It'll be a homecoming for Kevin Ollie and Vance Jackson on Thursday night as UConn faces Loyola Marymount, an L.A. stopover en route to the Maui Jim Maui Invitational next week.

Hard to believe the Huskies are 0-2 heading into the game, but such is the case. Here's an advance on the game, and here's a game capsule.

As mentioned in the advance, Mamadou Diarra's knee is still bothering him quite a bit. Nothing's been decided yet, but Ollie brought up the word "red-shirt," noting it is a distinct possibility for Diarra this season.

The news was better on Christian Vital, who sat out Monday's loss to Northeastern with back spasms. Although Ollie said that Vital's participation in practice was limited, he has been cleared to play on Thursday night.

Been a while since I've blogged, so here's a mega-post off today's "Meet the Freshmen" at the Werth Center. This group of frosh is calling themselves "The Top Five," and they certainly could be one of the program's better classes when it's all said and done.

'The Top Five' (l. to r.), Vance Jackson, Juwan Durham, Christian Vital, Mamadou Diarra, Alterique Gilbert.

Here's some sights and sounds from this afternoon:

JUWAN DURHAM:

(on how good this freshman class can be)

“I believe that it’s the best in the country right now. We have guys that can do everything. We have scorers, decent defensive players, we have vocal leaders in Alterique and Christian, a shooter like Vance, a nice big like Mamadou, and versatility in myself, I believe. Coach K.O. told us that we have a chance to start. You know he doesn’t keep the same starting lineup, so whoever’s out there working the hardest and doing the best that they can do, they’ll be able to start.”

(on getting adjusted to life on UConn's campus)

“I like the area, because there’s not much in Storrs to do, other than play basketball and go to class. That’s what I really liked about it. I liked the campus, I liked the coaching staff and I liked the team. I knew the incoming freshmen class that we already have, with Mamadou and Alterique, I knew I’d be in good hands with those guys. We have good leaders in Kentan Facey and Jalen Adams and Rodney Purvis and Amida (Brimah).”

“I grew up in the city. Tampa, Florida … is really a fast-paced city, a lot of big buildings and stuff like that, interstates. Out here, there’s nothing but giant bugs. I saw an ant probably the size of my big toe. It’s crazy stuff that I’ve never seen before. It’s something new. I can go back and tell my family back at home. I took a video of a bee, I think it was. It was like that big (stretches fingers out). I was really confused about that.”

VANCE JACKSON:

ALTERIQUE GILBERT:

CHRISTIAN VITAL:

“You see Vance, he’s a 6-8 shooter, scorer, versatile. Alterique and I have no problem playing together – obviously he’s not playing yet, his shoulder’s still recovering, but we talk about (things like) I don’t mind if he brings up the ball, I don’t need to bring up the ball every time, he doesn’t need to bring the ball up all the time, he’s a selfless person – you see Mamadou, he’s a beast on the boards and starting to work on his mid-range shot, and Juwan, he’s still recovering, but he’s 6-11 and we were shooting around and he made, like, 10 3’s in a row. So, this class is really, really talented and versatile. I believe we’re one of the best recruiting classes in 2016. We need to prove it during the season.”

“Obviously, we want to win a national championship. That’s what everyone wants to do. We just talk about getting better as a group, pushing each other, making sure that no one person is slacking. Because if one person is slacking out of the five of us, we’re all slacking. We’re a team, we’re close with our other teammates, as well, but there’s something about that freshman group. Your class you come in with, you’re just a little bit tighter with, because you’re experiencing something new at the same time. We just talk about sticking together and keep getting each other better.”

(on whether he's a 'Kevin Ollie-type player,' as his prep coach called him)

“I think that’s one of the pictures coach K.O. was telling me when he was recruiting me, that you’re extremely hard-working. He spent 13 years in the NBA and he was never the best player on his team, he never averaged multiple points a game, he was just a hard-worker. He says I can shoot better than him, but those intangibles of working hard and wanting it more than other people, that I can achieve my dreams, too. And he can help me to that. That’s one of the reasons I wanted to play for Coach K.O.”

(on how his best friend, Steve Enoch, helped persuade him to come to UConn)

“I kind of spoke to him before it went public and told him what my five were gonna be. From then, he was texting me, ‘Listen, bro, what are you doing? Just commit now. Just commit now.’ So he definitely had an impact on me coming here.”

