On-Campus Media Day Quotes

Junior Forward Coen Carr

On earning the respect of the team…
"I just tried to come in every day. Freshman year, sophomore year, I just got to come every day and play hard, just listen, play hard, and do what I was told and just be an energy player. And I feel like that's how I've always been. So just try to do my job.  That's it."

On improvements since coming to MSU…
"I feel like every aspect of my shooting has gotten better, ball handling has gotten better, my defense has gotten better.  I've gotten stronger, faster. I probably don't jump higher, but definitely a lot of stuff has definitely changed. So, I don't know.  I'm just blessed to have this opportunity for sure."

On being a spark for the team…
"Just to have the opportunity to ignite the gym is crazy. Those are plays I live for. I just try to make as many of them as I can."

On repeating the success of last season…
"I feel like just being together. I feel like last year's team was the most chemistry I've ever had with a team in my life.  So just togetheriness we had, I feel like that brought us a long way and the grit we had, we definitely gritted out a lot of games, a lot of tough games. We made free throws and I just feel like this team's a better shot making team. I feel like we're going to be able to shoot. I feel like we're going to shoot better and rebound and defend. I feel like we're more athletic. So I just feel like this team can overall be better.  We just got to be able to put it together."

Senior Center Carson Cooper

On replacing the loss of Jase Richardson to the NBA…
"Jase (Richardson) was like our stud last year. He was our rock. He was probably the most consistent guy that we had.  So now without having somebody like that, it kind of falls on a couple other guys and it's more distributed over a whole team other than one player. At the end of the day, I think last year we didn't shoot it well at all. I think that's going to be top of our list offensively of things that we need to improve on.  And I think that's something we have improved on. With guys shooting it the best they've ever shot it. So I think kind of that by itself and the hard-nosed defense that we play and the guys that come in, should help pick up the slack of Jase."

On being excited to finally start the season…
"I always feel bad after practice sometimes. We always have physical practices. When we get done with practice, sitting in the locker room and we're all sore, we're kind of sitting there. I feel bad having to bang against y'all all practice and make each other all sore and tired.  But I'm getting anxious to get out there and get physical against somebody else."

On what has been seen out of the freshman class…
"The humble kids that they are, the way that they don't really hold an ego and they're not just playing for themselves. They're playing for others. Coach does a great job with recruiting guys who are mentally going to stay with us, and just who want to learn. I say Jordan (Scott), Cam (Ward) and even Divine (Ugochukwu) and Trey (Fort). They just come in with the mentality that they want to learn.  They want to get better and they just want to get the best they can out of themselves. So for me and Jaxon (Kohler), it's just holding them to that high standard."

Redshirt sophomore guard Jeremy Fears Jr.

On a different mix of players than last season…
"I'm very excited. It's a new season. Kind of ready to start a little.  Ready to get going. We have a good core, I think a great core coming back.  We have some transfers, some freshmen. So just the fact that we bring it every day, I'll say that. It's an athletic team, I think a lot of everyone, almost everybody makes shots on his team. Competitive, physical.  So definitely it's a different view and some of the strengths we had last year, we lost a little. But some of the strengths we have this year, we didn't have last year. So just the fact that we have a little bit of everything and I think we're kind of deep.  I like my one through 12, like I said last year. And I think no matter what at the end of the day, every day we're going to come in and we're going to come compete to try to win every game."

On what has led to Junior Forward Coen Carr's improvement…
"A little bit of everything. He's a more confident kid. He kind of knows his role.  He knows that we need his leadership. We need his voice in order for us to be successful and in order for us to win. The fact that he's out there playing now.  So, I think it's hard when you are a freshman or sophomore. You think a lot when you're kind of young. You don't really know if you're doing things right.  You're used to maybe being the best player or being one of the better guys on a team, when you're young. So just the fact that like now, it's like, we're just playing ball. It's less thinking, you're more confident.  And we're just out there trying to have fun to win every game."

Junior Forward Jaxon Kohler

On feelings about the team…
"It's honestly been great because the freshmen that have come in have been so good about being open and learning and taking kind of tips from the older guys and like knowing and adjusting on coming out of high school to college, like this is how we play. This is how the game is different from high school.  And you have to make sure you're at this expectation every day. And they've been so good about that and they've really been blowing expectations as freshmen, like us as older guys knowing that we've been in the freshman spot before, they've blown our expectations on how effective they've been in practice. And for the transfer guys, being at another university, they've also been really good at changing their perspective on like, 'hey, you play as hard as we can every single day', whether it's a lift, whether it's a game. If you aren't exhausted by the end of practice, you ain't doing something right. and they've been so good about that.  It was a little hard at the beginning, but like, that's what Izzo does. He makes it hard so that when the season comes, we're ready to go, we're ready to win."

On the growth of Junior Forward Coen Carr…
"Coen's (Carr) grown so much, honestly. There's a reason he's a team captain. He's so good with everyone vocally and everybody, like setting an example.  His game has been just out of the water. He's been working on his shot so much, and he's been working on kind of like the strategic side of the game, like trying to figure out like if I drive who's open, his passing, he's just been working on his all-around game all the time, and it's been awesome to see him grow and to have him as a captain. I'm so happy that I get to go to war with him this year."

Players Mentioned

Coen Carr

Carson Cooper

Jeremy Fears Jr.

Jaxon Kohler

Jase Richardson

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