WEBVTT - The BroadCast: 6/27/2018 ~ Previewing the Picks - Texas Tech's Chris Beard on Zhaire Smith 0:00:00.200 --> 0:00:03.480 About a week removed from the twenty eighteen draft, are 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:07.400 previewing the pick series continues here on the podcast. Brian 0:00:07.480 --> 0:00:10.440 Seltzer welcoming you into this edition in which we will 0:00:10.480 --> 0:00:13.120 hear from as Zaire Smith a brief one on one 0:00:13.160 --> 0:00:15.920 with him, conducted after one of his workouts with the 0:00:15.960 --> 0:00:18.440 seventy six ers Billier this month, and we'll go in 0:00:18.520 --> 0:00:21.800 depth on Zaire's background, his game and what he did 0:00:22.200 --> 0:00:25.119 and his very impressive alone season at Texas Tech with 0:00:25.239 --> 0:00:28.360 the Red Raiders head coach, the co Big twelve Coach 0:00:28.400 --> 0:00:32.240 of the Year, Chris Beer. Those conversations in just a moment. 0:00:32.560 --> 0:00:35.360 A reminder that to subscribe to our feed, you can 0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:39.400 add to iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, type in Sixers Podcast Network. 0:00:39.440 --> 0:00:42.559 Also we should mentioned Google Play as well, and just 0:00:42.640 --> 0:00:45.599 type in that phrase Sixers Podcast Network and you will 0:00:45.680 --> 0:00:48.720 arrive at our feed. Please do subscribe if you have 0:00:48.800 --> 0:00:53.520 not yet already. Zire Smith emerged as the top pick 0:00:53.720 --> 0:00:57.800 that the seventy Sixers acquired in last Thursday's draft. Of course, 0:00:57.840 --> 0:01:00.440 the six are sending the number ten pick mckhell bridges 0:01:00.760 --> 0:01:03.800 to the Phoenix Suns in exchange for not only Zaire Smith, 0:01:03.880 --> 0:01:07.480 who the team is very high on as a prospect 0:01:07.760 --> 0:01:11.400 three and D guard forward, wingman, but also a precious 0:01:11.480 --> 0:01:15.600 coveted twenty twenty one unprotected first round pick from the 0:01:15.640 --> 0:01:19.160 Miami Heats. But you can't do a full podcast, maybe 0:01:19.160 --> 0:01:22.640 you could on an unprotected future pick. So why don't 0:01:22.680 --> 0:01:26.720 we go full fledged into Zaire Smith mode. At a 0:01:26.760 --> 0:01:29.560 press conference after the Sixers made the deal to a 0:01:29.640 --> 0:01:32.160 pick up Smith, Brett Brown spoke about one of the 0:01:32.200 --> 0:01:34.959 newest members of the team. If he is anything, he 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:38.039 is an eight plus athlete, and then you take that 0:01:38.240 --> 0:01:42.559 defensive toughness in the city of Philadelphia, and so you say, wow, 0:01:42.600 --> 0:01:46.200 if that also can translate into you know, a reliable 0:01:46.240 --> 0:01:49.200 to good to very good three point shooter and can 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:52.920 play off a live ball, that's a modern day NBA player. 0:01:53.760 --> 0:01:56.920 Smith averaged round eleven and a half points, five rebounds, 0:01:56.960 --> 0:01:59.200 two assists, in a block in a steal per game 0:01:59.640 --> 0:02:02.200 pretend xas Tech. Last season a historic season for the 0:02:02.200 --> 0:02:04.280 Red Raiders. More on that in just a bit, but 0:02:04.360 --> 0:02:06.920 let's been a few minutes hearing from Zaire Smith himself. 0:02:07.200 --> 0:02:09.360 This was after his first workout that he attended with 0:02:09.360 --> 0:02:12.960 the seventy sixers back on June. The twelfth even through 0:02:12.960 --> 0:02:15.720 about a half dozen of these what distinguishers the seventy 0:02:15.800 --> 0:02:17.679 sixers from what you were able to tell during the 0:02:17.760 --> 0:02:20.000 three on three sets? Usually you just downscreen, but we 0:02:20.080 --> 0:02:22.280 ran sets that they run, so that was pretty good. 0:02:22.680 --> 0:02:25.440 I like how they ran assists, We ran their offense 0:02:25.520 --> 0:02:28.400 on three on three. Probably have a long ways to go, 0:02:28.520 --> 0:02:30.200 But what sense do you have of where your game 0:02:30.320 --> 0:02:32.160 is