ANDY ENFIELD: We're excited for our second year in the ACC at SMU. It's always nice to have three returning starters, including two young men here on stage, B.J. Edwards and Boopie Miller.
B.J. was first team all defense. Sets a school record in steals. Boopie was third team All-ACC. With the experienced back court, we're excited to challenge and be very competitive in the league this year.
THE MODERATOR: Questions for Coach.
Q. Your signing class is ranked fourth nationally. How do you balance the intake of freshmen against what you need from a transfer standpoint?
ANDY ENFIELD: We're fortunate to have a few returning starters, and our goal at SMU is to have the freshmen come take ownership of our program in the long-term. All five freshmen are from the state of Texas, three from Dallas, one from Houston, one from Corpus Christi. They're all very talented. They're hard workers, and they want that opportunity to come try to leave a legacy at SMU.
So we're trying to balance the upper classmen. We have six experienced guys. We have two redshirt freshmen, five true freshmen. So seven of our 13 players are freshmen this season, so it's a little different. We'll go as far as our upperclassmen will take us this year, but in the long-term, we would like to only go to transfer portal to try to fill in the needs in the springtime, but we're very excited about our five freshmen.
Q. Last year was your first year, and what would you say was on the evaluation of the year? And then going into this year, what do you see things that you feel like you've grown on?
ANDY ENFIELD: Well, ten new players last season, our first year in the ACC. I thought our players did an incredible job of coming together, becoming a real team. We scored over 100 points five times, led the league with Duke in scoring and assists, had six guys average double figures.
What that says is we try to push the pace. We share the basketball. We play hard on defense. With that came 24 wins and tied for fourth in the league. I was really proud of our players of how they came together as a team last year. We're looking to do some very similar things this season.
We're probably a little more talented this year. We're faster. We're bigger and longer. We think we have become a better defensive team. As long as we're unselfish and keep sharing the ball, I think we'll be fine.
Q. You spoke about how many freshmen that you have, so it could be would be easy from the outside looking in for people to say it's a young team just based on age. What is it about their capabilities on and off the court, what they bring to the basketball acumen, the IQ that makes them more than just simply freshmen on paper?
ANDY ENFIELD: They're all 18 years old. We had one player just turn 18 two weeks ago. Two others turned 18 this summer. They're young. They're 18, but they're basketball junkies. They're in the gym early in the morning. They come in 6:00, 7:00 in the morning and get extra work in. They are constantly watching video. They walk in that weight room and are no nonsense with our strength coach Curtis Schultz, and they want to be great players.
They're driven internally, but they're also great team players. They're great teammates. I can't say enough about them because of who they are as people as well as basketball players.
THE MODERATOR: We certainly understand it's one game at a time, but when you look at the total of your season's schedule, what stands out to you?
ANDY ENFIELD: Well, we have a very challenging schedule. We went from 20 to 18 league games this year. It enabled us to go add nonconference games. We play Butler out of the Big East at home. It's a crucial marquee matchup for the Big East and ACC.
Then we play four SEC teams in a row early December, mid-December. We have at Mississippi State. We're at Vanderbilt in the SEC Challenge. Then two neutral site games against Texas A&M and LSU.
We feel like we have a very challenging out-of-conference schedule, and we feel the ACC will be much better and deeper this year. We feel great about our chances and have a lot of potential Quad 1, Quad 2 games on our schedule.
Q. Going off of that scheduling question, with the ACC going from 20 to 18 and opening up a couple more games for you nonconference, being so unique and representing Dallas, Texas, within the ACC and being here in the middle of the country, how do you want to kind of look at year to year what that nonconference schedule is? I know you said Quad 1 and have the opportunity to show that to the committee, but what else about scheduling nonconference is important to you? Are you trying to build rivalries, look at the state of Texas? Is the SEC something you want to keep going with, or how do you see it?