(on his friendship with Enoch)

“We just became such close friends (at St. Thomas More). We have the same interests off the court. We like to work out. We go to the gym at 6:30 a.m., preseason and during the season. We’d hang out in each other’s rooms, play video games when there was nothing much else to do on a prep school campus. It’s not like we could leave, so we just really bonded together. That’s my best friend.”

(on Enoch playing for Team Armenia this summer)

“I spoke to him yesterday. I was like, ‘Good luck out there, do your thing.’ I spoke to him the other night to work hard out there. You’re not there for no reason. He’s new to basketball. He wasn’t really on varsity from his freshman year like a lot of other players. So I told him, you’re out there for a reason, work hard, do your thing, and enjoy your experience out there.”

MAMADOU DIARRA:

“I think this group is gonna be really special. We’re already half the team this year, so we’re gonna all play major roles with the team. We’re with each other all day, so we’re jelling, and that’s gonna help us out a lot. Everybody brings their own uniqueness.”

(defense and rebounding)

“That’s gonna be my niche to get on the floor. And I know I’ve got to develop offensively. But I figure once I get in the gym all the time and put in that work, that’s gonna come eventually. But I’m gonna deal with my strengths at first, and then grow from there.”

UConn has received a national letter-of-intent from Christian Vital. Here's the press release the school sent out this afternoon:

The UConn men's basketball program has received a signed Letter of Intent from Christian Vital, a combination guard from Queens Village, N.Y., who will join the freshman class of 2016-17.

Vital, 6-2 and 170 pounds, averaged 16.2 points per game last season at St. Thomas More (Oakdale, Conn.), helping the Chancellors to a 31-7 record and the National Prep Championship finals.
Vital is known as a high-energy athlete, who can play either guard position, with an outstanding long range jumper, and is a solid defender. But UConn coach Kevin Ollie feels that he brings to the program much more than his basketball skills.

"Besides being a great basketball player with a great basketball mind, Christian is just an outstanding leader," Ollie said. "He has won wherever he's been. He's a great person who lifts your spirit when you're around him.

"Christian's ability to play both guard positions and his leadership qualities are what intrigued us. His combination of talent and character are what we're looking for in our student-athletes. We think he'll be a wonderful addition to the program."

Vital was a New England Prep School Athletic Conference Class AAA All-New England First-Team selection. He scored 13 points, including three three-pointers, and handed out seven assists in the Jordan Brand Classic Regional Game, in which he played with fellow UConn incoming recruit Mamadou Diarra.

"He may have improved more than any kid I've ever had here for two years," St.Thomas More coach Jere Quinn told the Norwich Bulletin. "He's such a hard worker. First to show up in the gym, last to leave --- that kind of kid."

Vital is also well-acquainted with more of his future UConn teammates. In 2014-15 at St. Thomas More, he was a teammate of UConn rising sophomore forward Steve Enoch, he played he played AAU ball with current UConn redshirt sophomore Terry Larrier, and knows UConn rising sophomore Jalen Adams from the AAU and NEPSAC circuits
.
Vital joins UConn's highly-touted recruiting class which has been consistently rated among the top 10 in the country, including forward Diarra (Queens, N.Y.), guard Alterique Gilbert (Lithonia, Ga.), and forwards Vance Jackson (Altedena, Calif.), and Juwan Durham (Tampa, Fla.).

Talked to Vance Jackson and his Prolific Prep coach, Billy McKnight, by phone the other night and wrote a story about how Jackson's role could be even bigger than originally anticipated next season, with the departure of Daniel Hamilton to the NBA.

No doubt, Jackson is excited to get to UConn. He's due to arrive on May 29 for summer courses, and plans to stay most of the summer.

Couple of interesting things: Jackson's prime recruiter was Karl Hobbs, who is now at Rutgers as associate head coach. One thing I neglected to mention in the article is that Jackson texts with Jalen Adams almost every day. The gist of those texts:

"We just talk about how excited we are for next year, and how we've got to come in and shock the world, because a lot of people are sleeping on UConn," Jackson said.

Also in the article, McKnight pointed out that Jackson struggled mid-season with his role on the team, and with the way shots were distributed on a team full of fellow D-1 players. Ultimately, Jackson figured it all out and ended the season with a flourish. McKnight said Jackson's biggest challenge as a freshman will be to find and accept whatever role he's asked to do in Kevin Ollie's offense.

