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Pitino Blog: Embrace the Uncomfortable
9/24/2018 9:31:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Good morning Gopher fans,
This past week was extremely beneficial for the growth of our program. We were so fortunate to have Brenda Tracy speak to our guys about setting the expectation as young men in society today. Brenda courageously spoke about living life as a rape survivor. I loved her message about being the 90 percent who can make a difference. Our guys were engaged and got so much out of Brenda's gut-wrenching story. It was certainly impactful to everyone in that locker room. I can't imagine how hard it is for Brenda to share her story to so many people. It's awesome to see the work she is doing throughout the whole country. Brenda truly is making this world a better place and we were so lucky to have had her speak to our basketball team. Her commitment to making a difference is inspiring!
Four days later we brought two military personnel from The Program in to train our guys into becoming better leaders and a more cohesive team. Friday evening they put our players through several military training exercises on the football field. Every mission was led by one of our players individually. They had to communicate exactly what to do and how to do it. It had to be perfect. Saturday morning we met at the pool at 5:45 a.m. to complete several different missions. They finished with everyone getting in the pool with a hooded sweatshirt on. The mission was simple. Take off your sweatshirt while treading water. Once you complete that task you have to find a partner on the team that you pass the sweatshirt on in the pool and they have to put it on. Oh and by the way, it doesn't matter if you can't swim. Figure it out, help each other and do it together. I was so proud of our guys and how they fought through adversity and got the mission done.
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Below I will give an evaluation of how I thought our guys did in the exercises. I wasn't interested in necessarily in how they did pushups or jumping jacks but more on what leadership qualities they showed during and how it can help this team win. It's amazing how these drills revealed so much about all our guys on and off the court. Thanks to Dan Quinn for putting on an unbelievable program.
Payton Willis - Did a terrific job of completing every task but was pretty quiet throughout. That's normal for a transfer to be a little bit reluctant but Payton has the ability to positively make an impact.
Dupree McBrayer - Knocked it out of the park the first day. Remember, the coaches aren't involved. We are just spectators. Friday night Dupree was in charge of giving all the players on the team the schedule and instructions for Saturday am's meeting place and time. Everyone was at the right place, early, and ready to go. Be careful Ryan Livingston. Dupree is vying for your job!
Marcus Carr - Much like Payton, Marcus conquered every mission well but could have been more vocal. We can't have Marcus or Payton wait. They have to attack everyday as if they were eligible to play this year. Being a transfer can be tough in that regard.
Jordan Murphy - Murph has always had really good leadership qualities but, like us all, there is always room for improvement. Tom, one of our squad leaders, had a great observation about Murph. He needs to listen to understand, not listen to react. I really liked that. Jordan will probably get mad at me for saying this but he can't swim. If you were watching him in the pool Saturday am you wouldn't have known that. It wasn't about him. As always with him It was about getting the job done and Murph got it done.
Amir Coffey - He probably benefited the most of everyone from The Program. If you know Amir you know he's very quiet. He's an introvert and likes it that way. There is nothing wrong with being that way. I can be that way from time to time but keeping quiet all the time isn't what's best for the team. Clearly Amir is one of our better players and has the respect of everyone on the team. During one of the swim missions a couple of guys were goofing around and Amir stepped up in a big way. He loudly told everyone to cut it out and focus on the task at hand. It's amazing how big of an impact that has when a player says it as opposed to a coach. We need that leadership from Amir.
Brady Rudrud - Was very good both days. I know Brady is a walk on but he needs to understand that he can still make an impact. The guys respect him on and off the court. We need to hear his voice more this year.
Isaiah Washington - He's really improving on a daily basis with his habits but still has a long way to go. His body language has to improve. His commitment to details and great habits has to get better. Isaiah is a good kid but will test you often. He's funny, popular, marketable and obviously has a cult internet following. With that being said Isaiah wants to be a great player one day and I want to be the guy that helps him get there. Day 1 we put Isaiah in charge of a task and he crushed it. He held guys accountable and lead our guys to a successful mission. It took longer than necessary but he got there. I know he will make huge strides this season. Apple just came out with a new update on their phones that is called SCREEN TIME. I recommend you check it out. It monitors how much time you are on social media, the internet and other apps. I can't wait to see how Isaiah's turns out!
