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USF's men's basketball team begins preparation for the 2013-14 season on Friday with its first official workout in Memorial Gymnasium. Expectations are high for the Dons who return five starters, including its top two leading scorers in seniors
Cole Dickerson and Cody Doolin, from last year's team that finished 15-16 overall and tied for fifth in the WCC with a 7-9 record.
Rex Walters, now in his sixth season as the head coach of one of college basketball's most storied programs, isn't about to shy away from the expectations he or others have for the program he inherited six years ago. While his natural competitive nature will never allow him to back down from a challenge, Walters' coaching acumen, which has been influenced greatly by four of the greatest coaches of all-time, reminds him building a program takes time and patience.
In this exclusive interview with USFDons.com, Walters candidly talks about the expectations he has for this year's team and the strides the program has made under his direction. He also discusses the impact legendary figures such as Roy Williams, Larry Brown, Chuck Daly and Pat Riley have had on his coaching career.
While Walters constantly looks for the right combination to put on the floor every night, his starting five at home, anchored by his wife Deanna, is rock solid and provides him much needed balance in an otherwise hectic and all-consuming life style that comes with being a head coach.
With the official start of practice this week, what have you noticed about this year's team during fall workouts?
It's much more competitive right now and our guys are working extremely hard. Everyone has a sense of urgency, which is great. We have good problems in that we have a lot of options at all of our positions.
What are you expectations for this year's team?
It's tough to say because so many things can happen during the course of a season. It's going to come down to what we do each day at practice, how we prepare, our mindset and what kind of work ethic we establish each and every day in order to get to a higher level. We have ability and talent. We have to control what we can control and that's how hard we work every day, how smart we are and how we work together. If we can control all of those things then I think we'll have a really good year.
What style of basketball can fans expect USF to play this year?
We've got guys who can do more off the bounce. Last year, because we were so young, we really relied on Cody (Doolin) and Cole (Dickerson) to make a lot of plays for us, especially Cody off the bounce. I don't feel that will be the case this year because we have guys who have really developed their games in the offseason.
The biggest thing we want is to create offense from our defense. We want to play fast and that starts on the defensive end of the floor. Last year, we played a little more in the gaps and a little safer defensively. We will be more aggressive this year.
Last year's team was short on experience to start the season and you had to mix and match to replace 70 percent of your scoring and rebounding from the previous year. This year's team has experience on its side, with a solid cast of veteran returning players. How much will experience play a role in the success of this year's team?
Our guys have a much better understanding of our expectations as a coaching staff in terms of practice and workouts. We are doing some things differently offensively and defensively and our guys have been responding very well. They've been through the wars, so to speak. They understand how hard this league is, they've played in a WCC Tournament, played tough games in hostile settings and have played T.V. games. There's some comfort that comes with familiarity.
How much are you counting on seniors Cole Dickerson and Cody Doolin to take more of a leadership role this season?
They both have to set the precedent and let the others know they are the hardest working guys on the team and just let it rip each and every day. The other guys will then follow in line. They both had good years last season but I want to see them attack every day. If they can do that, we can go from being a solid team to a real good team really quick.
Mark Tollefsen was arguably the best player on the court the last month of last season. What is the next step for Mark?
Mark just needs to stay on the course. If he does that, there are not too many players in the conference more talented than Mark in terms of what he can do from his position. He can bounce it, pass it, shoot it, drive it, shoot the pull up, post up and run the floor. The sky's the limit for him. He just has to apply the work ethic and competitiveness to it every day.
Two new players you are counting on to make significant contributions this year are Kruize Pinkins and Corey Hilliard. Tell us a little bit about both players, starting with Kruize.
Kruize brings a little bit of everything to the table. He's got good length and athleticism and he's a very capable shooter who really has a nose for the basketball. He can play the 4 (strong forward) and the 5 (center) and in the pinch, the 3 (small forward). He can guard a lot of different positions. He'll also bring a certain level of toughness that we need. He likes to get after it and is work ethic is outstanding.
Corey Hilliard?
He has had a little bigger learning curve because he wasn't here during the summer. He can definitely take someone off the bounce and get his own shot. He also has the ability to be a real good on-ball defender. He's in the mix in terms of being a starting guard for us.
This will be your sixth year as head coach at USF. Are you satisfied with the strides the program has made under your direction?
I think we had the program in a real solid place heading into last season and then we lost Perris (Blackwell). We took a step back last year in terms of wins and losses. I think Perris would have been the difference in five or six more wins. It set us back a bit. That said, our culture is much better than it was even two years ago in terms of our work ethic. In the past, we've had guys who were unhappy with their playing time but weren't willing to do anything about it. I'm seeing guys competing for playing time every day now and that's a huge difference.
You want the culture to be about the team's success first and individual success second. That's a big step for everyone to buy into. Good players will have to make concessions for the benefit of the team. My job is to put our players in the best position to be successful and their job is to deliver.
What are some of the keys for the program to become a perennial NCAA Tournament participant?
