Q: First, has Braxton Key given you any update on his status recently?
A: This is exactly how things have gone. Braxton came to me after the season and shared with me that he wanted to declare for the draft without signing with an agent. We supported that 100 percent and we supplied Braxton and his family with all the information available. We shared with him exactly what would happen in the process. In our last conversation, he confirmed that what I had said would happen has happened, exactly as I told him. As of now, he is still in a holding pattern for his final decision.
He has been to at least one draft tryout camp (Boston) and he has been working out a lot in Charlotte (Keyās hometown) with some of his old high school teammates. He did well academically for the spring semester. So weāre just waiting on him, and he has to make a decision by May 24.
Q: Pending that decision, what is your roster situation for next year?
A: ArMond Davis, as you know, has had a change of heart and decided to come back for next year. That leaves us with a scholarship and we are looking at a transfer who could sit out and be eligible next year (2018-19). If Braxton decides not to come back, then we might look at the possibility of a graduate transfer who would be eligible right away but we are not at that point yet.
Q: Moving on to your staff, could you discuss the decision not to renew Bob Simonās contract (as associate head coach) for the upcoming year?
A: Coach Simon was here for two years and did a really solid job for us. I enjoyed working with him but I did make the decision not to renew his contract. We wish him all the best in his coaching career in the future.
Q: What was the process that led to hiring Yasir Rosemond from the Georgia staff to fill that position?
A: We were contacted by a tremendous number of candidates. You then narrow that down to 10 or 15 coaches, you take your list of about seven different things you are looking for in a new coach and you see who checks the most boxes. Yasir checked all of the boxes. Obviously, recruiting is critical and you ask yourself āwhat can he bring to the table? How can he help us? How can we help him?ā Because recruiting isnāt one guy, itās all of us (on the staff) working together. With that said, heās going to have a great deal of success. He has a great attitude, a great work ethic. He has great chemistry with the players. J.J. Frazier was tweeting today about Coach Rosemond, how much he would miss him. He has some very strong connections overseas that can help open up our recruiting in that way.
If the job is 90 percent recruiting, the other 10 percent also counts. Youāre looking for chemistry. Youāre looking for an individual that represents the institution in a class manner. Youāre looking for that right fit. I think Antoine Pettway, John Pelphrey and Yasir will be a dynamic staff. A lot of where we are today is because of Antoineās growth as a young coach. Heās had an incredibly accelerated growth in the past two years and he is our No. 2 assistant now. But I think heāll be a head coach somewhere in the near future.
This hiring completes our staff although we are still looking into the possibility of hiring a coaching consultant for basketball. Weāll let everyone know when weāve explored that a little more thoroughly.
More of the Q&A here Q&A: Avery Johnson talks recruiting, staff changes and more | TideSports.com
A: This is exactly how things have gone. Braxton came to me after the season and shared with me that he wanted to declare for the draft without signing with an agent. We supported that 100 percent and we supplied Braxton and his family with all the information available. We shared with him exactly what would happen in the process. In our last conversation, he confirmed that what I had said would happen has happened, exactly as I told him. As of now, he is still in a holding pattern for his final decision.
He has been to at least one draft tryout camp (Boston) and he has been working out a lot in Charlotte (Keyās hometown) with some of his old high school teammates. He did well academically for the spring semester. So weāre just waiting on him, and he has to make a decision by May 24.
Q: Pending that decision, what is your roster situation for next year?
A: ArMond Davis, as you know, has had a change of heart and decided to come back for next year. That leaves us with a scholarship and we are looking at a transfer who could sit out and be eligible next year (2018-19). If Braxton decides not to come back, then we might look at the possibility of a graduate transfer who would be eligible right away but we are not at that point yet.
Q: Moving on to your staff, could you discuss the decision not to renew Bob Simonās contract (as associate head coach) for the upcoming year?
A: Coach Simon was here for two years and did a really solid job for us. I enjoyed working with him but I did make the decision not to renew his contract. We wish him all the best in his coaching career in the future.
Q: What was the process that led to hiring Yasir Rosemond from the Georgia staff to fill that position?
A: We were contacted by a tremendous number of candidates. You then narrow that down to 10 or 15 coaches, you take your list of about seven different things you are looking for in a new coach and you see who checks the most boxes. Yasir checked all of the boxes. Obviously, recruiting is critical and you ask yourself āwhat can he bring to the table? How can he help us? How can we help him?ā Because recruiting isnāt one guy, itās all of us (on the staff) working together. With that said, heās going to have a great deal of success. He has a great attitude, a great work ethic. He has great chemistry with the players. J.J. Frazier was tweeting today about Coach Rosemond, how much he would miss him. He has some very strong connections overseas that can help open up our recruiting in that way.
If the job is 90 percent recruiting, the other 10 percent also counts. Youāre looking for chemistry. Youāre looking for an individual that represents the institution in a class manner. Youāre looking for that right fit. I think Antoine Pettway, John Pelphrey and Yasir will be a dynamic staff. A lot of where we are today is because of Antoineās growth as a young coach. Heās had an incredibly accelerated growth in the past two years and he is our No. 2 assistant now. But I think heāll be a head coach somewhere in the near future.
This hiring completes our staff although we are still looking into the possibility of hiring a coaching consultant for basketball. Weāll let everyone know when weāve explored that a little more thoroughly.
More of the Q&A here Q&A: Avery Johnson talks recruiting, staff changes and more | TideSports.com
