Iowa basketball interviews 11-6-23
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00:00 Patrick, what do you want for this season?
00:04 You know, to kind of continue the standard and tradition
00:07 that we've set here over my time here,
00:08 I want to be a team that competes,
00:11 is in the hunt to win a Big Ten championship.
00:13 We haven't gotten a regular season one yet.
00:15 We won the tournament, obviously, a couple years ago.
00:18 And then, obviously, a team that makes the NCAA tournament
00:20 and hopefully makes a run in the NCAA tournament.
00:22 How about you individually?
00:25 You know, just I think if we win,
00:28 I think all the rest of the individual stuff
00:30 will take care of itself.
00:32 I try not to get too caught up in that.
00:34 You know, it's still a lot.
00:35 I mean, we have hopefully 35-plus games to be played.
00:38 Hopefully all that will work itself out.
00:40 I work hard to put myself in a position to be successful.
00:44 Work on this every day.
00:45 So, you know, it's just kind of I hope to have a good season.
00:50 Did you just come from a workout?
00:52 What were you doing?
00:53 A lot of shooting.
00:54 Yeah, a lot of shooting.
00:56 Ball handling, you know, just skill stuff.
00:59 Honing in on certain things.
01:00 And that's before practice?
01:02 Yeah.
01:02 Why do you do it?
01:05 Just do it every day.
01:06 I'm not -- by no means am I alone in that.
01:08 I think a lot of our guys, you know,
01:09 kind of take initiative and work
01:11 really hard on their individual games.
01:13 And I think, you know, I think that's going to translate.
01:15 But, yeah, no, I'm not the only one
01:16 who looks like this before practice.
01:19 Patrick, you've played a lot of basketball for Iowa.
01:21 This seems like the four freshmen
01:22 are going to play pretty prominent roles this year.
01:24 Thinking back to when you were first getting meaningful action,
01:27 I mean, what would be your advice to the freshmen
01:30 that are about to step on for the first time?
01:32 Yeah, you know, just take it day by day.
01:34 Don't get too caught up in specific things.
01:36 You know, it's a long, long, long season.
01:39 I try to tell them that every day.
01:40 It's a long season.
01:42 Don't get hung up if you have a bad game,
01:43 have a bad practice, you know, like --
01:45 So you try not to have those days,
01:46 but they're inevitable with such a long season.
01:49 So, you know, just keep your head high,
01:51 and at no point never lose belief in yourself
01:54 or never lose belief in your teammates
01:56 is kind of the overarching theme there.
01:58 This is your senior year.
02:00 Do you reflect on your journey?
02:02 You've had a pretty unique journey here.
02:04 Yeah, it's been fun.
02:07 I've really enjoyed my career here to this point.
02:11 Yeah, I reflect pretty much every day.
02:14 Do a lot of, like, you know, soul-searching, internal stuff.
02:16 That was more of an off-season thing.
02:17 But for the most part, yeah, it's been good.
02:22 I mean, you know, it'll probably start to kick
02:23 in a little bit more once we start playing games
02:25 and all that kind of stuff.
02:26 But, you know, I'm ready for it to be my last time.
02:29 Obviously it doesn't have to be.
02:30 But just in my eyes, obviously, you know,
02:33 we still have 35 games left,
02:34 hopefully more than that to figure that out.
02:37 But, yeah, so I'm looking forward
02:39 to just relishing every opportunity with my teammates.
02:42 How are you going to be able to balance --
02:43 You know, you've always been kind of a reflective person.
02:46 How are you going to be able to balance reflecting on your career
02:49 and kind of everything versus kind of living in the moment
02:51 knowing that this could be your last go-around?
02:53 Yeah, I would say, you know, you save the reflection
02:55 for after the season.
02:56 I try not to think too deeply or internalize a lot of stuff
02:59 until, you know, kind of the whole thing is over.
03:02 That's when you kind of do your deep dive.
03:04 You kind of -- You know, you take certain feelings
03:07 and certain, you know, emotions into account
03:09 throughout the season.
03:11 But for the most part, where you really, you know,
03:13 kind of make decisions is after the end of the year
03:16 because, you know, it's a long season.
03:17 There's a lot of ups and downs.
03:18 There's times where you want to make really rash decisions.
03:20 There's times where you're frustrated,
03:22 times when you're really happy.
03:23 You know, it's always going to be like that.
03:25 It's going to be a roller coaster of emotions
03:27 throughout the whole season.
03:28 So, you know, just kind of stay ready for that
03:30 and, you know, don't make any huge rash decisions
03:33 until the season's over.
03:34 How have you grown as a leader
03:37 heading into your senior year?
03:38 Yeah, you know, obviously, it's hard.
03:41 Like, there's just more opportunity to lead.
