Hogs' Chandler Lawson on Facing Purdue
Arkansas Razorbacks forward Chandler Lawson with the media Tuesday looking ahead to Saturday afternoon's exhibition game with Purdue at Bud Walton Arena in Fayetteville, Ark.
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 We had a double-double in the red-white game,
00:02 and you got the start the other night
00:03 and made an impact on both ends.
00:06 Just curious how you feel about your showing so far
00:08 and how you're settling in with the program.
00:11 I just got to bring what I can bring to the table.
00:13 I know guys want to bring their offensive skills.
00:16 I feel like, you know, you got to separate yourself
00:18 by doing the little things,
00:20 and I feel like me rebounding and doing,
00:23 like, being on, like, using my length on the defense,
00:26 and I feel like that'll probably separate me
00:28 the most on this team so far.
00:32 And then, as a forward,
00:33 you're probably going to be one of the guys
00:35 to get to mix it up with Zach Eaddy a little bit on Saturday.
00:38 Just curious what you make of him as a player
00:40 and just kind of embracing that challenge
00:41 of facing the returning national player of the year.
00:45 It's going to be a tough matchup for us.
00:47 You know, we got a lot of guys going to be guarding him,
00:50 like, forwards to forwards.
00:52 And if I was, I feel like, for our offensive-wise,
00:55 we just got to run the floor and just put them
00:57 in so much pick-and-roll coverage,
00:59 and I feel like we just got to outrun him.
01:01 The goal is just to run, run, run,
01:03 just make him just keep up with us.
01:06 And I like the system.
01:07 I feel like on the defensive end,
01:08 it's going to be a whole group team effort.
01:11 You know, we've been doing a lot of drills
01:13 to practice the Eaddy rules that we call.
01:16 I feel like we're doing pretty much a great thing
01:20 at practice just covering what Zach Eaddy
01:22 likes to do in his tenancy.
01:24 Bob?
01:31 Yeah, Chandler, it sounds like it'll be --
01:33 I know Mus is a man-to-man guy,
01:35 but it sounds like it's going to be men on Eaddy.
01:39 Is it going to take a team effort on him?
01:41 Yeah, it's going to be a team effort.
01:42 I feel like we've been practicing,
01:44 like, so much in the gap this week.
01:46 I feel like we overdoing a lot of things.
01:49 I feel like all eyes are going to be on Zach Eaddy,
01:51 but we still have to watch out for the shooters
01:53 and everybody else.
01:54 We just don't want to give out too much
01:56 and give up open areas and other spots on the court.
02:02 And it just -- I mean, I know it's an exhibition game.
02:05 It doesn't count on the record.
02:07 I don't know. When you guys were in Memphis,
02:09 did you guys play any, you know,
02:11 what you call high-level exhibition games?
02:14 We played, like, D2.
02:15 You know, you don't see too many,
02:18 like, top 15 matches like this in October.
02:22 I feel like this will be a great challenge for us
02:24 and also for them to see
02:26 what we need to work on in the future.
02:28 I feel like this is a --
02:30 you know, yeah, this is a huge testimony for us,
02:34 you know, to see what we need to work on in the future.
02:36 I feel like a lot of guys are ready,
02:38 and I feel like we are getting prepared for this moment,
02:42 and it's like a March Madness matchup,
02:44 and I feel like it's going to be a great,
02:46 great event Saturday for the fans to come see in October.
02:51 Yeah, it's an exhibition game.
02:52 It doesn't count, but it sounds like you guys
02:54 are taking it pretty seriously.
02:56 I think Eric takes everything pretty seriously.
02:59 How would you -- do you feel like it's a regular-season game
03:02 or something?
03:03 I feel like every game is a regular game.
03:04 We take -- we don't -- we take every game serious.
03:06 You know, you never know.
03:08 You can't underestimate nobody.
03:09 I feel like even the last game we played,
03:12 we took that game serious and took it into detail.
03:15 I feel like from here on out, we've taken every game serious.
03:18 You know, after practice, I mean, after the game last week,
03:21 we went straight to right on Purdue,
03:23 you know what I'm saying, and start preparing for them.
03:25 I feel like even though this is an exhibition game,
03:27 I feel like this is a game to let us know
03:29 what we need to work on.
03:30 I feel like this will help us get prepared for the season.
03:34 And you're part of a big transfer class,
03:36 and Eric, you know, he's known for bringing in transfers
03:38 going back to the Nevada days.
03:40 What is it about Eric and his staff and the program
03:42 that you think attracts so many high-level transfers
03:45 like you guys?
03:47 I feel like the winning that he brings to this program,
03:51 I feel like that attracts a lot of transfer, you know.
03:54 He knows how to use his guys
03:56 and put them in a position to win, I feel like,
03:58 and get them in a better position on the court
04:00 and off the court and further out to the season.
04:02 I feel like that will make some get a lot of guys
04:06 and bring them in together.
04:08 Okay, I might have a couple more, but I'll turn it back to Mike.
04:11 Thanks. Jackson?
04:15 Yeah, Chandler, it seems like you guys have a,
04:17 like, a pretty versatile group of bigs
04:20 between the four or five of you guys,
04:22 and you all have different kind of strengths.
04:26 How valuable can that be?
04:27 Have you guys talked about, you know, each of you guys
04:29 have to kind of impact the game in different ways
04:32 for the collective result to be what you want?
04:36 Yeah, I feel like most of us can, like --
04:39 I feel like most everybody on the team can shoot jump shots.
04:41 I feel like everybody very much versatile.
04:44 I feel like for the bigs,
04:46 we're just going to have to outrun them
04:47 and just use our quickness on the offense
04:49 and the defense has got to work early on the defense
04:53 and just make sure we have our weak side,
04:56 help cover it on point,
04:57 and make sure we're just working hard as possible
05:00 and just getting fresh bodies in to,
05:03 you know, weigh on that in the end.
05:08 Thanks.
05:12 Before I go back to Bob, anything else, anything, Chandler?
05:15 Yeah, Chandler, real fast,
05:16 I'm wondering what, in your eyes,
05:18 TB is like behind the scenes and in practice
05:22 and what, in your opinion, kind of makes him different.
05:27 Right now, TB, so far, he's been really laid back
05:31 because he's been, like, on the side, like, recovering.
05:35 But when he came back, he was more of, like,
05:38 teaching me, like, the tendencies and what coach need
05:41 and telling me what's going to be this,
05:43 what's going to be that.
05:44 TB's been, like, a veteran to me
05:47 because he know what coach want.
05:49 I feel like he set the standard high for us,
05:52 and I feel like he's been a great role model.
05:54 Just, like, being here on time, getting recovery,
05:57 you know, just being here early,
05:58 just setting the example for the new guys.
06:01 Bob, follow-up?
06:06 Yeah, I don't know if you heard, Jermon, he called you nasty.
06:10 Did you hear him say that, and what did you think of that?
06:13 Nasty about what part?
06:15 I guess you're, like, a nasty player.
06:18 I mean, I guess he means that in a good way.
06:20 I guess a tough guy, you bring it, you know, type stuff.
06:23 He said that I was nasty?
06:25 Yeah, he said you were nasty, yeah.
06:27 I mean, I like, you know, I do, like, a nasty dirty work.
06:29 You know, I'm a good guy as well, you know.
06:32 I like to do all the dirty work and just clean up
06:35 what nobody like to do, and I feel like Billy,
06:37 you mean by that, just doing the nasty work.
06:41 I think I know what you mean.
06:42 What does the nasty work mean to you?
06:47 I feel like things that people don't want to do,
06:48 you know, just being coachable,
06:52 just doing the little things, I feel like it don't really,
06:55 like, I got to ask him that question as well
06:59 to see what you mean by that.
07:00 So I just think he meant by the little things
07:02 and just getting prepared,
07:04 doing things that people don't want to do.
07:07 And then, you know, Trevin, he's obviously had a long road
07:11 back from the injury.
07:12 How good was it to see him play the 19 minutes the other night,
07:14 and what do you think he could maybe help you guys
07:17 with sort of the team defense you guys
07:19 are going to have to play on E.D.?
07:21 Oh, I feel like he got to bring that toughness
07:24 that he had at Houston, how those guys were taught.
07:28 I feel like everybody got to bring
07:30 what they do best to the table
07:31 and just put everything together
07:33 and just we got to use all that for Saturday, even.
07:36 And I feel like that's going to be the best way
07:39 to just stop those guys, for everybody to just come together,
07:42 just let all the egos alone, just build in on team, team,
07:46 team, just focus on defense,
07:48 and just let the offense come to us.
07:50 I'm sorry. I was asking about Trevin,
07:51 maybe what you've seen from him,
07:53 you know, recovering in recent weeks,
07:55 and how good was it to see him play those minutes
07:58 the other night?
07:59 Oh, TB? Oh.
08:01 TB, yes.
08:02 Oh, yeah.
08:03 Even, you know, he hasn't been playing live,
08:06 so just to see him out there going live,
08:07 you know, just see -- you know, you can see his strengths,
08:11 and you can see what he like to do out there.
08:13 I feel like he was a little nervous a little bit
08:16 until, you know, he --
08:17 until he just started letting the game come to him.
08:20 I feel like the more he practice,
08:22 the more comfortable he'll get back to it,
08:25 and I feel like he's getting his swagger back,
08:28 you know, as the day goes on.
08:30 Okay. Thank you.
08:32 No problem.