LIVE UPDATES: What are coaches saying during Big 12 media day?

By SAM LANCE

It’s a new era in the Big 12. Sixteen teams are now in the conference, including west coast newcomers Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah. With all of this movement, Big 12 media day is sure to have a lot of interesting developments.

Therefore, ZAGSBLOG is here to update you live on what’s being said by head coaches at the podium.

Scott Drew — Baylor (9:00-9:10 a.m. CT)

• It’s Drew’s birthday and he’s happy to be in Kansas City!
• Drew praised VJ Edgecombe and said he makes SportsCenter top-10 plays all the time in practice.
• Langston Love is trending up from his injury. He’s cleared but still not 100% in practice. Drew said it’ll take him a few weeks to get fully up to speed.

Johnny Dawkins — UCF (9:15-9:25 a.m. CT)

• Dawkins is excited to build on the year UCF had last year in the Big 12.
• Jaylin Sellers is home and resting and there’s no prognosis on his injury from the exhibition game vs FGCU. “He’s in good spirits and he’s moving forward.”
• Mikey Williams has been “terrific” on and off the court. Dawkins said he believes in second chances, and he’s proud of the University for taking that type of stand.

Wes Miller — Cincinnati (9:30-9:40 a.m. CT)

• Day Day Thomas had a little bit of a set back on his foot that required surgery after the NIT last season. “I think it’s a day-to-day thing, so nothing to be alarmed about.” Thomas did not travel to media day as originally expected.
• Miller said he knew the Big 12 was the best league in America, but actually experiencing it is different. “What an awesome experience to coach in this league. It is awesome. And it’s hard. Every single night you are playing against old players, talented players and elite coaching.”
• The Big 12 being the best league in the country is a “fact” and “not even close,” at least over the past four to five years Miller said. It’s been incredible at the top, but the middle and the bottom have been better than all other leagues as well. “I just hope we don’t beat ourselves up to much by the time we get to March.”

Grant McCasland — Texas Tech (9:45-9:55 a.m. CT)

• McCasland said they have some high school guys he really likes. “We love our team and are thankful to compete in the best conference in college basketball.”
• The 3-point shot is big for Texas Tech. “Space on the floor in college basketball is so important… Chance McMillian, Kerwin Walton and Darrion Williams are the three best returning percentage shooters at the power five level… It allows for the game to be easier for everybody.”
• McCasland wants to focus on one game at a time during the Big 12 schedule. Looking at the schedule and figuring out how to navigate it is not the way to do it in a league like this.

Jerome Tang — K-State (10:00-10:10 a.m. CT)

• Tang is super excited about his team with three guys back and a lot of new pieces. “The guys we have in man, just terrific young men… A lot of versatility, better shooting and size.” Reminds Tang of Baylor’s 2012 squad.
• Tang on Tony Bennett’s retirement and the changes in college hoops: “All these changes, we’re all facing it. So you either adapt or you get left.” Tang said he has a young staff that’s very creative and pushes him to keep moving forward.
• On the Big 12 being best conference: “Guys we recruit want to play against the best. And it’s not close. People can debate what they want to but the results show…. Best coaches, best players, best environments. Everyone’s good.”

T.J. Otzelberger — Iowa State (10:15-10:25 a.m. CT)

• Otzelberger was late to his media conference. He said he’ll do some sprints to hold him accountable.
• On returning five very impactful players. “If you can have continuity, that’s a key component and driver for success.”
• Iowa State will embrace the expectations it has this season.

Craig Smith — Utah (10:30-10:40 a.m. CT)

• Personally, Smith is super excited to be a part of the best men’s basketball conference in the country. “We’re not picked where you want to be picked, but there’s nowhere to go but up.”
• Utah has nine new guys in the program and returns less than 35% of its scoring output from last season. But Smith said you wouldn’t know it if you have been watching them practice.
• On 7-footer Lawson Lovering: “He just has a tremendous attitude… He cares about one thing. He just wants to win… I expect him to score more for us and take a big step forward.”
• Smith said being in the Big 12 has helped with recruiting. Players want to play against the best.

Bobby Hurley — Arizona State (10:45-10:55 a.m. CT)

• Arizona State worked extremely hard to rebuild and reconstruct the roster for the Big 12, Hurley said. “I’m excited to see where we stand.”
• On Jayden Quaintance, who turned 17 in July: “He’s prepared to compete at this level and his makeup is outstanding… He’s got a motor that is as good as any I have ever coached… Jayden is far superior than I ever was in that regard or anyone I’ve ever coached. He just never stops. He’s relentless.”
• Hurley said he wants to be unique and play Arizona State basketball. “I’m just going to try and be really good at what we’re capable of being good at.” Hurley said it’s a good mix of returning guys, experienced players and talented freshman.

Tommy Lloyd — Arizona (1:00-1:10 p.m. CT)

• Lloyd opened by saying he looks forward to proving Arizona belongs in the Big 12.
• On Caleb Love: “I want him to be excited to play his fifth year in college basketball.” Lloyd said he wants Love to grow in different areas of his game and show those improvements on the court.
• Some nights in the Pac 12, you don’t play for a sold out crowd, Lloyd said. You won’t be seeing that in the Big 12.
• On revenue sharing: “This is what I know: behind the scenes, when you talk to coaches, every coach has different information.” Lloyd said he’s going to wait until he knows what it’s going to look like to really focus on it. Right now, he’s not going to get caught up in it.

