The TCU men's basketball season is just a few weeks away. On Wednesday, the Big 12 Tipoff was held in Kansas City with players and coaches from all 14 men's teams in attendance. Micah Peavy (senior, guard), JaKobe Coles (junior, forward), and Emanuel Miller (senior, forward) talk about the upcoming season.
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00:00 fourth player in program history,
00:01 been named preseason now Big 12.
00:02 So what did that honor mean to you?
00:04 - It means a lot, but it's also humbling.
00:06 Just knowing the guys that's also been picked
00:10 for a preseason Big 12 player.
00:12 We just have to go out and do something about it.
00:14 It's a great accomplishment.
00:16 I'm very honored to be recognized for my talent,
00:18 but I'm more excited to get things going
00:20 with my guys over here.
00:21 - Jacoby, how's everyone kind of come together?
00:27 I mean, you got some new faces, obviously.
00:28 You got the vets returning,
00:30 but I mean, they pull it all together.
00:33 Things have started to come together?
00:33 - Yeah, I think at the beginning of the summer,
00:35 it was all just kind of learning about each other
00:37 and learning each other's skills and talents.
00:40 We're all a big competitive group.
00:43 We all love to play basketball.
00:45 And I think within these last few weeks,
00:47 we started to understand each other
00:48 and starting to come along.
00:49 So I'm very excited for the team.
00:50 - You changed your body in the off season a little bit too.
00:53 How much, how did it change?
00:55 - I just got in the weight room, my trainer, Gary.
00:59 Was there for probably about a month or two,
01:02 working out at TCU with my personal trainer.
01:05 And then also him just getting in weights
01:07 and just kind of been locking in
01:08 for those first couple of months in the summer.
01:11 And he's helped me change my body tremendously,
01:14 as well as other people
01:15 that I've been training with as well.
01:17 - Has it changed your game at all?
01:19 - Yeah, it changed your game.
01:20 I mean, it makes you more explosive.
01:22 It makes you more, I feel stronger.
01:24 As far as skill level, it just,
01:26 it helps me be more balanced in my footwork
01:28 and the moves that I make.
01:29 And which all that ties together.
01:32 - Michael, they said that they're using you
01:33 a lot more guard this year.
01:34 How's that transition just been going for you?
01:37 - I wouldn't say it's that big of a transition
01:39 because just growing up, that's all I played.
01:41 Also when I was at Tech, that's what I did.
01:44 I played the point when I was at Tech.
01:45 So it's almost just going back to what I'm used to.
01:48 And I like it a lot.
01:49 And I think it helps our team being a bigger guard
01:52 and being able to play other guys at different positions.
01:55 So, yeah.
01:57 - Hey man, when you went through the draft process,
01:58 I guess, what was some of the feedback
02:00 and I guess what's some of the things
02:00 you've been kind of focusing on just to improve?
02:03 - Oh, you know, some of the feedback that I got was really,
02:07 you know, I shot a good percentage last year, shot 39%,
02:10 but that was on 1.6 attempts per game.
02:12 So a lot of things that Dixon has been harping on me
02:15 and the rest of the coaches that,
02:16 along with my teammates, honestly,
02:18 is just to shoot the ball more.
02:20 You know, you have the percentages, it shows,
02:22 you know you can shoot the ball, so shoot the ball more.
02:25 So that's one thing, not only Coach Dixon
02:28 has been talking to me about, but the rest of the league.
02:30 And then that process, it was an amazing process
02:33 'cause you're learning from vets.
02:34 You're learning from previous coaches,
02:36 you're learning from previous players.
02:37 And when you're learning from all these different avenues,
02:41 you learn a lot.
02:42 So I was just very grateful to be in that situation.
02:44 - So when you walked out of there,
02:45 what did you say to yourself?
02:47 Obviously you can shoot it more,
02:49 but is there some part of your game
02:50 where you said, "I gotta get better at this"?
02:53 - Like, are you saying, can you repeat that one more time?
02:55 - When you walked out of the process,
02:59 was there a part where you said, "I gotta get better at this?
03:01 "I know I gotta get better at this."
03:02 - Yeah, for sure.
03:03 You know, there's always things we can all get better at,
03:06 at shooting and handling the ball,
03:07 and you know, just being a great teammate.
03:10 'Cause at the end of the day,
03:11 a great teammate comes before being a great player.
03:14 And I think, collectively as a team,
03:17 I'm gonna have to work hard to get better at it.
03:19 - What do you think about the confidence
03:21 that you guys have in the team?
03:22 - I think we're confident.
03:23 I mean, we're confident in our guys,
03:23 how am I not gonna have that?
03:24 - Coburn, the way you closed last season,
03:26 you had that double-digit point streak with that game,
03:29 how much more confidence do you think you have?
03:31 - I feel like I've always had confidence in myself.
03:33 I just feel like, you know, when the opportunities,
03:36 you know, happened for me, I took advantage of them,
03:39 as well as other guys around me did.
03:42 And, you know, for me, I've always just been a player
03:45 that's, you know, I'm always ready
03:46 to take those type of shots.
03:47 I'm always ready to, you know, be that type of player
03:50 that, you know, maybe has a little bit of pressure on 'em.
03:52 And, you know, I just feel like I was built for it,
03:54 and I'm built for that type of pressure.
03:56 And that's something I always dreamed of, really, honestly.
