A Few Minutes with Brandon Paul

The 2009 recruiting class will probably be the one that changes Bruce Weber's reputation in the national media outlets as a great X's and O's guy, but not the world's best recruiter. The now-freshmen from that recruiting class have only played in one exhibition game so far, but it is easy to see the elevated athleticism and talent on this team from top to bottom. One of those freshman is 2009 Illinois Mr. Basketball recipient Brandon Paul. I was able to speak with Brandon for a few minutes before practice on Thursday, and this is what I got.

How are you getting used to coach Weber, both playing and practicing for him?

I'm getting used to him. He's a great coach... you just have to grind it out in practice and keep getting better. He's fun between games, but when you get on the court it's serious... Coach McClain can get even louder than coach Weber. If you do something wrong he's going to let you know whether it's in a funny way or a serious way... He takes it seriously, but at the same time likes to joke around a little bit.

How much different are these practices than the ones you were a part of in high school?

It's a lot different... different pace... you get less breaks. It's about just grinding through it and getting better.

Describe a little bit what it was like after all that time being committed and then practicing, to actually play a game in the Assembly Hall.

There was a little bit of nervous energy built up. It was my first game so obviously I'm going to be a little nervous. But when I got in, I just wanted to do what I can do best and that's score, get to the basket, and play good defense.

It seems like the crowd was trying to make the freshmen feel welcome last Friday. Did you get a sense of that?

Yeah, it was real fun seeing all the orange and people calling us by our names... Hearing "Good job Brandon" and stuff like that. It just makes things more exciting, and you want to build on the season.

Do you feel like you were able to play your type of basketball out there?

Yeah, I definitely think I did. I wanted to really grind it out, because coach said we'd be coming in and out a lot. So I decided to just play really hard and not pace myself.

You got to the free throw line 10 times, a lot of which were from you driving the lane. Illinois really hasn't had a player like that in the last couple of years. Is that something we can expect with you as far as being aggressive and going to the basket?

Yeah, I want to get to the line and draw fouls for our team. I just need to be smart because coach stresses that he doesn't want me to fall in love with the three.

What sort of things would you like to concentrate or improve on for this next game?

I want to improve on ball pressure a little more, causing a few turnovers maybe. I want to get on the Matto Chart (points for hustle plays dedicated to the late Matt Heldman), diving for loose balls, taking charges, help my team on defense.

Mike Tisdale said the tempo of the offense was a lot faster than in the past, and at times it could slow down a little... Is that hard for you to do?

Yeah a little bit, we're fast paced and have a lot of depth in our team. I look forward to moving the ball up the court, coach doesn't want us walking it up every time.

You were committed to Illinois for a while before you actually signed your letter of intent. How big of a deal was it for you to actually get that done?

It was a big deal. I had a little party at my school afterward. A lot of my friends came out and supported me. It was just really fun and thinking about it is exciting to this day.

Brandon was sporting some stitches above his left eye. Where did those come from?

I got elbowed by Tis (Mike Tisdale) on... I think it was Sunday. I had to get a couple of stitches but nothing serious, it's just basketball.

You said that your hand was giving you a little bit of trouble. How are you doing with that?

It got jammed hustling for the ball. It's doing pretty well, but it's still not
100%... but I'm gonna keep working on it.

Is it important to settle into a routine on game days?

Yeah, I make sure I get my meals in. You gotta eat well. Then just start preparing for the game. I like to get a lot of shots up.

When it comes to routines, do you feel like you've settled into student life pretty well?

I'm in a pretty good routine. I make sure I go to all my classes and focus on what I need to focus on so I can get good grades.