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Players who blocked Tennessee’s James Pearce in high school tell the tales, bask in his greatness

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Players who blocked Tennessee’s James Pearce in high school tell the tales, bask in his greatness


There’s a group chat of former offensive linemen who blocked James Pearce in high school in North Carolina, and they spend every Saturday gloating over their loose connection to the Tennessee football star.

They brag about that perfect block they landed on him in the state championship game. And they chide one other when their tall tales get out of hand.

Sometimes they do it from the stands at Tennessee football games.

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When Pearce bull-rushed Alabama five-star tackle Kadyn Proctor and stripped the football from quarterback Jalen Milroe in the 2023 game, former high school tackle Cooper Sullivan perked up in the Alabama student section.

“I wasn’t happy about the fumble, but I made sure to boast to everyone there that I blocked James Pearce in high school,” Sullivan said. “Some people believed me. But others said I was full of crap and were like, ‘Oh, yeah, let me see the highlight reel.’ ”

Fortunately, Sullivan had the high school film bookmarked on YouTube on his phone to substantiate his claims.

At Tennessee’s game against Georgia in 2023, former high school guard Joey Olivieri was visiting Neyland Stadium thanks to a free ticket from a family friend in Knoxville.

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When he blurted out that he blocked Pearce a few years earlier, skeptical Tennessee fans demanded proof.

“So at halftime, I’m pulling up pictures and watching my old game film with these random Tennessee fans,” said Olivieri, who’s now a student at Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia.

“It was the coolest thing in the world. I mean who else can say they played against James Pearce and won the game?”

TENNESSEE RECRUITING How Vols regained foothold in North Carolina before playing NC State

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Their group chat follows James Pearce at Tennessee

In 2021, Cardinal Gibbons beat Pearce’s Chambers High, the two-time defending state champion, in the Class 4A North Carolina state title game.

Pearce was going for a three-peat, but offensive linemen like Sullivan and Olivieri kept him in check enough for the win. Since then, all five starting linemen on that Cardinal Gibbons team have kept in touch through their shared experiences of trying to block Pearce, who they barely know.

When Pearce makes SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays or garners a national award, they share the news in their group chat.

When he plasters an SEC quarterback, they share an old photo from the Charlotte Observer that showed Pearce hitting their quarterback as they stared helplessly.

The group chat is all in good fun, littered with exaggeration and self-deprecating humor. But it’s based in a deep respect for Pearce, one of most talented pigskin products that North Carolina high school football has produced in years.

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Pearce returns to his hometown on Saturday (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) to lead No. 12 Tennessee (1-0) against No. 23 NC State (1-0) at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

He was feared on the North Carolina high school football scene. But his legend has grown since he went to Tennessee and developed into a projected top-10 NFL Draft pick.

James Pearce hasn’t talked to media in a while

North Carolina is proud of Pearce, and the feeling is mutual.

“There are some dogs that come from that way (from North Carolina high school football),” Pearce said on a podcast sponsored by Volunteer Club, a name, image and likeness collective.

“We are known as the hoops state. But football is where it’s at too.”

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Pearce has transformed from coveted recruit to All-SEC edge rusher to ESPN.com’s No. 1 ranked player in college football before the 2024 season. Teammates describe him as smart and personable. Coaches say he has a very high football IQ.

But Pearce has remained mostly silent as his stock has soared.

Pearce has declined all interview requests through UT for the past eight months with no specific reason provided. Media appearances are an expectation for college athletes but not an obligation.

In February, Pearce appeared on that podcast sponsored by the collective that pays him money for his NIL. Otherwise, he’s been quiet.

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UT promoted Pearce’s scheduled appearance at its team media day on July 30, but he didn’t show up. And he has not been scheduled to appear at UT’s weekly player media availabilities this season.

Pearce’s last media appearance through UT was the Citrus Bowl postgame press conference on Jan. 1, following his dominant performance in a 35-0 win over Iowa. Perhaps he’ll break his silence if the Vols beat NC State on Saturday.

Nevertheless, Pearce’s play has done plenty of talking.

Last season, he led the SEC with 10 sacks. Pro Football Focus gave him the highest grade of any defensive end in the conference. And some mock drafts project him as the first defensive player taken in the 2025 NFL Draft.

That success didn’t come overnight. But Pearce’s home state knew about his elite talent long ago.

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James Pearce was a receiver first, then a pass rusher

Pearce finished all four high school seasons at Chambers in the North Carolina state championship game. He won it as a sophomore and junior and lost as a freshman and senior.