Steve Lutz — Oklahoma State (1:15-1:25 p.m. CT)

• As a first-year coach, Lutz said competing against the best coaches in the country is really exciting for him.
• On constructing a roster for this year: “It’s almost like having a budget and having to prioritize who you want… They have to be good people and fit into our locker room and our culture.”
• Lutz said having to recruit kids in a very short window is very difficult. It’s more like “speed dating.” Back in the day, it was about relationships and spending the whole summer out recruiting. That aspect has changed with the portal.

Tad Boyle — Colorado (1:30-1:40 p.m. CT)

• Boyle said it’s good to be back in the Big 12! “It’s a different league than it was 13 years ago, but it’s great to be back.”
• What has changed?: “The biggest thing is some of the schools… There’s a lot of new teams that are in the league now that weren’t here when we were… It’s been the best league in the country nine of the last 10 years I think. Certainly the last four years… It’s a deep league.” He added the home environments are simply different in the Big 12.
• Boyle said the football coach Deoin Sanders is 1-of-1. “He’s done a lot for the state of Colorado and the University in Boulder.”
• The quote of the day may have come from Tad Boyle. He said it’s easier to build a roster in today’s world, but it’s “infinitely harder to make a program.”

Kevin Young — BYU (1:45-1:55 p.m. CT)

• Young said a major point of emphasis when he got the job was getting some key pieces to come back. And they’ve done that. “I feel good about the blend of talent we have and feel like it’s starting to come together.”
• On Egor Demin: “You don’t see a lot of 6-8, 6-9 guys with that handle who can pass like he does… His overall feel for the game is really impressive. Guys like playing with him.”
• When Young left the NBA to take this job, he was nervous. But he’s found there’s a lot of similarities between college and the league. “It’s been a real comfortable space for me to be in… It’s been more like the NBA than I thought it would be.”
• The amount of practice time is one big difference between NBA and college, Young said.

Darian DeVries — West Virginia (2:00-2:10 p.m. CT)

• DeVries was asked about the travel with the new Big 12. He said overall coaches and players are pretty resilient in figuring out how to adapt, and they’ll find a way to make it work. Everyone in the league has to travel.
• On having just one returning player: “We were very selective in getting the type of guys we knew would fit us… We’re very happy with the way it all ended up. Great bunch of guys who work incredibly hard.”
• On the changes in college sports: “You just have to change with it… Try to make the most of it and do the best job you can. And that’s what we’ve tried to do.”

Jamie Dixon — TCU (2:15-2:25 p.m. CT)

• Like a lot of teams, TCU has several of newcomers. Only one player returns: Ernest Udeh Jr. “We’ve embraced it. We enjoy it… We get to experiment, try some things out during the summer and get better.”
• Dixon said he still wants to run and lead the nation in fastbreak points. He said getting better on the defensive end will get TCU back to the top third of the league.
• TCU has a much younger team than in the past. “My whole things is get old, stay old. We did it at Pitt for years… Now we’re in a whole different world. They could like you a whole lot, but they’re going to look for where the best opportunity is.”
• Dixon said being young isn’t the best recipe for success, but he thinks his freshmen are physically and mentally ready. There are six freshman on the roster and Dixon said he returns 2% of last year’s scoring. A lot of young guys will be playing key minutes.

Kelvin Sampson — Houston (2:30-2:35 p.m. CT)

• On Terrance Arceneaux, who tore his achilles last season: “He’s making good progress, but he’s not 100%. We’re having to watch that.”
• On adapting to the new era: “All coaches have to evolve. The younger coaches that came in this generation, it’s not new to them. They aren’t evolving from anything. They are born into it… The way I used to do it probably wouldn’t work today. And I had to have enough humility to understand that…. I refuse to let NIL or transfer portal penetrate my joy… I don’t spend my time worrying about NIL. I don’t think about it… The NIL stuff is what it is. But my job has not changed because I won’t let it change.”
• Sampson was in the league 30 years ago. Now he’s back. How has he seen this conference evolve: “I’m not sure it’s much different at the top… The league was always tough.” Sampson added today the league is “better funded, better supported” so it should be better today. The arenas and atmospheres are a lot different today as well. Sampson concludes: “Everything about college basketball is better today.”

Bill Self — Kansas (2:45-2:55 p.m. CT)

• On the Big 12 this year: “You have five of the preseason top-10, which I was told earlier has never happened in a league… This is going to be the hardest year to win our league.” Self added he doesn’t look at it as “win the league at all costs” anymore.
• On the state of college athletics: “It is a very uncertain world we’re living in right now… But I do think it will balance out.” Businesses have significant changes over time, and right now it’s college basketball’s time to go through those changes, Self adds.
• Self said he likes the transfer group and you could make a case they’ve all been the best player on any particular day so far. Still… “I don’t think we’re quite comfortable yet.”