Basketball Media Day Recap

The Ball State men's and women's basketball programs held their annual Media Day event Tuesday afternoon in Worthen Arena.

Both teams are primed for another exciting campaign. The men's team, now in its sixth year under James Whitford, is averaging better than 20 wins over the past three seasons and returns seven of its top eight players. The women's team, now in its seventh year under Brady Sallee, is coming off its sixth straight postseason appearance.

Watch the full press conferences below or scroll further to read comments from Whitford, Sallee, Tayler Persons and Oshlynn Brown.

Men's coach James Whitford
On the depth of his team's roster …
"Practice has been competitive. We have competition for playing time, and I think that naturally puts pressure on guys to make sure they are performing every day, which is a good thing. I'm excited. This has been a fun group for me to coach. Very few distractions. We are all moving in the same direction. We are all trying to get better every day, and it has been very enjoyable for me."

On non-conference scheduling, including the Charleston Classic …
"We're trying to grow the program. Getting into the ESPN events was a long challenge for us that we tried to get involved with from the day I got here. Playing in the Phil Knight invitational last year got us into this one as well as one next year. To me, it builds the brand of the program and it's an incredible challenge for these guys. It's an exciting thing for your program. To the players, it's what they dream about. A chance to play against great teams in great games."

Senior guard Tayler Persons
On transforming his body in the offseason …
"Yeah, it's my last year. I have lost 30 pounds and honestly, I feel amazing. My pace will allow us to play a lot faster offensively, and defensively I am not going to take plays off. By doing so, it has helped with a lot of things. The guys look to me and see how hard I work. They know that this is going to be a good year."

On the differences between this season and last season …
"We have some guys coming in that sat out last season that are really going to change the dynamic of this team. We got K.J. (Walton) who can be a high-level defender. Defensively, I think we can be a level we haven't had in the past. We might have lost a little bit of our shooting, but I feel like that is where we are going to make up with our defense. It's been a lot of fun playing with these guys. I'm excited to get going and see how it all plays out."

Women's coach Brady Sallee
On coaching a big crop of newcomers …
"It's been a lot of fun. It's kind of rejuvenated the space with all the new ones players. You have to coach water breaks and how to walk into the gym with your shoes tied. Just about everything. You can't assume anything. Every group is fun when they are coachable. When they come hungry and they just want to learn and get better, that's a lot of fun for me."

On the development of the MAC …
"It starts at the top of the league. There is a real emphasis for women's basketball to be important. You go down to what the athletic directors have done with getting behind their coaches and is some cases hiring some new ones. But putting the resources behind it and all that has come together to a point where we as coaches have been able to sit down in a room and develop a plan, and we saw it really pay off last year with two teams going to the Sweet 16. We now have a conference that is ranked seven or eight in RPI. It's real now."

Sophomore forward Oshlynn Brown
On getting adjusted with new teammates …
"It's been a lot of teaching. Taking it slow but not too slow. Teaching them the basics but maintaining a good up-tempo pace on the court."

On the development of MAC play and choosing a MAC school …
"I choose this place because I wanted to pick someone that wanted me first, and Ball State saw that in me, that I have potential here and in the MAC. The MAC is a different level. We can compete with the Big Ten and different leagues. You saw two of us in the tournament in Central Michigan and Buffalo. We are underestimated sometimes because we are in the MAC, and we shouldn't be."

Players Mentioned

Oshlynn Brown

Tayler Persons

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