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On Media Day, it doesn’t have to be all about basketball
The Bulls relax in their locker room after attending Media Day. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
By DAVID J. HILL
Published March 15, 2018 This content is archived.
BOISE — Media Day for UB men’s basketball’s NCAA Tournament first-round game in Boise took place Wednesday at Taco Bell Arena on the Boise State University campus.
Fans had the opportunity to check the Bulls out during an open shoot-around, while UB’s Thunder of the East marching band performed as a tuneup for tonight’s game. If you haven’t heard by now, the 13th-seeded Bulls play No. 4 Arizona at 9:40 p.m. EST on CBS.
At Media Day, players are interviewed about basketball stuff, their thoughts on their opponent and the fact that they’re playing against a potential top pick in the NBA Draft — that would be Arizona’s Deandre Ayton — and blah blah blah.
So, UBNow decided to buck the trend and, during the Bulls’ open locker room availability, asked a few fun questions to lighten the mood.
Read on for highlights of what they had to say when asked about what class they’re not missing this week, what’s been most enjoyable about the tourney journey thus far, and the best advice they’ve received this week.
What class are you most excited to be missing this week?
DONTAY CARUTHERS (junior guard): That would have to be my linguistics class. It’s pretty tough. Right now we’re learning Greek.
DOMINIC JOHNSON (freshman forward): Psychology statistics. That’s probably the toughest class I have this semester. I’m not upset to be missing that.
What’s the best piece of advice you received for this game from someone other than a coach?
CARUTHERS: My 13-year-old brother, Shamir, telling me I’m good enough to play anybody in the country. Him keeping my confidence high is a really big thing because I’m going out there and playing for him.
JIM WHITESELL (associate head coach): My mom said to have fun, which she always does, and you can do it. I have five brothers, so they give me a lot of coaching advice. It was comical today because I got all these texts from them on how to stop Arizona’s big guys, which I discarded immediately.
CJ Massinburg sends a "horns up" to all the fans. Photo: Meredith Forrest Kulwicki
What have you missed most about Buffalo?
IKENNA SMART (junior forward): Definitely not the cold. I would say being around campus and the atmosphere. I miss the support I have there.
CARUTHERS: I miss my bed. There’s nothing like sleeping in your own bed.
WHITESELL: My two shelter dogs: Vinny, who’s a Rhodesian ridgeback, and our puppy, Dylan, a flag-coated retriever. He’s cute, but he’s a lot of work.
What have you enjoyed most about this journey?
NICK PERKINS (junior forward): The atmosphere. There are so many different people around. It’s nice meeting new people. And I’ve never been to Idaho, so that’s cool. I haven’t eaten any potatoes yet, though.
WHITESELL: This group really has been a lot of fun to coach. They’re a fun group to be around daily. And they’re resilient and they take care of each other.
CJ MASSINBURG (junior guard): Just being able to bring new guys along like (sophomore guard) Davonta Jordan and (freshman guard) Jayvon Graves. I’ve been to the tournament before. I came here two years ago as a freshman, so I can tell them hey, the NCAA Tournament was this, it was crazy. Just being here with my teammates.
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