now and how it might be able to translate 0:02:32.200 --> 0:02:35.040 to the next level. Right now, my game is just 0:02:35.120 --> 0:02:38.240 play a hard He's very introvesting. But I can go 0:02:38.320 --> 0:02:40.040 on one through three, but I can see him again 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:44.000 being a combo lars last point guard. When you look 0:02:44.040 --> 0:02:46.680 at this past season when you got moved into the 0:02:46.720 --> 0:02:49.920 starting lineup, what click at that point in January midway 0:02:49.960 --> 0:02:52.079 for this season for you guys? That help things get 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:55.240 rolling for you? Despite the Zach smith asery, we just 0:02:55.400 --> 0:02:57.520 had to play together. Though we lost a big piso, 0:02:57.600 --> 0:03:00.120 everybody had to step their game up. Really, do you 0:03:00.160 --> 0:03:03.480 feel like that forced you to grow up mentally as well? Man? 0:03:04.120 --> 0:03:07.280 We have to grow a big time. Yeah, because not 0:03:07.320 --> 0:03:09.840 too many freshman's doing that, especially a three started coming 0:03:09.880 --> 0:03:12.160 out high school. They inspect that. But yeah, we have 0:03:12.240 --> 0:03:14.720 to grow fast. Did you surprise yourself at all with 0:03:14.800 --> 0:03:16.840 what you were able to do? I did. I really 0:03:16.840 --> 0:03:19.520 did surprise myself. Was there a moment or a game 0:03:19.600 --> 0:03:22.240 that reinforced that too where you felt like, Okay, my 0:03:22.320 --> 0:03:25.880 confidence is at a different level. Probably the first game, 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:30.000 I guess exposisting game I did pretty good. I was like, oh, 0:03:30.240 --> 0:03:33.920 not that bad. You put up really efficient numbers on 0:03:34.000 --> 0:03:35.520 both ends of the court. Can you give me a 0:03:35.560 --> 0:03:37.920 summary of where you think your skill set is at 0:03:38.040 --> 0:03:40.440 right now offensively and then flip it over to the 0:03:40.440 --> 0:03:43.440 defensive side of the floor. Offensively, I can be really 0:03:43.440 --> 0:03:46.840 aggressive about passive a little bit, so I gotta continue 0:03:46.840 --> 0:03:49.560 to be more aggressive and defensively, I can go out 0:03:49.600 --> 0:03:51.840 one through three and kick them rows and everything, and 0:03:52.840 --> 0:03:55.080 pretty good on defense though, I think that's my strength. 0:03:55.320 --> 0:03:57.720 You told the media group that you view yourself as 0:03:57.760 --> 0:04:00.240 someone who prided themselves on defensive You always in a 0:04:00.400 --> 0:04:03.760 defense first guy. When did you gain some confidence and 0:04:03.840 --> 0:04:06.360 start to really refine your defensive game. Yeah? I always 0:04:06.400 --> 0:04:08.520 been a really good defensive guy. When I first shot 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:10.560 planning basketball in fifth grade, that's all idea. It was 0:04:10.560 --> 0:04:14.200 just black shots. Couldn't do nothing else on offensive black size. 0:04:14.240 --> 0:04:16.240 But I guess the black sots leading now is just 0:04:16.279 --> 0:04:18.520 staying in front of your defender. As far as your 0:04:18.560 --> 0:04:21.360 overall package. What's been the major things you've wanted to 0:04:21.360 --> 0:04:24.440 showcase in these workouts? And my ability needs a handle 0:04:24.440 --> 0:04:28.240 the ball, come off screenings and make the right player 0:04:28.800 --> 0:04:30.840 all right, Sire, thanks so much for one. Thank you. 0:04:33.200 --> 0:04:36.000 Zire Smith type of guy that you think, in this 0:04:36.200 --> 0:04:39.360 day and age of position list basketball, especially the emphasis 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:42.119 of the seventy six ers put on that concept, someone 0:04:42.120 --> 0:04:45.760 who could be very valuable on both ends of the courts. 