03:59 - Mikey, you're kind of a fashion guy, aren't you?
04:02 - Say it again, I'm sorry?
04:03 - Aren't you kind of a fashion guy?
04:04 - I am.
04:05 - What do you think of Steven's shirt?
04:07 Right here.
04:08 - I like it.
04:09 It's different.
04:10 - I do too.
04:11 - Thanks.
04:12 (laughing)
04:15 - One of the things, when you think about
04:17 what this team coming together,
04:19 that they gotta be good at,
04:20 is you guys played so fast,
04:23 so you have to know where everybody is.
04:26 I mean, is that starting to happen?
04:29 - Yeah, you know, I think we're getting a great feel
04:31 for the rest of the guys.
04:32 I think the returners already have a great feel
04:34 of how we play with one another.
04:36 But when you have a lot of new guys coming in,
04:38 you have to get a feel for their game,
04:39 and how their game could impact our system.
04:41 You feel me?
04:42 So, now that we're understanding their game,
04:45 we're starting to gel a bit better.
04:46 And when you think of Dixon's previous teams I've hit,
04:49 they're all grit, rebounding, defensive, hard-nosed guys,
04:52 and I think this team shows the true characteristics
04:56 of what Dixon looks for in a team.
04:58 - When we were sitting out there earlier,
05:00 they said they weren't gonna call any charges, right?
05:02 - No charge.
05:03 - They said like 97%.
05:05 - That's more than us.
05:06 - That's all it says.
05:07 - More than us.
05:08 - I mean, how do you change your game, man?
05:10 - It's not even how we change our game,
05:11 it's how the defense changes their game to stop us now.
05:14 So it's like, the less charge calls,
05:16 means we can be more aggressive.
05:18 So, it's a bit of a balance in how you find that balance.
05:21 - But it was also kind of a, I mean,
05:23 that could be a game changer.
05:24 When you drew a charge, everybody got excited,
05:26 you guys kept track of 'em.
05:27 - Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.
05:28 - I mean, are they still gonna keep track of charges?
05:31 - I mean, yeah, 'cause it's, like you say,
05:33 it's gonna be harder, so of course we're gonna
05:36 keep track of those.
05:37 - Yeah.
05:38 - I mean, Kobe's good at those.
05:39 - Yeah, no, I'm saying, I play hard, man.
05:41 I just, you know, I go out there and play my game.
05:43 - But I mean, anymore, what's the charge?
05:45 - Yeah, no, for sure.
05:46 It definitely helps us, though.
05:47 It definitely helps us.
05:48 - I like it.
05:49 - Especially guys built like, you know, forwards,
05:50 you know, guys that play pretty physical
05:52 on the perimeter and inside, you know,
05:54 you don't have to worry about, you know,
05:56 bailout calls sometimes, but, you know,
05:59 it is a different strategy that we're gonna have to have
06:01 on defense, 'cause we were built on, you know,
06:03 taking the charge, so it just means we gotta be
06:05 a little bit more physical and be more disciplined
06:06 on defense.
06:07 - Right, work on different things.
06:09 - Your pops is one of the best basketball coaches
06:11 in the state.
06:11 Do y'all still work out together,
06:12 or is he just kinda your pops?
06:13 - I do, like, if we have an off day,
06:15 or like, when we had our time off in the summer,
06:18 I would go up there and, yeah, work out with him
06:20 and just talk to him about my game
06:23 and what I need to work on and implement that.
06:25 - What's some of the things he kinda told you
06:27 this off season, you wanted to see?
06:29 - Just my mindset, just being more aggressive.
06:32 - Not being afraid to miss shots.
06:34 - Exactly, just, yeah, not being afraid.
06:36 Just take the shots that are open
06:38 and don't worry about anything,
06:39 'cause, you know, the coaches have confidence in me,
06:41 my teammates have confidence in me,
06:43 and I gotta have that confidence in myself.
06:45 - Back to the back bar, what do you think
06:47 you'll bring to your team as a basketball player?
06:51 - Just being able to see over our little guards
06:54 that are guarding me, and like, just spacing everybody out,
06:59 just 'cause now he may have to play the three,
07:01 he usually played the four, Jacoby,
07:02 he was the five last year, now he can play the four,
07:05 so it just helps everybody out,
07:07 playing the positions that they're used to playing,
07:10 I think it's gonna be great.
07:10 - What have you guys taken away from the game
07:13 since you've been here?
07:15 - They're very competitive guards,
07:18 like you said, we play fast, and they love to play fast,
07:21 they love to get off the ball, so yeah.
07:24 - Christopher, with you guys being returners,
07:28 some of them you guys have taken more of a leadership role,
07:30 how has that process been, kinda finding your voice,
07:32 finding your roles, and what's that like?
07:35 - I think all of us kinda came together
07:38 at the end of last season, it was making sure
07:41 that this upcoming season that we make it a point
07:44 to be the guys that help lead the way,
07:47 especially that we've been in the NCAA tournament
07:49 the past two years, and we've been at TCU the past two years,
07:52 and I think with us being able to communicate
07:55 so well with each other, and us being able to play well
07:58 with each other, it helps out the team,
08:00 and it helps us stay focused during practice,
08:02 and it ultimately puts trust in our teammates,
08:05 and that's what it's all about.
08:07 - Thank you.
08:14 - Appreciate you. - Appreciate it.
08:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]