Hogs' Chandler Lawson on Facing Purdue

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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.
Transcript
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.