Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports
Transcript: Tony Bennett, UVA Men's Basketball Players Talk at ACC Tipoff
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Virginia men's basketball head coach Tony Bennett and fifth years Kihei Clark and Jayden Gardner participated in the ACC Basketball Tipoff event in Charlotte on Tuesday. Read everything that Tony Bennett, Kihei Clark, and Jayden Gardner said during the press conference on Wednesday afternoon in the transcript below.
Q. Coach Bennett, my math might be incorrect here, but I was looking at the rosters, and I think it's the first time since at least 2015 you bring back all five starters. How has that helped with cohesion early on, especially with the new faces, and then throwing into that the growth you've potentially seen getting back from that Italian tour.
TONY BENNETT: Yeah, last time I saw you was in Italy, so it's good to see you again.
We always talk about retention and having experienced players. The fact that both Jayden and Kihei have a lot of great college basketball experience under their belt is significant, and then to bring our team back.
Last year was a year of maybe not to what our standards usually have been, but we played a lot of big-time games, won some great games, got some postseason experience, so that was good. And then going to Italy was good for all these guys. It was Jayden's first year, so now he's in his second year with us, and obviously Kihei and I have been together forever, right? Which is a good thing, a great thing.
But obviously I think no question with the additions of the recruits, the young guys coming in, the first years with a really high-quality transfer, that makes us have quality depth. Last year our depth wasn't great and we probably didn't shoot the ball at the level we needed to, so we tried to improve in those areas.
But experience is golden, I think, in college basketball, and we have that. Actually walking around, there's a lot of teams with a lot of experience in the ACC, which will make, I think, for a tremendous ACC league. It feels like that.
Q. I'm going to direct this to Jayden. Jayden, now that you've been in the system a while and you're beginning to really understand the defense, what is your outlook for your role in this year's team?
JAYDEN GARDNER: I think this year, just the defense just slowing down for me and just getting accustomed to it and knowing where to be, and also encouraging the young guys as they go through their first year because I just went through it, and I think that's been a big step for my development on the defensive end, being ahead of the game, ahead of the curve, so I'm just excited for this team. I'm excited for my growth on the other end of the court.
Q. If I'm looking at these numbers correctly, two fifth-year players, two grad students, two juniors, two seniors. Have you had a team like that before, with all those older players?
TONY BENNETT: Yeah, I mean, it's kind of the landscape of college basketball. Looking at last year even in the NCAA Tournament, a lot of the teams -- I remember Miami, and our league had a lot of experienced players. I think you're seeing that.
Me personally, this probably is the oldest team maybe that I've had. This is my 14th year here, and we've always -- I think why Virginia and even where I was before either as an assistant or head coach, Washington State and the other stops, we've had mature teams, teams that have had guys in their upperclassmen years that have grown through the experiences of playing.
Again, that's always been the formula. I think we're fortunate this year that these guys decided to come back, and then we've got some valuable experienced players from last year, as well.
Q. Kihei, Coach joked that you've been around him forever at this point. What is it about Coach that you know now that you didn't know when you first came into the system?
KIHEI CLARK: I think I always knew how good of a person and a coach Coach was, but I don't think coming in I knew how much of a -- how funny he was.
He makes little jokes in practice off the court that have helped our relationship grow, and it's always been a pleasure to just be around him.
Q. Jayden and Kihei, can you guys both tell us about your experience playing in Italy this past summer?
JAYDEN GARDNER: I think the experience was good, and we're walking around a lot of places, seeing the vast history of their land, and then in the afternoon we're playing basketball. It was just quite the experience.
I remember one day we climbed like 1,000 flights of stairs and then we had a basketball game. It's just great. We're eating gelato every night. It was just a kid's fantasy, man. I'm very thankful for that trip.
KIHEI CLARK: It was a great experience. I think as a team, just to be able to have those 10 days before the trip, official practice, get to go two hours full board is really important, just to be ahead of a lot of teams who don't get to practice like that ahead.
While we were there, it was a great bonding experience for me and my teammates. I think we grew closer for sure. I think it was a time for Ben and the new guys to just gel with the team who the guys are who are returning, but I had an awesome time. It was a great trip.
Q. Coach, I'd like to get your thoughts on this and then also the players. Very interesting schedule this year; we always look at the schedule in advance and look to see how is the season going to set up based upon the non-conference games. I see this year you've got Baylor, the defending national champions; you've got Michigan in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge; potential to play either UCLA or Illinois; and you've got Florida State on December 3rd, your first ACC game. Talk to us a little bit about why the schedule was designed that way and then also how exciting it is for the players to face these teams.
TONY BENNETT: You didn't mention Houston and Northern Iowa and you name it. I mean, the thing about college basketball now, last year we played a very good Navy team and got beat. We went to JMU in a real tough environment and played them and they played great. Like college basketball is like that.
But as players, this is an experienced team, and there's a chance to really have a chance to go get some big wins, which is important.