03:44 I've always, like, never been afraid to lead.
03:47 Did it in high school.
03:48 It's obviously very different here.
03:50 You know, we had a lot of older guys.
03:52 Like, we had Connor for however long,
03:54 and he was kind of the leader.
03:56 He took that role.
03:57 That was, like, something he took a lot of pride in.
03:59 He was very good at it.
04:00 So, you know, for me, I'm not, like,
04:04 not like a rah-rah, you know, hype-up speech kind of guy.
04:07 I can do one every once in a while,
04:09 but I'm more so, you know, kind of focused
04:11 on the, like, just tactical aspect
04:13 and, you know, just kind of overall just want to be there
04:15 for the younger guys, kind of let them know what it's like.
04:17 Obviously, I've experienced -- This is, like, my fifth year,
04:20 so fourth year playing, so I know what it's like.
04:24 Experience pretty much everything
04:26 you can experience here.
04:27 So, you know, being able to help them and guide them
04:30 and just kind of use my experience for them
04:32 is something that --
04:33 It's the way I've been able to do it.
04:35 Who's the best rah-rah speech kind of guy on the team?
04:38 Oh, probably -- Hmm.
04:41 Probably -- I would say Tony probably can give a good one.
04:45 I could give a good one. It's just I don't --
04:48 It's not really my thing.
04:50 I actually gave a really good one before the Quincy game,
04:51 I thought. I was proud of that.
04:53 But it's not something, like,
04:55 I'm not going to do that, like, every day.
04:56 So, yeah, it's got to, like, hit you at the right time.
04:59 What did you say?
05:00 I can't repeat it.
05:03 What would you say to people who are maybe on the fence
05:06 about buying tickets to see you guys play?
05:10 I mean, like, you know,
05:11 the only way I can really control that,
05:13 like, nothing I can say is really going to convince them
05:17 either way.
05:18 It's just how we play on the floor.
05:21 At the end of the day, if people are on the fence
05:22 about buying tickets or not, like,
05:25 there's several ways you can go about that.
05:26 You could tell them, "Okay, stay home the whole season
05:27 when we start rattling off wins," or, you know,
05:29 just, like -- or, you know,
05:30 we'll welcome them when the time comes.
05:32 There's -- It's like, you know,
05:35 we do have a lot of unproven people.
05:37 I understand maybe why fans would be skeptical.
05:39 We have a lot of, you know, like,
05:41 still have some stuff that we're --
05:42 I think we're going to have a good team,
05:44 but, like, I understand why people on the outside
05:45 might not see it that way.
05:47 But I've been here every day.
05:49 I'm very confident in my teammates
05:51 and myself and our coaches to, you know,
05:53 put together good game plans and for us to,
05:55 you know, produce on the floor.
05:57 And if you can't get behind that, then it is what it is.
06:02 Patrick, Lodgy strikes me as a really unique kind of prospect,
06:06 unique player.
06:07 I mean, you've been in this building as long as your dad.
06:09 I mean, is there anybody that's been in an Iowa uniform
06:11 that you can kind of compare Lodgy's game to,
06:14 or is he just kind of his own player?
06:19 Nobody off the top of my head.
06:20 He's pretty unique, relentless rebounder,
06:26 just always in the mix for every rebound,
06:29 which is always a very redeeming quality in young bigs.
06:32 You know, you got to want to get on the class.
06:35 And he just kind of has a nose for it, a knack for it,
06:38 doesn't quit.
06:40 So, you know, that's obviously stuff
06:41 that is really good to see from him.
06:44 You know, and he's gotten so much better
06:46 since the day that he got here.
06:47 Not saying he was bad when he got here,
06:48 but, like, he just, like,
06:50 his improvement has been very drastic.
06:52 And it's been really fun to see, and I'm excited,
06:55 you know, for him to stay on that same trajectory.
06:58 When you kind of just talk about your confidence in this team,
07:02 like, we haven't seen, you know, obviously you guys play much.
07:04 Like, what else have you seen behind the scenes
07:06 that gives you that confidence in the group?
07:08 Yeah, you know, just I think we got a lot of weapons.
07:11 You got a lot of people that can hurt you.
07:14 I think, you know, it's kind of hard to be
07:18 an elite defensive team with how we play on offense.
07:21 It's a very high-possession game.
07:22 The teams are going to score points.
07:23 But I think we're going to make some strides on that end.
07:25 I think, you know, we're very bought
07:26 into the defensive side of the ball,
07:28 and we know, like, it's going to --
07:30 like, points are going to come, obviously.
07:31 Like, we're going to score the basketball.
07:33 I'm not worried about that.
07:34 Defensive rebounding is kind of what's going to,
07:37 you know, make or break our season, realistically.