ANDY ENFIELD: I think each year is different. We like to play neutral site games against good competition. Last year we had 24 wins, and Boopie was hurt. We were 19-5, and Boopie got hurt. We lost three out of five without him. We were disappointed. Had 24 wins, 13-7 in the ACC. We were an NCAA Tournament team last year. We were good enough to play in the tournament and probably win some games.
Unfortunately, we didn't have the so-called quality wins with the lack of opportunity, even going 13-7 in the league including seven road wins, they weren't Quad 1 wins. A lot of them were Quad 2, Quad 3.
We tried to be strategic about getting some more of those opportunities this year. I think our league will be better this season. So on a normal year 13-7 in the ACC, 24 wins gets you in the NCAA Tournament.
THE MODERATOR: Coach, thank you.
Questions for B.J.
Q. What does it mean to wear the SMU uniform to you?
B.J. EDWARDS: It means a lot. This is my third season here at SMU. I was here my first year with Coach Lanier. After he got tired fired, I went to Coach Andy's office and he told me you me I had a chance to play here. So he talked me into staying, so it means a lot to be here.
Q. Coach talked about your defensive prowess. How big is it to have such a big frontline behind you where can you play aggressive defensively and not have to worry about them finishing at the rim over some of these guys -- because I see you have a total of maybe, like, four or five guys that are 6'11" or above, which is good for repetition. Does that help you a little bit more defensively?
B.J. EDWARDS: Yes, it definitely helps me a lot more defensively. I've been gambling a lot in practice lately, so I probably have to stop that a little bit.
But having guys that's long wing span and taller height, it can help me if someone gets a pass, and block the shot as well. It's definitely a plus.
Q. B.J., you're in this atypical world where you've stayed committed to a program for many years and with a coaching change. What is it about SMU that has spoke to you and with the former coaching staff, the current coaching staff? Why SMU and why stay committed in a world that is kind of so up in the air these days?
B.J. EDWARDS: It's a great school. I wanted to stay here to get my degree as well. That's something me and Coach Andy talked about. You know, after I left the team with my freshman year and was here with Lanier, it was a great environment like off the court as well. I was welcomed, just the family environment just by the school, a lot of representatives of the school as well. I didn't want to leave, to be honest.
THE MODERATOR: You had 2.4 steals per game last year. That was second in the league. That was 11th overall in the entirety of the NCAA. What is it about your eye, you being able to track the ball, that leads to so many steals?
B.J. EDWARDS: I will say most of the time I'm just in the right spot at the right time. And honestly, my instincts, just being able to run through passes and just baiting guys to turn the ball over as well.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you. Questions for Boopie.
Q. Commissioner Jim Phillips spoke yesterday talking about just the individual team roles as far as getting the conference back to where he envisions it could be. As a newer team in this conference, where do you feel like your role lies and what responsibilities do you think you have?
BOOPIE MILLER: I feel like as a new group coming in, our second year in the ACC, I feel like we have to bring that passion and that grit to the ACC and just bring the hard work and things that we do in practice each and every day, and just come out and have fun and bring the excitement for the ACC fans.
Q. You've experienced the ACC at Wake Forest and obviously at SMU. What can you say to the culture and how you've seen the two programs and what the essence of the Mustangs are and why this is the right fit for you?
BOOPIE MILLER: I would say a lot of great coaches, a lot of great players. The league is just in there to compete, be the best league in college basketball. So just being there with the atmosphere, all the fans and everything like that, it just helps other players to just want to show what they really can do and just show their talents each and every night.
THE MODERATOR: Talking about show the talent, in a month's time, one month from today, who is it that we are talking about with SMU? Who has showcased their talent early in the season?
BOOPIE MILLER: I would say everybody on my team, from the freshmen to the seniors. Just everybody. The way we compete in practice, the way we're on each other each and every day just learning from film, I would say just the whole team. I'm excited about this year.
THE MODERATOR: Do you have to win a championship in order to call it a successful season?
BOOPIE MILLER: Yes, yes, I will say so. Definitely, definitely. I want to win, yes.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports