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Gold and Black Illustrated, Vol 26, Digital 2

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VOLUME 26, ISSUE 2 35 he really cares. Sometimes he doesn't give off that he cares. He has that body language where his head's down and he looks like he's not locked in. I thought last year he was up, his eyes were up on things, he was engaged, he was talking to his teammates. And we need that. He also showed our fans and college basketball that he's a really intelligent kid. He knows what the heck is going on out there, but his habits were so behind. "Sometimes he would have excuses when people wouldn't take him seriously. Now his habits are bet- ter and he doesn't make as many excuses, so he's really showed that this means something to him. And that really helped our team. "And Raphael is a leader. Vince Edwards has good leadership qualities that help us. Jon Octeus was a guy that played hard and carried a big stick. I love the guys who keep their mouths shut and just fight. That's normally who wins a fight, whether you're playing basketball or you're on the street, guys who keep their mouth shut. They're pretty calculated and they're ready to go. And Octeus was that way. That's something we can take from Jon as a team and learn to keep your mouth shut and go out there and com- pete and lay it on the line." Gold and Black: What do you like most about this team? Painter: "I think we have a chance to be a really good defensive team. What's difficult for individual guys is that you work on your game throughout the summer, spring, fall to improve and in reality you have to be able to use those improvements within a team concept, but all the things you work on are of- fense. "For us, as a team, with Rapheal and A.J. to anchor that, we have the ability to be a really good defensive squad. … That's probably the No. 1 thing I'm excited about, because there will be games where you don't make free throws or jump shots but you can always be in position (to win) because you have a good de- fensive team. "I also think we can be a great rebounding team. I'm just looking at our size, and not just the interior, but on the wings, with Davis and Edwards being big- ger wings, I think they can do a really good job for us on both ends of securing the glass defensively and creating more opportunities for us by crashing the glass. "I think those things really stick out. Defense and rebounding are constants of the game and I think we can be really good in those areas." Gold and Black: Is defense truly this team's likely strength in your mind or is that just what you're always going to say? Painter: "I believe it. I believe that's what wins games, but I believe we can have a great defensive team. I think when you look at what we've been able to accomplish with the people returning, it's where you start (that sets an expectation). I think you can speculate that you will be a good defensive team, and I think I've always said that we have the ability to be a really good defensive team. It doesn't mean we ended up being one, but we had the pieces to be one. I think we have a couple of guys who have proven themselves in terms of a rim-protector in A.J. Ham- mons, then a shutdown defender in Raphael Davis. "And I think last year at this time, I couldn't say those things. You know, I thought that even with A.J.'s inconsistency those first couple of years, when he was engaged he was really good, but when he wasn't, he was actually a burden at times, because he got out of position so much. I think last year he did much better at being engaged, being in position to make plays, then actually making plays on the de- fensive end. "And Raphael really grew into a great defender and ended up being Defensive Player-of-the-Year. It's only a five-man sport in terms of people who play and you've got 40 percent of your people that are the best defensively at their position in your league and now you throw some more size and experience in there with those guys, and I think you really could be good. So that's how I look at our roster. Our size, that's what gets you excited about being able to rebound, not just inside but also the perimeter." Gold and Black: What concerns you most about this team? Painter: "After you've been at it for a while in coaching, you can kind of see what's coming down the chute, but sometimes you can't.

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