More quotes from Media Day, Part 2

PROVO, Utah – BYU basketball held its annual Media Day on Tuesday. Click here for a recap of what happened and what was said. Below, see what senior big man Nate Austin had to say about the 2015-16 and get to know newcomers/redshirts Jamal Aytes, Cooper Ainge, Zac Seljaas and Jordan Chatman. Click here for more quotes from Corbin Kaufusi and others.

Jamal Aytes

“I am feeling healthy and blessed. It was rough to go through the surgery process, but I know God lets everything happen for a reason, so I consider it a blessing.”

“I just want to be a hard worker. I’ll do whatever the coaches ask of me. If it’s rebounding, then I’ll rebound. If it’s points, then points. If it’s defense, then defense. I’ll do whatever it takes to help the team get the win.”

“Kyle (Davis) is a very versatile player. He has length and size. He’s a great rebounder and scorer on the low block, which is something we desperately need. He’s just another piece to the puzzle.”

“Coach Rose just lets us play. He believes in us, and that is something very cool to have from your head coach.”

“Our ability to score in the post this year will free up the guards even more to get shots off and score, and then in turn that will free us up in the post.”

Cooper Ainge

“I am excited in general because I believe we have a really good team. I think we can beat anyone out there. I am excited to see how far we can we can go this year.”

“It was a difficult transition (returning from a mission) for me. I came back and had tendonitis in my knees, and it was a few months before I could get on the court and actually play. I had some other minor ‘returned missionary’ injuries. I had problems with my hip flexor and ankle, so it took me a little while to get back in the rhythm of things, but I feel great now.”

“It (trip to Spain) was definitely a learning experience for me. It was the first game back for me in three years, so I feel a lot more comfortable now and ready for the season after getting that playing experience.”

“I’m a true point guard. I try to always find the open man and make plays for my teammates. I hope to do that well this year.”

Zac Seljaas

“I’m looking forward to playing under Coach Rose. I am excited to be in school and be playing basketball.”

“I feel that I am a team player. Everyone has their talents, that’s why they are here. I am here to be a team player, just like everyone else is. I want to do my part to build and help the team succeed.”

“Our inside presence this year will help us a lot. We’ve got a lot of big guys on the roster that are healthy and great players.”

Jordan Chatman

“I am very competitive so I think I will be able to help everywhere on the court.”

“We’ll need to play together as a team, and listen to the coaches.”

Nate Austin

“We’ve got a lot of new fresh faces on the team that bring a fresh perspective and feel to the group. I think we have a good group of senior leadership and returning guys. I think we’ll be able to do a lot of damage in conference play.”

“I really like our big man group. We’ve got a lot of talented bigs. It’s nice because everyone does sometime that’s a little different – everyone’s game is a little different which will make it hard for teams to guard us.”

“I think the biggest difference defensively to this year from last year is bringing in Quincy Lewis. At Lone Peak, his teams always played defense. If you wanted to play there, you had to play defense. His philosophy of not letting guys get to the hoop and making them hit difficult outside shots will be key to our success this year. He’s helped us step up our defensive game as a whole.  He’s very passionate about winning so I love playing for Coach Lewis. He’s going to give you his all, and he expects you to give yours.”

“In order to play well and be successful this year, we’ll need to rely on our defense. I think that is the biggest key to having a big year. We’ll have a lot more physical presence this year.”

“We are a much more experienced team this year.”

“Being consistent will be key to our success this year. It comes down to being consistent for us. We’ll need to bring our all each game no matter who the team is we are playing.”