The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
Haase Previews UAB's 2014-15 Men's Basketball Season
11/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 3, 2014
Haase and the Blazers tip off the upcoming campaign with an exhibition game against UNC Pembroke on Friday at 7 p.m. inside Bartow Arena.
UAB returns four letterwinners, including Preseason All-Conference USA performer C.J. Washington, to this year's team. The Blazers welcome nine newcomers, including one of the top incoming freshman classes in UAB history, to the roster this season.
Below are comments from Haase during Monday's media availability.
Men's Basketball Head Coach Jerod Haase
Opening comments
"The team is progressing. That is our whole mentality right now with what we are doing. This summer we had the trip to Spain, and we had some practices on that trip that were really beneficial to our team. We focused more on the offensive end during that time and one of our main focuses now going into the season is the defensive end. We are emphasizing the toughness and making sure that the young guys understand that they are getting thrown into the deep end. It is time that they produce. There is a sense of urgency in what we are doing. We have made a lot of progress refining things on the offensive end. On the defensive end, we are making a lot of strides. With our athleticism overall, we are able to pressure a little bit more and we have some shot blockers at the rim that will help us. If somebody gets beat, we have something back there to provide some resistance. It is a group that from day one has been really fun to coach. They have bought in and are great listeners. We are excited to play UNC Pembroke on Friday."
On getting newcomers adjusted
"The first two years, I am a new coach with a system with all new players. There was a lot of coaching and teaching going on. With the young guys, there certainly is a lot of coaching and teaching that needs to be done. I have had more long practices this year than I have had the first two years combined. The guys have been able to maintain their focus and intensity for the most part throughout those practices. There has been a lot of teaching going on. There is such a great willingness to do what we are asking them to do.They all have stood out in different ways. With all these newcomers, everyone is contributing in their own way right now. There are going to be some battles for playing time. Everyone brings something different, and guys are going to have to bring great effort and produce on the court to see minutes. We have good depth and a lot of guys who can produce at a high level. We are still hashing out who will start and what minutes they will play. It may fluctuate quite a bit from game to game."
On senior forward and Preseason All-C-USA performer C.J. Washington
"C.J. is going to be an important part of what we do. He is gifted and has produced at this level. He is a preseason all-conference type player. What we need him to do is not only produce on the court with points and rebounds like he did last year, but produce in terms of his effort, intensity and leadership on a consistent level. I have coached him and talked to him about that as much I have the young guys trying to learn the system. He has bought in and is excited about his senior year. He understands that his effort and energy, especially on the defensive end in rebounding, is going to be crucial to this team."
On starting the season at home
"One of the goals for me is to get Bartow Arena back to its prime, where we have a lot of people in the stands to make it a home court advantage. Starting in Bartow for our guys is going to be a good experience. That is always a positive. We are going to do everything we can to get the fans out there and excited and hopefully get off to a good start this year."
On playing top teams
"That is our philosophy in what we are doing. That is what we talk to the kids about in recruiting. We play a big time schedule. The three games in Atlantis will be huge. We have LSU at home and are at North Carolina, so we have big name teams that we are having at Bartow Arena, playing at a neutral site, or playing on the road. That is going to be something that we try to keep in future years. That is important in recruiting and to our brand if we are going to be a big time team. You have to play against top-level competition."
For more information on the UAB men's basketball team, follow @UAB_MBB on Twitter. For more on all Blazer teams, follow @UABAthletics.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- UAB head men's basketball coach Jerod Haase, who enters his third season with the Blazers, spent time with media on Monday previewing the 2014-15 season.
Haase and the Blazers tip off the upcoming campaign with an exhibition game against UNC Pembroke on Friday at 7 p.m. inside Bartow Arena.
UAB returns four letterwinners, including Preseason All-Conference USA performer C.J. Washington, to this year's team. The Blazers welcome nine newcomers, including one of the top incoming freshman classes in UAB history, to the roster this season.
Below are comments from Haase during Monday's media availability.
Men's Basketball Head Coach Jerod Haase
Opening comments
"The team is progressing. That is our whole mentality right now with what we are doing. This summer we had the trip to Spain, and we had some practices on that trip that were really beneficial to our team. We focused more on the offensive end during that time and one of our main focuses now going into the season is the defensive end. We are emphasizing the toughness and making sure that the young guys understand that they are getting thrown into the deep end. It is time that they produce. There is a sense of urgency in what we are doing. We have made a lot of progress refining things on the offensive end. On the defensive end, we are making a lot of strides. With our athleticism overall, we are able to pressure a little bit more and we have some shot blockers at the rim that will help us. If somebody gets beat, we have something back there to provide some resistance. It is a group that from day one has been really fun to coach. They have bought in and are great listeners. We are excited to play UNC Pembroke on Friday."
On getting newcomers adjusted
"The first two years, I am a new coach with a system with all new players. There was a lot of coaching and teaching going on. With the young guys, there certainly is a lot of coaching and teaching that needs to be done. I have had more long practices this year than I have had the first two years combined. The guys have been able to maintain their focus and intensity for the most part throughout those practices. There has been a lot of teaching going on. There is such a great willingness to do what we are asking them to do.They all have stood out in different ways. With all these newcomers, everyone is contributing in their own way right now. There are going to be some battles for playing time. Everyone brings something different, and guys are going to have to bring great effort and produce on the court to see minutes. We have good depth and a lot of guys who can produce at a high level. We are still hashing out who will start and what minutes they will play. It may fluctuate quite a bit from game to game."
On senior forward and Preseason All-C-USA performer C.J. Washington
"C.J. is going to be an important part of what we do. He is gifted and has produced at this level. He is a preseason all-conference type player. What we need him to do is not only produce on the court with points and rebounds like he did last year, but produce in terms of his effort, intensity and leadership on a consistent level. I have coached him and talked to him about that as much I have the young guys trying to learn the system. He has bought in and is excited about his senior year. He understands that his effort and energy, especially on the defensive end in rebounding, is going to be crucial to this team."
On starting the season at home
"One of the goals for me is to get Bartow Arena back to its prime, where we have a lot of people in the stands to make it a home court advantage. Starting in Bartow for our guys is going to be a good experience. That is always a positive. We are going to do everything we can to get the fans out there and excited and hopefully get off to a good start this year."
On playing top teams
"That is our philosophy in what we are doing. That is what we talk to the kids about in recruiting. We play a big time schedule. The three games in Atlantis will be huge. We have LSU at home and are at North Carolina, so we have big name teams that we are having at Bartow Arena, playing at a neutral site, or playing on the road. That is going to be something that we try to keep in future years. That is important in recruiting and to our brand if we are going to be a big time team. You have to play against top-level competition."
For more information on the UAB men's basketball team, follow @UAB_MBB on Twitter. For more on all Blazer teams, follow @UABAthletics.
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