WEBVTT - Coat Check | Connor Johnson 0:00:00.320 --> 0:00:03.640 This podcast is part of the seventy Sixers podcast network 0:00:04.000 --> 0:00:12.000 search seventy sixers podcast wherever you get your pods. Quote 0:00:12.400 --> 0:00:30.120 quote Clotolo who welcome into Coach Check, the official podcast 0:00:30.200 --> 0:00:33.360 of the Delaware Blue Coats, the NBA G League affiliate 0:00:33.400 --> 0:00:37.040 of the Philadelphia seventy Sixers. Coat Check is presented by 0:00:37.200 --> 0:00:41.040 land Rover Wilmington. I'm Matt Murphy. Don't forget. We've got 0:00:41.159 --> 0:00:44.360 new episodes of Coach Check every two weeks on the 0:00:44.400 --> 0:00:47.559 seventy Sixers podcast Network, or you can find us by 0:00:47.560 --> 0:00:51.960 searching Delaware Bluecoats wherever you get your podcasts. Recent episodes 0:00:52.000 --> 0:00:57.080 include conversations with Mariel Shayak and Chris Kumaji. But how 0:00:57.080 --> 0:01:00.480 about we bring in their coach so without for they're ado. 0:01:00.680 --> 0:01:04.400 Connor Johnson joins me here on Coach Check, the second 0:01:04.440 --> 0:01:08.319 year head coach of the Delaware Bluecoats, following a few 0:01:08.400 --> 0:01:12.559 years on Brett Brown's staff in Philadelphia. Connor, it's been 0:01:12.600 --> 0:01:15.039 a little while now since you and I have caught 0:01:15.160 --> 0:01:18.680 up when it comes to the buzz word or phrase 0:01:18.920 --> 0:01:22.640 quarantine activities. What are some things that you were or 0:01:22.959 --> 0:01:26.520 are up to at home during this time? Murph Man 0:01:26.640 --> 0:01:28.960 good to talk to you. You're right, it definitely has 0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:32.840 been too long. But the quarantine for sure has been interesting. 0:01:32.880 --> 0:01:35.760 I think I've been lucky, you know, my family and 0:01:35.800 --> 0:01:38.800 everyone doing well through it all. But a lot of 0:01:38.840 --> 0:01:41.520 it is kind of gearing up getting ready for next season, 0:01:41.520 --> 0:01:44.440 and Coach Brown has been pretty gracious and including our 0:01:44.560 --> 0:01:47.040 staff and a lot of the work that they're doing 0:01:47.120 --> 0:01:50.480 for getting ready for when they head down to Orlando, 0:01:50.800 --> 0:01:52.800 and kind of we were on zoom calls with them 0:01:53.040 --> 0:01:55.440 a couple of times a week with the development staff, 0:01:55.480 --> 0:01:57.960 so I felt like we're getting as much basketball as 0:01:58.000 --> 0:02:01.320 we can without actually being on the word, but still 0:02:01.320 --> 0:02:03.800 different to what we normally do doing this this time 0:02:03.880 --> 0:02:08.440 during summer quick rundown for our listeners. We will get 0:02:08.480 --> 0:02:11.960 into the NBA bubble with the timing of when we're 0:02:12.000 --> 0:02:14.320 recording this. Everybody wants to talk about that. You and 0:02:14.360 --> 0:02:16.720 I will take a specific look at some of the 0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:21.079 recent Bluecoats who are with the seventy six ers, shake Milton, 0:02:21.200 --> 0:02:24.120 Mariel Shayak, and Norvelle Pelle who spent a lot of 0:02:24.120 --> 0:02:26.600 time in Delaware over the last couple of years and 0:02:26.840 --> 0:02:29.000 even prior to that. Then we will go to our 0:02:29.040 --> 0:02:35.000 Healthy Lifestyle segment presented by Christianna Care. Of course as doctors, nurses, 0:02:35.000 --> 0:02:38.560 and caregivers and as neighbors and friends. Christianna Care as 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:41.640 a partner in everyone's journey to greater health and well being? 0:02:41.919 --> 0:02:44.320 Why do they do it for the love of health? 