Pearce started out as a wide receiver because he was tall, athletic and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds. But after moving to defensive end late in his sophomore season, he came off the bench to make three sacks in the state title game.

From then, he chased quarterbacks rather than catch passes from them.

“He was dominant by his junior year, and he could barely be blocked as a senior,” said Glenwood Ferebee, who coached Pearce at Chambers.

But those offensive linemen at Cardinal Gibbons with that group chat actually did block Pearce, at least for a few fleeting plays. In that 2021 state title game, they beat Chambers 14-2.

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Pearce was as ferocious as ever in that game. But Cardinal Gibbons scored both touchdowns on passes where Sullivan, the left tackle, successfully blocked Pearce. Sullivan is happy to tell the story.

“I was kicking as fast I could to get back to be able to block him, and I stood strong for those couple of seconds,” said Sullivan, now a student at Alabama. “Those were my two best pass sets I’ve ever had.

“We’ve joked since that game that we had the best left side in the state because we blocked a legit first-round pick for those two plays.”

‘That dude will play on Sundays in a few years’

Pearce’s reputation as a future pro was cemented long before NFL scouts took notice. High school coaches, teammates and opponents in North Carolina predicted it years ago.

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“During his sophomore year, (Pearce) was a little immature. We used to bump heads and get into it, so I threatened to cut him,” Ferebee said. “Then I told him, ‘James, you have a chance to be a first-round draft pick if you get yourself together.’ And I believed that.

“A couple of months ago, I reminded him about that conversation and how it’s coming to fruition.”

In Week 1 of Pearce’s senior season, he faced the same Cardinal Gibbons team that would beat him in the state title game later that year.

In that first matchup, Pearce dominated. He blew past the offensive linemen, forced turnovers and sacked the Cardinal Gibbons quarterback twice on the final drive to clinch the 35-29 victory.

Cardinal Gibbons coach Steven Wright met Pearce in the handshake line.

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“I grabbed him and said, ‘You’re the most talented high school football player I’ve ever seen. Please make wise choices because you can play in the NFL one day,’ ” Wright recalls.

During film session the next morning, Wright told his offensive linemen to hold their head high despite the havoc that Pearce had caused.

“Our coaches told us not to worry,” Sullivan said. “That wasn’t a normal high school football player. That dude will play on Sundays in a few years.”

How Vols got James Pearce to Tennessee

Pearce was an impactful player on a loaded high school team.

NC State wide receiver KC Concepcion, the 2023 ACC Rookie of the Year, and running back Hollywood Smothers were Pearce’s high school teammates. They’ll face him on Saturday.

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His other teammates on that 2021 Chambers squad included Wake Forest defensive lineman Jalen Swindell, Indiana safety Dontrae Henderson, Troy cornerback Rondell Carter, James Madison safety KJ Flowe, William & Mary receiver Armon Wright and former Tennessee walk-on linebacker Mekhi Bigelow, who transferred to North Carolina Central.

Even surrounded by that talent, Pearce’s recruiting got off to a slow start. He didn’t receive a scholarship offer until late in his junior year.

“I didn’t think it took off the way that it should have because he didn’t really hear from the Alabamas and the Georgias at first,” Ferebee said. “South Carolina and Missouri wanted him bad, but North Carolina didn’t pursue him. So Tennessee got a steal.”

But by the end of his senior season, Pearce’s 247Sports Composite rating had climbed to four stars. Georgia, Florida and others tried for a late push to land him, but he signed with Tennessee.

He was perfect for the Vols’ Leo position, what they call their weakside edge rusher.

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“His length, his short area quickness, his long speed – those were all raw traits that we really liked,” UT coach Josh Heupel said. “Through the recruiting process, we learned just how competitive he is. And what people probably don’t understand about James is how high of a football IQ that he has.

“We felt like he had an opportunity to develop into a really good football player.”

Pearce could lead the Vols in a College Football Playoff chase and be a first-round pick. If so, there will be some old high school foes celebrating his success and basking in their association.

“It’s really cool to say that we played against big names like him, but it’s even cooler to see that North Carolina kids are getting it done,” Olivieri said.

“We blocked James Pearce. Oh my gosh, we’re going to talk about that forever.”

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Adam Sparks is the Tennessee football beat reporter. Email adam.sparks@knoxnews.com. X, formerly known as Twitter@AdamSparks. Support strong local journalism by subscribing at knoxnews.com/subscribe.

