Hunter talked with reporters today ahead of tomorrow's home game with South Florida at 1 p.m. The goal for every team in the incredibly weak AAC other than Memphis is to get a top-four seed in the league tourney and be three games away from reaching the NCAA tournament by the time the quarterfinals start. North Texas may be proving it is the second-best team, but everything else is wide open.
HUNTER
On Tulane's status right now:
"We're getting better. We're one of the younger teams in the country experience-wise and we're just growing. The only thing we need to do is keep playing games to get that experience, but I love how we're playing. I really do. We're getting better every day. We're starting to figure it out, the game is starting to slow down. Now it's about winning games."
On difference between this year and last year:
"Well, the kids on my team this year weren't even playing college basketball last year, so that's how far we've gone. We're playing four freshmen (actually three) in our top eight or nine, but again, the years are different. The way college basketball is now and really the way college football is, you've got new teams every year, so some teams are going to take a little longer to develop and some can do it fairly quickly. We hope that we're just climbing and we're going to be able to peak at the right time."
On feeling good about progress:
"Even when we were struggling, we weren't down. I thought we were getting better. I've been doing this a long time and I've never coached so many young guys in my 35 years. I'm enjoying it. I don't know if I've been around a team that I enjoy coaching more than this group, and that includes all my NCAA tournament teams. I've really enjoyed this because it's new to me and these young guys, they want to learn. With all the craziness and NIL and all the other things, what's great about this group is they really want to learn. I enjoy being around them."
On offensive drought in second half against UAB:
"We talked about the UAB game. it was 54-54 and we held them four straight times, but we didn't score during that time. If we had scored that time, I think it would have been a different outcome, but that's just part of the growing pains of learning to win on the road. Young teams usually play really well at home, and it's a struggle a little bit on the road. We're starting to figure that out a little bit. We're starting to understand shot selection a little bit better and understand the intensity of playing at home versus the road. Our intensity in this building is incredible because we've got great fans, but we've got to be able to carry this when we go play on the road."
On Kam Williams taking only three shots against UAB:
"That's the thing he's got to figure that out. This is the first time he's played major college basketball, so he's on everybody's scouting report. They took some things away from him, and when they take some things away, you've got to have something else to go to. If he looks at the tape of that game, he will do some things differently in that regard. We're trying to help him through that just like we're trying to help all these young guys through some of those things."
On KJ Greene playing well down the stretch against UAB (three baskets out of the four Tulane made from the 13:30 mark until near the end of the game):
"He's getting better. I laugh because I talked to a high school coach the other day and I was like, man, I had no idea what it was like to coach 18-year olds. I've got teenagers, but they are getting better. We can take Rowan (Brumbaugh) off the ball and he (Greene) is playing with a lot more confidence. All of them have to get stronger as they get older. That's the other part. When you play UAB, they are all 24,25, 26 years old, and when you're 18 it's just different, but they are figuring it out. They really are. I love where we are in regards to the process of growing up. My biggest fear is how are we going to keep all these kids. I know now we have a chance to win every game we play."
On South Florida:
"Offensively they are making shots. They are finding out who they are. They had a tough start to the season losing a wonderful man in their coach (Amir Abdur-Rahim dies in late October). I give them all the kudos just getting through the season to be honest with you. He's got them playing really well right now. He's the interim coach and he's trying to figure this out also, but they are at the point now where they feel really good about where they are."
On scoring in transition:
"We want to score off our defense. We do that fairly well at home. What we haven't been able to do is carry that on the road. When you look at the points we average at home and on the road, it's a big difference. That happens with all young teams."
On Asher Woods:
"Asher's quietly been really good for us of late. If I had to pinpoint one thing that helped us with the turnaround, it's his play defensively. Just having an older guy on the floor. He's the oldest kid in our program and he struggled early in the season just trying to play with the young guys. He's starting to figure it out. He's been great."