Ah yes, Ollie. Didn't get a chance to ask Jackson or McKnight about the latest rumors that Ollie is interested in the Lakers' job, because the rumors hadn't quite surfaced yet when I spoke with the two. Plus, I highly doubt it's going to happen.

Sure, I've been told by someone within college basketball that one of the reasons Hobbs left UConn is because of the belief that Ollie will leave for the Lakers. Yes, it makes perfect sense that Ollie would want to return to his hometown of L.A. to coach one of the premiere franchises in all of sports -- particularly if he's given the autonomy he reportedly would like.

But I don't see it happening. Yet. He has a great recruiting class coming in. He has a daughter in high school in Connecticut and a son playing football at nearby Fordham. He's coaching the U18 national basketball team this summer. And plus, I don't see the Lakers giving Ollie everything he wants, or at least enough to lure him from so many of the things he loves.

Will UConn be Kevin Ollie's final coaching job? No. I don't believe it will be. But I strongly doubt that he'll be coaching the Los Angeles Lakers next season. He'll be coaching Vance Jackson & Co. at UConn.

Interesting stuff from the Jordan Brand Classic regional game today. Here's what Mamadou Diarra, Taurean Thompson and Christian Vital had to day:

THOMPSON (who is taking an official to UConn on Monday, his third official):

“I don’t know a lot about UConn. I know (Daniel) Hamilton just left. I talked to the assistant coaches briefly, I haven’t really talked to (Kevin) Ollie yet. He’s been busy. But when I get there, they’ll let me know what’s going on.”

“After UConn, if it doesn’t feel right, I’m gonna keep brainstorming and use my last two officials.”

Thompson was named Team New York's MVP on Friday after shooting 13-for-15 from the floor for 27 points and 13 boards.

DIARRA:

(on persuading Thompson to come to UConn)

“I was just talking to him in the locker room about it, ‘you’ve got to come to UConn. He’s taking his visit Monday, so hopefully he likes it.”

Diarra, who scored 19 points in Team New York's 148-128 victory on Friday, said he'll likely arrive on UConn's campus around May 31. He's been working on getting stronger and "stepping out a little bit, making jump shots, stretching my game out a little."

But he knows his bread-and-butter will be rebounding and shot-blocking.

“That’s my niche, that’s what I’m gonna need to do to get on the floor. That’s what I’ll keep on doing. Our leading rebounder last year was Daniel Hamilton, and he’s out, too. So that’s a big role that’s missing. They’re gonna need that.”

(on Hamilton's departure to the NBA)

“I’m a little surprised ... He’s good, but players come and players go. That’s just a part of the game. There’s a lot of other guys on the team that can step up and play, like Terry Larrier, Vance Jackson.”

VITAL:

The Queens Village, New York product, played AAU ball with Larrier, knows Jalen Adams from playing prep ball in New England and said Steve Enoch is “my beat friend.”

“I just spoke to him the other day, he told me to get ready for my visit,” Vital reported. “And Coach Ollie is a really great guy, too. You can see how genuine he is about his players. That’s why he shows so much emotion when coaching on the sidelines. And being in Connecticut, UConn is on a lot. When I’m scrolling through the channels, I’m able to watch them play.”

Vital said it's down to UConn, Louisville and Iowa - though it appears UConn and Louisville are the leaders. He'll visit both soon (UConn early next week).Vital spoke glowingly of Louisville.

“You grow up watching Coach Pitino, he’s a great coach,” Vital said. “I can tell he has a lot of great character. A lot of things, as we know, happened down at Louisville, and I am aware of that and I’m thinking about that in my decision. But I don’t feel like you should ever judge someone just because they sin differently than you. Whatever did happen over there, no one’s perfect. They definitely took the steps to get ahead of their sanctions by saying ‘no postseason’ last year and getting rid of scholarships. Coach Pitino can’t come down and see me, that’s part of it ... And also national championships ... I want to compete for a national championship.”

Stepping off a plane from Miami to be greeted by windy, 20-degree temperatures in Connecticut on Tuesday wasn’t enough to hinder Zach Brown’s fondness for all things UConn.