0:04:46.400 --> 0:04:48.880 To get more on the value that Zire Smith brought 0:04:48.920 --> 0:04:52.039 to Texas Tech during the historic season in which the 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:54.440 Red Raiders finished with their second highest win total of 0:04:54.480 --> 0:04:57.880 all time, made their first appearance to the Elite Eight ever, 0:04:58.240 --> 0:05:00.400 we'll bring on Chris Beard. He is the head coach 0:05:00.800 --> 0:05:03.920 of Texas Tech. Chris gotta think there is a lot 0:05:03.920 --> 0:05:08.040 of excitement right now surrounding the Red Raiders community in Lubbock, 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:11.680 Texas given Zaire Smith the second ever first round pick 0:05:11.920 --> 0:05:15.440 out of the program. That's pretty awesome. It is a 0:05:15.480 --> 0:05:17.680 great time in love it right now with basketball, you know, 0:05:17.760 --> 0:05:20.359 in our just our second season building the team. We 0:05:21.279 --> 0:05:24.680 made a nice tournament run to the Elite eight. You know, 0:05:24.839 --> 0:05:27.520 Ze got drafted in the first round, and we feel 0:05:27.520 --> 0:05:30.040 like Keenan Evans is a definite NBA player as well, 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:34.359 and put Zack Smith in that same category. So a 0:05:34.360 --> 0:05:37.120 lot of excitement here. I think the biggest thing going 0:05:37.120 --> 0:05:39.520 on right now is just a raised level of expectations. 0:05:40.320 --> 0:05:41.800 And that was kind of our plan from day one 0:05:41.839 --> 0:05:44.280 when we came here. We wanted to compete not only 0:05:44.279 --> 0:05:46.719 at the Big twelve level, but the national level, And 0:05:46.760 --> 0:05:49.159 in just two short years, I think the expectations have 0:05:49.240 --> 0:05:53.400 been Rose Zaire arguably the highest rated prospect to come 0:05:53.440 --> 0:05:56.960 out of Texas, Texas Tony Batti just the second first 0:05:57.040 --> 0:06:00.200 round or ever As a coach, how much does that 0:06:00.320 --> 0:06:03.839 helps spread the words, spread the message, reinforce things when 0:06:03.920 --> 0:06:07.360 you can use an example based on something like that 0:06:07.480 --> 0:06:11.480 so fresh, Yeah, it means everything to us. I kind 0:06:11.480 --> 0:06:14.680 of compare it to winning. Like in other words, when 0:06:14.720 --> 0:06:17.560 we get here, we have a process, we have things 0:06:17.600 --> 0:06:20.080 we believe in the way we play, where we work 0:06:20.760 --> 0:06:23.200 in a vision we're selling, and then when you start 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:27.919 winning games, it kind of validates what you're doing the process. 0:06:28.040 --> 0:06:30.719 It's one thing for recruits to kind of buy into 0:06:30.760 --> 0:06:32.560 what you're saying in a vision, it's a whole other 0:06:32.600 --> 0:06:35.360 thing to see it with their own eyes. And it's 0:06:35.440 --> 0:06:37.960 very similar with Zaire's situation. You know, getting a guy 0:06:37.960 --> 0:06:40.200 in the in the first round of the NBA Draft, 0:06:40.320 --> 0:06:43.680 almost a lottery pick, kind of validates everything we do 0:06:43.760 --> 0:06:46.400 in our program from a day to day basis. Ultimately, 0:06:46.480 --> 0:06:48.279 to win the Big Twelve you have to have several 0:06:48.360 --> 0:06:51.440 NBA players on your roster. So Zaire, I think, is 0:06:51.440 --> 0:06:52.880 going to pave the way for a lot of future 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:55.400 success here and love it when we look back at 0:06:55.640 --> 0:06:58.839 Draft night, just the entire chain of events leading up 0:06:58.839 --> 0:07:00.839 to that. On the outside, and to me, it seemed 0:07:00.839 --> 0:07:03.479 like Zaire was one of the fastest risers in this 0:07:03.560 --> 0:07:06.359 year's draft class. Did you see it that same way too? 0:07:06.560 --> 0:07:08.800 I know you're obviously certainly plugged into the sport, but 0:07:08.839 --> 0:07:12.960 did you get that feel as well? Absolutely. I think 0:07:13.080 --> 0:07:16.680 z you know, represents a lot of people out there, 0:07:16.720 --> 0:07:18.480 not just in the world of basketball, but just kind 0:07:18.480 --> 0:07:21.440 of in life where you know, there's no substitute