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This Tennessee school system credits AI with improving student TCAP scores. Here’s how

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This Tennessee school system credits AI with improving student TCAP scores. Here’s how


NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) – A Tennessee school district is crediting an AI teaching assistant program with helping students improve their TCAP English Language Arts (ELA) scores.

Scott Langford, the director of schools for Sumner County, said in a press release that a preliminary report shows that education tech company CourseMojo has been helping maintain student engagement “at the most rigorous point of the lesson.”

“Students take ownership of their own learning while teachers can measure individual student progress in real-time,” Langford said. “Teachers benefit from the feedback to connect students to the standards included in each activity.”

Sumner County schools conducted a pilot test of CourseMojo for sixth graders in six schools during the 2024-2025 school year. After finding an average 8 percentage point increase on the TCAP ELA assessment for those students, they decided to expand the program’s use to all middle school grades last academic year.

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While usage of Coursemojo varied across schools, a preliminary analysis of the district’s 2026 TCAP ELA assessment data showed that groups with an average of 25 or more Coursemojo activities per student improved ELA proficiency by an average of 3.7 percentage points. Groups with little or no use of the program saw -0.2 percentage points during those assessments, the district said.

Eighth-graders had the “strongest gains,” the district said, after “stagnant performance for the last several years.” According to the district, those students who had an average of 25 or more Coursemojo activities had an average increase of 8.7 percentage points in proficiency.

Dacia Toll, co-founder and co-CEO of Coursemjojo, said that the “technology alone doesn’t improve student outcomes,” but that the success depends on how educators implement tools.

“Sumner County Schools has been incredibly thoughtful about integrating Coursemojo while keeping rigorous curriculum and great teaching at the center,” Toll said. “We’re proud to partner with a district that’s so committed to their own learning and to helping every student succeed.”

While the district boasts improved proficiency with the AI tool, it also said that its preliminary findings compare outcomes among school-grade groups with different levels of implementation, “rather than against schools that did not use the platform.”

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More analyses are expected to be done with the final TCAP data.

Even with the help of the AI tool, the district was not the top in the state for proficiency increase in its TCAP ELA scores, according to state data.

However, district TCAP results show that from 2024 to 2026, the percentage of middle school students not meeting expectations decreased from 54.7% to 51.9%. The number of students meeting or exceeding expectations increased from 45.3% in 2024 to 48.1% in 2026 for ELA.

While that is an improvement, it remains unclear the exact influence Coursemojo had on those scores. And overall, the results show that less than half of Sumner County middle schoolers are proficient in ELA — a result that echoes statewide.

Copyright 2026 WSMV. All rights reserved.

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TN Lottery Powerball, Lotto America winning numbers for July 13, 2026

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The Tennessee Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at July 13, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from July 13 drawing

05-25-36-40-48, Powerball: 03, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto America numbers from July 13 drawing

06-07-24-29-51, Star Ball: 04, ASB: 02

Check Lotto America payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 3 numbers from July 13 drawing

Morning: 2-1-5, Wild: 0

Midday: 9-7-0, Wild: 7

Evening: 3-0-2, Wild: 0

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Check Cash 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 4 numbers from July 13 drawing

Morning: 3-9-1-4, Wild: 1

Midday: 2-1-2-3, Wild: 2

Evening: 1-8-7-5, Wild: 9

Check Cash 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Daily Tennessee Jackpot numbers from July 13 drawing

13-17-20-22-31

Check Daily Tennessee Jackpot payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Tennessee Cash numbers from July 13 drawing

10-26-29-32-34, Bonus: 04

Check Tennessee Cash payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 13 drawing

01-17-31-39-43, Powerball: 22

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Check Powerball Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Millionaire for Life numbers from July 13 drawing

19-36-38-43-48, Bonus: 03

Check Millionaire for Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Tennessee Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.

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For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Tennessee Lottery offices. By mail, send a winner claim form, winning lottery ticket, a copy of a government-issued ID and proof of social security number to P.O. Box 290636, Nashville, TN 37229. Prize claims less than $600 do not require a claim form. Please include contact information on prizes claimed by mail in the event we need to contact you.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a winner claim form and deliver the form, along with the ticket and government-issued ID and proof of social security number to any of these locations:

Nashville Headquarters & Claim Center: 26 Century Blvd., Nashville, TN 37214, 615-254-4946 in the (615) and (629) area, 901-466-4946 in the (901) area, 865-512-4946 in the (865) area, 423-939-7529 in the (423) area or 1-877-786-7529 (all other areas in Tennessee). Outside Tennessee, dial 615-254-4946. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Knoxville District Office: Cedar Springs Shopping Center, 9298 Kingston Pike, Knoxville, TN 37922, (865) 251-1900. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Chattanooga District Office: 2020 Gunbarrel Rd., Suite 106, Chattanooga, TN 37421, (423) 308-3610. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

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Memphis District Office: Chiles Plaza, 7424 U.S. Highway 64, Suite 104, Memphis, TN 38133, (901) 322-8520. Hours: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $199,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://tnlottery.com/.

