McCasland, Anderson, Toppin speak at Big 12 Media Days
Texas Tech Head Coach Grant McCasland, Guard Christian Anderson, and Forward JT Toppin were all present at Big 12 Media Days in Kansas City. The Red Raiders will have a large expectations this year after reaching the Elite 8 last season.
The Red Raiders had two players named to preseason honors prior to Wednesday’s Media Days. JT Toppin was named preseason Big 12 Player of the Year. LeJuan Watts was also honored as preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year.
Film Review
Starting off with the first question of the interview, the trio were shown a clip from last year’s Kansas game, specifically with the Red Raiders on defense with Kansas inbounding on the Red Raiders side of the court with 19 seconds left in the game.
Grant McCasland had this to say about Christian Anderson and JT Toppin in that scenario;
“You don’t play people in Phog Allen Fieldhouse if you don’t. That’s what’s special about these two guys, is, you know, it’s difficult in this world of changing teams quickly. How do you acclimate and do what the team needs? And the heart behind these two, I love being on stage with them.”
“They’re not going to they’re not going to be up here because they love talking. They’re going to be here because they love playing and they’re also great communicators, but they both really want to win.”
“That’s what separates these two guys. I mean, everybody loves to talk about their talent, and they have exceptional talent, but their competitiveness and willingness to do what the team needs is remarkable.”
Toppin + Deep Shooters
JT Toppin was asked what it’ll be like having multiple players (Watts, Bryan, Atwell) on this team all shooting more than 40% from three at their previous stops. Ultimately how it’ll affect his game in the paint and on the perimeter.
“Yeah, for sure. I definitely feel like I got a lot of room this year, especially like the team we had last year, we had a lot of shooters. So I feel like it’s really the same way, and we just got to keep building togetherness, to keep building chemistry, and all of us from here.”
Toppin spoke on how he’ll live up to the preseason expectation of Big 12 Player of the Year.
“Really, just keep the same mindset, keep the same work ethic, and just trust my teammates to just play for me and I’ll play for them as well.”
“Just doing all the same little things I did last year and just not thinking about it, staying humble, staying grounded, because it’s really the same thing. I feel like I had more pressure built on me last year, just coming from mid major to play on, like a bigger stage.”
“So I feel like this year it’s not really that much pressure, but it’s really just being humble and really just trying to play for my teammates.”
Freshman to Sophomore
Christian Anderson was one of the best freshman in college basketball last year, coming up in key moments in the NCAA Tournament and the regular season for the Red Raiders. He spoke on how the transition is after being at Texas Tech for a year, and progressing into his sophomore year.
“I think the main thing that I needed to add was weight. I think, was a big part of how my game would take a major step to the next level.”
“Just because, the pressure in the Big 12 is going to be different. So, I mean, I put on like, 15 pounds. I’m trying to get, you know, 5 more. But, yeah, I think weight was a huge step I made this off season. So I think that was one of my biggest steps.”
Junior College Experiences
Grant McCasland and his two predecessors at Texas Tech all had JUCO experience prior to being hired as the Red Raiders head coach. McCasland was asked how those JUCO experiences affected his coaching, and ultimately into his hiring at Texas Tech.
“Yeah, honestly, I think it’s been probably the most important aspect was being a young head coach having to turn over rosters every year and then trying to figure out a way to compete against Mark Adams, because we coached against each other for five years.”
“I was 26 and basically got completely bullied by a Mark Adams team, and then I realized, man, we better have more physical players, and not many people get that experience at 27 to learn what you what you need as a coach in order to win at a really high level.”
“So just genuinely thankful for junior college and also drove a bus. We won a championship, and they gave me the keys of the bus, and I drove it home. I had a CDL.”
“Well, and my wife and I made lunches. And you know, I mean, you you just do everything. There wasn’t any part of the program. I ordered the uniforms and made sure that we had stuff clean.“
“So just, I love Junior College man, and I just admire people more than anything, that can figure out ways to win when it’s stacked against them. And that’s what I love, and I’m thankful for those times, not just roster building, but just life in general.”
Combo Guard Importance
Last year and this year’s teams for Grant McCasland include a 6’6″ or 6’7″ Forward/Guard player. McCasland speaks on the importance of having that type of player on the court.
“You know, these days, putting pressure on the rim and being able to individually score twos is the way you punch your defenses, and you got to find different ways in college basketball to do it.”
“If you’re going to just rely on perimeter jumpers, it gets to be a long year, and that’s where both these guys can get in the paint and create opportunities for themselves, which create advantages for other people, and guys like LeJuan Watts can put pressure on the rim in so many ways.”
“These guys will tell you he’s great in transition, he’s elite, and he can get in the paint, and he wants to be a passer. He’s always looking to get people involved. And I think when you have that physicality and force and just the versatility to have size and be able to play, make and make decisions for other people, really is an advantage in creating opportunities.”
Nolan Groves Entrance
Nolan Groves, a freshman guard will look to take some advice from Christian Anderson as he progresses throughout the season. Anderson speaks on what he’s seen from Groves, and how he’s built going into the season.
“Yeah, I mean, obviously he was Gatorade player of the year in high school. So I think he’s used to scoring and, you know, with the big 12 intensity, you know, and with Coach Mac, he’s always going to be in our tails defensively, talking about, you know, competitiveness and and just playing smart defensively.”
“And I think that’s where no one has taken a bigger step since he’s got here, and he has a body like a like a football player, so he’s a super well built so I think the technique, which is really important for him coming in, and I think I’ve seen him take that step defensively too. So yeah, I’m excited for what Nolan can add to our team this year.”
The Expectations
The Red Raiders have massive expectations going into the season. JT Toppin speaks on the team’s goal, and how they can get there.
“To win it all for real. Really, just like to step on and put our heads down and go through anybody we got to go through for real. So really, just being together, staying together, building that chemistry, and just knowing that we could, we could do anything if we just stay together. So really, just to win it all.”
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