South Carolina media day: assistant basketball coach quotes

South Carolina wrapped its 2022-23 media day this week, giving the media a chance to speak with Lamont Paris, two of the Gamecocks’ three assistants and players. 

There are a lot of information and quotes that come out of a nearly two-hour media gaggles. Here are some of the better quotes from assistants Tim Buckley and Tanner Bronson.

Buckley on building the Gamecocks’ chemistry with a lot of new faces: “I’ve seen really good progress. It’s been fun to watch from the time we first got here. Everyone’s new with the exception of a few staff members and coach. Everyone is learning new things, doing things the way coach wants them done. We’ve made really good progress from that standpoint.”

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Buckley on South Carolina’s defensive concepts: “They’re simple, but they’re not easy. Carrying those out possession by possession is a hard thing to do. The consistency of that is what we’re trying to get and trying to stack those possessions on top of each other to make that defense work. When we’re tied together, we’re pretty good at it. When we’re not, it’s glaring. You can tell when the breakdown took place.”

Buckley on developing confident offensive players: “They have to feel unfettered where they don’t feel like someone is looking over their shoulder. I also think when they feel that way it’s self-inflicted. It’s not because the coach is that way but they feel like that’s what it could be. 

On the other end of the court, where you don’t get that freedom, you have to do things at the other end of the court. That’s a fair price but for some guys, it might be a big price. They’re learning to do that on that end to get that offensive freedom. As far as shots, I think he gives them opportunities to show what they can do.” 

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Buckley on South Carolina freshman GG Jackson: “He’s a willing listener and learner. He wants to know how to do it and how he can do it better. It’s a difficult position to be in as well. Of those expectations and spotlight, I would tell him to put pressure on the daily habits and don’t put pressure on the outcomes. There are going to be times when it doesn’t go exactly the way you want it to. The advantage he has over other players is he understands how he can help his team win when it’s not going well for him. That’s an invaluable asset to have as a basketball player when you know you can go to other things other than score the basketball.”

Bronson on the impact of GG Jackson in recruiting: “It definitely raises the awareness of everyone you’re talking to. Because GG is well-known by everybody, especially in this area but even outside of this area. You call a kid in Texas and they’re like, ‘Oh, you guys have GG Jackson.’ 

It makes a huge difference to the curiosity where maybe people wouldn’t have been interested in the past. Certainly in this area, it’s really given us a whole different type of momentum with kids in this state and region. I think they’re more excited about what Gamecock basketball can look like, can we do this together, is this something we could make that is special.”

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Bronson on what good offensive teams do: “They move the ball. I think your dribbles are only with a purpose, I think you’re able to stretch the floor by shooting it. I think those are the most important things. A lot of times we see the highlights and it’s Kobe Bryant or LeBron James and what they’re able to do in one-on-one situations. 

There are 20 guys in the world who do that really, really well. Then there’s the rest of us. I think the more we get to moving the ball, moving bodies, passing and catching then you start to see some really, really good offense. I think we can be a really good offensive team if we stick to some of those principles. From our first day to right now, I watch some of the practices from early in the summer and it’s night and day in that concept. How much better we can get is kind of neat.”

Bronson on building with a lot of new faces: “It’s 15 new guys. That’s a big difference from having four or six in a given year. Then we have nine, 10 or 11 guys who know the system. You can’t get in-depth maybe as much as you would like. You have to do a couple of things really well instead of getting everything in and not being good at any one specific thing. 

That’s what we’re trying to build the most right now. Because of that, hopefully, the team that’s here in November doesn’t look like the same team in January. And the team now isn’t the same team we put on the court in November. I think we’ve seen a lot of progress in that area. We just have to keep developing that consistency.”

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