0:02:44.440 --> 0:02:48.359 Visit christiana Care dot org. From there, will transition into 0:02:48.400 --> 0:02:52.240 the Bluecoats season. A successful season that was obviously cut 0:02:52.280 --> 0:02:54.760 a little bit short, but a lot to talk about 0:02:54.800 --> 0:02:57.400 from a team perspective as well. Once we touch on 0:02:57.440 --> 0:03:00.560 the individuals here in a moment who are with the Sixers, 0:03:00.600 --> 0:03:03.919 but a good year for the Bluecoats in your second year, 0:03:03.960 --> 0:03:06.280 and we will round it out at the buzzer with 0:03:06.360 --> 0:03:09.120 some fun stuff at the end. But let's jump in 0:03:09.160 --> 0:03:13.080 with the Orlando restart. We're recording this prior to the 0:03:13.160 --> 0:03:17.120 start of scrimmage play for the Sixers this week, and 0:03:17.480 --> 0:03:21.359 Shake Milton has really been a big story with the Sixers, 0:03:21.400 --> 0:03:25.639 to say the least. Before the season was paused, he 0:03:25.720 --> 0:03:28.440 was playing very well. What has it been like for 0:03:28.560 --> 0:03:32.000 you and your staff in Delaware to watch him achieve 0:03:32.120 --> 0:03:35.800 this period of NBA success. Well, I think we're excited 0:03:35.920 --> 0:03:39.200 as everybody else is, and proud, and it's just great 0:03:39.240 --> 0:03:41.560 to see him a play at the level he does. 0:03:41.600 --> 0:03:43.520 I mean, we talk about the Clippers game with the 0:03:43.560 --> 0:03:46.560 Sixers played where he just takes over and puts up 0:03:46.600 --> 0:03:50.840 some monster numbers playing against some really high caliber opponents. 0:03:50.920 --> 0:03:53.560 I think it's good to see. I think we've had 0:03:53.600 --> 0:03:54.880 a lot of guys on our team that you can 0:03:54.960 --> 0:03:58.080 really root for, and shakes no exception to that. He 0:03:58.120 --> 0:04:00.400 came in. I think he started a little flow in 0:04:00.440 --> 0:04:02.080 our year and then by the end he was really 0:04:02.080 --> 0:04:04.400 something that everyone was excited about. And to see it 0:04:04.440 --> 0:04:08.000 come to fruition at the NBA level, it is really cool. 0:04:08.040 --> 0:04:10.360 I think it's kind of points to what we're trying 0:04:10.400 --> 0:04:12.240 to do here the G League. He becomes a great 0:04:12.240 --> 0:04:15.080 poster child for kind of our young program and what 0:04:15.080 --> 0:04:17.479 we're trying to do. The six years have done a 0:04:17.480 --> 0:04:19.400 heck of a job kind of keeping him on that 0:04:19.480 --> 0:04:23.520 right progression, working with the development coaches and Tyler Lashburg 0:04:23.600 --> 0:04:26.279 on a day in and day out basis. I'm excited 0:04:26.320 --> 0:04:27.960 to see I think he's gonna have a lot of 0:04:28.000 --> 0:04:30.800 responsibility on his shoulders, but I'm hoping he's ready for it, 0:04:30.800 --> 0:04:33.960 and I'm gonna play really well once they get gone right. 0:04:34.000 --> 0:04:36.960 And let's stay on Shake for a second here. He 0:04:37.080 --> 0:04:41.160 obviously played mostly in the G League during his rookie season, 0:04:41.240 --> 0:04:45.159 but he did play in six games with your team 0:04:45.200 --> 0:04:48.599 again this season, and you coached him in summer league. 0:04:49.000 --> 0:04:52.440 What were the biggest areas of development for Shake from 0:04:52.560 --> 0:04:56.280 year one to year two. I think that he really 0:04:56.400 --> 0:04:58.800 established himself and he gained a lot of confidence in 0:04:58.880 --> 0:05:01.560 year one. I think in year two it's it's all 0:05:01.560 --> 0:05:03.760 about you get a short windows to kind of prove 0:05:03.800 --> 0:05:07.640 your success in the NBA. That the Sixers coaching staff 0:05:07.640 --> 0:05:09.560 and just the way the NBA works is that when 0:05:09.600 --> 0:05:11.520 you show up, you got to play well right away. 0:05:11.600 --> 0:05:14.360 If you don't, you take a back seat to somebody 0:05:14.360 --> 0:05:16.760 else that they're not. They don't have that same long 0:05:16.880 --> 0:05:20.839 term ability to give guys minutes when they're not producing 0:05:20.920 --> 0:05:22.359 right away. And so I think what we did in 0:05:22.400 --> 0:05:24.479 the second year was just trying to get him back 0:05:24.560 --> 0:05:27.000 up to the same confident level that he was if 0:05:27.000 --> 0:05:28.760 he might not have been at that time, and so 0:05:29.320 --> 0:05:31.440 you get a short window to really prove what you 0:05:31.480 --> 0:05:33.960 can do. And lately, in the kind of back half 0:05:34.000 --> 0:05:35.960 of the season, he was playing as well as anyone. 