• 9 months ago
Tony Perkins Interview
Transcript
00:00 All right, go right into questions.
00:03 You do that every time.
00:04 Yeah.
00:05 [LAUGHTER]
00:10 Tony, second team all-conference from the coaches.
00:14 Thoughts on being honored?
00:17 Feels good.
00:18 I appreciate it.
00:19 I'm happy to get on the team this year,
00:24 because I got honorable mention last year.
00:25 So it feels good to be second team.
00:30 And congratulations to all my teammates as well--
00:33 Owen, Peyton, Ben Kirkke, and Josh Dix as well.
00:36 That's all I'll say.
00:38 Does it mean more coming from the coaches
00:40 than us in the media?
00:42 Yeah.
00:43 I wish it was both, but it is what it is.
00:46 I'll take it.
00:47 A win is a win.
00:50 You guys start the Big Ten tournament journey.
00:53 A couple of years ago, you were on that team that won it.
00:57 What do you tell some of the young guys
00:59 about what this could be like?
01:01 Just tell them the same thing I went through my sophomore year
01:04 when I won it.
01:06 Just try to play the best that you can.
01:09 I mean, at this point, we got to win a few games to even get
01:13 in a position we want to be in.
01:14 So honestly, just take everything-- all the anger
01:18 you got, maybe all the stress you got from school
01:22 or whatever-- I know we're off, but try
01:24 to put that towards the game.
01:25 And just go out there, have fun.
01:29 Just go play your heart out.
01:31 Who do you pay attention to the bubble talk?
01:34 I don't really pay attention.
01:35 They talk about the locker room, so I just hear certain things.
01:39 Yeah.
01:40 Yeah.
01:40 I just ask.
01:41 Once they talk about it, I just ask.
01:43 I'll be like, oh, well, we just got to win.
01:45 Who's obsessed with it in the locker room?
01:49 Patrick.
01:51 Patrick, he's not obsessed.
01:52 He talks about it like, oh, we got to win this game
01:56 or whatever.
01:56 We got to win this many games.
01:57 Carter's in there.
02:03 It's a few others.
02:04 It's a few others for sure.
02:05 But they're not really obsessed with it.
02:07 They just talk about what teams we need to lose and stuff
02:10 like that.
02:12 Do you think it's important to have
02:13 somebody that knows that kind of stuff on the team?
02:15 I think so, because we need to know what position we're in.
02:21 And right now, we know what position we're in.
02:23 We know how we need to play.
02:26 Of course, we want to win the whole thing.
02:28 But if we don't, we at least want
02:29 to get to the position to where we can make it to the NCAA
02:32 tournament.
02:33 That is what position?
02:35 You think you got to win two?
02:37 Yeah, I think it is two.
02:38 I think it is two.
02:39 I'm not sure, though.
02:41 Thinking back to 2022, what do you
02:43 feel like went so well during that stretch
02:45 to allow you guys to win the whole thing?
02:48 I'll just say our togetherness, just the way
02:53 we were together on the court.
02:55 Everybody knew what they had to do on their end,
02:58 regardless of Phil's roles or communication,
03:03 or just the small things.
03:04 So I'd say that.
03:06 I think going into it, we have to bring that as well.
03:12 And I think we'll be just fine.
03:15 How do you feel about your season?
03:19 I feel like it was on a scale.
03:22 I would put 7 out of 10.
03:24 I feel like I could have did more.
03:26 I could play better.
03:27 But at the end of the day, it is what it is.
03:32 Wish it was better.
03:33 Could have did a little bit more, I think,
03:37 to put us in a better position so we
03:39 wouldn't have to play two games to make it to the NCAA
03:43 tournament.
03:44 What do you feel like you could have done better?
03:46 I guess lead more in a different type of way.
03:52 I could say that.
03:56 And then like I said, when Connor came back,
04:02 do a little bit more talking to him.
04:05 That's the term.
04:07 A little bit of I need this from you,
04:09 or try to get up in their grill a little bit
04:13 to make them push that effort a little better and harder,
04:16 I guess.
04:17 Tough shooting the other night, I guess, on the way.
04:20 How do you shake that off going into the tournament?
04:22 I was a little mad after the game.
04:27 But shake it off-wise, just forget it.
04:31 Now it's really either go hard or go home.
04:35 So that's really what I'm focused on now.
04:38 And honestly, I feel like I let them down that game.
04:42 So I'm going to bring 10 times, or you
04:47 could say 100 times more than what I did that game.
04:49 So that's really what it's coming down to for me.
04:54 The shot that Jordan hit against Indiana
04:56 during that tournament in 2022, what
04:58 all do you remember from that?
05:00 Him saving my life, because I turned it over.
05:04 I already knew something was going to come at me
05:05 on the sideline from one of the coaches.
05:07 So him hitting that saved a lot of yelling.
05:10 And yeah.
05:12 When talking about the bubble, there's--
05:14 you talked about pressure.
05:17 You obviously want to treat every game the same,
05:19 you're trying to win.
05:20 But now there's this pressure not to lose.
05:22 There's this pressure coming from behind you
05:24 and other teams, the bubble's shrinking.
05:26 Do you play with-- maybe you're not
05:27 playing with that in your mind, but do you
05:29 come out of the locker room with that in your mind?
05:31 And at halftime, are you going to go into the locker room
05:34 with that in your mind?
05:35 Not really.
05:38 I mean, in a pregame, we'll probably say,
05:40 we need this one, blah, blah, blah.
05:43 But in my head, I just go out there and be like,
05:47 shit, I'm trying to win regardless.
05:48 So I don't really look at, we've got to win this many games,
05:53 got to win that game.
05:54 It's just I'm trying to win this game that we're going into
05:57 or we're about to play.
05:59 Where's that sweatshirt from?
06:03 Spider.
06:04 I got it from some guy I know at IU.
06:07 So when you talk about bringing it more in the next game,
06:12 10 times, 100 times, is that just effort?
06:15 Is that-- where is that coming from?
06:18 I just say everywhere, mentally, physically.
06:23 Defensive end, rebounding, scoring, assists, steals,
06:28 blocks, just flying around the court.
06:30 There's just even more of that.
06:33 You still have time to be that get in the guy's face leader.
06:37 Do you think we can see that from you in Minneapolis?
06:41 Yeah, I wouldn't say get in the face, like yelling,
06:44 but just get in the face and encourage them.
06:46 So yeah.
06:48 We heard from Patrick last week that he
06:50 doesn't think he's going to plan on coming back.
06:53 Do you have any tentative plans right now?
06:56 Not at the moment.
06:59 Like I said earlier in the year, I'm just
07:03 focused on trying to lead this team
07:06 and keep playing until March.
07:07 And then once that's over, then I'll figure out what I'm going
07:09 to do.
07:10 But as of right now, just trying to get these wins
07:13 and get in the NCAA tournament and go until we lose,
07:17 or if we don't lose, which I don't want to, but just
07:21 go until we can't stop no more.
07:24 All right, thanks Tony.
07:25 Thanks Tony.