By Mike Lehman, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Tech men's basketball team took another step toward its first season under the direction of new head coach John Pelphrey Tuesday evening, holding the first official team practice of the 2019-20 campaign.
Joining the Golden Eagle Athletics' family in April, Pelphrey put together a strong staff and built a roster ready to tackle its first season together as a team. And on the day that coaches yearn for each summer, Pelphrey conveyed that feeling.
"I'll tell you, it's very exciting just to be playing basketball and practicing basketball and being around these young men," he said of his first official practice as the head coach for Tech. "But with the new rules allowing you to be able to work out in the summer and the early part of the fall [semester] on the court, we've been practicing in groups. Like I told the guys today, 'Today, there really is no difference in what we do. We're just going to go a little longer than we have been.'"
That said, Pelphrey did realize the significance of the day.
"The one thing today marks, is that it means we are getting closer to our games," he added. "In the summer, we were a long way from games. In the beginning of the semester, we were still a long way from games. Now that we've officially started practice, we can start to see our opponents coming. We just need to have an awareness to that and a sense of urgency to that.
"That means now we've got to start performing and playing at a higher rate," Pelphrey continued. "What does that mean? It means, if we are playing transition defense 10 times, we have to get these things done seven, eight, nine times out of 10. It can't be two, three or four. We should know what we are supposed to do. It's the same thing with our half-court offense, half-court defense and all those types of things."
Pelphrey made sure his players also understood the day's significance and what that would mean for them going forward.
"For me" he said, "my message to these guys today was, "Have awareness and a sense of urgency, because today's practice is very important. We're not getting it back. Our challenges, our evaluations and our gains are coming."
When Pelphrey took over the Golden Eagle program, he understood the challenges that would come with the first year in a new place. He embraced that and knew the first thing on his to-do list was establish his culture.
"We've got a great group of guys" Pelphrey explained. "We were able to come in here and work really hard to earn the current players' trust and respect. It was something I felt very strongly about. We were also pleasantly surprised to be able to add as many quality, young men as we did in our short time here. We feel like we've got great DNA in the program.
"Certainly, we've got to continue to work on our recruiting process and elevating our talent level," Pelphrey continued. "We will continue to do those things, but culture is a very funny thing. You've got to, first, be able to communicate to everybody what you want. That takes time. You have to communicate in a way it is understood, and until it is understood, you truly don't know what somebody's about."
And while the culture-building process has already begun, he knows there is more to teach and embrace.
"As we go through the course of this season, I hope the message will get conveyed about what we want and what we value," Pelphrey expressed. "Where the healthy boundaries are. Certainly that this culture will hold you accountable if you get out of it."
After taking a glance back out at his team dispersing from the court, some gathering ice, others cooling down with some casual shooting, and a few huddled around the water cooler, Pelphrey continued his thought about the team's culture and how the first practice was just the start.
"I really like our guys and, as I said before, I think we've got really good DNA," Pelphrey reiterated. "We just have a lot of work to do, because this is the first time this basketball team has ever been together. We have 12 freshmen and sophomores. For one of our seniors, it's his first year here. For one of our juniors, it's his first time here. So we just have a lot of young and inexperienced players that are trying to learn a system, trying to learn a coaching staff and trying to learn each other for the first time. That's an enormous amount of firsts to overcome, and in a short period of time."
Even with the youth and lack of court time together, Pelphrey explained that the first season under his watch will come down how quickly the new culture is established.
He expressed, "How well we can communicate as coaches, how well the message can be received by the players and when these guys can become a cohesive unit will determine the success we have as a team.
"I think at the end of the day, we have to come out of here with everyone being on the same page of what's expected from what we call our code," Pelphrey concluded. "Understand what your job is and why it is important to do it that way. Understand what it means to give great effort toward the completion of mental and physical toughness. What it means to have a great attitude. And the fourth thing we've added to the code, extreme ownership. Everyone has to buy in. No excuses. We're prepared and we're going to own it."
Taking one last look at the remaining players beginning to pack up and discuss plans for study hall and dinner, Pelphrey said with a smile, "Those are the things we want to get across to our guys and we're making some small steps. We're not there yet, but it's fun to go through the process with them."
Tech will kick off the 2019-20 season Tuesday, Nov. 5 with a trip to former Ohio Valley Conference rival Western Kentucky. The Golden Eagles will host Martin Methodist on Saturday, Nov. 9 for their home opener.
Season tickets for Tennessee Tech basketball are on sale now. Call (931) 372-3940, visit the Eblen Center ticket office or visit TTUSports.com for details.
Photo by Mike Lehman