0:05:36.040 --> 0:05:38.839 But when he came to us around Christmas time and 0:05:38.920 --> 0:05:41.400 we were at the showcase, he wasn't getting a lot 0:05:41.400 --> 0:05:43.920 of minutes he was he had an injury, he wasn't 0:05:43.960 --> 0:05:46.520 playing a lot, wasn't in the rotation, and so I 0:05:46.520 --> 0:05:49.400 think we offered him, and I think he really took advantage. 0:05:49.440 --> 0:05:52.279 That was just kind of getting his swagger back. How 0:05:52.320 --> 0:05:56.960 he can play, the strength of his game. Why should 0:05:57.279 --> 0:06:00.800 Sixers fans be excited about the way Shake Milton fits 0:06:00.839 --> 0:06:05.520 into their current lineup what they have in Philadelphia. Yeah, 0:06:05.520 --> 0:06:08.080 I think that's a good question. I think his versatility 0:06:08.440 --> 0:06:12.080 is number one, that played with guys like Ben and 0:06:12.120 --> 0:06:15.680 Tobias and Alan Joe, guys that are going to command 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:18.400 a lot of attention. You need well rounded players around 0:06:18.400 --> 0:06:20.279 the guys who can get them the ball and positions 0:06:20.279 --> 0:06:22.960 to score, but also guys that can score themselves. So 0:06:23.000 --> 0:06:25.520 I think I see Shake. I think the role he's 0:06:25.520 --> 0:06:28.800 fitting really well is as a complimentary ball handler who 0:06:28.800 --> 0:06:30.960 can make plays off the drib will make shots when 0:06:31.000 --> 0:06:33.760 he's open, but also knows how to facilitate and get 0:06:33.760 --> 0:06:36.159 those guys and play through them. So he has a 0:06:36.279 --> 0:06:38.640 nice balance of knowing how to play and being able 0:06:38.640 --> 0:06:40.320 to do a lot of things at a high level, 0:06:40.760 --> 0:06:43.960 which I think co exists really well with the talent, 0:06:44.040 --> 0:06:46.200 the tremendous talent the Sixers have at the top end 0:06:46.240 --> 0:06:51.600 of their roster. This year's number fifty four overall pick 0:06:51.800 --> 0:06:55.960 by the Sixers was Mariel Shayak, and he had a 0:06:56.000 --> 0:07:00.480 fantastic rookie season with the Coats. What parallel else can 0:07:00.520 --> 0:07:03.760 be drawn between his season and the rookie year of 0:07:03.960 --> 0:07:06.960 the guy we just talked about, Shake Milton, I think 0:07:06.960 --> 0:07:09.039 a lot, you know. I think the rookie year for 0:07:09.040 --> 0:07:11.920 everyone is about getting your feet wet to some extent, 0:07:12.040 --> 0:07:14.960 building up your confidence, and then understanding kind of the 0:07:15.040 --> 0:07:18.480 nuances and what can make these guys successful. I think 0:07:18.520 --> 0:07:21.520 Mars got a great opportunity going down to Orlando with 0:07:21.560 --> 0:07:24.160 the Sixers that he can play every day in front 0:07:24.200 --> 0:07:27.320 of those Sixer coaches, playing against there's a lot of 0:07:27.360 --> 0:07:31.120 practice time. I think that's something that maybe people on 0:07:31.160 --> 0:07:33.960 the outside might not be able to see quite as clearly. 0:07:34.000 --> 0:07:37.320 But in the Sixers start their season and they have 0:07:37.360 --> 0:07:39.560 training camp for five days, they play another game, they 0:07:39.640 --> 0:07:41.840 play another practice or two, and then boom there playing 0:07:41.960 --> 0:07:44.480 preseason games and they playing games from there on out. 0:07:44.520 --> 0:07:47.480 But here they're this unique stretch where they just had 0:07:47.680 --> 0:07:49.680 I don't know what it is, eight nine, ten days 0:07:49.720 --> 0:07:52.720 of legitimate practice where every guy is getting a lot 0:07:52.760 --> 0:07:55.040 of reps and a lot of opportunity. One to get 0:07:55.040 --> 0:07:57.520 better playing against him, but two to be seen and 0:07:57.840 --> 0:08:01.560 be really kind of evaluated by their coaches every single day, 0:08:01.560 --> 0:08:05.040 and those coaches helping Marget better. So Mars got a great, 0:08:05.080 --> 