Mike Brey Notebook: Chicago State Win
On win:
It was good that we got a lot of guys in the game and a lot of guys minutes. I thought we started off well defensively. A lot of guys got to play, and some of those guys on the bench got to play some longer minutes.
“Anytime you can do that with only it being the third time being in the uniform; I think it’s good for some of those younger guys.”
On TJ Gibbs and Matt Farrell:
“They have a great feel for each other. TJ is really confident. Matt and Bonzie have done a good job of getting confident and continually letting him know how important he’s going to be.
“With 17 pounds off of him, he’s in shape to play those extended minutes. I just thought he’d be a good shooter for us and his free throw stroke is excellent. He’s slowing down a little bit. He heads to the islands pretty confident.”
On DJ Harvey:
“He’s really a gifted guy. He got 22 minutes, and it’s the third time he’s had the jersey on. He got into a little bit of a scoring rhythm. He rebounds, but it was a great night for him, and he’s very important for us.
“Our seniors know he’s important, so they keep helping me bring him along.”
On guard Nik Djogo:
“The biggest area where Nik has grown is taking care of the basketball. He was a little turnover prone, and he needed to get a little stronger. He handles the ball with the blue team, so when practice starts, and we have the starters together, it’s Nik and DJ on the perimeter. There is a lot on Nik, but it’s helped him.
On hidden stats:
“Deflections is something not in a stat sheet that this team does a better job of than maybe a lot of my other teams. We have quick hands, and we have some wingspan. We get around, so that’s something we’ve brought up in huddles sometimes.
“We also chart the number of kills they get. A kill is three stops in a row. They really hang their hat on it. We count it during the game.”
On Maui:
“I have to remind myself to have an open mind to learn more. The biggest trap we could fall into is that this year’s group has preseason recognition individually and as a team, and we are a finished product all of a sudden.
“I had a long talk with our guys that our practices are important. We’re going to change and improve.
“I’d like to win a championship out there learning it. There’s no question our seniors, especially Bonzie and Matt, have one thing in mind. They want to come home with a trophy.”