New Cal basketball coach Wyking Jones’ introductory press conference

Cal AD Mike Williams introduced Wyking Jones as the new Men’s Basketball HC at Haas Pavilion. Check out the full press conference below, and a write up of some of his most important quotes.

AD Mike Williams on the search and offer:

We found that we like very much what we have here... We spoke to multiple NBA Head Coaches and Power 5 Head Coaches, former players, alumni and donors... After a long search we found what we like here in Berkeley... We made out one and only offer to him.

HC Wyking Jones on his initial support:

All of the support. All of the smiling faces. All of the people that make this work are in this room right now... (When my team heard I was the) Interim HC, the smiles, the high-fives, the hugs meant so much to me.

On Friday morning when I was appointed the new men's basketball coach, it had already gotten leaked. The players are on spring break so, I had to call them and tell them and they already knew. Kingsley Okoroh was talking so fast with that British accent I had no idea what he was saying.

HC Wyking talking to his son:

You’re a nice guy, but you need to get meaner on the court.

HC Wyking Jones on his Core Values:

My core values: seize the day, make the most of every single day, be the best person, the best student, the best athlete that you can be, don't let a day go by wasted.

HC Wyking Jones on his style:

Everyone's wondering about style of play. In the last two years we've been the number 1 defensive team in the Pac-12 and we will continue to do that. To me, defense is the foundation for winning. Now. It's going to look a little different. You're going to see more pressing. You're going to see more changing of defense. You're going to see more half-court traps. You're going to see us be a lot more aggressive on the defensive end. On the offensive end, you're going to see us push the tempo. You're going to see us get into scoring motion earlier in the shot clock.

HC Wyking Jones on offensive production going forward:

We need to let our defense manufacture offense for us. What I'm envisioning our press. I'm envisioning us turning people over... It's a lot easier after a steal to go score in transition as opposed to taking the ball out of the net and then having to go against someone's set defense. Letting our defense manufacture our offense for us, what happens is you get a lay up, you get a dunk, and then everyone's confidence just goes up a little bit and it becomes infectious. ‘Let’s get another one and another one.’ The press almost becomes part of your offense and that's what we will do here.

HC Wyking Jones on what he needs from his team to play that style:

Now we're going to play that style, I've already informed my guys that strength and conditioning is going to be of the utmost importance. I will place more emphasis on strength and conditioning than anyone, because if we're going to play that style, we have to be the best most conditioned team in the Pac-12. So the guys they know that, while they're lifting I usually go in there, and they laugh at me because pretty much all I do is bench press.

HC Wyking Jones and what he learned from Coach Rick Pitino

First of all I think his overall game plan, switching defenses, confusing the offense, putting a lot of pressure on the other team's point guard to come down the court, and he has to figure out, 'Am I getting pressed? Are they in zone, or man?'

I think that the overall game plan really sets him apart from a lot of other coaches. Also, attention to detail more than anything else, leaving no stone unturned. What coach was great at was making adjustments, seeing, and realizing that maybe our initial game plan didn't work, so let's do something different, as opposed to sticking to the same thing over and over, until you get a loss saying, 'OK, we thought that that was the right way to go. Let's do something different, and let's live with that.'

In-game for a head coach, that's what's most important. That you can make in-game adjustments to what's going on out there.

And my personal favorite quote:

Any other quotes you liked from the press conference fans? Let us know in the comments below.

California Love. California Rising.