2009-10 Preseason Q/A with Coach Doc Sadler

NUHoopsblog: Each of your first three teams reached higher levels than probably most people expected. Do you have to deal with expectations being higher with this team even though it’s so inexperienced?
DS: This team is big time different than last year because there are so many new guys. We don’t have much carryover at all. The expectations of this team are not going to be ones where it’s drawing much from the last year or two because it’s all new people.

NUHoopsblog: So what type of expectations do you see for this year?
DS: You almost have to start completely over. You have to start from ground level this year. We need to teach them what we stand for. As I’ve said day from day one, we are going to be a team that day-in and day-out plays hard, does things the right way and because of that, winning will take care of itself. Obviously, effort is something we have to teach this team with so many new guys.

NUHoopsblog: Is teaching defense the starting point every year with your teams?
DS: Yes, but one thing I thought about last year’s team that will be different than this year’s team is that I think there was carryover as far as expectations. This team this year is more like my first year here. For the most part, they don’t know what to expect of me, nor am I going to know what to expect of them because of the number of new people. The good thing is that from this point on out, there will be good carryover because there are so many younger players.

NUHoopsblog: Do you think this team is closer to where you want it to be in terms of athleticism compared to when you got here?
DS: I think so. The guard play -- their size and athleticism ? is as important as it is for the big guys inside. We’re starting to look more like a Big 12 team athletically and size-wise, and that is good.

NUHoopsblog: Everyone saw a lot of interchanging of players last year. Like a tough defense, is that a staple of a Doc Sadler team?
DS: The thing I have always said is that the guys who play the hardest, regardless of their size, are the ones who will play. It helps to have big guys who can play and play hard. But just because you’re tall doesn’t mean you should get minutes if you don’t play as hard as the guys beside you. That’s not ever going to change with me, but hopefully, I do believe the big guys we have will eventually be guys you look out and say they play hard too.

NUHoopsblog: Who’s your best scorer, rebounder, defender?
DS: It’s way too early to know because there are so many new guys. I don’t think there are any labels for anyone right now. The thing they have to do is go out and play as hard as they can play, play with confidence and do the things we ask them to do. They do that and things will turn out good.

NUHoopsblog: Last year, one thing that held the team back was a lack of scoring. Where do you see that coming from this season?
DS: I like to think that there’s an opportunity out there. One reason we struggled some scoring last year was our depth and we got tired, but I don’t think that will be a problem. I also think we’ll be able score better on the low post and that always helps open things up.

NUHoopsblog: Speaking of scoring inside, talk a little about your big guys and what they can bring to the team.
DS: Unfortunately, a lot of guys we have are not really low post players even though they’re bigger and taller players. But with the injury we have to Christopher Niemann, now they have a chance to play more down there. Quincy Hankins-Cole is more of a low post player, but Brian Diaz has to make that adjustment. The thing that worries me more is Brian’s lack of playing (live games) in the last two years. It’s going to take while to get him in game speed.

NUHoopsblog: Is Brian Diaz one of the more skilled big guys you have ever had?
DS: You have to think so. But without getting too much into him, we’ve never seen him in college competition other than practices. It’s never been game situations. It’s going to take some time, but over time I think he can be a very good player.

NUHoopsblog: Does having several big guys available this year help shore up the rebounding struggles from last season, or does that come from better overall height on the team?
DS: Having the bigger bodies helps, but I think our guards are going to have to be better rebounders. And I do think we have some tougher guys who can rebound to help us.

NUHoopsblog: With some taller players inside to work with like he did when Aleks Maric was here, do you think Ryan Anderson will be able to produce more like his first two years than last year?
DS: You have to hope so. Ryan is the kind of player who feeds off other people. His experience always comes into play, and Ryan’s forte is to play hard. He gets baskets from playing hard and hopefully can get more from that with a low-post presence on the floor with him.

NUHoopsblog: Sek Henry is another senior who you need production from. He’s one of the team’s best man-to-man defenders, but needs more consistency on offense. Is he ready to do that?
DS: It’s time for him to do that. He’s a senior and he needs to play the best basketball this year since he’s been here. Both he and Ryan need to. We obviously lack experience in a lot of areas, so we need Ryan and Sek and Toney (McCray) and Brandon (Richardson) to all step it up, especially those first two. If we have success this year, they have to play best they’ve played since we’ve been here.

NUHoopsblog: One of those bigger guards was here last year but didn’t get a chance to show much because of his injury. What do you think people will see from Eshaunte Jones this year?
DS: Hopefully he’s healthy now and when he is, his strength is that he can shoot the basketball. You hope that when he has an opportunity to get open shots that he can be a guy you can count on to make some.