0:08:10.280 fantastic opportunity that I know, the silver lining of the quarantine, 0:08:10.320 --> 0:08:12.960 so to speak, as that Mars, they're practicing every day 0:08:13.480 --> 0:08:16.080 with these guys and hopefully getting better and showing them 0:08:16.120 --> 0:08:18.280 what they can do. So we've been talking to Marrow 0:08:18.640 --> 0:08:21.040 all throughout the summer. Of course, like you said, very 0:08:21.160 --> 0:08:23.000 very proud of the season he had. He put up 0:08:23.000 --> 0:08:26.960 incredible numbers, really showed everyone how he can score in 0:08:27.000 --> 0:08:29.160 a lot of ways, score at the ram, hitting jump shot, 0:08:29.200 --> 0:08:32.240 shooting threes. But now it's great for me. I couldn't 0:08:32.240 --> 0:08:35.040 be more excited for him in Orlando, kind of showing 0:08:35.160 --> 0:08:38.199 those guys what he can do. How about a guy 0:08:38.320 --> 0:08:44.200 who is truly a Bluecoats fan favorite, Norvelle pell Bluecoat 0:08:44.280 --> 0:08:47.920 for Life, Novelle. We love that guy. Oh yeah, and 0:08:48.080 --> 0:08:52.360 he signed a standard NBA deal with the Sixers in February. 0:08:53.000 --> 0:08:56.040 How rewarding was that moment for you and your staff? 0:08:56.679 --> 0:08:58.840 I mean, just like we said with Shake, we're excited 0:08:58.880 --> 0:09:00.640 for all of our guys and we were lucky in 0:09:00.640 --> 0:09:02.439 our first year that a lot of guys went on 0:09:02.840 --> 0:09:06.360 to have. They finished the season in a better position 0:09:06.360 --> 0:09:09.840 than they started, the opportunities that they had. Norvelle shows 0:09:09.840 --> 0:09:11.520 it was a G League player for us, got a 0:09:11.600 --> 0:09:14.240 two way now is on a standard NBA contract, and 0:09:14.320 --> 0:09:16.800 that's exactly what we're trying to do with all of 0:09:16.840 --> 0:09:19.360 our guys. And like you said, Norvelle's a fan favorite, 0:09:19.400 --> 0:09:21.840 he's a coach favorite too. He's a great guy to 0:09:21.880 --> 0:09:24.959 have around, tons of personality. I think he brings as 0:09:25.040 --> 0:09:27.640 much on the court as he does sitting on the 0:09:27.679 --> 0:09:30.160 bench with the Sixers waving the towel and getting everybody 0:09:30.160 --> 0:09:32.760 fired up. So I think that say it's kind of 0:09:32.800 --> 0:09:36.120 similar with mar that now Norvelle as they get back 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:38.880 into it. I think Norvelle's got an opportunity where you 0:09:38.960 --> 0:09:41.000 never know what's going to happen. The Sixers have a 0:09:41.040 --> 0:09:43.640 lot of big names playing in front of him, but 0:09:43.840 --> 0:09:46.880 in a short season where they got eight games to 0:09:46.960 --> 0:09:48.640 kind of get ready. I think he'll get a crack 0:09:48.679 --> 0:09:52.480 at some time on the court and showing people. We 0:09:52.520 --> 0:09:55.080 saw the shot blocking, and we saw when they played 0:09:55.080 --> 0:09:56.760 the Knicks in one of those games, just what he 0:09:56.760 --> 0:10:00.000 could do in a short stretch. So obviously he's gotten 0:10:00.080 --> 0:10:02.439 better the talents there. He's going to get kind of 0:10:02.480 --> 0:10:04.720 back in the swing of things. And he's one, like 0:10:04.800 --> 0:10:08.080 you said, well or we will always root for, and 0:10:08.160 --> 0:10:11.959 you mentioned his personality. I think playing without fans, he 0:10:12.440 --> 0:10:16.480 himself has talked about everybody five no question, what's that 0:10:16.960 --> 0:10:19.360 I said, He'll have to bring the fire, no question, 0:10:19.440 --> 0:10:23.200 an empty bell might take it over. He has actually 0:10:23.240 --> 0:10:25.800 said that everyone's gonna need to bring their own energy 0:10:26.000 --> 0:10:28.000 in a different matter, and I think he's a great 0:10:28.040 --> 0:10:30.280 candidate to be that hype man when he's not on 0:10:30.320 --> 0:10:35.000 the court. In Orlando, I mentioned briefly your summer league 0:10:35.160 --> 0:10:38.040 coaching experience from this past summer league. How do you 0:10:38.080 --> 0:10:41.559 think the bubble experience down there might compare to that 0:10:41.640 --> 0:10:46.120 in terms of the on court feel. I think similar 0:10:46.120 --> 0:10:49.160 to coach Brown in these zoom meetings that we've been 0:10:49.160 --> 0:10:51.440 in where he's been prepping the staff or going down there, 0:10:51.440 --> 0:10:53.240 and he's kind of doing that all throughout the break. 