“I love UConn and I love Connecticut,” Brown, a 7-foot, 260-pound center, said while sporting a UConn knit hat and sitting behind the bench at the Huskies’ game against Tulane on Tuesday night at the XL Center.

He proved that love even more on Wednesday morning by committing to the Huskies. He’s the first Class of 2017 player to pledge to Kevin Ollie.

“It’s a brotherhood, and they’re also on a mission that you’re good at academics, not just basketball,” Brown said of UConn.

It was pretty obvious that Brown was going to commit to UConn on Tuesday night, when he had to think for a moment about the other programs he was considering:



Obviously, it was UConn all the way. Brown has made a prior unofficial visit to Storrs back in September.

Brown, who is a national top 25 recruit for the Class of 2017, continues Ollie’s recent trend of landing top prospects. UConn’s Class of 2016 roundup is considered one of the best in the nation by various recruiting outlets, headed by McDonald’s All-American Alterique Gilbert, a point guard out of Georgia. Joining Gilbert in the ‘16 class are Vance Jackson, a 6-8 small forward out of California’s Prolific Prep; Mamadou Diarra, a 6-8 power forward from Putnam Science Academy; and Juwan Durham, a 6-11 center out of Tampa, Florida.

Too many 3-pointers. An unimaginative offense. Continued poor play from Daniel Hamilton. The end of Rodney Purvis's double-figures streak. We could go on and on ...

Just a horrible loss for UConn on Thursday in Tulsa. Asked Kevin Ollie about the Huskies' over-reliance on 3-pointers (they took 29), and here was his response:



Ollie also called out Hamilton and Purvis -- as well as himself, to a degree.

All this on a night where recruiting target D.J. Harvey, who UConn had planned to go see on Monday at the Hoophall Classic in Springfield, revealed a list of 15 schools that didn't include the Huskies.

Ouch.

UConn will be playing in Houston on Sunday when several targets are playing in Springfield, including Westown School's Mohamed Bamba, who plays Sunday at 4 p.m., as well as commit Mamadou Diarra and target Hamidou Diallo of Putnam Science Academy, which plays Sunday at 7:30 p.m.

Karl Hobbs did stay back to check out Diarra and Diallo on Wednesday night. Diallo had 14 points, three assists and three rebounds and Diarra added nine points and 10 boards to lead PSA to a 71-67 victory over Cushing Academy. Cushing is led by Makai Ashton-Langford, another prime UConn target. The Huskies are expected to watch a player on Friday in Houston, as well.

UConn continues to keep an eye on its other commits, as well, recently seeing Alterique Gilbert play in Georgia. The Huskies are encouraged with Juwan Durham's progress, as well, and feel he'll be ready to go by next November -- even if he has to start off slowly.

And it certainly appears Vance Jackson is excited about becoming a Husky this summer.

6 months till I be in Storrs✈️😝

— HeVantastic (@VanceJackson1) January 13, 2016

All four of UConn's Class of 2016 commits have signed and delivered their national letters-of-intent. Here's the press release sent out by UConn:

STORRS, Conn. --- UConn men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie has announced that the program has received signed National Letters Of Intent from four student-athletes who will enroll as fulltime students in the fall of 2016.

Mamadou Diarra

Guard Alterique Gilbert (Lithonia, Ga.), power forwards Mamadou Diarra (Queens, N.Y.) and Juwan Durham (Tampa, Fla.) and small forward Vance Jackson (Altadena, Calif.) make up what is considered by most recruiting services as one of the top recruiting classes in the country. It is the first time UConn has had a recruiting class including four players ranked in the Top 100 since the incoming freshman class of 2006-07. 

“I think each of these student-athletes brings something different to the program, in terms of their basketball skills,” UConn coach Kevin Ollie said. “They don’t overlap each other, which I like in my classes. I don’t want two players just alike, because that’s not fair to the players or the program. We really look at versatility, players who can do a number of things on the court.”

Gilbert, a 5-11 point guard out of Miller Grover High School, is rated among the top 30 players nationally by most recruiting services. An exceptional athlete known for his tremendous speed, quickness, and strength, he averaged 18.5 points, 6.2 assists, 4.7 rebounds, and 5.3 steals as a junior.

“Alterique can play either guard position,” Ollie said. “He is a prolific scorer, but also a great facilitator. He’s fast, and we like all our guards to have some tricks and he comes with a boatload of tricks. He’s hard to guard and I think he’ll be a great competitor, a great teammate and a great leader for us.”

