Arkansas Razorbacks guard Tramon Mark's complete press conference Tuesday on how things have come along since transfer from Houston, being named to watch list for Jerry West Award on Tuesday morning.
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00:00 First off, how exciting is it and is it a little weird to have such a high profile
00:05 matchup before the season even starts?
00:07 No, not really, you know, you kind of as a team, you kind of want these high profile
00:13 matchups, especially before a season just to like test out where you are and where
00:17 your team is as a whole before the season.
00:20 So getting one of these early top matchup teams before before the season even even
00:26 starts is pretty good for us just to see where we're at.
00:29 And I know last year you played alongside Jamal Sheed, who was the AAC Defender of
00:37 the Year.
00:38 This year you're going to play alongside Divo.
00:41 How valuable can it be for a team when you've got two sort of really experienced and talented
00:47 defenders like yourself and Devontae?
00:50 How much pressure does that put on opposing offenses?
00:53 You know, it can put a lot of pressure on them, you know, especially coming with the
00:56 intensity and toughness that, you know, me and Divo and the whole team will be coming
01:01 with on both sides of the basketball.
01:04 It's just going to be tougher teams now.
01:06 If they don't match our toughness and energy, it's going to be rough.
01:09 Scotty?
01:14 Yeah, Sherman, once you got to campus, what was the coaching staff's points of emphasis
01:22 for you in terms of maybe growing your game, either offensively or defensively?
01:26 I would say the coaching staff really emphasized, you know, me being more vocal, you know, on
01:37 defense and offense, just being more vocal.
01:40 Also in practice, being more vocal, just trying to make my teammates around me better.
01:45 So I just try to focus on that and, you know, just becoming more assistant as an all-around
01:50 player, you know, defense, shooting, just become more consistent in all those areas.
01:57 How did the vocal part of things go for you?
02:00 I mean, I think earlier in the year, guys said that you got a lot of personality, but
02:03 maybe kind of come off a little quiet.
02:05 How did the vocal part of that go for you?
02:08 It went good.
02:09 You know, guys see me in practice and they kind of think I'm a different person when
02:14 I'm off the floor or if I'm on the floor.
02:16 So I think it's been going pretty good so far.
02:19 Last thing I've got is you played with some good point guards in the past at Houston.
02:25 I'm curious what some traits El Ellis has that can make him a successful guard in this
02:31 league?
02:32 Yeah, he's quick.
02:33 He can shoot the ball off the dribble, catch and shoot.
02:37 He can penetrate the defense and kick out to the open defender, I mean, open player.
02:43 Yeah, he's just a good point guard, high IQ point guard.
02:47 He knows how to play the game.
02:48 So just having one of those high IQ point guards on my team is really good for us.
02:56 Curtis.
02:57 Hey, Tremont, as a guard who can get downhill and get to the basket, I'm just curious, what
03:04 are some of the adjustments or maybe the things that go into finding some success around the
03:09 rim against Purdue, who's got a guy like Zach Eady roaming around in the paint?
03:13 Yeah, you know, you got to watch out for him, you know, a national player to you.
03:18 So you definitely have to watch out for him in a game like this.
03:20 You have to make adjustments with a big fella like that in the paint.
03:25 Just having working on your game, having a floater, having a pull up mid range.
03:29 I think you put Zach Eady in a lot of ball schemes, he's going to play probably a drop
03:33 coverage.
03:34 So just being ready to come off that ball scheme and make a pull up jumper when he's
03:38 sagging off, just stuff like that, reads like that, that you have to make in the middle
03:42 of the game is going to be important for us.
03:46 And then on the defensive side of it, obviously the forwards will be matched up with him directly,
03:50 but it's probably a full team effort to guard a guy like that.
03:54 So what can you do from your position to kind of contribute to that effort and contain him?
04:01 Just being, if say if I'm guarding a dude who's trying to pass Zach Eady to the ball,
04:05 just trying not to let him get an easy pass off, you know, just pressuring the basketball
04:10 team and trying to basically just trying to take it from them, trying to pressure, just
04:14 being nasty on ball defenders, especially if my guy is trying to throw the ball into
04:19 Zach Eady.
04:20 And if I'm off the ball, just stun, you know, making Zach Eady make a read and making this
04:25 whole team make a read just off our defense, you know, just stuff like that.
04:31 Bob?
04:32 Hey man, how you doing?
04:36 Hey, you're one of many transfers Eric's brought into Arkansas and he did the same thing in
04:41 Nevada, had a lot of success with you guys.
04:44 What is it about Eric and maybe the staff and the program that you think attracts so
04:48 many high level transfers like yourself?
04:52 I think the guys just want to play for Coach Muss.
04:55 And I mean, I was one of those guys, you know, just want to play for Coach Muss and the staff,
05:00 real good staff, high level staff, NBA type staff, just have a lot of IQ of the game of
05:05 basketball, so just want to surround yourself around those type of people and get better
05:11 as a player and as a team.
05:13 I guess, did you get here in June or when did you arrive on campus?
05:17 I don't remember, I think it was June.
05:20 I think it was June.
05:21 Well, the reason I ask is I wonder, you know, in the time you've been here all those months,
05:26 what do you see from Trevin Brazil?
05:28 Obviously he's progressed to where he's back on the court now.
05:32 And what do you see from Trevin and, you know, being back and ready to go again?
05:37 Yeah, you know, when I first got here, you know, he was doing all his rehab and stuff
05:41 and just trying to get back right on the floor.
05:44 He's been very good in his rehab.
05:45 I see him all the time in the training room, just trying to get back and take care of his
05:50 body, you know, so he's still taking it slow as he should be.
05:54 But, you know, he's back on the floor doing stuff, going live and stuff.
05:57 He's been real good.
05:58 So he's got to keep it up.
06:01 And then, you know, we all talk about E.D. with Purdue, but they have pretty good guards
06:05 too, some experienced guys.
06:07 What do you think of their backcourt?
06:08 Oh, they have a good backcourt, you know, with the point guard Smith and they have lawyers
06:15 too.
06:16 Just those guys are, you know, experienced guys that can shoot the ball off the dribble,
06:21 can make you, can kind of make you make a, if you make a dumb mistake, they'll hurt you
06:26 for it.
06:27 So just being disciplined, guarding those guys and just trying to make it tough for
06:31 them.
06:32 Use our athleticism and our IQ on defense, just it'll bother them, I think.
06:37 One more, if I could, we were talking to Chandler Lawson after you, and he's a transfer also,
06:44 I guess got in a little later than the other guys, but what do you see from Chandler?
06:47 What do you think he brings to the table?
06:50 He's nasty, you know, sorry, you know, another high IQ guy, you know, he comes with a lot
06:56 of energy in practice, a lot of energy in the games.
07:00 He just knows what he's doing on the basketball, on the basketball floor.
07:03 So I think he's a great addition to our team.
07:06 And he just knows what he's doing out there.
07:09 That's, that's what I gotta say.
07:11 Can shoot the three ball as well.
07:13 You know, he's just, he's a good player.
07:16 You say he's nasty.
07:17 Could you elaborate what you mean?
07:20 Nasty meaning like, just, you know, a tough dude, you know, tough basketball player.
07:24 You're just, you're not gonna, doesn't make things easy for anybody who's around him.
07:29 It's just, if you're guarding him and he's guarding you, it's gonna be a tough matchup.
07:33 So that's what I mean by nasty.
07:35 Okay, thank you.
07:36 Yes, sir.
07:37 Hutch.
07:38 Yeah, Tremont, we've heard a lot through the years of Mus and his NBA like scouting reports.
07:45 I'm just curious if you've gotten to experience that yet, dive into this scouting report for
07:48 Purdue and just kind of what's that experience like as a new guy in the system?
07:54 Scouting report is, you know, it's tough.
07:58 You know, you just got to pay attention, you know, really lock in on your matchup and not
08:02 just your matchup, but the other, your other teammates matchups too, you know, just knowing
08:07 what they're, not just knowing what your matchup does, but knowing what everybody does on the,
08:11 on the basketball floor.
08:12 So if you know everybody can do it and you can be a real, real help for not just, not
08:16 just you, but before the team.
08:20 Courtney.
08:21 Yeah, I'm just curious.
08:25 I know Mike just mentioned it at the top of the zoom, but you know, you got named to the
08:30 Jerry West award watch list today.
08:32 How does that feel as a player?
08:33 Can you talk a little bit about, you know, that honor and what you expect from your game
08:39 this season?
08:40 It's a nice honor.
08:41 It's nice to be recognized as one of those top, top players, top players in college basketball,
08:47 but you know, just got to keep working, keep grinding and just like I've been doing and
08:53 I'll see more success for myself, but not only for myself, but for the team too.
08:58 Daniel.
08:59 Hi, John.
09:01 We always talk about shooting with this team.
09:05 Just has coach Moss or any of the other coaches talk to you about your role and how often
09:09 they want you to shoot and things like that?
09:14 I pretty much have a green light.
09:15 I think, you know, just if I'm open, I have a green light to shoot it.
09:21 Nice, that's that.
09:24 Jackson, follow up question.
09:27 Yeah, Tramona, you know, Purdue was lost as a one seed last year.
09:36 You were a one seed with Houston.
09:38 I'm just curious, like when as a one seed in a NCAA tournament, I mean, is there a little
09:44 added, you know, I don't know, pressure is not the right word, but trying to avoid, you
09:48 know, that kind of historic upset.
09:50 Do you guys talk about it as players?
09:52 What was your experience like as a one seed last year?
09:56 You know, being experienced, having experience as a number one seed, you know, in my eyes,
10:00 it's just a number by a number by a team.
10:04 But other other teams, I was just as big for them, you know, playing against the number
10:09 one team, they're going to come at you hard, come at you with everything they got.
10:15 It's always been a number one team.
10:17 You're always going to get your best shot against any other team.
10:20 So just you just got to be ready to play every game.