Kevin Willard quote book: Big East media day

On participating in this year's FS1 All-Access game, in which he and Butler head coach LaVall Jordan will be wearing microphones:
"I don't know what I was thinking, to be honest with you. I didn't think it was that hard, and I tried doing it the other day in practice and it's hard. I watched Ed (Cooley) and Dave (Leitao) do it last year and I thought it was a really cool way to watch the game, and when they wanted to do it again this year -- and I think LaVall's so easy, he's so mild-mannered -- I thought that was easy and I was like, 'well, I think my players would enjoy it, at least one game without me going crazy on them.'"

"Fox really wanted to do it, and they've been such a great partner of ours that when LaVall said he'd do it, no one else was gonna raise our hand, so I said I'd do it. I willingly volunteered. I will never willingly volunteer again for that, but I would do it this one time. Fox really wanted to do it again, and Steve Scheer promised me he'd be doing the game. Steve's a good friend, he wanted to do it, and that's why I did it. He wanted to do it, Fox wanted to do it, they've been a good partner, Steve's a good friend, and you do things for friends."

"I do one segment of practice where I pretend like I'm on the all-access. It's hard, because it's not just what you say to the team -- that's easy -- but it's kind of the comments you make to yourself. There's so many times where you say 'MF' to yourself, like, 'that was a stupid play call,' or 'I can't believe this bulls---,' and you can't say that. That's where it's hard. The fact that we're doing it at Butler, and they're some of the nicest fans, so I don't have to worry about yelling at someone in the stands, that took that out of the equation, but I think it's unique. I enjoyed watching Ed and Dave do it, and I'm looking forward to doing it."

On being picked eighth in the Big East preseason poll:
"It's kind of where we should be picked, to be honest with you. If you look at the production that we lost -- our points, rebounds -- just from that stat alone, I think it's something that we've talked about as a team, that we have a lot of work to put in. But I like the way this group is working, I like the leadership we have so far. Quincy McKnight and Myles Powell have been phenomenal on the floor, so there's good energy, they're working hard, but as far as preseason rankings, we're probably where we should be. I think anytime you have outside motivation where you don't have to prod them every day, I think that's always, always good."

"I don't think that's where we're gonna end up, but from a preseason poll -- which are usually pointless -- that's where we should have been picked."

On seeing a similar mindset given his players' tendency to thrive on being overlooked:
"I do. I think the good thing about this group -- like, Myles (Powell) has been through it, Mike (Nzei) has been through it, Sandro (Mamukelashvili) and Myles Cale have been through it, but also having Quincy sit out, Romaro (Gill) sit out, Taurean (Thompson) sitting out -- it's a group that's been together, so it's not all new. We have eight guys that played with each other for two-plus years, so again, having outside motivation really helps."

On worrying about Seton Hall's schedule:
"Every night. I think the schedule's going to be good for us, it's gonna test us. When you are a little bit younger, I think you get a little bit of a false sense of security by playing an easier schedule coming into this league. I like my team, I want them to be battle-tested, and we put together a tough schedule to test them. I think today's kids, I don't think any kids lack for confidence, and as a team, to play against better teams and see what your weaknesses are so you can work on them, I think we've always built confidence in practice, not from games. I like the challenge that these guys are going to get."

On what his team could improve on:
"We should be -- by the time it's all said and done -- we should be a better defensive team than we were last year. We are not now, obviously, but when it's all said and done, with our length, with our athleticism, with having an inside presence now, a little bit of a shot blocker, we should be a much better and much more athletic team than we were last year."

On toughness being a concern without last year's seniors:
"It's more mental toughness than physical toughness. When you're getting beat down a little bit -- in this league, you're gonna get beat down every once in a while -- and with our schedule, you're gonna get beat down. I always knew, I never had a doubt that the older guys would just bounce back. They had very thick skin when it came to getting beat up, and that's the one thing that this group of guys -- Myles Powell and Mike Nzei have been through it, but the rest of the guys really gotta learn how to be a little bit tougher and a little more mentally tough, more than anything."

"It's the fact that you have guys who haven't played 32 minutes a game, and it's not physical. All our guys are physically tough to play. It's a matter of just kind of getting them to understand the rigors of mental toughness, scouting reports, and being the guys now. I'm not worried about their physical toughness, it's more just getting them to understand it's a long season and a tough grind."

On what makes this year's team different:
"Being around these guys, they are a much more energetic, much more jovial group. They like joking around much more than the older guys did. The older guys were much more serious, much more focused, and I think that's just what happens as you get older. This is a much more energetic group, they enjoy -- our practices have been much longer, we've been going three-plus hours where I probably went an hour and a half with the older guys -- but one of the reasons we're going a little bit harder, a little bit tougher, a little bit longer is we're trying to create a little bit -- for them to understand mental toughness."