When are the Tennessee Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 10:00 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
  • Cash 3, 4: Daily at 9:28 a.m. (Morning) and 12:28 p.m. CT (Midday), except for Sunday. Evening game daily, seven days a week, at 6:28 p.m. CT.
  • Daily Tennessee Jackpot: 9:00 p.m. CT daily.
  • Tennessee Cash: 10:34 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
  • Powerball Double Play: 10:30 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Millionaire for Life: 10:15 p.m. CT daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Tennessean editor. You can send feedback using this form.



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Everything Tennessee Basketball Assistant Coach Gregg Polinsky Said During Summer Practice | Rocky Top Insider

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Everything Tennessee Basketball Assistant Coach Gregg Polinsky Said During Summer Practice | Rocky Top Insider


gregg polinsky tennessee basketball
Photo via Tennessee Athletics

Tennessee basketball is holding summer practices in anticipation for the 2026-27 season. With so many new faces on campus, it’s a critical portion of the offseason as transfers and freshmen get to know each other.

Ahead of Monday’s practice, assistant coach Gregg Polinsky met with the media. He talked about the freshman class, transfer point guard Terrence Hill Jr., returning forward DeWayne Brown II and more.

Here’s what he said.

More From RTI: Game Time Set For Tennessee Basketball’s Matchup Against Bishop Boswell’s New Team

On what he’s seen from the freshmen

I think it’s been a good blend of guys all from different places, obviously, but we like all those guys. They seem to have the kind of personality types that they want to learn. They want to get better. I think they’re enjoying each other’s company.
It’s been good because we’ve kind of been isolated while they redid the other dorms, so they all stayed together. I think it’s called Brown Hall, I believe. And so I think that’s been good, develop a bond, be around these older guys, too, but I think the freshmen have enjoyed each other.”

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On freshman Ralph Scott’s growth week to week

“Let’s not just go week to week. When I first saw Ralph Scott, he looked about like me. That’s not funny? Alright, I’ll keep going.
Meaning that he needed a little muscle mass. And even though Ralph is still lean, he’s put on about 20, 25 pounds. He looks so much different than this time a year ago. And we saw the potential, but we also knew, much like Nate Ament, I was just talking about that with a friend of mine with the Bucks, and they realized, he’s got to get stronger, etc. Guys being able to play up into him. I think the same thing with Ralph. More than that, with Ralph, it was a mentality of, you got to remember, he was in Bermuda. His grandfather did a great job coaching him over there, but he realized he had to be here. IMG, or not IMG, but in the States for three years, last two years with IMG. Ralph was always a guy who deferred to other people. And I think what our message has been to him is, you gotta think that you’re one of the guys. This deferring stuff is over. You are talented, start to play to your ability.”

On what Scott’s ability is

He’s got a high ceiling. Like, he’s six-nine probably without shoes. Seven-two wingspan. 
His frame is great, you know? Looking at him, he’s gonna be able to add more muscle mass. He shoots it pretty well. It’s not as consistent as we’d like. Coach (Rick Barnes) started working with him on a high release, and he picked it up really quick. So you add that to his size, his skill set. He’s an athlete to go with it. He just doesn’t know how good he could be in any context of the game yet. So I think the ceiling’s high for him.”

On evaluating high-potential freshmen when players transfer so often

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“Yeah, I think that’s a great question.
I wouldn’t do the comparison of calling him a second round pick you take a flyer on because I think Ralph has too much potential for that. But I would say this entire freshman group, you know how we do it. We do it our way and we don’t say that with a tone of arrogance. You say it with humility, but you have to know who you are, and we know who Coach (Barnes) is and what guys are gonna fit here and work well here. But to answer you, I think that we’re projecting. There’s gotta be guys that are productive, but a lot of those guys have already come from the portal. So I think with your freshmen, you’re looking at one or two things. Either they’re guys that you think you can instantly impact what you’re doing. We’ve had some of those guys. Or guys that can grow into that role, and I think the main thing is that you are honest with them during the recruiting process.”

