FAYETTEVILLE — Mike Anderson previews the 2016-17 Razorbacks in his media day press conference.
Mike Anderson
— Thinks he has some gym rats. Walked in 40 minutes before practice today and Brachen Hazen, Dustin Thomas and Trey Thompson were already here shooting.
— Hogs have been doing two-a-days.
— Thinks he has more pieces to the puzzle that fit the system.
— Moses Kingsley has caught his eye. He can do more now that he has more help. He can be a go-to guy. The team can spread the floor because the defense can't just focus on Kingsley and Dusty Hannahs.
— "No idea" who the starters will be. It'll foster competition.
— Getting it done in the classroom, now wants to get it done on the court.
— Arlando Cook is going to be dealt with. "I don't condone that." That discipline will be handled in-house and has already started. Kids are here for education and basketball. "It's something I don't take lightly. It's being dealt with in a very defined way."
— Adrio Bailey reminds him of Michael Qualls from a skill and physique standpoint. Both were raw but instinctive as freshman. "As time goes on, he's going to catch a lot of guys' eyes."
— CJ Jones is getting a physical push in practice from veterans. He has tremendous potential but has to grasp defense. Ballhandling and defense have to get better. Defensively, has to improve pressure and rotation off the ball.
— Thinks Hogs will be able to score, but need to focus on defense and rebounding the ball.
— Moses Kingsley was the constant last year as Hogs' best player. It's nice to have an anchor. Got exposed to playing against top competition at Nike Academy, so hopefully he comes back hungry like Bobby Portis did. The game has slowed down for him a bit. He's more mature.
— Manny Watkins lives in the gym. Anderson goes to work out in the morning and Watkins is in there every morning putting in time working on his mid-range jumper. He'll be in the mix.
— CJ Jones was in Anderson's camps at UAB because his dad played there. He'd come to camps at Arkansas. He grew two more inches from the summer before his senior year to now.
— Thinks Hogs need a player to take command on the floor like Jabril Durham did. Notes team was in a lot of close situations last year. Jaylen Barford is a candidate for that. He can control the team. It's hard for defenders to stay in front of him.
— One of the main areas last year's team was lacking was skilled 4s last year. Dustin Thomas and Trey Thompson are two good options. Hogs have options at the four this year.
— CJ Jones' came out firing in Spain. He doesn't lack confidence. If he comes in the game and lets it fly, which could b be a good quality. The competition wasn't that bad in Spain. He's very athletic and has so much time to grow, it's scary. Just needs to learn and get better, be a sponge.
— May sign three or four. ... JC: Three commits right now.
— Thinks trip to Spain helped conditioning. Normally has players puking in early practices and didn't have any this year. Did say a player told him he lost his soul running up Cleveland Hill, notes he'd never heard that one before.
— Trip helped the seven newcomers get acclimated to the program.
— Tuesday was a 2.5-hour workout with Anderson screaming and yelling and the team was still standing. Likes conditioning, but team has to keep building into basketball shape.
— Hogs are playing seven teams coming off 20-win seasons in nonconference play. It's a challenging schedule and Hogs need to come out of the gates ready, looking like one of his teams with depth and athletic ability.
— Kingsley is more composed now. Portis had a big motor and displayed it in practice every day. He wanted to lead the team in rebounding and win every scrimmage. That's where he's trying to get Kingsley, to a point where he can dominate in practice. Thought he paced himself last year because he'd look to the bench and know no one was coming in.
— Arlando Cook was the player who said he lost his soul.
— Anton Beard wants to re-gain his form. He missed all conditioning last year. He wasn't the same player he was when he should've been better. Has more competition now, but played well in Spain.
— Hogs could play 8 to 10, maybe even 11 or 12 players. There'll be a point when separation starts happening.
— CJ Jones' defense is getting better, but he has a tendency to take rests on that end of the court sometimes.
— The guys who have been here should allow others to come along at their own pace.
— Dusty Hannahs has done a good job not being married to shooting just jumpers. He can get into the lane and draw fouls. He needs to be able to draw defenders and find teammates. Anderson is challenging him on defense and getting defensive rebounds, getting dirty. He needs to be accountable because he has other players now who can shoot it and guard too.