for 0:07:21.520 --> 0:07:24.640 hard work. You know, our country, America was kind of 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:27.080 formed on a dream, right, and kind of the the same 0:07:27.080 --> 0:07:29.640 thing with z In today's world with all the rankings 0:07:30.400 --> 0:07:33.440 and the Internet and the mock drafts and the you know, 0:07:33.800 --> 0:07:35.679 top one hundred when you're coming out of high school 0:07:35.680 --> 0:07:37.680 and all this. All that stuff's good for sport because 0:07:37.720 --> 0:07:40.200 I think it brings attention, But none of that stuff 0:07:40.240 --> 0:07:42.880 means anything unless you can back it up. And was 0:07:43.000 --> 0:07:45.720 Zaire's story, which has been well documented and I'm sure 0:07:45.720 --> 0:07:47.680 over the next months to years will even be more 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:51.560 known by everyone. You know, coming from a non top 0:07:51.600 --> 0:07:54.280 one hundred recruit, a guy that really didn't have any 0:07:54.320 --> 0:07:57.640 BCS offers in the signing period in the fall, stay 0:07:57.720 --> 0:08:00.080 true to what he wanted and what he believed he 0:08:00.080 --> 0:08:03.240 could do, signed in the spring, and then you know, 0:08:03.280 --> 0:08:06.120 in one short year, you know they're calling his name 0:08:06.120 --> 0:08:09.840 on the NBA green room stage. So I think he's 0:08:09.880 --> 0:08:11.680 just an example for a lot of people just what 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:14.320 hard work can do. Zee always had a lot of 0:08:14.320 --> 0:08:18.080 confidence in himself, and I don't want to speak for him, 0:08:18.120 --> 0:08:19.760 but I think one of the main reasons he chose 0:08:19.800 --> 0:08:21.880 to play for US at Texas Tech because we shared 0:08:21.920 --> 0:08:25.240 that confidence with him that we believed he was an 0:08:25.320 --> 0:08:28.480 NBA player from day one, and he just outworked everybody. 0:08:28.600 --> 0:08:30.640 You know. I was giving Ze a hard time the 0:08:30.680 --> 0:08:33.240 other day when I showed up to the draft. I 0:08:33.280 --> 0:08:35.679 got to the green room probably thirty minutes before it started, 0:08:36.840 --> 0:08:38.319 and I said, hey, Zee, you've been in the gym 0:08:38.360 --> 0:08:40.160 the day and he kind of smiled say like no, 0:08:40.280 --> 0:08:42.080 And I was like, oh, you're already cheating the process. Man, 0:08:42.160 --> 0:08:44.720 Don't be sitting around and getting off fat, living and 0:08:44.760 --> 0:08:46.000 all this. You need to get back in the gym. 0:08:46.160 --> 0:08:48.120 He And really, I think it's probably the only day 0:08:48.160 --> 0:08:50.760 since I met Zaire Smith that he wasn't in the 0:08:50.800 --> 0:08:53.680 gym was probably the night of the draft. And even 0:08:53.679 --> 0:08:55.480 that night he was joking about, you know, trying to 0:08:55.480 --> 0:08:57.760 find a twenty four our fitness there in Manhattan where 0:08:57.880 --> 0:09:00.040 you could go get some shots up after all the 0:09:00.080 --> 0:09:03.040 party and stuff. But again, I think he just represents 0:09:03.120 --> 0:09:05.439 a lot of people not on even basketball, with just life, 0:09:05.480 --> 0:09:07.600 people that just work hard, know what they want and 0:09:07.600 --> 0:09:10.679 go get it. It's a great story. But we've been 0:09:10.679 --> 0:09:13.839 trying to connect with the head coaches in college of 0:09:13.880 --> 0:09:15.960 all the draft picks that the seventy sixers had, and 0:09:15.960 --> 0:09:18.560 we spoke with Tim Jankovic earlier in the week and 0:09:18.600 --> 0:09:21.079 he said, obviously being based out of the Dallas area 0:09:21.160 --> 0:09:23.760 that Sayer was on their radar, but not even they 0:09:23.800 --> 0:09:26.720 could say they expected something like this, this type of 0:09:26.760 --> 0:09:29.640 outcome from him, the player he became. What did you 0:09:29.679 --> 0:09:32.560 see Inzyre Smith when you were recruiting him? And when 0:09:32.559 --> 0:09:36.760 did you first see it? You know, I think the 0:09:36.800 --> 0:09:40.560 whole world sees the athleticism and the obvious talent. What 0:09:40.679 --> 0:09:45.240 I saw early on was the character, the background, the story, 0:09:45.360 --> 0:09:48.160 how he was raised. His dad was an elite athlete. 