Jarvis Johnson - Wasn't able to physically participate but that didn't mean he wasn't involved. I loved the leadership he showed during the missions. He could have just sat on the side but he didn't.
Hunt Conroy - Much like Brady, Hunt can continue to make a positive impact with this program in a variety of ways. He did a really good job both days.
Jarvis Omersa - Jarvis was awesome. He cares about being a great teammate and really wants to lead. The Program has been in existence for over 5 years and Jarvis is only the second Freshman to ever be named Top Performer by the instructors. Impressive to say the least.
Gabe Kalscheur - Gabe was also really good. Showed phenomenal leadership on day 1 for a freshman. He was a little quieter that second day in the deep end of the pool. Overall, Gabe's performance was exceptional. That isn't surprising to those that are around him everyday.
Eric Curry - Was physically a little bit limited because of a calf strain. It's nothing serious just needs a little time to heal. With that being said he was still a great leader. Eric has a big influence on this team. He can really set the tone everyday.
Daniel Oturu - Still has a way to go as it pertains to the leadership component. That's ok. I doubt I was a very good leader at 18 years old. I'm 36 and know I still have a ways to go in that department. Once Daniel gets healthy, those mental and physical reps everyday in practice will really help him grow.
Matz Stockman - Did very well but tries to stay in the background too much. I was encouraged with a lot. He can help us this year just needs to get out of his comfort zone.
Michael Hurt - Wow was he good. The second day in the pool he incorrectly switched sweatshirts with Isaiah. That meant he had to put a sweatshirt on that was two times too small for him under water. I'm not going to lie, I almost dove into the water to try to help him because it was looking a little scary! Not only did Mike not tap out but he fought through it and everyone on the team helped him complete the task. That was really impactful.
Brock Stull - Did very well. Showed very good leadership day 2 in the pool. Getting more acclimated every day.
First official practice is Tuesday. It's about to get real!
Go Gophers,
Richard Pitino
This past week was extremely beneficial for the growth of our program. We were so fortunate to have Brenda Tracy speak to our guys about setting the expectation as young men in society today. Brenda courageously spoke about living life as a rape survivor. I loved her message about being the 90 percent who can make a difference. Our guys were engaged and got so much out of Brenda's gut-wrenching story. It was certainly impactful to everyone in that locker room. I can't imagine how hard it is for Brenda to share her story to so many people. It's awesome to see the work she is doing throughout the whole country. Brenda truly is making this world a better place and we were so lucky to have had her speak to our basketball team. Her commitment to making a difference is inspiring!
Amazing group of guys right here 😊 Thank you @GopherMBB & @CoachPitinoMN for having me tonight! You are the 90% !!#SetTheExpectation pic.twitter.com/k8avGkJo9p
— Brenda Tracy (@brendatracy24) September 18, 2018
Four days later we brought two military personnel from The Program in to train our guys into becoming better leaders and a more cohesive team. Friday evening they put our players through several military training exercises on the football field. Every mission was led by one of our players individually. They had to communicate exactly what to do and how to do it. It had to be perfect. Saturday morning we met at the pool at 5:45 a.m. to complete several different missions. They finished with everyone getting in the pool with a hooded sweatshirt on. The mission was simple. Take off your sweatshirt while treading water. Once you complete that task you have to find a partner on the team that you pass the sweatshirt on in the pool and they have to put it on. Oh and by the way, it doesn't matter if you can't swim. Figure it out, help each other and do it together. I was so proud of our guys and how they fought through adversity and got the mission done.
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br />Day 1 of @theprogramorg . The guys showed great improvement throughout the evening. Day 2, 6 am tomorrow! #SkiUMah pic.twitter.com/gbitOsA2Ch
— Richard Pitino (@CoachPitinoMN) September 22, 2018
Below I will give an evaluation of how I thought our guys did in the exercises. I wasn't interested in necessarily in how they did pushups or jumping jacks but more on what leadership qualities they showed during and how it can help this team win. It's amazing how these drills revealed so much about all our guys on and off the court. Thanks to Dan Quinn for putting on an unbelievable program.
Day 2 of @theprogramorg. Guys killed it! #embracetheuncomfortable pic.twitter.com/LPj0trg4kY
— Richard Pitino (@CoachPitinoMN) September 22, 2018
Payton Willis - Did a terrific job of completing every task but was pretty quiet throughout. That's normal for a transfer to be a little bit reluctant but Payton has the ability to positively make an impact.
