Northwestern University Athletics
Talking with Turner: Men's Basketball Summer Spotlight
8/6/2019 3:41:00 PM | Men's Basketball
NUSports.com's Martin Oppegaard caught up with senior A.J. Turner for a Q&A about the 'Cats summer.
How has summer been for Northwestern basketball?
"You know, it's been good. We've been getting all the guys acclimated and everything. We took some time just to go over fundamentals because there are obviously a lot of new guys here. We've been teaching everyone the terminology, and getting guys used to playing at this level. We also took some team trips to just build chemistry because I think that's really important, having a really close team. And it's only been a few weeks so we're going to try to keep building on that."
Does it almost feel like a different team, bringing in so many new guys?
"Brand new team. We can't even compare last year. It's a totally new slate. We have to figure out our identity. I think that last year we relied heavily on Vic [Law] and Dererk [Pardon]. Those guys, they've been in the program a long time. Now it's a bunch of new faces. We've got some guys returning from last year, but I think the biggest thing is just gelling and figuring out our identity."
What will the Europe trip do for finding that identity?
"I think the trip is going to be good for chemistry for the season. Not every team is going on a trip, and the summer is the time to get to know everyone and build that chemistry. Thankfully, we have the trip so we can use it as more opportunity and time to continue to build that chemistry for the season."
As the most experienced member of the team, how does your role change from last season?
"Like you said, I'm the most experienced guy, this is going to be my fifth year. It changes by just sharing my knowledge and experience that I have with the young guys and also transitioning into more of a leader. I know last year, I also tried to lead, but this year it's more pivotal for me to be a vocal leader and lead by example just because I'm the oldest and guys look up to me. I played in the ACC for two years and this is going to be my second year playing in the Big Ten, so just having those experiences and knowing what we need to do to win games at this level. I think being that leader and always being there for the younger guys, and even the older guys like Pat [Spencer]. He's older than I am, but coming from lacrosse there's just some transitional things that I'll be able to help everyone out with."
What kind of expectations are there for next season?
"We're definitely going to play hard. We all have a chip on our shoulder, we're going to go out there and give it our all every night. And I think if we do that, play hard on defense and execute on offense, we'll live with the results."
New assistant coach Jon Borovich came over from Northern Illinois and Bryant McIntosh returned to the program as Assistant Director of Operations. What are they going to bring?
"Coach JB has been great. He brings energy. We obviously love Coach [Billy] Donlon, he was the main defensive coach, but JB has been bringing the same energy and really connecting with us and sharing his knowledge. He recruited me coming out of high school so I've actually known him for a little while. And B-Mac, he was here my sit-out year so I never played with him. But having him around, he's been to the tournament and played overseas for a year, so he has the knowledge and is just a familiar face. Guys look up to him."
What thoughts do you have on the first-year class?
"They're all super talented. They've really exceeded my expectations. They come in everyday ready to learn. I know you probably hear that a lot but this freshmen group is definitely the real deal and I'm excited to get out there and play with them. We've been playing pickup and that's different than an organized game, but they're all talented in their own way. Pat [Spencer], a lot of people are asking how he is. Obviously he's really good at lacrosse but he's also really talented at basketball. He has a great IQ. He just knows how to make plays. They're all really good. Jared [Jones] is a big body. He's really, really big. I think that's different than what we've had in the past. He's athletic and he can shoot as well so he can really stretch the floor out. Robbie [Beran] is a prototype stretch four. He can really shoot the ball, he can rebound and put it on the floor. Boo [Buie] is a gamer. He's really good at basketball. He just knows how to play and he's doing a good job embracing the point guard leadership role. I'm really excited to get out there and play with them."
You mentioned Pat. Coming from a Division I lacrosse program, did he bring a different perspective to basketball?