0:10:53.600 --> 0:10:56.319 He would talk about his Olympic experience and how I 0:10:56.360 --> 0:10:59.400 kind of reminded him about being in the Olympic village 0:10:59.400 --> 0:11:02.080 where you're playing the day in and one day off, 0:11:02.160 --> 0:11:04.080 then you're on. You play kind of every other day 0:11:04.400 --> 0:11:07.080 and the other. Like you're saying, I think the Summer 0:11:07.120 --> 0:11:09.240 League is the other kind of really good example of 0:11:09.240 --> 0:11:11.800 what it's like to have the teams all contain in 0:11:11.800 --> 0:11:14.920 the same area, playing on a regular basis at the 0:11:14.960 --> 0:11:18.200 same place. And so I'd be lucky to do the 0:11:18.240 --> 0:11:20.840 Summer League now for four or five years, being the 0:11:20.840 --> 0:11:24.120 head coach of the last year. And in some ways 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:26.800 I think Vegas is a bit of an example because 0:11:26.840 --> 0:11:28.840 there's a lot going on there, but even just kind 0:11:28.840 --> 0:11:31.200 of being around and kind of having the aa you 0:11:31.320 --> 0:11:33.600 feel of seeing the other team and stay in the 0:11:33.640 --> 0:11:36.880 same hotel and people really locked in focused on basketball 0:11:37.320 --> 0:11:39.800 that the bubble, and for these guys who've been away 0:11:39.800 --> 0:11:41.679 from basketball for so long, I think they got to 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:43.679 be just dying to get back to it. So I 0:11:43.720 --> 0:11:45.679 think you're right on. It will have a similar feel. 0:11:45.760 --> 0:11:47.679 I think it's going to take the guys a little 0:11:47.679 --> 0:11:49.840 bit to get in rhythm, and I don't not sure 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:53.000 the basketball will be as crisp as as we might 0:11:53.080 --> 0:11:56.200 expect right away. But the flip side of it is 0:11:56.200 --> 0:11:59.760 that the games matter. That Normally the season starts out, 0:12:00.160 --> 0:12:03.040 guys are a little rusty and kind of getting off 0:12:03.040 --> 0:12:07.439 to a rocky start, but it's the exhibition games, or 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:09.360 it's game one of an eighty two game season. Here 0:12:09.360 --> 0:12:12.040 it's you're playing eight games to get seating where you 0:12:12.040 --> 0:12:14.760 want and kind of moving up in those ranks and 0:12:14.880 --> 0:12:17.560 also proving to your teammates and your coaches of what 0:12:17.640 --> 0:12:19.920 you can do while the team tries to build confidence. 0:12:19.960 --> 0:12:22.680 So I think the stakes are pretty high for these 0:12:22.679 --> 0:12:24.560 guys having to get back in the swing of it 0:12:24.600 --> 0:12:28.920 after so long. Let's dive into our healthy lifestyle segment 0:12:29.040 --> 0:12:31.520 before we get to the success of the Bluecoat season 0:12:31.559 --> 0:12:34.480 and round things out. The healthy lifestyle segment, presented by 0:12:34.559 --> 0:12:39.040 Christianic Care, all about doing things for the love of health. 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:42.959 And I know many coaches have their routines. Coach Silas 0:12:43.040 --> 0:12:46.959 has told me on this podcast he's a big peloton guy. 0:12:47.320 --> 0:12:50.000 What do you do when it comes to staying active 0:12:50.120 --> 0:12:53.400 during this time? Oh well, I'm not totally sure that 0:12:53.440 --> 0:12:58.880 I should be the model for the listeners, but through 0:12:58.920 --> 0:13:04.280 the pandemic, we were able to get some kids, some dumbells, 0:13:04.320 --> 0:13:07.160 and some workout here into the house, and that's been 0:13:07.200 --> 0:13:10.360 something