The ACC, when you talk about it, it got better as the year went on. It was, I think, sneaky good, but it certainly evolved because it was a newer league with newer players, and then it showed its worth in the NCAA Tournament, those teams that got in.
And a lot of times the die is cast; how does a team do in the non-conference. Fair or unfair, unfortunately that is kind of how it is, and I don't think that's always right, but there are some opportunities for us.
Look, even if those don't go the way you want, you really can grow and learn from those games and prepare yourself going forward. But some of those are return games. Obviously the ACC-Big Ten is a good one, but exciting for these guys, and it'll test us.
We're doing rebounding drills in practice. I'll say, hey, remember Houston last year, or we're going against these teams. We have to be ready for that. But exciting certainly, great programs, great teams. These guys have established a heck of a program, so that was the plan, and try not to take a backseat to any of those teams and go prepare well to play and enjoy the process.
KIHEI CLARK: I think it's going to be very exciting to go against that type of competition and talent, playing in Vegas, playing in Michigan, those are like once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for us, and it just helps us get ahead of the curve before we get into ACC play, because we're going to be battle tested very early.
So I think it's going to be great for our development as we go throughout the season.
JAYDEN GARDNER: Yeah, I think just as a competitor, just to be able to play against those type of teams, those are the games you look forward to when you're little, and those match-ups, just preparing for those like any other game.
But like Coach said, not taking a backseat to any of them and just go out and playing our game. Should be fun.
Q. Kihei, over the course of your career, would you have thought you'd still be playing at Virginia at this point, and is that something you and the older players on the team discuss that continue to play past what a lot of people played?
KIHEI CLARK: I think early on, like my first and second year, obviously a fifth year wasn't really in my mind just because, I'm not going to lie, just thinking I'm staying healthy. But COVID happened, and I got blessed to be able to come back.
Yeah, I mean, especially me and Jayden, being our fifth years, we talked about like what each other were doing, and obviously it played a role in it.
Q. I want to get this story in, and for those that don't know, if you would walk us through it. Sometimes the stars align when you least expect it. Your family connection with the Vander Plas family and being able to have Ben as a transfer, can you explain that?
TONY BENNETT: Yep, I played with Ben's father, Dean. He was my college teammate. Played for my father at Wisconsin Green Bay and obviously knew Dean and Mary, Ben's mom in college. She went to Green Bay. So just that relationship. They actually named Ben after my father Bennett, so I figured I'd be the worst recruiter in the history of the game if I can't get a guy who is named after my dad and I'm a teammate of his dad to come to Virginia.
But no, these guys, I think they've embraced Ben, and he's got a great way about him, as these two do. They're the right kind of guys. We talk about what type of program we try to be about, the pillars of our program, and I always say these are pillar kind of guys.
They're humble guys but they're competitors, and they're to me what's right about college basketball. I'll say that.
But that story about Ben, yeah, that was the question. That is a unique connection, so I'm glad we got him, and he's been great to have around.
Q. This is a highly touted first-year class coming in. Could you give us a quick update where they kind of are now and what you'd like to see them progress in? I am curious if Isaac McKneely's experience playing the Pack Line in Poca has impacted his ability to -- I don't know that all Pack Lines are created the same, but what that's been like for him being able to show up on grounds and step into that defense on day one.
TONY BENNETT: For sure. Isaac McKneely is from the Poca-Dots. That's their nickname. Coach O was his coach, really well-coached. They played that defensive system and did some things, so that certainly helps.
I think with his first year class, and I think these guys would attest to it, you see flashes of like, wow, what they can become, and it's just about becoming consistent.
But no, they all show great flashes, and as they continue to learn and get consistent, they're going to have really good careers. Some it might happen sooner than others, and then the question will always be, will you be willing to work through it, be patient and go.
But I like them, all of them, different times, wow. And then you see those first-year struggles. Like Jayden said, he tries to encourage them, but he was in his third or fourth year of college basketball and they're in their first year.
You see the look. It's real for all players at any college they go to.
But again, they represent the right stuff, different strengths. Again, some guys do different things, so they complement each other well. We've got to keep adding the class. These guys are leading them in the right way, and you just keep building. It's good.
Q. For the players, you mentioned that Coach is good at telling jokes. Are the coach's jokes comparable to dad jokes, and can you recite one of the coach's jokes?
TONY BENNETT: Wow, what a question, I've got a joke in my mind right now. (Laughter).
KIHEI CLARK: I wouldn't say equivalent to dad jokes. I don't know, I wouldn't say jokes, exactly jokes, but just little sayings here and there that I think are pretty funny.
TONY BENNETT: We make light of a lot of moments. Don't take ourselves too serious.
JAYDEN GARDNER: It's in-the-moment type of jokes, so I can't answer off the top of my head.
TONY BENNETT: What's a dad joke? I want you to expand on what's a dad joke? Corny? Is that what you're trying to say? My kids would probably accuse me of that if that's what that means.
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