Evans focused on growing as a leader, loves competitiveness of this team
Texas Tech basketball will show off for the first time this weekend in their preseason exhibition game against Missouri Western State on Friday night before officially tipping off the season against Houston Baptist next weekend. I sat down with junior point guard Keenan Evans to discuss what he's focused on improving on this offseason and how he feels about this team going into the year...
Well, you have your first few weeks of fall practice under your belt. How have things gone so far?
"I feel like things are going well. Everyone is picking up what the staff wants us to do this year. I feel like we're gelling even more from the summer until now. I feel like we're just going through the day-to-day process to get better every day."
What is it about this group that makes you guys gel together so well? Everyone always talks about how easy it was for this entire team to click right off the bat.
"I think we just are one of the older teams in college basketball, so we understand and grasp everything well, that includes outside of basketball. With everything we do together outside of basketball, it's bringing us together closer as a group where we understand each other on a different level."
Being a guy that was here the last few seasons on what was a younger team, what is it like being around so much of an older group now, especially with how many new guys transferred in that are already juniors and seniors?
"It's just a much more mature atmosphere. I just feel like everyone is much more stronger mentally than we have been these last two season. Even physically everybody is stronger and tougher, and we all want the same thing. We know everybody, and everybody is fighting in the rotation for minutes, but we understand that some people aren't going to get that number of minutes they want. But, we know that when we're all out there that we're going to all work hard and push to make each other better."
What has that level of competition done to push everyone? I know you and several of the other guys on the team have mentioned before that it's much more competitive overall now.
"It's definitely competitive every day, and it's just pushing us to be better, and we all want to be better for the team. When one person pushes another, it picks everybody up and is raising the level of practice. Even the coaches start coaching better, so it just makes for a greater atmosphere when everybody pushes each other."
For you personally, what were the things you really wanted to focus on and improve on over the offseason?
"Just being more mentally tough, pushing through barriers, walls. These last few seasons, I just felt like I was struggling when I would get tired or when I would get a little injured, I would back off or slow down my game and play style. This year I'm more mentally tough, have gotten stronger just to push through with my game. I just feel like it's just gotten a lot better with work with our GAs and the coaching staff. They're definitely instilling confidence in everybody."
With Coach Beard, what has he said about the expectations that he has set for you as the point guard this season? He's said several times that he thinks you can do some special things here in the next two years if you want to.
"Well, he's really just instilled in me that point guard is one of the main positions and pretty much the leader on the court. You have to get everybody on the court and lead it. He wants me to be more vocal and just make sure everybody gels together as one and not all over the place. He wants me to just be aggressive, play my game, and be smart."
You guys will play your exhibition game before getting things started for real next week. How are you feeling about where the team is right now?
"I feel like we're really doing well on offense, but we've really got to pick our defense up. It's pretty good, but it's still not where we want it to be. But, we do have a little time here to work on it, and even in the exhibition game we're going to be working on it."