NUHoopsblog: Toney McCray’s preseason injury set him back a little, but now that he and Brandon Richardson are third-year guys, do you expect more production from them?
DS: They need to, but they haven’t played a whole lot of college basketball. With that said, they are two of our more experienced guys and for sophomores, they have to take on quite a bit. They have to come through for us to have a good season.

NUHoopsblog: What does Lance Jeter bring to the team at the point?
DS: Obviously he brings size. I’ve said so many times that I think we’ve been an OK team before Big 12 play starts, but once we’ve gotten into the Big 12, the stakes are bigger, the players are bigger and our size became an issue. Over a 30-game schedule, we would break down. With the way it is now with our size, hopefully we’ll be better once we get into those Big 12 games.

NUHoopsblog: Even though there’s so many new people, will Lance Jeter and Quincy Hankins-Cole having played together two years help the chemistry settle in a little?
DS: I don’t know if playing together before matters for the team. They know each other and it probably makes them more comfortable with each other, but I’m not sure how much it helps our team. At the same time, because neither one has played at this level before, they need to step up and mature quickly.

NUHoopsblog: Talk a little about the young players.
DS: Of all the guys, early in the year I’ve been most pleased with the true freshman. Brandon Ubel, Rayes Gallegos, and even though we haven’t seen enough of Adrien since he joined us so late, they work hard. The good news is that I really believe that for first time, I can look beyond this year and say that we could put a run together for two or three straight years with these guys. And that’s good and that can only happen because I have that much confidence in the freshman and sophomores that are here now.

NUHoopsblog: Talk a little about Christian Standhardinger.
DS: He is going to be like any young player but he’s also going to miss 15 games. To be counting on him to play a lot is unfair to him, but from what we’ve seen, he’s going to be a good basketball player for us. Eventually he’ll be very good. You’d like to hope that’s this year, but I think it’ll be especially be true down the road.

NUHoopsblog: Another newcomer, Myles Holley, what does he bring to the table?
DS: He brings athleticism that we haven’t had. I think with Myles and all the new guys, to expect a lot early in their career is unfair to them even though they’re going to be counted on to contribute. But by league play I think you’ll see guys who are ready to play.

NUHoopsblog: Do you like schedule?
DS: I think it’s going to get you ready (for Big 12 play), but I think for this team, it’s probably a little more difficult than I would have liked. I don’t like the idea that we have five games away from the Devaney Center; that’s not good for an inexperienced team. But, it is what it is and we’ll prepare and be ready for what’s ahead of us.

NUHoopsblog: Most people who do the preseason polls are picking Nebraska pretty low, probably because there are so many new players that they don’t know about yet. Do you put any stock in those polls?
DS: I don’t think we’ve been picked high any year since we’ve been here. That doesn’t bother me. I think we built a foundation where we are ready now to maybe take another step. I think the players in this program are talented enough to do that. I just hope it’s this year. I’m never going to lose site of the big picture and I’ve said so many times that this is not a quick fix problem, and I didn’t want it to be. That would mean you don’t have a good foundation. I think our foundation is really good and I’m thankful to the players who led that, but these players now are good enough to build on that foundation. I think down the road people will see that too.

NUHoopsblog: Since you’ve coached three years in the Big 12, has your coaching style changed?
DS: I don’t know if it’s changed or not. I think you have to understand the league you’re in, and when you’re in a league as good as ours with players as talented as they are, probably you play more close to the vest than people may like. We are going to have to play tough, disciplined basketball with good shot selection and all the things we’ve been doing on defense.

NUHoopsblog: You and your staff been all over the world recruiting the past couple years. Is there anywhere you won’t go?
DS: No. I think that’s what is going to get us there. Our staff has done a terrific job and while you see guys from everywhere, Nebraska is an area we would love to have (scholarship) players from and hopefully down road we’ll get some. Right now though, there’s a lot of different areas we cover, and part of the job is to convince them how important it is to the state that you represent the University of Nebraska when you play here. It’s something we need to do.

NUHoopsblog: What do you look for in a recruit?
DS: A team’s needs change year to year. But athleticism is something you better have in this league, and you better have size in this league. We’re finally getting some of both.

NUHoopsblog: What is the most fun part of coaching?
DS: The thing that drives me here is the opportunity to do something that has never been done here and that’s to win an NCAA Tournament game. When you compete in this league and do it year in and year out, you have chance to compete for national championships and I believe that is possible here. I’m not just here to get to the NCAA Tournament; that’s just the first step. Eventually I want this to be a team that, when it gets to the Tournament, it gets there with idea that it’s playing for something. That’s what drives me and what is fun. That’s where we’re at here at Nebraska.