that on a kind of regular basis, I've been 0:13:10.360 --> 0:13:12.080 trying to do, as well as when the weather has 0:13:12.120 --> 0:13:14.480 been nice and not hot like it is now, getting 0:13:14.480 --> 0:13:17.400 out to run. So those have been Again, I don't 0:13:17.440 --> 0:13:19.960 know if this is the v model we should be 0:13:20.000 --> 0:13:22.840 falling when you look at me, but I do appreciate 0:13:22.840 --> 0:13:26.440 the healthy lifestyle part, and that's something I am, I'm 0:13:26.480 --> 0:13:29.800 sure aspirationally trying to be a part of one more 0:13:29.840 --> 0:13:32.319 in here. But we're gonna shift it just towards routine 0:13:32.520 --> 0:13:36.880 in general, because many coaches stick to a routine, and 0:13:36.960 --> 0:13:40.080 you've worked with Brett Brown, you've also worked with Jay 0:13:40.080 --> 0:13:43.880 Wright at Villanova. What did you observe about their routines 0:13:44.240 --> 0:13:47.160 not necessarily related to health and wellness, but in just 0:13:47.280 --> 0:13:50.720 in general. I think one the thing that really stands 0:13:50.720 --> 0:13:52.760 out a little bit related to your health and wellness 0:13:53.240 --> 0:13:56.320 is coach Brown's game day routine that he's got the 0:13:56.360 --> 0:14:00.480 whole thing kind of scheduled out to the minute of 0:14:00.480 --> 0:14:02.240 what he wanted to do, whether it was in the 0:14:02.280 --> 0:14:06.120 morning for a pregame meeting, was shoot around and in 0:14:06.160 --> 0:14:08.840 that meeting, what's going to be covered, the offense, defense, 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:11.600 the scouting report, what we're trying to get accomplished too. 0:14:12.840 --> 0:14:15.800 Whether that was a pregame walkthrough that they had gone before, 0:14:15.880 --> 0:14:18.240 he did his run every day before the game. But 0:14:18.800 --> 0:14:20.960 what I really took away from him was the level 0:14:21.000 --> 0:14:24.600 of preparation and that his ability to kind of know 0:14:24.720 --> 0:14:27.600 exactly what was going to happen at each segment. I 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:31.480 think maybe took away a lot of the kind of 0:14:31.480 --> 0:14:34.040 guesswork of what was going on. Allowed them to focus 0:14:34.040 --> 0:14:37.000 more and make the most of their time. With eighty 0:14:37.000 --> 0:14:39.760 to two games, I think it's something that's really difficult 0:14:39.800 --> 0:14:42.840 to do. Games are on you playing three or four 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:45.200 a week. It's hard to really prepare for each of them. 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:48.880 But by having that kind of same schedule day in 0:14:48.880 --> 0:14:51.440 and day out that he followed pretty strictly, I think 0:14:51.480 --> 0:14:53.280 that really helped. And that's something that we try to 0:14:53.320 --> 0:14:56.560 do the same thing with our staph in Delaware. We 0:14:56.640 --> 0:14:58.360 know what to expect, we know what the meeting is 0:14:58.400 --> 0:15:00.520 going to cover, we know what order going to hit 0:15:00.920 --> 0:15:02.800 people are ready to roll to get the most out 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:06.720 of it. Before we round things out at the buzzer, 0:15:07.320 --> 0:15:11.160 let's talk about the season for the Delaware Bluecoats, because 0:15:11.320 --> 0:15:14.800 although the season was cut short, the Bluecoats were in 0:15:14.880 --> 0:15:19.280 position for a playoff spot. They were hovering in the 0:15:19.320 --> 0:15:22.280 sixth spot in the Eastern Conference of the g League, 0:15:22.280 --> 0:15:24.600 and there are a few team stats that we should 0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:27.440 point out for the fan base. But before we get there, 0:15:27.640 --> 0:15:31.200 what were your main takeaways about the success of the 0:15:31.200 --> 0:15:34.120 Bluecoats season. Yeah, I thought we had a great year. 0:15:34.800 --> 0:15:37.240 I think it was unfortunate, like you're saying that for 0:15:37.720 --> 0:15:39.520 a lot of