I stopped by basketball practice for the first time yesterday. All of their workouts are closed to reporters, but I talked to Samir Sehic, a 6-foot-9 Vanderbilt transfer forward who put up terrific numbers (67 points, 36 rebounds) on Tulane's four-game exhibition trip to Spain in August.
Here's what he had to say:
How comfortable are you after practicing with the team for a year?
“I definitely feel real comfortable, especially with the year sitting out but yet still being able to practice with the guys every day. We were able to build a lot of chemistry, so I felt extremely comfortable, and at the end of the day I had a chip on my shoulder from sitting out a year.”
How frustrating was your one year at Vandy, when you played behind a heck of a frontcourt?
“It was frustrating, but at the end of the day I learned a lot. I maybe didn’t learn a lot physically, but I learned a lot mentally. I played behind two pros, one in Damian Jones (who earned a championship ring with Golden State last year) and one in Luke Kornet (who is on the New York Knicks preseason roster) that are both in the NBA now. They are at the level I want to be at one day.”
Why did you leave Vandy?
“The key factor was coach Stallings getting fired. He’s an unbelievable coach and a great offensive mind. I felt like I could have been a key part in his offense. I felt like Bryce Drew didn’t fit my style, and I felt to where if I could go somewhere to benefit myself better, I’d go find it. And I found it.”
What are you expectations individually this year?
“At the end of the day I’m going to do whatever I’ve got to do to get wins, similar to how it was in Spain. I did what I needed to do to get us some wins. As much as I can average from a points standpoint to a rebounds standpoint and all that, but as long as we’re getting wins, that’s what I definitely want to help the team.”
What do you bring to the table?
“I feel I can bring a lot of assets. Being able to pick and pop and post up, I definitely think I’ll be able to bring a presence inside as well as outside.”
How did you end up at Tulane?
“When I was transferring, I was really considering the same schools I was looking at coming out of high school—Wake Forest, Notre Dame—but really what sold me at the end of the day was coach Dunleavy. When I got the call from him, he was really open to me, and especially with how good the academics are here, I love it.”
What did you like about Dunleavy?
“At the end of the day he’s a walking book of knowledge. He’s spent 30-plus years at the level we all want to be one day, so every day you learn something new from him. We all respect him. I’ve played for a lot of coaches that are aggressive and yellers, but when he talks, everyone listens and respects him. When he talks, no one else speaks.”
Anything specific he told you that has helped you?
“The biggest thing I’ve learned from him is key details and certain ways of playing offense and certain ways of playing defense. He’s really taught me to offensively play to my comfort zone and use that as a big stick of mine. Really he’s been able to maximize my potential.”
Did going 4-0 on the Spain exhibition tour, regardless of the level of competition, help this team?
“Absolutely. In Spain it was just a whole different mindset in the way we looked at basketball, especially me and JC coming in this year, we come from two programs that had winning seasons our freshman year, so we’ll bring that element as well.”
Who would you compare your game to?
“If I could compare my game to anyone, it’s Kevin Love, a guy that can pick and pop but also is a hard worker who gets rebounds and also play inside.”
You have dual citizenship in Bosnia and the United States. What is your background?
“My parents were from Bosnia. I was born and raised here, but I tell everyone I was created over there and born here.”
Where have you lived in America?
“I was born in Atlanta and grew up most of my time in Dallas and Houston. I spent seven years in Dallas and the last eight or nine in Houston.”
How much higher are the expectations for the team this year after the 6-25 record of last season?
“A lot higher. The competition in Spain wasn’t huge, but we wanted to win every single game and we did. We’re bringing the same mindset into the season. We’re going to be able to surprise a lot of teams because we have a whole new element to us and a whole different mindet.”
How hard was not getting to play last year?
“Honestly I can’t even explain how bad it was just because you spend every day at practice working with these guys and playing really well in practice and then both me and Jordan were not able to help the guys out there. It was extremely painful, one, and two, it was tough.”
Will you play the 4 or the 5?
“Both. I played the 5 and the 4 in Spain and I expect to play 5 and 4 here.”
How much of an adrenaline rush will you get when the season starts and you get to play?