0:09:48.320 --> 0:09:51.720 Billy played basketball and football at KSE Stay for two 0:09:51.760 --> 0:09:55.680 Hall of Fame coaches Lin Krueger and Coach Snyder. His 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:58.360 mother was a great track and field athlete growing up, 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:01.480 a very disciplined person, so you knew the background was there. 0:10:01.600 --> 0:10:03.839 Z knew how to work and work hard long before 0:10:03.880 --> 0:10:07.400 he met me. Then equally impressive, just just the love 0:10:07.440 --> 0:10:09.960 of the game. You know, again, today there's a lot 0:10:10.000 --> 0:10:12.960 of talented players, and the game can give you a lot, 0:10:13.080 --> 0:10:15.240 but it's the guys I think that truly love the 0:10:15.280 --> 0:10:18.719 game and respect the game that maximize their potential. And 0:10:19.240 --> 0:10:21.880 with Z, he's just getting started. I mean, I hope 0:10:21.880 --> 0:10:23.800 people will put me on the record that the story 0:10:23.880 --> 0:10:26.600 is just getting started going from being kind of unknown 0:10:26.640 --> 0:10:28.920 the first round. Now you're about to see him go 0:10:29.000 --> 0:10:31.200 from kind of unknown to what I believe could even 0:10:31.200 --> 0:10:34.320 be an NBA All Star one day. And I understand 0:10:34.320 --> 0:10:36.200 how hard that is and how difficult it is, But 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:38.480 you know, I never bet against the guy that number 0:10:38.480 --> 0:10:41.960 one has the talent, number two has the character, and 0:10:42.040 --> 0:10:44.360 then three just the love of the game. Nobody will 0:10:44.400 --> 0:10:49.160 outwork Zire. Ever, was there a moment after a practice, 0:10:49.440 --> 0:10:52.360 a game, anything like that when you and your fellow 0:10:52.360 --> 0:10:54.040 coaches looked at each other and we're like, Wow, we've 0:10:54.120 --> 0:10:56.320 we've got something here. Was there ever a time where 0:10:56.320 --> 0:10:58.679 you were like, even this is exceeding our own expectations. 0:11:00.440 --> 0:11:02.480 I don't know our own expectations, because they were pretty 0:11:02.520 --> 0:11:04.160 high from the start. I mean, me and z we're 0:11:04.160 --> 0:11:06.040 talking about the NBA the first time I talked to 0:11:06.120 --> 0:11:09.600 him on the phone. But I would say this when 0:11:09.600 --> 0:11:12.680 he got to Texas Tech last summer about this time 0:11:12.800 --> 0:11:15.920 last year, he walks into summer workouts and we have 0:11:16.000 --> 0:11:18.719 a good team. We have five seniors. Again, I think 0:11:18.800 --> 0:11:20.800 Keenan Evans is an NBA player. In my opinion, he 0:11:20.840 --> 0:11:22.280 was the best player in a Big twelve this year 0:11:22.360 --> 0:11:25.040 best college player. So Z walks in as a young 0:11:25.080 --> 0:11:27.160 guy and just immediately not only kind of fits in, 0:11:27.320 --> 0:11:30.280 but starts excelling. And so I think as early as 0:11:30.360 --> 0:11:32.880 last summer, just in the summer workouts and pickup games, 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:35.360 we knew that he had a chance to be special. 0:11:35.960 --> 0:11:37.800 Third thing about Z, and this is kind of where 0:11:37.840 --> 0:11:40.800 the story kind of goes, is just the consistency, you know, 0:11:40.920 --> 0:11:43.480 is where I think he's an NBA player so quickly. 0:11:43.800 --> 0:11:45.640 There's a lot of guys that have big games or 0:11:45.679 --> 0:11:48.880 have talent, but Ze was just consistent, I mean, simply 0:11:48.920 --> 0:11:51.640 stayed in a thirty five thirty six game season. He 0:11:51.840 --> 0:11:54.480 had no bad nights. He shows up, you know, he 0:11:54.480 --> 0:11:57.520 brings his defense every night, he brings his work ethic 0:11:57.600 --> 0:12:01.640 every night. He's coachable, he's a great teammate. These things 0:12:01.720 --> 0:12:04.600 just never never take a day off. And then you 0:12:04.640 --> 0:12:06.560 know what the world's about to see really really quick 0:12:06.600 --> 0:12:09.960 because he's a very skilled player too. I kind of laugh. 