Acaden Lewis and Caleb Gaskins on Vanderbilt Exhibition, First Game Together, Monster Starts

All right, questions for Kayden and Caleb? For both of y'all, just finally getting the chance to see some other bodies out there playing in front of a home crowd. What was this game like for y'all just to go ahead and get the season kick-started, even if it's an exhibition? I thought it was fun. It was a good time. I think we all went up there. We all smiled the whole game. Even when things didn't go our way So I think it was great just to get a shot at somebody. We've been playing against everybody every day since June, so it's been a lot of time re-practicing and stuff. So I'm glad and grateful we all got to play. Again, what do you think of how you guys look offensively, both at half-court and the get-out transition? Yeah, I think offensively, we're great today. Defensively, not so much. But offensively, I think we had fun today. We threw hoops. We played fast. Everything that we talked about at media day and in our huddles and everything we talked about, we did. Played fast. We played aggressive. I think we got down a little bit so I think it was a great day offensively. Defensively, if you want to stay on that, what were some things that stood out to you that maybe you guys could improve? O boards, I think we were terrible in O boards, we had over 20. Second chance points definitely hurt, and then they got to the line a little too much. So play with our hands a little less, be less aggressive on defense, and just play with our chest. But outside of that, we gave it effort. Some plays didn't go our way, weird bounces and things like that. So sometimes you gotta take your L, they're a good team, and they scored. Okay, well, for you, just what was some big adjustment in the second half that had you going? I think it was just the guys telling me to stay aggressive. I passed up a couple in the first half, but what had me going was just staying aggressive a lot, then I think that's going to be the big thing, me being secure, just staying confident and being ready. Caleb, we've talked about perimeter shooting with you quite a bit, but I have with you. Able to find spots in this offense, how big is that, and how do you think it looked out there to find spots? Did they get a couple baseline threes in the spacing? It's super simple. It's a super simple game. I think it's stuff that we work on every day. just find those spots with open windows and just find the right time for me to get my shots up. Got a great point guard here who we work every day. I know he's gonna find me, so I just got to be ready. What was it like for you being out there in your first college game? It was probably no nerves. It's the moment I've been waiting for. Getting to show my talent on the big stage. I did a lot of things throughout high school. I think now it's time for me to show that I'll be collegiate level Okay, we just put out the scoring seven of you guys in double figures, just how beneficial is that to see it this early? How many guys you have who can score, and just what can that do for you guys moving forward? I think today was a great game for, like, our maturation. You know, like, me, Sheldon, and him had foul trouble early, and everybody else kind of stepped up. Dante came in, DG came in, Nick came in. So, I mean, it just shows that, like, we're a pretty deep team, and we're missing two people, you know, like two of our better players didn't play. Igor and, obviously, Malik who's third team all ACC. So, I mean, the fact that we found a way to still score whatever we scored today, 100-some points, shows that we're going to be really deep. And then defensively, I think once we get everybody back to figure out our lineups and what works. I think we're going to be a monster. What do you attribute that early start, 7-0, 21-5? What do you attribute that when you guys came out ready to go? We were just hungry. You know, like we played to see if the scrimmage and things like that, they didn't go the way we wanted. I think the last week and a half of practice, We didn't have each other. So I think today we're doing practice, you know, the same looks, the same things we see. We were just ready, we listen to the scouts, listen to the film, play the game the way it was supposed to be played. So I think the basketball guys and the boards, we did things the correct way. Do you think this game in particular helped, I know you've talked offensive defense, but just in general helped prepare you guys for the opener? Yeah, I mean, the opening team is the SEC team as well. They play the same style of basketball, obviously a little bigger, but they're not as deep as we are. I think we're ready to just keep on playing with each other, as I've mentioned. And today was a good confidence boost. You know, we went against another top 25 team, and we showed what we could be. Even not having the best game that we could have, we had a hell of a day. With that, Caden, you finished with a double-double. Maybe a bit too many turnovers from more than you're liking. But what did you see out there on the floor and just how you distributed everything? Yeah, I was trying my best to get down in the playoffs, too. One thing we talk about is not accepting coverages, whether it's a blitz, a head, people going under, whatever it is, not accepting coverages. And I think they have a good job of doing that. Obviously, I gotta make a little better reads sometimes. I think I finished with seven turnovers. So, just gotta find a way to take care of the ball. And especially when I get into tough crowds, like I have to get off and let my teammates work out because they're talented as well. So, there's no one to simplify the game. Okay, just touching on that, you know, Jay Lucas talks about you being a more all-rounded point guard. How do you, what are the next steps for you developing and finding a balance between scoring and finding others? I think today was perfect when it comes to like the balance. You know like I found others. I also found my buckets as well. Just picking a few spots can always get better at that. And then like I said or like he said obviously turnovers. That's three or four of those turnovers or advanced pass to someone else or a hoop or just playing off to and kicking it back out and being solid. I think I could win this game by more and highlight my teammates a little more. So the guys got to be a little bit more And for Caleb, you know, you grew up around here. Is there any more excitement that comes with facing an in-state rival like Florida? You know, it's definitely exciting. It's a game that I feel like I'm definitely ready for. I think as a team, we're ready for it. You know, a lot of preparation went into what we're trying to do, you know, as a good team, but we truly believe that we can beat them in our mission. And obviously, that pick three, that frontcourt has been together for three years now. How do you see the size of this roster now facing up and matching up against that also that size? I think it's going to be a great battle, but I'd like to emphasize before we're a team. I think from top to bottom, I like our odds better, to be honest. I think we'll be ready to battle regardless of who we're going to play against, whether it's Florida or where it is in the NBA. Thanks, guys. Appreciate you guys.