“It’s just really such a huge chip on my shoulder. As tough as the year was for me, it also was one of the best things that could have happened to me because it put me in a state to where I’m real grateful to be playing. A year ago it wasn’t the same feeling.”
Here's what he had to say:
How comfortable are you after practicing with the team for a year?
“I definitely feel real comfortable, especially with the year sitting out but yet still being able to practice with the guys every day. We were able to build a lot of chemistry, so I felt extremely comfortable, and at the end of the day I had a chip on my shoulder from sitting out a year.”
How frustrating was your one year at Vandy, when you played behind a heck of a frontcourt?
“It was frustrating, but at the end of the day I learned a lot. I maybe didn’t learn a lot physically, but I learned a lot mentally. I played behind two pros, one in Damian Jones (who earned a championship ring with Golden State last year) and one in Luke Kornet (who is on the New York Knicks preseason roster) that are both in the NBA now. They are at the level I want to be at one day.”
Why did you leave Vandy?
“The key factor was coach Stallings getting fired. He’s an unbelievable coach and a great offensive mind. I felt like I could have been a key part in his offense. I felt like Bryce Drew didn’t fit my style, and I felt to where if I could go somewhere to benefit myself better, I’d go find it. And I found it.”
What are you expectations individually this year?
“At the end of the day I’m going to do whatever I’ve got to do to get wins, similar to how it was in Spain. I did what I needed to do to get us some wins. As much as I can average from a points standpoint to a rebounds standpoint and all that, but as long as we’re getting wins, that’s what I definitely want to help the team.”
What do you bring to the table?
“I feel I can bring a lot of assets. Being able to pick and pop and post up, I definitely think I’ll be able to bring a presence inside as well as outside.”
How did you end up at Tulane?
“When I was transferring, I was really considering the same schools I was looking at coming out of high school—Wake Forest, Notre Dame—but really what sold me at the end of the day was coach Dunleavy. When I got the call from him, he was really open to me, and especially with how good the academics are here, I love it.”
What did you like about Dunleavy?
“At the end of the day he’s a walking book of knowledge. He’s spent 30-plus years at the level we all want to be one day, so every day you learn something new from him. We all respect him. I’ve played for a lot of coaches that are aggressive and yellers, but when he talks, everyone listens and respects him. When he talks, no one else speaks.”
Anything specific he told you that has helped you?
“The biggest thing I’ve learned from him is key details and certain ways of playing offense and certain ways of playing defense. He’s really taught me to offensively play to my comfort zone and use that as a big stick of mine. Really he’s been able to maximize my potential.”
Did going 4-0 on the Spain exhibition tour, regardless of the level of competition, help this team?
“Absolutely. In Spain it was just a whole different mindset in the way we looked at basketball, especially me and JC coming in this year, we come from two programs that had winning seasons our freshman year, so we’ll bring that element as well.”
Who would you compare your game to?
“If I could compare my game to anyone, it’s Kevin Love, a guy that can pick and pop but also is a hard worker who gets rebounds and also play inside.”
You have dual citizenship in Bosnia and the United States. What is your background?
“My parents were from Bosnia. I was born and raised here, but I tell everyone I was created over there and born here.”
Where have you lived in America?
“I was born in Atlanta and grew up most of my time in Dallas and Houston. I spent seven years in Dallas and the last eight or nine in Houston.”
How much higher are the expectations for the team this year after the 6-25 record of last season?
“A lot higher. The competition in Spain wasn’t huge, but we wanted to win every single game and we did. We’re bringing the same mindset into the season. We’re going to be able to surprise a lot of teams because we have a whole new element to us and a whole different mindet.”
How hard was not getting to play last year?
“Honestly I can’t even explain how bad it was just because you spend every day at practice working with these guys and playing really well in practice and then both me and Jordan were not able to help the guys out there. It was extremely painful, one, and two, it was tough.”
Will you play the 4 or the 5?
“Both. I played the 5 and the 4 in Spain and I expect to play 5 and 4 here.”
How much of an adrenaline rush will you get when the season starts and you get to play?
“It’s just really such a huge chip on my shoulder. As tough as the year was for me, it also was one of the best things that could have happened to me because it put me in a state to where I’m real grateful to be playing. A year ago it wasn’t the same feeling.”