Jackson, a 6-8 forward with a deadly longrange shot, was named the 2015 Long Beach Press-Telegram Dream Team Player of the Year after averaging 19.4 points and 7.1 rebounds for St. John Bosco (Bellflower, Calif.). As a sophomore, he was teammates with current UConn sophomore Daniel Hamilton on a Bosco team that won the state championship. Jackson, rated a top 50 player, will play his senior season at Prolific Prep (Napa, Calif).

“We know that Vance is an exceptional shooter, but he has so much potential to improve in a lot of areas and I think he is dedicating himself to that,” Ollie said. “He’s an underrated passer and an underrated defender. I think he’s going to be an exceptional all-around player for us, who is going to open a lot of people’s eyes.”

Diarra, a 6-8 power forward who attends Putnam Science Academy (Putnam, Conn.) is explosive around the rim and is an outstanding rebounder at both ends of the court. He averaged 10.0 points and 7.5 rebounds last year to help Putnam Science to a 27-8 record.

“Mamadou is a very hard worker and an exceptional person,” Ollie said. “He is a tremendous athlete whose rebounding is getting better and better as days go by. I love his motor and I love his work ethic.”

Juwan Durham

Durham, a 6-9 power forward out of Tampa Preparatory School, was rated among the top 30 players in the country, despite having missed the last few weeks of his junior season with a knee injury. Until he was injured in February last year, he was averaging 22.9 points, 10.2 rebounds and 4.7 blocks per game. He is extremely long and mobile and a tenacious rebounder. 

 
"Juwan is a Mr.Versatility in a 6-9 frame,” Ollie said. “He can play on the perimeter, put the ball down on the floor, and he’s a terrific rebounder and shot-blocker. I think he’s going to be a stat-stuffer for us.”

Taken as a whole, the incoming freshmen form the highest-rated recruiting class in Ollie’s four-year tenure as UConn head coach.

“I think all of them have the potential to come in and be great players here, but like I always say, potential has got to become reality based on hard work,” Ollie said, “and I think they all have the mindset of being detailed hard workers. I think it’s going to be a special group when it’s all said and done after they finish their playing careers here at Storrs.”

Two of UConn's Class of 2016 commitments have signed their national letters of intent, while the other two should be doing so over the next few days.

Vance Jackson, the 6-foot-8 forward out of California, signed his at a ceremony out at Prolific Prep in Napa, California on Wednesday.

It's official!!! #Uconn #BleedBlue pic.twitter.com/KWJBJQr4Zf

— Vance Jackson (@vancejackson26) November 11, 2015

Meanwhile, Juwan Durham, the 6-11 center out of Tampa who will sit out this season after tearing an ACL for the second time in seven months, signed his down at Tampa Prep on Wednesday, as well.

Juwan Durham signs his letter of intent for UConn. @TampaPrep @tampaprepbball @TBO_PrepSports pic.twitter.com/wbKnllZk2f

— Olivia Stacey (@Olivia_Stacey) November 11, 2015

Point guard Alterique Gilbert out of Georgia is expected to ink his LOI over the next day or two, while Mamadou Diarra of Putnam Science Academy will do so during his team's "Midnight Madness" festivities on Saturday night.

*** Elsewhere, not sure if people knew that Ted Woodward was back at UConn (he has been for about a year now) ... but he is back in Storrs, in a different capacity. Woodward spent 10 years as the head coach at Maine before being fired after the 2014 season. Ironically, UConn opens its 2015-16 season against Maine on Friday night at Gampel.

Here's my story off First Night, mostly centering on Vance Jackson's commitment that same night. And here's a follow-up story from the following day, with quotes from Jackson.

And here's some video from Friday's festivities:

The UConn band glows in the dark:



Terry Larrier throws down a dunk:



Steve Enoch throws down a dunk:



Kevin Ollie speaks:

If there were still any questions whether or not Daniel Hamilton was firmly committed to attending UConn next season, the 6-foot-8 shooting guard out of L.A.'s St. John Bosco High put them to rest on Saturday morning. Watch and listen:



Hamilton signed a financial aid agreement to attend UConn back in November but didn't sign a national letter-of-intent. The reason basically was because of the experience his older brother, Isaac, went through.