other reasons, but part of it for 0:15:39.680 --> 0:15:42.040 our team not getting to kind of finish out the 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:45.560 year that we had started. I thought defensively, we really 0:15:45.600 --> 0:15:48.720 played well. I thought our guys bought into being as 0:15:48.720 --> 0:15:52.280 physical and aggressive as we could. I think that we 0:15:52.440 --> 0:15:55.280 were lucky. I think Matt matt our GM Matt Lily 0:15:55.440 --> 0:15:58.560 gave us great not only great players, but great guys 0:15:58.560 --> 0:16:00.800 a kind of bought into the system to the culture. 0:16:01.040 --> 0:16:04.160 Our whole hope is to develop these guys and help 0:16:04.240 --> 0:16:06.720 them achieve their next level, whether or not that's with 0:16:06.800 --> 0:16:09.280 the six years or somewhere else. But then on top 0:16:09.320 --> 0:16:11.200 of that, we want to have team success and I 0:16:11.240 --> 0:16:13.880 think the number of games that we want I think 0:16:13.920 --> 0:16:16.280 the way our defensive rating kind of ended at the end. 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:19.040 Those were things goals that we set out at the 0:16:19.040 --> 0:16:21.480 beginning of the year, and to have met most of them, 0:16:22.360 --> 0:16:24.400 I think is a tribute to the players who were 0:16:24.440 --> 0:16:27.120 talented players who worked hard and bought into what we 0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:30.880 needed in a short G League season. Right. There's a 0:16:30.960 --> 0:16:33.320 handful of the stats. I'll pick out a couple, but 0:16:33.640 --> 0:16:36.240 some of them are on the defensive side, second and 0:16:36.320 --> 0:16:39.680 half court defense, second, most games with a defensive rating 0:16:40.040 --> 0:16:44.160 of one hundred or below, a couple other ones. Franchise 0:16:44.280 --> 0:16:48.880 records seven game winning streak, first in restricted area field 0:16:48.880 --> 0:16:51.400 goal percentage. I could go on and on, but are 0:16:51.440 --> 0:16:53.120 there any in that group or the ones that I 0:16:53.160 --> 0:16:57.120 didn't mention that you're most proud of? Yeah, I think 0:16:57.160 --> 0:16:59.600 a lot of it. The whole point for us, again 0:16:59.680 --> 0:17:02.240 is to get these guys to get to the next 0:17:02.320 --> 0:17:04.119 level and play well. And so a lot of the 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:06.399 work that we do putting into these guys and the 0:17:06.440 --> 0:17:08.080 work that the players are doing, I mean, they're just 0:17:08.160 --> 0:17:11.000 a bigger part of it. Of course, we don't see 0:17:11.080 --> 0:17:14.000 the rewards right away, right We're hoping for next year 0:17:14.040 --> 0:17:16.480 these guys get better contract opportunities or can play at 0:17:16.480 --> 0:17:18.800 a higher level. So part of it is like we 0:17:18.880 --> 0:17:22.000 gotta to do everything we can to plant the seed 0:17:22.040 --> 0:17:24.280 to help these guys as they move on. But like 0:17:24.320 --> 0:17:26.440 you're saying, we still want to be cognizant of what's 0:17:26.480 --> 0:17:29.080 going on in the immedia. See how we're playing, Are 0:17:29.080 --> 0:17:32.240 we winning games, are we developing winning habits? And I think, 0:17:32.480 --> 0:17:34.679 like you're saying, having a seven game win streak for 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:37.600 the first time in the history of the program something 0:17:37.680 --> 0:17:39.480 we got to be proud and our guys got to 0:17:39.520 --> 0:17:41.119 be proud of because they really were playing at a 0:17:41.200 --> 0:17:43.320 high level and they were seeing hopefully we see that 0:17:43.359 --> 0:17:45.640 success in the future, but they were seeing it right 0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:50.040 in the near term as well. The defend run share motto, 0:17:50.320 --> 0:17:53.920 where does that come from? I mean, truthfully comes from 0:17:53.960 --> 0:17:55.760 Coach Brown and what they're doing up there, but we 0:17:55.840 --> 0:17:58.840 kind of