We're getting really good kids and good players. I think the WCC, for the most part, is a niche league. BYU has a pretty good niche. Saint Mary's established a good niche with Australian players. Gonzaga has a niche with international players and they've had enough success to be able to recruit top-100 players. Our niche has been hard work. We're going to try to outwork everyone.
We want to be able to take the next step and not only get to the NCAA Tournament but win a few games while we are there. There are still things we need to do to get better as a program. We're definitely on the right path. We have what it takes to be successful but you always want to be on the cutting edge of what the kids want to be successful. If we do that we have a chance for the thing to snowball.
I'm happy with the strides we've made. We've been very competitive for four of my five years here.
How much does the tradition of USF Basketball mean to you as a coach and to your players?
I don't think our guys or even I appreciate it as much as we should. I remember coming up here as a sixth and seventh grader to watch games but then I didn't hear anything more about the program until Jim Brovelli was recruiting me in high school. But when our guys see Bill Russell presenting the MVP trophy at the NBA Finals our guys know he's a Don and there is a great sense of pride there. It's the same with K.C. Jones, Bill Cartwright and a lot of the others who have played here. Our guys welcome the challenge of getting back to that level.
You've played for some of the legendary coaches of the game – Roy Williams, Chuck Daly, Larry Brown and Pat Riley. What are some of your impressions of each coach, starting with Roy Williams?
He has just an unbelievable work ethic and he's never budged on his principles he set for his players as students or his program. There were certain expectations he had for everyone associated with the program. He was demanding but really cared. He was unbelievable. To think of the job he did at Kansas and is now doing at North Carolina. I'm just grateful I had the opportunity to be around him. He's done it all in absolutely the right way and that inspires me as a coach,
Chuck Daly?
He was a psychologist who could get inside anybody's head to get the best out of them. He was instantly likeable by his players.
Larry Brown?
He's a genius when it comes to basketball. I don't know if he has ever had two bad years in a row. His problem solving skills has to be at the top of the world in terms of coaching. He's forgotten more basketball than some coaches will ever know.
Pat Riley?
Just a great motivator. He was more of a systems and program type of guy, much like Coach Williams. He would literally have you ready to run through a wall for him. He had just an unbelievable presence about him. Anytime he walked into a room, you felt like today was going to be something special and it was like that every day – from training camp, through an 82-game schedule and the playoffs. He brought it every day and made you want to get better as a player. He had a plan for every situation. His organizational skills were off the charts.
How have you matured as a head coach over the last seven seasons?
When I first started coaching, my hair was on fire. You want to prove to the world you can coach and that's the absolute wrong way to look at it. You're a servant leader and have to figure out the best way to get your team to play together. You also have to figure out each player as an individual. It's about putting your players in the best position to be successful and player development, getting their trust and making them trust your vision and making them believe you believe in them.
What's the best coaching advice you've ever received?
When I was at Florida Atlantic, we got beat really bad at North Carolina. I remember Coach Williams coming over to me after the game and telling me to keep it positive. It's also about accountability. I want our guys to play aggressively and not have to look over their shoulders. Locked in, focused and aggressive - teams usually figure that out in February and March but this group has a chance to be a little different. We need to put personal agendas aside which were a problem for us a few years ago and I think I did a poor job in managing that, quite honestly.
What made the 1993 Kansas team that reached the Final Four so special?
We weren't overly talented but we laid it on the floor every day in practice and on game night. We were about each other and doing things the right way. We played hart, smart and together and great things happened because of it. This team could be similar in terms of its mindset. Effort in non-negotiable. We have to give great effort every day. I believe we have that mindset. The 1993 team was an attacking, aggressive team all of the time. I believe we have the depth to play that style of basketball.
You and your wife Deanna have your own starting five at home. Can you share how you balance the demands of your job with your home life?
My family is great. I'm so lucky to have a wonderful wife and five great kids. They live and die with each game and I've had to teach them how to temper that and make them understand it's a marathon and not a sprint. They bring me back down to earth really fast. When I come home my youngest son Ace has no idea whether we won or lost. Two years ago when we lost to Gonzaga in the WCC Tournament, I remember Mark Few's kids coming down to the hotel pool and my kids asked me if was OK if they played with them. Those moments crack me up and put things into perspective. A family day in the park or carving out some reading time really balances me.
We are going to be successful here but you also have to enjoy the journey and family is always to going to play a big role in that.
Five kids and a basketball coach for a husband. How does Deanna do it?
She's phenomenal. She's managing seven different schedules every day with school, basketball, soccer, gymnastics and now football. She really takes a personal interest in our guys, too. If I come home mad at a player, she'll temper my anger real fast. She keeps me balanced.
After all of these years as a player and now as a coach, what gets you the most excited about the beginning of a season?
It's still the players and the journey of each day in trying to get better. There will be days that we take leaps and other days when we move an inch, but we're always moving forward. I know how much our guys love going into another team's arena and playing well. Our guys today have a vision of where we can go and what it will take to get there. It's always satisfying to watch a player development over the four or five years they have with the program. I remember Angelo Colairo being a scrawny freshman and look how far he came in four years. Rashad Green, too.
Mark Tollefsen is developing right before our eyes, as is Cody Doolin. That's fun to watch.
