	products recent interviews FastScripts archive about ASAP Sports

Our Clients:

Browse by Sport

Find us on

Subscribe to RSS

Click to go to
Asaptext.com

View our
e-Brochure

BIG 12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL MEDIA DAY

October 24, 2018

Lon Kruger

Kansas City, Missouri

THE MODERATOR: We're now joined by Coach Lon Kruger from Oklahoma. Coach, welcome and your thoughts about the upcoming season?

LON KRUGER: Thank you, good to be here. As always it's a great time of the year. Those early weeks of practice probably the most enjoyable time of the year because everyone is motivated for all the right reasons and not concerned about playing time, they're not concerned about anything that's been written or printed. They're concerned about getting better every day in practice and competing in a very healthy way.

We've got a really good group in that respect. We've got six seniors which is great. In the college game they've been through a lot of minutes. They know what lies ahead. They know how tough the challenge is. They're working hard and to this point, knock on wood, nothing major injury-wise. We have had a few practices missed with a stiff back or hamstring tug but nothing major at this point. We played a scrimmage last weekend. We got an exhibition game a week from tomorrow against Pittsburgh State and then the year is upon us.

Big 12 is of course going to be the best conference in the country, great balance. Kansas continues to set the bar, Kansas State returns a veteran group, so it should be another interesting and great conference race. With that, any questions?

Q. Coach, recently Tex Winter passed away. I wondered if you had thoughts on the historic K-State coach?
LON KRUGER: Anyone with affiliation with Kansas State had a tremendous appreciation of Coach Winter. He represents all that was good in the game. He was a basketball junky, cared about nothing as it related to basketball but helping his guys work, get better, addressing details. Just a terrific individual. Yeah, he lived in Manhattan for the last many years and highly respected, highly regarded, much appreciated, just a terrific guy.

Q. Coach, it was just announced today the Big 12 Tournament is extended here in Kansas City through 2024. Do you like that idea? What's your experience when you come here for the Big 12 Tournament?
LON KRUGER: It's a great tournament. Obviously there are going to be schools that have a crowd advantage but I think to pass on what the tournament has become just for that is -- would not be smart. I think it's great to have it here. The sponsorships, the crowd, the atmosphere is as good as any conference tournament in the country so absolutely it's a great place to have it and happy to hear the news.

Q. Brady Manek obviously was a pretty big piece of your team last season as a freshman. Did it shock you to see him come on the scene that quick and what is the biggest challenge for him coming into this year to match or take a step further on what he did last season as a freshman?
LON KRUGER: It was a little bit of a surprise. Maybe not much was known or expected of Brady as a freshman and he really came on and shot the ball with great confidence. We were on the foreign tour the summer of his freshman year and we were kind of shocked when we played those games that he stepped up and made shots and wasn't nervous about it at all.

So that gave us a little bit of a clue as to what he was going to do going forward and he's gotten 15, 20 pounds heavy since he arrived on campus, and he's bigger and stronger because of the greater bulk, playing with confidence and doing a good job. Last year he was thought of as a stand-still shooter, starting to put the ball on the floor, starting to post-up, always been a good rebounder, blocked shots more than expected. So he's got a bright future, great player.

Q. Losing Trey on the dynamic that he had, and you lost Buddy Hield a few years ago. How do you find players that replicate that or bringing someone into your program that can take it to the next level like those guys did?
LON KRUGER: I don't know that you find one player to do that, this group is going to do it as a group, I don't know that anyone is going to lead in scoring and assists as Trae did, but this group is motivated and they are showing they can get good results and these six seniors are hungry to step out and stay on different roles and that's probably the biggest question about our group is who assumes what roles and who assumes what minutes and that's going to be determined by their play and the results they get. We need someone to step out and provide security and take that position every night and I don't know that one person is going to do that but we have three or four that collectively can give us that type of play.

Q. Curious about Dean Wade, Preseason Player of the Year. What kind of competitor, what kind of talent skill does he have?
LON KRUGER: Deserving of that preseason expectation. Terrific player. To see his game progress as it has from his freshman year it's kind of been storybook really, because each year he's added to his game and Coach does a great job with player development. He represents the best case scenario, if you would, just a terrific all-around player, defensively and offensively, he scores in a lot of different ways, impacts the game in a lot of different ways, outstanding player, very deserving.

THE MODERATOR: Thanks, Coach. Good luck.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297