Over the course of the interview, Hokie basketball coach Jim Johnson's comments are highlighted below.
In assessing the past season, Johnson asserted that he had a "good group of guys" who started well, but faded at the end. Despite the swansong at the end, Johnson said that he never had to coach their "effort", which he said was there all season. In retrospect, with a young team and lack of depth, maybe he should have "slowed things down". There was a sense of urgency, but the pace was probably too fast.
Looking forward, he is excited about the 6 new freshmen (now 5, with highly-touted Donte Clark's departure) and the Adam Smith transfer. Smith will practice with scout team this year, but is going to be "someone to watch" in the future. In an 8-week session this summer, the team will be asked to focus on skills and conditioning, 2 hours per day. He also expect Cadarian Raines to continue to step up on the court.
His vision is for a hard-playing team that "plays fast" and will be tough to prepare for. He also wants to recruit "more guys like Erick Green" into the system. The point guard position on the team is "wide open", and other than Cadarian Raines as a starter, all other opening starter positions are up for grabs. Johnson was very excited about the Malik Muller commit, and he asserted that Muller would have "immediate impact".
Johnson is looking forward to the team playing in the "Coaches vs. Cancer Classic" at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn on November 22-23; the UVA game will follow shortly thereafter. Other teams competing in this event are Oklahoma, Seton Hall, and Michigan State. He indicated the coaching vacancy will be addressed in May. (In June, former Director of Basketball Operations Andy Moore was promoted to Assistant Coach; and Robert Harris was named as the new Director of Basketball Operations in July.)
With the added depth on the court, Johnson also indicated that the Hokies will "press more", trying to wear teams down. In closing, Coach Johnson reiterated that he is excited about where the program is going, he likes the guys that are currently on board, and plans to lead a program in which "character is going to weigh a little more than talent".