Daniel didn't want to be bound to a school like Isaac was, so he only signed the financial-aid forms.

"No schools are calling me, trying to recruit him," said Bosco coach Derrick Taylor. "He’s not looking at anyone else, so that’s all because of his brother ... It was such a bad experience with his brother, and that’s all that it was. But he’s loyal to UConn. I mean, he wears UConn garb everywhere he goes. And his parents wear UConn garb everywhere they go.”

When Isaac transferred to UCLA in September, some speculated that Daniel would soon follow.

“People just want to stir up some stuff, something they can talk about," Daniel said. "But, no, there were no facts about that.”

Hamilton said of UConn: “I’m real excited to come in and play for Coach Ollie, who’s a great dude. He went to Crenshaw High School, I went there my freshman year. There’s just a connection and a bond there, somebody I can trust, and somebody who can really help me better my game.”

“Coach Ollie’s a real good dude, just a solid dude. That’s when he first started recruiting me, at Crenshaw. He came out to a couple of pick-ups and a couple of games. Even when Isaac went to UTEP, Coach Ollie never stopped, when a lot of coaches and teams stopped recruiting me because they thought they didn’t have a (chance). But Coach Ollie never stopped recruiting me.”

Bosco plays in the Hoop Hall Classic tonight at 6 p.m. against St. Frances Academy (Md.) at Springfield College's Blake Arena. The team opened its practice to reporters this morning.

Hamilton and teammate Vance Jackson, 6-8, a Class of 2016 forward, will be at UConn's game against Louisville tonight.

Taylor, who also coached DeAndre Daniels at L.A.'s Taft High, said Hamilton is having a fine senior season.

“Daniel’s doing what we expect him to do. He’s having a really good year, leading us in scoring, rebounding and assists. And, he draws the toughest man every night.”

Taylor said Hamilton's greatest strength is his "versatility." In fact, Hamilton will play some point guard tonight, since Tyler Dorsey (an Arizona commit) didn't make the trip with the team.

What does Hamilton need to work on?

“Being patient, offensively. Sometimes he tries to force his offense, because he believes he can do so many things. At times, he takes more risks than he should.”

But, Taylor added, “He has a will to win like no other. As coach, it’s easier to turn a guy down than try to dial a guy up. You don’t ever have to turn him up. That guy is ready to play from Day One. He’s very quiet, his demeanor is low-key, but on the court he’s like a mad man.”

“(UConn is) going to give him the opportunity, that’s all he asks for. Daniel’s going to make his way. You’ll find out, he’s one of the most competitive individuals. And he thinks he’s better than everyone, so he’s going to try, try, try. I think you guys will love him. He’ll play so hard, and he’ll play the game correctly.”

Added Hamilton: “I think I’ve been playing alright, (but) I think I can play better. Just more of a leadership, being a ‘C,’ I think I can lead my team better. It’s something I’m trying to work on right now, maturity.”

As for next season at UConn, “It’s a matter of earning a spot. Nothing’s going to be given to me at all, so I just think I can come in and play if I work hard. That’s the main thing. And what I really want to do is just win.”

The southern Californian doesn't even mind the snowy weather he's encountering in New England this weekend.

“I like the cold weather," Hamilton said. "Matter of fact, I can’t even sleep unless the room is cold. That’s something people don’t know about me. I like it real cold. In the hotel room, I put it on as cold as it can be.”

*** Bosco principal Casey Yeazel also had good things to say about Hamilton.

“He’s a good young man. Given his talent and his ability, you would never know how many accolades he’s gotten, basketball-wise, because of the way he carries himself on campus. He’s very humble, never gets into trouble, takes care of everything we ask for academically. UConn’s getting a good, good young man. He comes from a good family, good parents. We’re really pleased to have him, a great piece to this whole program.”

*** Jackson is also being recruited by UConn, along with Arizona, UCLA, Arizona State, Washington, USC and Georgetown.

“He can shoot a basketball like you cannot believe," Taylor said. He added that the only weakness of Jackson's game is that he's not overly athletic.

"He's skilled, he's smart," the coach said, "and he can shoot it."

Said Jackson of UConn: “I just like the tradition they have, I like coach Kevin Ollie, and I like how they play. It seems like I can fit in there, too. I like their system.”

He did note that he needs to get "more physical ... more rebounds."