"The thing that Pat talked to me the most about is the movement. Obviously playing lacrosse, you take shorter steps, a lot of quick jabbing. I think basketball is a very continuous moving game and in lacrosse, you have your position. I don't know everything about lacrosse but you have your position and there are some points in the game where you are just standing there. In basketball, that's never the case, so he was telling me that's a major difference. He's also brought some leadership as well, just because he's won and I think winning translates over sports. He's definitely done a good job of holding his own. I've had fun playing with him too, he's a lot more athletic than I thought."
On the court specifically, how does your role change from last season?
"I know I said leadership already, but I think that will be the main thing. Being vocal on the court and leading by example and being aggressive. I have the most experience so just being that coach on the floor, reading defenses and communicating to Coach [Collins] what I see out there."
Have you seen growth from the sophomores since last season?
"Ryan Young has made some good jumps from sitting out last year. He was going against Dererk [Pardon] every day in practice and that made him a lot better. Miller [Kopp] and Pete [Nance] have both made tremendous jumps. I don't know how much, but Pete definitely added some weight and muscle. Me and Miller have been working together the whole offseason so I know he'll be ready for sure. And [Ryan] Greer has been improving as well. I think it was a good offseason for all of us. We made a lot of jumps in the spring, we got a lot closer. It was really just myself, the sophomore class and then Anthony [Gaines] in the spring. We really didn't have that many players so the people who were here, we got a lot better and a lot closer.
As a guy who had to sit a year after transferring, have you been offering advice to Chase Audige who will go through the same experience this season?
"Chase has been asking me a lot of questions about how everything works sitting out and just what to expect. I told him it's a year to get better. In the beginning you think the season goes by so slow because you can't travel, but it really goes by fast. I think it's good that I've been through it already so I can prepare him as best as I can."
What are your thoughts on Dererk and Vic signing professional contracts?
"Those are two great positions for them. Dererk is actually going to be in Italy while we're there, so he was saying he'll actually be able to come and watch our games. But I'm happy for both of them. I know that was a goal for both of theirs to play professionally and just to see them reach that goal, and now to keep going after it is motivating because I was so close to both of them."
Any final comments?
"I think we have some good length and some good size, and I'm excited to get out there."
How has summer been for Northwestern basketball?
"You know, it's been good. We've been getting all the guys acclimated and everything. We took some time just to go over fundamentals because there are obviously a lot of new guys here. We've been teaching everyone the terminology, and getting guys used to playing at this level. We also took some team trips to just build chemistry because I think that's really important, having a really close team. And it's only been a few weeks so we're going to try to keep building on that."
Does it almost feel like a different team, bringing in so many new guys?
"Brand new team. We can't even compare last year. It's a totally new slate. We have to figure out our identity. I think that last year we relied heavily on Vic [Law] and Dererk [Pardon]. Those guys, they've been in the program a long time. Now it's a bunch of new faces. We've got some guys returning from last year, but I think the biggest thing is just gelling and figuring out our identity."
What will the Europe trip do for finding that identity?
"I think the trip is going to be good for chemistry for the season. Not every team is going on a trip, and the summer is the time to get to know everyone and build that chemistry. Thankfully, we have the trip so we can use it as more opportunity and time to continue to build that chemistry for the season."
As the most experienced member of the team, how does your role change from last season?
"Like you said, I'm the most experienced guy, this is going to be my fifth year. It changes by just sharing my knowledge and experience that I have with the young guys and also transitioning into more of a leader. I know last year, I also tried to lead, but this year it's more pivotal for me to be a vocal leader and lead by example just because I'm the oldest and guys look up to me. I played in the ACC for two years and this is going to be my second year playing in the Big Ten, so just having those experiences and knowing what we need to do to win games at this level. I think being that leader and always being there for the younger guys, and even the older guys like Pat [Spencer]. He's older than I am, but coming from lacrosse there's just some transitional things that I'll be able to help everyone out with."
What kind of expectations are there for next season?
"We're definitely going to play hard. We all have a chip on our shoulder, we're going to go out there and give it our all every night. And I think if we do that, play hard on defense and execute on offense, we'll live with the results."
New assistant coach Jon Borovich came over from Northern Illinois and Bryant McIntosh returned to the program as Assistant Director of Operations. What are they going to bring?
"Coach JB has been great. He brings energy. We obviously love Coach [Billy] Donlon, he was the main defensive coach, but JB has been bringing the same energy and really connecting with us and sharing his knowledge. He recruited me coming out of high school so I've actually known him for a little while. And B-Mac, he was here my sit-out year so I never played with him. But having him around, he's been to the tournament and played overseas for a year, so he has the knowledge and is just a familiar face. Guys look up to him."
What thoughts do you have on the first-year class?
"They're all super talented. They've really exceeded my expectations. They come in everyday ready to learn. I know you probably hear that a lot but this freshmen group is definitely the real deal and I'm excited to get out there and play with them. We've been playing pickup and that's different than an organized game, but they're all talented in their own way. Pat [Spencer], a lot of people are asking how he is. Obviously he's really good at lacrosse but he's also really talented at basketball. He has a great IQ. He just knows how to make plays. They're all really good. Jared [Jones] is a big body. He's really, really big. I think that's different than what we've had in the past. He's athletic and he can shoot as well so he can really stretch the floor out. Robbie [Beran] is a prototype stretch four. He can really shoot the ball, he can rebound and put it on the floor. Boo [Buie] is a gamer. He's really good at basketball. He just knows how to play and he's doing a good job embracing the point guard leadership role. I'm really excited to get out there and play with them."
You mentioned Pat. Coming from a Division I lacrosse program, did he bring a different perspective to basketball?
"The thing that Pat talked to me the most about is the movement. Obviously playing lacrosse, you take shorter steps, a lot of quick jabbing. I think basketball is a very continuous moving game and in lacrosse, you have your position. I don't know everything about lacrosse but you have your position and there are some points in the game where you are just standing there. In basketball, that's never the case, so he was telling me that's a major difference. He's also brought some leadership as well, just because he's won and I think winning translates over sports. He's definitely done a good job of holding his own. I've had fun playing with him too, he's a lot more athletic than I thought."
On the court specifically, how does your role change from last season?
"I know I said leadership already, but I think that will be the main thing. Being vocal on the court and leading by example and being aggressive. I have the most experience so just being that coach on the floor, reading defenses and communicating to Coach [Collins] what I see out there."
Have you seen growth from the sophomores since last season?
"Ryan Young has made some good jumps from sitting out last year. He was going against Dererk [Pardon] every day in practice and that made him a lot better. Miller [Kopp] and Pete [Nance] have both made tremendous jumps. I don't know how much, but Pete definitely added some weight and muscle. Me and Miller have been working together the whole offseason so I know he'll be ready for sure. And [Ryan] Greer has been improving as well. I think it was a good offseason for all of us. We made a lot of jumps in the spring, we got a lot closer. It was really just myself, the sophomore class and then Anthony [Gaines] in the spring. We really didn't have that many players so the people who were here, we got a lot better and a lot closer.
As a guy who had to sit a year after transferring, have you been offering advice to Chase Audige who will go through the same experience this season?
"Chase has been asking me a lot of questions about how everything works sitting out and just what to expect. I told him it's a year to get better. In the beginning you think the season goes by so slow because you can't travel, but it really goes by fast. I think it's good that I've been through it already so I can prepare him as best as I can."
What are your thoughts on Dererk and Vic signing professional contracts?
"Those are two great positions for them. Dererk is actually going to be in Italy while we're there, so he was saying he'll actually be able to come and watch our games. But I'm happy for both of them. I know that was a goal for both of theirs to play professionally and just to see them reach that goal, and now to keep going after it is motivating because I was so close to both of them."
Any final comments?
"I think we have some good length and some good size, and I'm excited to get out there."
Players Mentioned
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