Nasty Nati Guard Troy Caupain On The Team's Makeup Ahead Of The Tournament
Nasty Nati Guard Troy Caupain On The Team's Makeup Ahead Of The Tournament
Transcript
00:00 [chatter]
00:05 Russ Ullman here with Masconetti guard Troy Copain.
00:08 Troy, second year with the outfit here.
00:11 Obviously a learning experience in year one,
00:13 you guys first time getting it together.
00:15 What was the thought process and what's your mindset going into year two
00:20 of being the point guard on this team?
00:22 Accountability is the word for this summer.
00:24 Last year we kind of took it lightly,
00:25 we just had to kind of be with each other.
00:28 And we forgot to – we didn't really know how important this event is.
00:32 So year two, knowing the importance of it and that it really can change a life,
00:37 it really could put you in any situation.
00:41 And having that mindset of knowing what the opportunity that lays in front of us,
00:45 that we have to be ready for it.
00:46 So we as a unit try to preach like bro,
00:49 this is an opportunity for all of us to take a step forward.
00:52 If we just do the right things, if we prepare well
00:55 and come ready to play like we know how to, we'll be okay.
00:57 So this is more of a serious event than what we thought from last year to this year.
01:01 What were your thoughts kind of just on the entire environment last year?
01:04 The game itself, the Elam ending, just a different kind of –
01:08 Very professional, very professional.
01:10 But it's not like – it's not like coaching,
01:13 like it's not like organized five on five like it is.
01:17 But it's not like, oh coach is going to take me out.
01:19 Or you know, it's not like college basketball, like professional basketball.
01:22 It's more like open gym with high level pros and you have to come win the day.
01:26 So we all hoop, we all like we about to do now, coming to an open gym.
01:31 There's just a lot of eyes on you, you got to come win your day.
01:33 You got to come win your matchup, you got to come ready to hoop.
01:35 This is about hooping, this is not about organizing and ties,
01:38 it's about coming to hoop and getting that stop.
01:40 And then the Elam ending, every game ends on a basket.
01:43 So it means you got to play to that number.
01:45 So if you got to get a stop, you got to get a stop.
01:47 Or if you got to score, you got to make baskets.
01:49 So like I said, it's like a super, super, super high class,
01:53 high class, professionally open gym.
01:56 You obviously have a lot of guys that have just coming off of European experience,
02:01 coming off a professional experience, keeping their careers rolling
02:04 with this event being another stop along the way here.
02:07 What has your experience been like overseas, playing with Brescia,
02:10 playing in Italy, how has that been over the past couple of seasons?
02:13 It was actually very good last year.
02:14 I actually went through an injury last year, but my team did a wonderful job.
02:19 We had a chance to win games down in stretch.
02:23 But like a top league Italy and we was in Euro Cup,
02:26 so just being able to travel, see different teams,
02:28 see different places of the world, it was always a blessing.
02:30 I'm very thankful for that and I never take that for granted.
02:34 Like I said, very competitive and just to join a new country.
02:38 I get to experience, I get to eat new food, I get to meet new people,
02:41 I get to interact with new things, learn something new.
02:43 So I enjoy Euro Cup, I'm not going to lie.
02:45 So you go – actually I just took a two week vacation over there.
02:49 It's really – yeah, it's really cool being in that new environment.
02:52 Were you able to get all around Europe with the EuroLeague travel?
02:56 When I was in Euro Cup –
02:57 How many countries were you able to visit?
02:59 Not this year, I didn't do a lot.
03:00 I had messed up my tech tenants, so I didn't really get to travel.
03:04 So I missed a real – I missed like six months out of the year,
03:06 so I didn't get to travel.
03:07 But when I was in Germany we did Euro Cup and then Turkey was in Champions League.
03:10 So I got to experience a lot of countries, Spain, France.
03:16 Man, where else?
03:17 All over, all over.
03:18 It was really nice.
03:19 You really – you basically have been hitting all the marks
03:23 in terms of different leagues, different playing styles,
03:26 in terms of American professional ball, overseas professional ball.
03:30 Does that kind of mixture – does that play into any role
03:34 like that you're about to go into in the tournament?
03:36 Or is it more so of going into that open gym mindset
03:39 and making sure you're in the mindset that you feel best fits the tournament?
03:44 I think in certain aspects of the game, of knowing your reads
03:48 and knowing what to do, how to control the game.
03:51 You have professional skills come to play.
03:53 But this is coming to an open gym like –
03:57 versus another high level open gym team is saying like,
03:59 I got my five and your five and we got to check up.
04:01 And we play into a certain number, winner advances.
04:04 That's the mindset.
04:05 So I was talking to Coach Johnson and he was kind of adamant in saying,
04:09 you're trying to install a plan defensively, get guys on the same page there
04:14 and then we're going to let the talent kind of flow offensively
04:17 and let the pieces fit kind of naturally in that sense.
04:20 Does that fit – in kind of your guys' mindset as players,
04:25 does that kind of fit the best way to meld into the tournament
04:28 with such little preparation time that you guys have?
04:31 I think so because we all graduated from Cincinnati
04:34 and we all have principles.
04:36 Like we have the same principles.
04:37 So if somebody puts in – or if we put in –
04:39 the coaching staff puts in something, we know what to do.
04:41 So if we are, you know, high ice or if we're hedging
04:44 or if we're rotating somebody got the X-man,
04:46 we all know the basic terminology of what to do on the defensive side.
04:49 We just have to be on the same page of what we're doing.
04:52 So this game might be trap, this game might be drop.
04:56 We know what to do, we just have to all be on the same page
04:58 and then the offensive and we get on and run.
05:00 That's where the open gym mindset comes in.
05:02 I'm not about to keep calling floppies and all these plays, that's not running.
05:06 Our coach isn't out there now.
05:09 We're going to play what we know how to play, transition, run,
05:11 catch you a ball screen down here and we got other players.
05:13 We're going to beat your man one-on-one, you can do what you got to do.
05:15 So, knowing your principles and then having the mindset
05:19 that we really come to play basketball, like it's winning at home.
05:22 George Copain, guard for nationality coming up to you with some time today.
05:26 What can fans expect on Friday night when they enter enemy territory
05:30 with a group of guys that Coach Johnson reminded me of this,
05:33 but you guys are all still looking for your first win inside.
05:37 Inside.
05:38 To give you an even kind of added chip on a shoulder
05:41 that you guys obviously don't need chips on to get motivated.
05:44 I'm not going to over hype it, just tell them get your tickets.
05:46 We can use the support and we can use the love
05:49 and we like to have a little something about it,
05:51 some type of fan base in the Cintas Arena.
05:54 So, it would do us great honor if you all can just get your tickets,
05:57 come out and support and show love.