molded it to ourselves kind of starting the 0:17:58.920 --> 0:18:01.960 last Summer League because of the traits that we thought 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:05.760 would or do really best translate to our guys having 0:18:05.800 --> 0:18:08.600 success to the other level that if they there's no, 0:18:09.000 --> 0:18:10.639 there's no way they get to the NBA and the 0:18:10.960 --> 0:18:13.120 coach is gonna say, Oh, this guy's too good a defender, 0:18:13.160 --> 0:18:15.600 this guy defends too well. No, like, you can never 0:18:15.640 --> 0:18:18.040 be too good a defender, you can never run too hard, 0:18:18.240 --> 0:18:19.960 and you can never be too good of a teammate. 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:23.240 And so are those are all categories our guys can 0:18:23.280 --> 0:18:25.960 always get better at. And by getting better at they're 0:18:26.000 --> 0:18:29.080 helping their value, They're helping their chances of playing at 0:18:29.080 --> 0:18:31.239 a higher level or getting a better contract. And so 0:18:31.680 --> 0:18:34.520 I think our staff picked those three terms as things 0:18:34.560 --> 0:18:37.280 we wanted to dive in on and pride ourselves about. 0:18:37.320 --> 0:18:42.080 And that's why a lot of our goals reflected that defend, run, 0:18:42.080 --> 0:18:44.080 and share like those are the most important things we 0:18:44.080 --> 0:18:46.119 can do. So it's good to hear you say those 0:18:46.160 --> 0:18:48.880 defensive stats, which we kind of set out on day 0:18:48.880 --> 0:18:52.480 one as defense being our main priority, to see that 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:56.120 a lot of that came to life. We'll wrap things 0:18:56.240 --> 0:18:59.120 up with Connor Johnson at the Buzzer in a second, 0:18:59.480 --> 0:19:04.080 But no More's Sports Medicine believes that highly personalized one 0:19:04.119 --> 0:19:07.600 on one physical therapy for young athletes is paramount to 0:19:07.720 --> 0:19:11.960 a speedy and complete recovery. Learn more at nemours dot 0:19:12.080 --> 0:19:15.919 org slash pt. All right, coach, let's go at the buzzer. 0:19:15.960 --> 0:19:19.160 I had a tailor these more towards you and less 0:19:19.160 --> 0:19:21.440 so some of the players that we've had on recently, 0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:24.720 But the first one still applies. In terms of travel, 0:19:25.160 --> 0:19:30.520 what's your favorite road city to travel to and why? Portland, Maine. 0:19:30.920 --> 0:19:33.000 We've coached Peters who we had last year, found us 0:19:33.000 --> 0:19:36.879 a great restaurant for some lobster roles, that great little 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:40.080 downtown that's that's the hotel we stay there. Not the greatest, 0:19:40.119 --> 0:19:42.240 but the vibe we get in the city and we 0:19:42.280 --> 0:19:44.639 actually won't want to want a great gig down there 0:19:44.720 --> 0:19:48.600 last year, so I'm putting that number one. I love it. 0:19:48.760 --> 0:19:51.919 Fun fact wise, we ask the guys what they're hidden 0:19:51.960 --> 0:19:54.479 talent is anything that you bring to the table in 0:19:54.600 --> 0:19:57.359 terms of a hidden talent in yourself. I know, I 0:19:57.440 --> 0:20:00.240 mean pretty amateur in this, but I do. I do 0:20:00.400 --> 0:20:02.879 enjoy some music and playing the pianos kind of in 0:20:03.040 --> 0:20:05.719 one one thing I've done throughout my entire life. So 0:20:06.040 --> 0:20:07.879 I hit in town might be a little strong, but 0:20:08.080 --> 0:20:10.439 that's where I go. Hey, you learned something new every day. 0:20:10.480 --> 0:20:13.360 I didn't even know that one about you, and last one, 0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:15.760 I just remember you saying something about this maybe the 0:20:15.760 --> 0:20:18.280 first time I had you on the podcast. I think 0:20:18.320 --> 0:20:20.840 you're a fan of podcasts, and I'm curious, have you 0:20:20.880 --> 0:20:24.400 been listening to more less the same amount even though 0:20:24.400 --> 0:20:27.640