07:39 So we know that. We're all aware.
07:40 And so we've been really locked in
07:42 and trying to get better every single day.
07:43 And, you know, it's been a fun process.
07:47 How's that bulletin board that you guys have
07:49 of all the preseason prognostications in there?
07:54 I know the one that got you guys
07:56 was, like, somebody picked your 13th or something.
07:58 Yeah, you know, it's --
08:00 I don't think we've actually, like, hung it up,
08:01 like, on a billboard.
08:03 Not that I've seen, but, you know,
08:04 definitely we kind of take that into account.
08:06 And, you know, it's like preseason rankings
08:08 and especially college sports now,
08:10 it's like it's impossible.
08:11 How are you supposed to predict anything?
08:14 But at the end of the day, we see some pretty
08:15 outlandish predictions.
08:18 And, you know, it's like it is what it is.
08:21 Those people can pick however they want.
08:23 Preseason rankings, though, really,
08:25 they don't mean anything.
08:26 It's all about what you put on the floor.
08:29 There needs to be continuity with your roster.
08:31 It doesn't matter how many good players you have
08:32 if there's no continuity.
08:33 So -- and I think we have good continuity, and I'm excited.
08:36 At the end of the day, the only thing we can really do,
08:39 I could sit here in front of you and curse out
08:40 every single person who made one,
08:42 but I would rather just go out on the floor
08:44 and let them feel stupid themselves.
08:47 Thank you, Patrick.
08:49 All right, go ahead and do questions for DeSantos.
08:51 How did it feel to get the start the other day
08:58 and be with those top five guys?
09:00 It was cool.
09:02 It was great to get back out there.
09:03 You know, we've been at it since, like, June.
09:06 So it was good to play against some other people finally.
09:09 How have you improved from the end of last season
09:12 to where you are now?
09:13 What area have you made the greatest strides in?
09:16 Just experience, you know?
09:18 Experience comes with growth, so just learning
09:21 when to do certain things out there
09:23 and adjusting to college.
09:25 I mean, last year, it was mainly just I could adjust a game,
09:28 trying to get used to the style of playing college.
09:31 So I think I'm here now.
09:32 What do you kind of just see as your role
09:34 on that starting unit?
09:38 Get guys in good positions to score.
09:42 You know, all five of us out there can score,
09:44 and then even our next unit that comes in first can score,
09:47 as well, so both units, to be honest,
09:49 I'm just looking to get guys in good positions
09:53 to be the best they can be.
09:55 So would you describe yourself as a scoring point guard
09:57 when everything's going the way it should?
09:59 Oh, yeah, for sure.
10:00 I think even through high school,
10:02 I think I was recruited as a scoring guard.
10:04 But, you know, with the type of talent we have,
10:07 that has to take a step back as a point guard,
10:10 so my main priority would be to facilitate
10:13 and then, when necessary, be that scoring guard.
10:16 In the exhibition game, you guys got off
10:18 to kind of a slow start offensively.
10:21 What did the coaches tell you after the game
10:23 when you watched the film about what maybe you need to do
10:26 to get guys going earlier?
10:28 Well, it was mainly just an energy thing, you know,
10:31 both defensively and offensively.
10:32 We all have to bring that energy from the jump,
10:35 and that's something we did both overseas
10:37 and in our scrimmage before that.
10:41 And we've seen what can happen
10:43 when we don't bring that energy in the exhibition,
10:45 so I think we're just able to learn from that.
10:47 And I don't see it happening again,
10:49 but I hope it doesn't happen again, as well.
10:52 It seems like you had bulked up some since last season.
10:55 I guess how much weight have you added?
10:59 I think, like, 9-ish, 10 pounds, around there.
11:02 What do you do to put that on?
11:04 Just the weight room, to be honest,
11:05 just being more consistent in there.
11:08 In the spring last year, I started to go in there
11:10 twice a day sometimes, so just making that
11:12 one of my main priorities, and then in the summer, as well.
11:15 Was there anything diet-wise?
11:18 Nah, I was eating the same, you know.
11:19 I think it's just maybe some more protein.
11:21 I was drinking a lot more protein, but that's about it.
11:25 What have you learned from last season
11:26 about cutting down on turnovers?
11:29 Just know, as you go up in levels of basketball,
11:32 that's one of the most key focuses, assist to turnover.
11:36 And in high school, I think it wasn't as keyed upon,
11:39 but as you go up in levels,
11:41 I think that's one of the main focuses,
11:44 how you value possessions.
11:47 So that's been one of my biggest keys, as well.
11:50 How hard have you worked on your jumper and three-point shot,
11:53 and who's helped you develop that?
11:57 Just reps, to be honest.
11:58 I mean, just getting reps, I didn't change too much.
