Despite the court being dormant, the college basketball offseason is the most chaotic part of the calendar year.
Thousands of players are looking for new homes, coaches are getting headaches trying to keep up with their clientele and their financial demands, and fans are chomping at the bit for the latest commitment announcement.
Amid the chaos, players returning to their programs fade into the background, but they are integral to a team’s future.
The Braves’ five returners, Dietrich Richardson, Timoty van der Knaap, Gustavo Guimaraes, Jackson Seastrunk and Gus Ruggard, are hard at work in the gym. On Thursday, The Scout sat down with the most tenured players and former Brave, now NBA player Malevy Leons, to discuss each player’s focus this offseason.
The following interviews have been edited for conciseness and clarity.
Q: You came off the bench this year and showed some flashes of what you’ll bring to the team, and Coach Wardle recently said he expects you to have a monster sophomore season. What are you going to be working on to have that monster season?
Richardson: I definitely want to add a lot more strength. I want to gain about 13 more pounds of pure muscle. I’ll be coming here every day, shooting threes, getting on the gun and expanding my game more. I want to get my handle tighter, too. Once I do that, I feel like I can take off.
Q: Going into next season, you’ll be the most tenured Brave. What’s the biggest thing you’ll work on to improve?
van der Knaap: I need to be more consistent with my shooting and keeping up with my body. The MVC is a big league, so I need to get stronger. Outside of my game, I am an upperclassman, so I need to be more vocal. I need to be there for the newcomers and show them the way we do things around the program.
Q: You redshirted this year and had a lot of time to be around the program and watch and see what works at this level. What will be the biggest thing you work on this offseason?
Guimaraes: Coming from high school, you know, college is that next level, so I’ll be working on my body to get stronger. As a big man, you have to be banging with guys in the paint and being strong at the rim. I’ll be ready next season.
Q: You redshirted this year and had a lot of time to be around the program and watch and see what works at this level. What will be the biggest thing you work on this offseason?
Seastrunk: I would say shooting the ball and becoming a sniper like my guy Alex [Huibregtse]. I want to become a threat from anywhere on the floor like he was. I’d also say sliding my feet so that I can guard 1-4. That will help me see the floor more.
Q: You have had a few years of experience being able to watch and learn in this program and see what works for players. What will be the focus for you to improve your game this offseason?
Ruggard: I want to get better at ball handling. That’s my one weakness. I think I can see the floor and find my teammates, but my ball-handling is not where it needs to be to play at this level.
Q: You just came off your sophomore season in the NBA, and you had some highlight moments. We all saw the clip where you locked up LeBron, but what is the biggest thing you’re going to work on this summer to improve your game?
Leons: I’m going to focus on my physicality and try to gain weight and get stronger. I’ll also be working on my three-point shot so that I can cause defenses to collapse on me and provide floor spacing.