On seeing improvement:
"These guys will run through a wall for me, and I love coaching them that way. That's why I'm happy for them. It's been a long time that I looked and said I'm really having fun coaching this group, so I am because everything we've thrown out, these kids have tried. I love coaching these kids."
HUNTER
On Tulane's status right now:
"We're getting better. We're one of the younger teams in the country experience-wise and we're just growing. The only thing we need to do is keep playing games to get that experience, but I love how we're playing. I really do. We're getting better every day. We're starting to figure it out, the game is starting to slow down. Now it's about winning games."
On difference between this year and last year:
"Well, the kids on my team this year weren't even playing college basketball last year, so that's how far we've gone. We're playing four freshmen (actually three) in our top eight or nine, but again, the years are different. The way college basketball is now and really the way college football is, you've got new teams every year, so some teams are going to take a little longer to develop and some can do it fairly quickly. We hope that we're just climbing and we're going to be able to peak at the right time."
On feeling good about progress:
"Even when we were struggling, we weren't down. I thought we were getting better. I've been doing this a long time and I've never coached so many young guys in my 35 years. I'm enjoying it. I don't know if I've been around a team that I enjoy coaching more than this group, and that includes all my NCAA tournament teams. I've really enjoyed this because it's new to me and these young guys, they want to learn. With all the craziness and NIL and all the other things, what's great about this group is they really want to learn. I enjoy being around them."
On offensive drought in second half against UAB:
"We talked about the UAB game. it was 54-54 and we held them four straight times, but we didn't score during that time. If we had scored that time, I think it would have been a different outcome, but that's just part of the growing pains of learning to win on the road. Young teams usually play really well at home, and it's a struggle a little bit on the road. We're starting to figure that out a little bit. We're starting to understand shot selection a little bit better and understand the intensity of playing at home versus the road. Our intensity in this building is incredible because we've got great fans, but we've got to be able to carry this when we go play on the road."
On Kam Williams taking only three shots against UAB:
"That's the thing he's got to figure that out. This is the first time he's played major college basketball, so he's on everybody's scouting report. They took some things away from him, and when they take some things away, you've got to have something else to go to. If he looks at the tape of that game, he will do some things differently in that regard. We're trying to help him through that just like we're trying to help all these young guys through some of those things."
On KJ Greene playing well down the stretch against UAB (three baskets out of the four Tulane made from the 13:30 mark until near the end of the game):
"He's getting better. I laugh because I talked to a high school coach the other day and I was like, man, I had no idea what it was like to coach 18-year olds. I've got teenagers, but they are getting better. We can take Rowan (Brumbaugh) off the ball and he (Greene) is playing with a lot more confidence. All of them have to get stronger as they get older. That's the other part. When you play UAB, they are all 24,25, 26 years old, and when you're 18 it's just different, but they are figuring it out. They really are. I love where we are in regards to the process of growing up. My biggest fear is how are we going to keep all these kids. I know now we have a chance to win every game we play."
On South Florida:
"Offensively they are making shots. They are finding out who they are. They had a tough start to the season losing a wonderful man in their coach (Amir Abdur-Rahim dies in late October). I give them all the kudos just getting through the season to be honest with you. He's got them playing really well right now. He's the interim coach and he's trying to figure this out also, but they are at the point now where they feel really good about where they are."
On scoring in transition:
"We want to score off our defense. We do that fairly well at home. What we haven't been able to do is carry that on the road. When you look at the points we average at home and on the road, it's a big difference. That happens with all young teams."
On Asher Woods:
"Asher's quietly been really good for us of late. If I had to pinpoint one thing that helped us with the turnaround, it's his play defensively. Just having an older guy on the floor. He's the oldest kid in our program and he struggled early in the season just trying to play with the young guys. He's starting to figure it out. He's been great."
On seeing improvement:
"These guys will run through a wall for me, and I love coaching them that way. That's why I'm happy for them. It's been a long time that I looked and said I'm really having fun coaching this group, so I am because everything we've thrown out, these kids have tried. I love coaching these kids."