0:12:10.080 --> 0:12:12.640 I don't watch a lot of TV, but obviously wassire 0:12:12.720 --> 0:12:15.080 being in the situation, we are trying to get our 0:12:15.080 --> 0:12:17.240 hands on everything we can here at Tech to use 0:12:17.280 --> 0:12:19.680 and recruiting, and the thing out there about you know, 0:12:19.720 --> 0:12:22.800 his shooting is almost comical. I mean, the guy's got 0:12:22.800 --> 0:12:25.800 a great stroke. He works on it tirelessly every day. 0:12:26.200 --> 0:12:28.320 It's just a matter of time until people know him 0:12:28.480 --> 0:12:30.920 as a shooter, not as a guy that you know, 0:12:31.000 --> 0:12:32.400 can't shoot him. He's gonna be on the other end 0:12:32.400 --> 0:12:34.520 of the spectrum very soon. I think he'll be a 0:12:34.520 --> 0:12:36.600 shooter in that league at some point. I was going 0:12:36.640 --> 0:12:38.240 to ask you bat then, since you brought it up, 0:12:38.640 --> 0:12:40.920 what the seventy sixers feel like and they had him 0:12:40.920 --> 0:12:43.679 obviously in for two workouts. Is they were even able 0:12:43.720 --> 0:12:47.000 to use some motion technology that they have here at 0:12:47.000 --> 0:12:50.400 the training complex to study a shot, and they feel 0:12:50.440 --> 0:12:53.600 like the trajectory, as you just said, is really really 0:12:53.640 --> 0:12:55.880 promising and it checked out. Can you get into some 0:12:55.920 --> 0:12:58.520 of the stuff that you were seeing with that, How 0:12:58.559 --> 0:13:03.199 you see that aspect of his game developing. Yeah, I 0:13:03.200 --> 0:13:05.520 appreciate you saying that. I'm really proud of that. I mean, 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:07.960 obviously the story is z and all the work that 0:13:08.000 --> 0:13:10.440 he put in, he deserves one hundred percent of the credit. 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:13.360 But I would point to our program. You know, we're 0:13:13.400 --> 0:13:17.040 proud that Zaire came in in one short year. You know, 0:13:17.040 --> 0:13:19.600 his dreams come true. We have a lot of people 0:13:19.640 --> 0:13:21.240 on our staff, a lot of hours you know that 0:13:21.280 --> 0:13:24.600 we worked on our assistant coaches and gas and player 0:13:24.640 --> 0:13:26.880 development team and everything we did. You know, we're proud 0:13:26.880 --> 0:13:30.079 of the product. You know, Z's always had a soft 0:13:30.160 --> 0:13:33.400 touch on his shot. He gets the ball up, he 0:13:33.520 --> 0:13:37.040 very rarely misses short. Again, we just had a special 0:13:37.040 --> 0:13:39.920 team at Texas Tech with five seniors. Ze got on 0:13:39.960 --> 0:13:43.160 the floor early in his career through his defense and 0:13:43.200 --> 0:13:45.800 through just again being consistent, and as a year went on, 0:13:46.040 --> 0:13:48.360 you know, I was begging him to shoot more. But 0:13:48.400 --> 0:13:50.199 at the at the core of what Z is, he's 0:13:50.240 --> 0:13:52.280 a winner. You know, you tell him exactly what he 0:13:52.360 --> 0:13:55.240 needs to do to win. He's not a stat guy. 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:58.559 You know. I've seen Z doing backflips and happy locker 0:13:58.640 --> 0:14:01.280 rooms after games after an eight point game, and I've 0:14:01.280 --> 0:14:03.480 seen him really really down after a twenty point game 0:14:03.480 --> 0:14:06.160 when we came up short. So at the core who 0:14:06.160 --> 0:14:08.400 he is, he's a winner. He's a team player. He 0:14:08.440 --> 0:14:10.760 really doesn't care about the individual stuff. He just wants 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:15.040 to win. When we got beat by Villanova in the 0:14:15.080 --> 0:14:17.600 Elite eight, where a lot of people in the Texas 0:14:17.679 --> 0:14:20.680 Tech program, you know, deep, deep, inside, even though they 0:14:20.760 --> 0:14:23.000 might not admit it, we're probably just happy with the run. 