On how Terrence Hill Jr. will fit in with other ball handlers

Terrence is, and I want this to be taken the right way, because he’s not unathletic, but he’s more basketball player than he is an athlete playing basketball. You understand where I’m going with that? So, you’re not gonna see a max vertical of 40 and him Zakai Zeigler it up the court or Kennedy Chandler to the rim, but he does it a different way. So he’s got a great feel. It’s a balanced game. You’re coming, he’s going. He’s really quick-handed, something that’s not talked about enough, like making a pocket pass. Very NBA-like, and that window is so small cause guys are so long, he gets rid of that basketball in a hurry. So we tell the bigs, turn your head in a hurry, right? 
They’re starting to learn to play with him. But I think he’s making everybody better around him, and we all know he’s capable of scoring the ball.”

On watching Zakai Zeigler, Ja’Kobi Gillespie and Igor Milicic Jr. (Spurs) vs. Nate Ament (Bucks) in Summer League on Sunday night

“Well, it was great. It was also depressing, though, because having all those guys around was pretty good. Now, it was thrilling for, like, I think all of us, to see how these guys were doing, having an opportunity to play. They all have a dream of making it or in Nate’s case, obviously, he’s locked in. I think Ja’Kobi has impressed a lot of people and looks like a real value pick for San Antonio. I think he’s gonna be in the league a long time. And then Felix, I think Felix Okpara has played well in his couple of games. So we’re excited for Igor, all those guys. I watched Keon (Johnson) the other day, even though I wasn’t here. I’ve gotten to know (Keon) a little bit. Awesome individual. Hope all of them can make it.”

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On helping fill out the roster in the transfer portal

“No. 1, it’s a group thing. So, it’s always been that, even in the NBA, whether I was in a role of a director position, it’s always been the group, and it’s still that way. What I try to do is just add perspective and questions that stimulate thinking. Not that I’m so smart, but I’ve made enough mistakes that I’ve learned from those. Any of you guys made mistakes before? You learn from them? Yeah. I’ve had a lot of them. So that’s my main thing.

“With this freshman class, again, we wanted more length on the wings. We didn’t anticipate losing so many big guys, but we realized we’re not gonna have the mass, but Juke (Harris), Jalen (Haralson), Ralph (Scott), Manny (Green), Tyler (Lundblade), I hope I’m not leaving anybody out. Chris Washington can play some over there. 
We have athleticism, and we have length. So when you take bare feet, you take standing reach, wingspan, that’s effective height, unless you play with alligator arms. So, guys that play extended around the rim, you want those guys to do that. We want those guys to do that. So we really shot it, no pun intended there, but we wanted guys that defensively, deflections, take up a lot of court, shrink the court with that, and then offensively, obviously be able to make plays and play extended at the rim.

On the front court, DeWayne Brown returning

We have an athletic group. I wouldn’t call DeWayne a non-athlete. DeWayne can move his feet and his hands. I tell him all the time, you’re not gonna make it to the NBA with your vertical pop. But there’s guys that are really effective playing on the ground, as I call them.
Not literally, but you know what I’m saying. The other guys, whether it’s (Braedan) Lue, Christian (Fermin), Miles (Rubin), all are twitchy. They’re fast-twitch, they’re long, they can switch out.
They’re just learning what is required here to do that. Because different programs require different things. Like when Felix first got here, he played in a drop coverage, which is very effective. 
But we asked him to get out on the perimeter and guard guys, and he did that. And I think it’s added value to him being an NBA draft choice, and will add value to his career. So we gotta get these guys to do that because we don’t have what you just said last year, we could just smash you under the rim, and walk you under there. Offensive rebound like crazy. This group’s gonna have to do it a little differently.”

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On DeWayne Brown being a vocal leader compared to last year

“Night and day. So what we asked of DeWayne early in the year or in the summer, DeWayne, like, you’re not a loud guy. You don’t have to be Zakai (Zeigler) and Jahmai Mashack or Santiago (Vescovi) or Josiah(-Jordan James), guys, they were literally, their decibel level was louder, right? So we already have that in Coach (Barnes). He’ll take care of that. What you gotta do is talk to these guys. You do it in your way. You do it with your personality type.
But you’re smart. You know how you’re gonna read all these personalities in the room. What’s the best way to address and what’s the best way
to get them, to me, like, maximize their potential, be efficient, and I think he’s done an awesome job. Troy (Henderson) is also trying to do the same thing, just hard when you’re not on the court, but DeWayne is taking a huge jump, and I’m really proud of him, not just as a basketball player, but as a human being and a young man.”



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