On life without the seniors:
"That happens to me every day I walk into practice, and I know when we don't get an offensive rebound for nine minutes, I'm gonna be wishing for Angel to be there. I miss them, I miss their personalities, I miss being around them. I'm gonna miss them basketball-wise. If I said anything otherwise, I'd be nuts."

On Desi Rodriguez and his professional career:
"He knew that was kind of the deal. He signed a training league deal, so we knew that was gonna happen. It's a great experience, and it's kind of what you need. He loved it and he got a great experience, but it's part of being a pro. You're going to get cut."

On Quincy McKnight at point guard and his transition after Khadeen Carrington:
"Quincy's much more of a point guard than Khadeen was, and he's been playing the point guard spot since last year. He was a point guard on the scout team, he was always the guy, and honestly with him and Anthony Nelson -- Anthony Nelson has really impressed me -- there's no transitioning. They're both point guards, so they've both been in that position the whole time, so I like that position probably the best of any that we have, besides Myles (Powell)."

"I think Quincy and Anthony will play a lot together, because we're gonna need Quincy to score. He's got a great unique ability to put the ball in the hoop -- not just shooting, he gets to the free throw line a lot, he's able to get to the lane and will get paint touches that way, not going through post-ups -- so Anthony and Q will play a lot together, and when Q's off the ball, we'll need him to score. When he's on the ball, he's gotta get other guys -- and he does a great job -- he's smart enough to realize when he's on the ball, he's gotta get Myles shots, he's gotta get the ball in the right guys' hands. When he's off the ball, he realizes it's his time to kind of go a little bit."

On Seton Hall's three freshmen and their prospective impact:
"Anthony's been a pleasant surprise. I love his toughness, he's got great court vision. He's probably the truest point guard I've had probably ever here. Jared (Rhoden) is coming off shoulder surgery. He's way ahead of schedule than I thought he'd be, he's doing great, and Darnell (Brodie) has been probably the biggest surprise of all the freshmen because I thought he'd have the longest to go, and he's probably advanced quicker than any freshman that we've had."

On Myles Powell as a preseason All-Big East second team selection:
"He will be -- if he has the year I think he'll have -- he'll be a first team All-Big East player."

On depth and talent:
"This is definitely the deepest at all positions: The point guard spot with Quincy and Anthony Nelson is tremendous, Myles Powell's as good a guard as anybody in the country, I really like Jared Rhoden and Myles Cale -- Jared's gonna play a little power forward too -- Mike Nzei is like, he's been the glue for four years. He just doesn't get talked about a lot with that last group. I always talk about him being as big a part of that senior group as anybody, so he's a guy that -- he's played 30 minutes a game and had 15 rebounds, so I know what I can get out of him -- and the center spot is somewhere that we're gonna be much different from what we've been in the past. We're longer, Taurean's a pick-and-pop kind of guy, Romaro is a guy that can pick-and-roll, throw lobs, is a shot blocker, so we are a little bit deeper. We were deep last year, but when you have four seniors you're gonna play 30 minutes, unfortunately, your bench doesn't get a lot of time, and that was around the league."

On Gill, Nzei and Thompson filling Angel Delgado's void:
"I don't think you can replace Angel. That's just not happening."

On how depth will define offensive production:
"We're gonna have to try to create points. It's something that hurt us last year, we were one of the worst in the league at creating turnovers. We had to work extremely hard to score. With this group, you're not gonna be able to just come down and throw the ball to Angel, which we did 47 percent of the time last year. We're gonna have to kind of create points, we're gonna have to create opportunities, and there's gonna be certain teams -- we want to play fast, but there's going to be certain teams where you play Creighton, you play Kentucky, you play certain teams -- that you're not going to, if you're going to beat them, you're going to have to play in the sixties."

"Right now, the only guy that's got a locked starting position would be Myles Powell. Everybody else every day is a good battle for positions, and I think that's something that's also been different this year. Guys are competing for spots and minutes."

On St. John's:
"I think they're gonna be really good. I think Chris has done a phenomenal job of being extremely steady in what he's doing, he didn't rush the process, he didn't do anything. I think he's done what he said he was going to do. He said he was going to take his time and build a program, and he's done a great job of doing that. I think they're extremely talented, and I'm looking forward to watching them play."

On Madison Square Garden and the Big East Tournament:
"I think this league has proven that this is our home. We had the highest attendance of any conference tournament last year. I think other leagues are trying to come in and get a week here and there, no one's trying to move in here. This is our home, and like I said before: People could come in. They want to come in a week before, a week after, that's great. This place is as good as it gets for college basketball, and it's why other people want to get in, but this is our home."