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:25.400 I looked in these eyes, and this was a guy 0:14:25.400 --> 0:14:27.520 that was not content. I mean, he was just like me, 0:14:27.760 --> 0:14:30.840 just distraught and was visioning us playing in the Final four. 0:14:31.800 --> 0:14:33.360 And I say that just to make the point again. 0:14:33.400 --> 0:14:36.320 I mean, this guy wants to win above all, and 0:14:36.400 --> 0:14:39.240 I think at the NBA level, when he gets around 0:14:39.280 --> 0:14:43.000 those resources and people simply stay and tell him exactly 0:14:43.040 --> 0:14:44.960 what he has to do, he'll find a way to 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:48.360 get it done. How much is his defense as we 0:14:48.400 --> 0:14:50.680 break down that part of this game is based on 0:14:50.720 --> 0:14:54.080 the type of mindset, the DNA, the intangibles that you've 0:14:54.080 --> 0:14:56.560 been referencing for the last ten minutes. Now, how much 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:59.960 is it skill and ability? How would you break down 0:15:00.120 --> 0:15:03.000 that part of his game. It's a big part of it. 0:15:03.160 --> 0:15:05.880 I think again, it starts with you know who raised him, 0:15:06.320 --> 0:15:09.760 Billy Smith's and no nonsense competitive guy, and it's mom 0:15:09.800 --> 0:15:13.480 Andreas Special. At a young age, you know, Z didn't 0:15:13.480 --> 0:15:16.240 have any distractions in his life. He just worked on 0:15:16.320 --> 0:15:18.640 his game, learned how to play at the highest level, 0:15:18.760 --> 0:15:21.160 learned how to compete, learn how to win. And a 0:15:21.160 --> 0:15:23.280 big part of that is on the defensive end. That's 0:15:23.320 --> 0:15:25.320 why I know our staff is so excited that he 0:15:25.360 --> 0:15:28.760 went to Philly. We're all NBA guys on the staff 0:15:28.760 --> 0:15:31.920 at the core were basketball junkies. We watch every game 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:34.160 he possibly can, and the seventy six ers to me, 0:15:34.320 --> 0:15:37.520 not knowing anyone there except for the string coach. I 0:15:37.880 --> 0:15:41.120 know it's a team. I know it's a defensive mindset, 0:15:41.160 --> 0:15:43.120 and I know it's a player development where young guys 0:15:43.120 --> 0:15:45.920 get better quickly. So I thought Ze was the perfect pick. 0:15:46.600 --> 0:15:48.960 But he is a defensive mindset like and you could see. 0:15:49.000 --> 0:15:51.520 You could tell that early on. Also think he gott 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:53.800 to give his high school coach from credit. JT. Lockler, 0:15:54.240 --> 0:15:56.280 one of the best younger coaches in the Dallas Fort 0:15:56.280 --> 0:16:00.000 Worth area, put Z in a lot of great situations 0:16:00.000 --> 0:16:03.200 in high school. Let him guard multiple people. They pressed, 0:16:03.280 --> 0:16:06.360 they trapped, they switched a lot on defense. I think 0:16:06.400 --> 0:16:08.640 this played a big part of these development as well. 0:16:08.880 --> 0:16:10.840 How many different ways were you guys able to use 0:16:10.920 --> 0:16:14.680 him on the defense? Van You know in college he 0:16:14.680 --> 0:16:18.560 could really guard one through four and sometimes even the five. 0:16:19.280 --> 0:16:21.720 I think in the NBA today, I really believe he 0:16:21.800 --> 0:16:23.880 could play in an NBA game the night guard one 0:16:23.920 --> 0:16:26.280 through three. I might be a little bit biased because 0:16:26.280 --> 0:16:28.080 it's pretty obvious how much I love the kid, but 0:16:29.160 --> 0:16:30.840 I say that from my mind too, and he can 0:16:30.880 --> 0:16:33.840 really guard. It starts obviously with the athleticism, the length, 0:16:34.560 --> 0:16:37.440 the quickness within you got to go to the next level, 0:16:37.440 --> 0:16:41.160 which is toughness, and then thirdly the IQ. He is 0:16:41.200 --> 0:16:44.960 a very very very smart basketball player. And coaching him. 0:16:45.000 --> 0:16:46.720 You know, I said I told him something one time. 0:16:46.720 --> 0:16:49.480 He always picked it up. He spent a lot of 0:16:49.480 --> 0:16:52.960 time in the film room on his own. He's just 0:16:53.280 --> 0:16:56.440 he's special offensively, as we flip it over that side. 0:16:56.440 --> 0:16:59.880 He spoke about the shot off ball. How comfortable do 0:16:59.920 --> 0:17:03.360 you see him being in those two spots. You know, 0:17:03.400 --> 0:17:06.480 he's just a work in progress, but it'll happen very quickly. 