Dupree McBrayer - Knocked it out of the park the first day. Remember, the coaches aren't involved. We are just spectators. Friday night Dupree was in charge of giving all the players on the team the schedule and instructions for Saturday am's meeting place and time. Everyone was at the right place, early, and ready to go. Be careful Ryan Livingston. Dupree is vying for your job!
Marcus Carr - Much like Payton, Marcus conquered every mission well but could have been more vocal. We can't have Marcus or Payton wait. They have to attack everyday as if they were eligible to play this year. Being a transfer can be tough in that regard.
Jordan Murphy - Murph has always had really good leadership qualities but, like us all, there is always room for improvement. Tom, one of our squad leaders, had a great observation about Murph. He needs to listen to understand, not listen to react. I really liked that. Jordan will probably get mad at me for saying this but he can't swim. If you were watching him in the pool Saturday am you wouldn't have known that. It wasn't about him. As always with him It was about getting the job done and Murph got it done.
Amir Coffey - He probably benefited the most of everyone from The Program. If you know Amir you know he's very quiet. He's an introvert and likes it that way. There is nothing wrong with being that way. I can be that way from time to time but keeping quiet all the time isn't what's best for the team. Clearly Amir is one of our better players and has the respect of everyone on the team. During one of the swim missions a couple of guys were goofing around and Amir stepped up in a big way. He loudly told everyone to cut it out and focus on the task at hand. It's amazing how big of an impact that has when a player says it as opposed to a coach. We need that leadership from Amir.
Brady Rudrud - Was very good both days. I know Brady is a walk on but he needs to understand that he can still make an impact. The guys respect him on and off the court. We need to hear his voice more this year.
Isaiah Washington - He's really improving on a daily basis with his habits but still has a long way to go. His body language has to improve. His commitment to details and great habits has to get better. Isaiah is a good kid but will test you often. He's funny, popular, marketable and obviously has a cult internet following. With that being said Isaiah wants to be a great player one day and I want to be the guy that helps him get there. Day 1 we put Isaiah in charge of a task and he crushed it. He held guys accountable and lead our guys to a successful mission. It took longer than necessary but he got there. I know he will make huge strides this season. Apple just came out with a new update on their phones that is called SCREEN TIME. I recommend you check it out. It monitors how much time you are on social media, the internet and other apps. I can't wait to see how Isaiah's turns out!
Jarvis Johnson - Wasn't able to physically participate but that didn't mean he wasn't involved. I loved the leadership he showed during the missions. He could have just sat on the side but he didn't.
Hunt Conroy - Much like Brady, Hunt can continue to make a positive impact with this program in a variety of ways. He did a really good job both days.
Jarvis Omersa - Jarvis was awesome. He cares about being a great teammate and really wants to lead. The Program has been in existence for over 5 years and Jarvis is only the second Freshman to ever be named Top Performer by the instructors. Impressive to say the least.
Gabe Kalscheur - Gabe was also really good. Showed phenomenal leadership on day 1 for a freshman. He was a little quieter that second day in the deep end of the pool. Overall, Gabe's performance was exceptional. That isn't surprising to those that are around him everyday.
Eric Curry - Was physically a little bit limited because of a calf strain. It's nothing serious just needs a little time to heal. With that being said he was still a great leader. Eric has a big influence on this team. He can really set the tone everyday.
Daniel Oturu - Still has a way to go as it pertains to the leadership component. That's ok. I doubt I was a very good leader at 18 years old. I'm 36 and know I still have a ways to go in that department. Once Daniel gets healthy, those mental and physical reps everyday in practice will really help him grow.
Matz Stockman - Did very well but tries to stay in the background too much. I was encouraged with a lot. He can help us this year just needs to get out of his comfort zone.
Michael Hurt - Wow was he good. The second day in the pool he incorrectly switched sweatshirts with Isaiah. That meant he had to put a sweatshirt on that was two times too small for him under water. I'm not going to lie, I almost dove into the water to try to help him because it was looking a little scary! Not only did Mike not tap out but he fought through it and everyone on the team helped him complete the task. That was really impactful.
Brock Stull - Did very well. Showed very good leadership day 2 in the pool. Getting more acclimated every day.
First official practice is Tuesday. It's about to get real!
Go Gophers,
Richard Pitino
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