-
tayandj.podbean.com
On the SEAL team training-
"Certainly as hard a workout as I've had since I was in college. It was good. To have a chance to go through it with the players, certainly made our players feel like 'boy these guys are in it with us,' which is totally true. We are in it with them. The experience was great not only for the players but for the support staff as well as the staff."
On the team-
"Everything we do right now is geared towards two things. One, does it make our team closer? We've just completed week 4 of an 8 week summer training camp. We're trying to put things together for them to do within what we're allowed that will put them position where they got a chance to communicate and really encourage bonding and getting closer as a team.
"We've only been together for 4 weeks. We're in the ballpark right now but we haven't even stepped up to the batter's box, let alone 1st, 2nd, 3rd base, getting around to the plate. So we've got a long way to go. We're at least in the ballpark now. I think guys got an idea now of what we expect a little bit more after 4 weeks.
"The second thing we're trying to do is put them in situations were they're tested and they're held accountable at a high level. We have a saying in our program: We're going to be very demanding without being disrespectful or demeaning.
"We have been demanding on purpose. Trying to test our guys, see how they handle adversity. Making sure that our older guys that have returned continue to embody what our standards are on a daily basis. We want those guys to shoot for those standards every day. Not only our newcomers but also our returning guys. That's really been our focus here for the first 4 weeks and will continue to be for the last 4 weeks of the summer as well."
"Right now we've got 9 guys that are trying to figure out what our culture is. Obviously we've talked with them a great deal about that in the recruiting process so that they would have a feel for what we're about and how we're going to do things. But it's one thing to explain it and hear it and do the best job you can to put them in situations where they can visualize it while they're visiting and it's another thing to actually be here for 4 weeks and go through it yourself.
"The biggest thing is our older guys -- Joe, Ray, Tracy, Nnanna, Mike LaTulip -- have done a really good job of showing those guys how we work in the offseason and what we do academically in the offseason and year-round for that matter. What we do in the weightroom. So all those things have certainly helped -- I think it's helped the learning curve get a little bit more shallow after 4 weeks.
"The challenge is obviously when you bring 9 guys together from varying backgrounds and all of them are new and none of them have been on campus more than a day or two for a visit, obviously that's a huge endeavor. You have 13 scholarship guys -- 14 total -- 9 of them weren't on campus last year. Weren't on campus in the spring for that matter.
"That's a big challenge, one that we embrace as a staff. As I've talked to coaches, I don't know if I've found anybody yet that's brought in 9 players at one time, that's a lot. But we love the challenge, we do. We're competitive and we love the fact that we've got a chance to mold 'em.
"I think the one thing about the group is we do have what I call 'Illini Guys.' We've got guys that I think do care about getting better. They're passionate about the game and people. I think they want to compete. They love challenges and I saw that through the SEAL team experience that we have some competitive guys.
"We've learned a lot in 4 weeks but still have a lot more to learn."
On Maverick Morgan-
* Lost 17 lbs in 4 weeks [1 more lb since the WDWS interview]
* Came in a shade overweight and out of condition, been working real hard during workouts.
* You can't teach size & strength, he's 6'10" plus. Came in 260-265, going to play at 245.
On Austin Colbert-
* Athletic, great runner & jumper.
* Tremendous wingspan.
* One of the best freshman passing bigs Groce has had as a head coach.
On Jaylon Tate & Kendrick Nunn-
* Daggone tough.
* Used to winning.
* Unflappable.
* They don't flinch a whole lot.
On Malcolm Hill-
* Had his best practice so far on Wednesday.
* Can really score.
* Legit size as a 6'6" perimeter.
Starts 10:35-
tayandj.podbean.com
Filed under: Illini Basketball