On continuity among coaches in the Big East, and whether it surprises him that coaches leave for better jobs:
"Not at all. If you look at Chris (Mack), Chris left for the University of Louisville. It's a top-five job in the country. We're not losing it to go to someplace else. Chris Holtmann went from Butler to making $4 million at Ohio State. To me, it's a compliment, and you look at -- Jay's been in the league 18 years, I've been in nine, Ed's been in the league eight -- if a top-five job opened, there's gonna be guys that might leave. Some of us have great jobs and want to stay. I think the guys who have been here the longest time have great jobs and realize how great the league is. It's a basketball league, but Chris going to Louisville, getting paid $4.2 million, that's crazy."

"I feel bad for him (Mack), I told him, 'You can't get away from Newark. You get out of the league, you go to Louisville and you go to Newark on December 1. He looked at me and he goes, 'What are you talking about?' I told him, 'you guys are returning home this year,' and he's like, 'Oh, jeez. I can't get out of Newark!"

On finding perspective now entering his ninth year at Seton Hall:
"I think you kind of realize how lucky you are to be at a great spot and in a great league. There's not a day that goes by where I take this job for granted. In my opinion, it's one of the top college basketball jobs. If you look at what P.J. (Carlesimo) did back in '89, it's something to be in this area -- the New York/New Jersey/Northeast -- there's no better place to play college basketball or be part of college basketball than this area."

"It is nine years, and I tell recruits this: I have a 12 and a 10-year-old. My family's the most important thing in my life and them being happy, and we love living in New Jersey, we love being at Seton Hall. It really is a family place, and anyone that went there understands that. I love being there, so for me, it's not just about a job, it's about your whole family and the way you live, and we have a pretty good life, and I enjoy living where we live."

On how he has grown since taking over at Seton Hall:
"I've said this a lot of times: I wasn't ready for this job when I first got this job. Three years of head coaching, you jump in, you go across and you're looking at -- Calhoun was still here, Coach Pitino, Huggs, Mick Cronin -- it's something that it took a good three years to kind of realize: Who can recruit, what type of kid can we recruit, and how are we going to play with that type of recruit? Luckily, they gave me time, and I think it's worked out for everybody."

"This league has such great coaches. I work every day to try to get better and improve the staff, improve the team, improve myself. I still don't feel like, in this league, I don't ever think you're really comfortable. Maybe Jay. I think Jay's comfortable."

On Desi Rodriguez and Angel Delgado serving as examples of player development:
"I usually don't make it past 10:30 at night, but west coast games are killing me. It's a lot of pride. It's kind of what Seton Hall is, and the opportunity that kids have. It's a matter of we put a lot of work in with these kids -- individual instruction -- and as I tell recruits now, you're gonna get the opportunity in the greatest conference and one of the best media markets in the world to showcase your talents, and if you put the work in, good things are going to happen. And for a guy like Desi -- I don't think Desi was ranked in the top 300 -- to have an opportunity to sign a contract is a great feeling. You get a lot of pride from it, but it's a two-way street. Those guys put a lot of hard work in."

On having to clean up Seton Hall's program:
"When I came in, we didn't have a president, we didn't have an athletic director, we didn't even have a weight room at the time when I first got the job. The first couple of years were a lot of -- Dr. Estéban finally got hired my second year, Pat (Lyons) got hired the middle of my second year -- it was trying to figure a lot of things out in a conference without a lot of leadership. That's not an easy thing to do. Everyone needs help, everyone needs leadership, and luckily, Pat's been amazing. I've said a thousand times, he's one of the best athletic directors, and every year, I'm just thankful that a football school doesn't realize it. He's probably one of the best fundraisers and the best leaders I've ever been around, and then Dr. Estéban was just tremendous. The school was kind of going through a really tough transition eight years ago, and Dr. Estéban was extremely steady with his leadership. He didn't make a lot of changes, didn't do anything crazy, but he really got everybody going in the same direction, and when you have two really good people behind you and you know they have your back, you're able to focus on what you need to do and move in the direction that you want to move into."

On Seton Hall's facilities:
"We're way behind on a facilities standpoint. We need to -- we've done a lot of great things from the Olympic sports standpoint, which I think desperately needed to happen before anything else happened -- I think plans are for the baseball stadium to get renovated, which I think is something we really need. But if you look at what Providence has done, Creighton has done, Georgetown, Villanova, we're probably one of the only programs that doesn't have its own facility and is a little bit behind. We'll get there, and I think it's one of those things where we'll have to sit down and kind of see what we really need and what makes economic sense. We're kind of landlocked, so it's hard to build something like the Ryan Center, which is a beautiful building."

On Tony Skinn and Duane Woodward, and their assimilation into Seton Hall's staff:
"Tony and Duane both -- Duane played point guard for Boston College in this league and was as good a player as anybody in this league, Tony has Final Four experience, national team experience, has a different thought mentality, which has really been kind of cool for the guards, because he's played a lot of years in Europe, so he understands the pick-and-roll game from a different angle, from a different perspective. Duane's been great from the defensive standpoint with the guards. He played for Al Skinner, and he understands really defending the basketball. Both of them have been a really good help to the guards and the wings."