12:01 Just spending more time on it.
12:03 But my trainers at home, Coach Berlock here,
12:08 I work out with him a lot,
12:09 so we focus on that a lot, as well.
12:11 And then, yeah, just multiple reps in the gym daily.
12:14 Do you have a number of shots you got up every day?
12:17 I lose track.
12:18 I mean, I try to be in the 500 range, 500, 600 range,
12:22 but as the season gets closer, it's hard to maintain that,
12:25 you know, with traveling and practices and all that.
12:28 So I try to get around, like, at least 200 makes
12:31 when the season starts a day,
12:33 so just to stay consistent a little bit.
12:35 But just a lot of reps,
12:37 especially in the summer and offseason.
12:39 Zante, it seems like the four freshmen
12:41 are going to play a pretty decent role this year.
12:43 I mean, think back to where you were last year.
12:45 What's the biggest piece of advice you would tell them
12:48 as they kind of enter into this college scene
12:50 and really get going for real?
12:53 I would say just stay consistent and level-headed.
12:56 You know, you can't let a bad game
12:59 or, like, a rough patch affect, like, your work out there
13:02 and how you maintain yourself, you know, just stay consistent
13:07 and being ready every time you step out there,
13:09 because you never know when your name might get called.
13:12 Fran said that the day before you guys played Quincy,
13:15 he talked to you and Josh and basically said
13:17 that you were going to be starting
13:18 and Josh was going to be coming off the bench.
13:20 Just, like, what all do you remember about that conversation?
13:23 Oh, yeah, he told us --
13:25 this has been one of the closest races he's ever had,
13:28 for a fifth starter or whatever,
13:30 but I think between me and Josh,
13:32 like, that's probably who I'm closest with on the team.
13:34 Like, we lived together last year, this year.
13:36 So, I mean, it never really mattered to us
13:39 who started, who played.
13:40 He let us know that we both going to play
13:41 around the same amount, like, regardless of the position.
13:43 We're going to get a lot of minutes.
13:45 So I think both of us are just looking to come in
13:48 and be productive, whether it's starting,
13:50 coming off the bench, whatever it may be,
13:51 and I think that's what we're both going to do.
13:53 So we weren't too worried about which one of us
13:57 got the starter spot.
13:58 Coach said something about you and Josh.
14:00 He felt like he should have played you more last year.
14:04 Do you feel like that level of trust
14:06 has increased however much going into this year?
14:09 Can you feel that level of trust from Coach now?
14:12 Yeah, definitely, and I think that was a big part
14:16 of how I responded last year.
14:18 Like, obviously, I wanted to play more throughout the season,
14:22 and I expected to, but any other person in that position
14:28 could have reacted way worse than I did,
14:30 like body language or not being a good teammate
14:34 or supporting your team while you're on the bench
14:37 and they're out there playing, but I tried to do all that.
14:39 I was still clapping on the bench,
14:41 still talking to my guys, trying to get them ready to go,
14:44 whether that be in practice or just before the game.
14:46 So I think the way I responded was a big key
14:50 to the change going into this year.
14:53 Do you think that mindset kind of helped prepare you
14:55 for this year?
14:56 Yeah.
14:57 I saw how you handled that, and yeah,
14:58 that's how a point guard should react.
14:59 Yeah, for sure, 'cause, you know,
15:01 everyone's constantly watching, watching on the bench,
15:04 watching in the huddles, so I think just knowing
15:08 that you're constantly being watched,
15:09 and you just have to have kind of like a professional approach
15:13 to, even though, like, we're in college,
15:15 you got to have a professional approach to the game
15:16 and just understand the situation you're in,
15:19 and I think once I figured that out, it was not easy,
15:22 but it was easier for me to maintain the situation.
15:26 Your relationship with Josh,
15:28 just what has made it work, I guess?
15:33 I don't know.
15:34 I guess we were the --
15:35 us and, obviously, Amarion last year,
15:37 we were the only freshmen,
15:38 so we were constantly around each other in the dorm.
15:42 We were kind of learning at the same time,
15:44 'cause we were probably --
15:45 I think we were the only new guys early last year,
15:47 so we were kind of just trying to learn together,
15:51 learn the plays, the defense,
15:53 and we were constantly just helping each other
15:54 throughout situations,
15:55 so I think that just helped us come closer together,
15:57 and then off the court, we're just always around each other,
16:00 so that helps as well.
16:01 Are your personalities, like, similar or different?
16:05 I'd say similar.
16:07 I mean, we both -- we're both pretty funny off the court,
16:09 and then I'd say we both --
16:11 we know when to lock in and be serious as well,
16:12 so I'd say similar.
16:15 All right. Thank you. Appreciate it.