Andy Toole

I think the first year of the transfer portal,

which was probably 20, 22, 23, you know, we didn't put a good team together in terms of just the chemistry of the team.

And the last couple of years, we've been fortunate to have really good chemistry.

Some of that, you know, you got to get a little bit lucky and you got to be able to make sure, you know, you got to get, you know, guys that are, you know, understanding of what's going on because it is a quicker recruitment.

You're two weeks of a recruitment now.

It's not months and years like it used to be.

So you got to get a little bit lucky, but we've been fortunate the last couple of years to have guys that are,

willing to become part of a team and then continue to grow and get better and get coached.

You know, I think last year's group was certainly more athletic.

You know, when you look at Josh Omidjafo and Amarion Dickerson off the bat, I mean, those two guys were just live, live body athletes.

Cam was a guy who was able to kind of create some stuff out of nothing.

So I think there's been a little bit more of an emphasis this year

on helping each other figure out how to create advantage and opportunity.

We've always had a high assist rate.

We believe in moving the basketball and finding the best shot.

But we had some guys individually last year that could go and make just a spectacular play.

This year, we're a little more beholden to trying to help each other find that opportunity or that shot.

Defensively last year, I think we were better earlier in the year.

just because of some of that athleticism, some of that rim protection by Amarion.

But I think our defense now, in a different way, is trying to do a better job and has done a better job of protecting the paint, protecting the rim, where earlier in the year we were fouling a ton and guys were getting easy opportunities at the rim.