0:17:06.680 --> 0:17:09.120 You're talking about a guy that just, you know, less 0:17:09.119 --> 0:17:10.680 than two years ago, I was playing on a high 0:17:10.720 --> 0:17:13.280 school court, kind of playing a forward spot because that's 0:17:13.280 --> 0:17:16.280 what his team needed. In AAU, he played a little 0:17:16.280 --> 0:17:18.520 bit more in the Primmeter, not so much with us. 0:17:18.520 --> 0:17:21.200 He played all over the floor. You know, we kind 0:17:21.240 --> 0:17:22.639 of try to play the game just like they do 0:17:22.640 --> 0:17:25.720 in the NBA, where positional liston means anything I don't 0:17:25.720 --> 0:17:27.480 really know what a one, two, three, four is. I 0:17:27.840 --> 0:17:30.119 just know Lebron's the best player in the league and 0:17:30.119 --> 0:17:32.560 this other guy's right behind him. And I would put 0:17:32.640 --> 0:17:34.680 Z in the same category like some of the NBA 0:17:34.720 --> 0:17:36.399 scouts that would come in. You know, the question I 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:38.159 always got is can't he play the two? Can he 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:39.879 play the three? And I was like, Hey, that's up 0:17:39.920 --> 0:17:42.000 to you guys that decide. I just know in college 0:17:42.440 --> 0:17:44.159 he's one of the best players in the country. He 0:17:44.200 --> 0:17:46.040 comes back to college another year, I think he'll be 0:17:46.080 --> 0:17:50.159 the number one pick. I believe that. But offensively, I mean, 0:17:50.160 --> 0:17:51.840 he can do a lot of things that I don't 0:17:51.840 --> 0:17:54.600 think people understand yet. Obviously the seventy six years due 0:17:54.600 --> 0:17:57.240 because they invested a high pick in him. But he's 0:17:57.240 --> 0:18:01.200 an undervalued shooter. He's worked, can progress with the ball. 0:18:01.920 --> 0:18:04.119 He can create his own shot, not only with his 0:18:04.240 --> 0:18:08.320 vertical and his athleticism, but also with quickness. He's really 0:18:08.359 --> 0:18:11.080 good in the triple threat. And above all, I would 0:18:11.080 --> 0:18:13.480 say cutting. He's one of the best players I've ever 0:18:13.480 --> 0:18:17.840 played coached without the ball in his hands, which normally 0:18:17.880 --> 0:18:19.639 comes later on in a college career. You know, as 0:18:19.640 --> 0:18:21.800 a freshman that's normally the thing they kind of lack. 0:18:21.880 --> 0:18:24.800 But Z brought that mentality to play without the ball 0:18:24.840 --> 0:18:27.840 in his hands from day one, and I think that'll 0:18:27.920 --> 0:18:31.080 be special. Just knowing some of the players that Philly 0:18:31.119 --> 0:18:33.320 has on their team, I think Z's gonna get a 0:18:33.320 --> 0:18:36.040 lot of, you know, cheap, easy baskets by moving without 0:18:36.040 --> 0:18:39.159 the ball. When did you start to hear from NBA 0:18:39.240 --> 0:18:41.879 personnel types about their interest in desire or was there 0:18:41.880 --> 0:18:45.119 a stage of the season when that happened. You know, 0:18:45.160 --> 0:18:47.560 I'm a kind of I'm kind of a simple, isolated guy. 0:18:47.600 --> 0:18:49.440 I don't even really talk on my cell phone much 0:18:49.520 --> 0:18:53.479 during the season besides my three daughters and girlfriend. But 0:18:54.760 --> 0:18:56.919 you know, I think around Christmas time, some of the 0:18:56.960 --> 0:19:00.400 big games on national TV, some of our guys were 0:19:00.400 --> 0:19:02.120 telling me that he's starting to show up on mock 0:19:02.240 --> 0:19:03.840