[Rosiak's Blog] Checking back in with Lazar Hayward

[ToddRosiakSays]

Checking back in with Lazar Hayward
               

Summer school this year for Lazar Hayward was held on the basketball court.

First in Colorado Springs, Colo., where he earned a spot on USA Basketball's elite World University Games squad, and later in Belgrade, Serbia, where he was a key member of what turned out to be a bronze-medal-winning team that was upended just short of the championship game by Russia.

Playing for Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan and UW-Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter, one of Ryan's assistants, the senior forward acquitted himself well on a team loaded with frontcourt talent. Hayward wound up finishing third in scoring at 9.3 points and tied for third in rebounding at 5.6 boards per game while shooting an even 50.0% and leading the way with 16 offensive rebounds.

Hayward is now back on the MU campus, however, beginning the task of acquainting himself with his new teammates while also assuming the role of unquestioned team leader. He took a few minutes after the Golden Eagles' open gym session on Sunday to speak with me about his summer, and what he sees with regard to the program going forward from here.

Here's the interview:

Things were really chippy today. It seems as though things are perhaps more competitive at this time of year in here than they have been in the past. Would you agree? "I don't know if it's more, but if it isn't it's right there at the same level. I think it's a combination of the younger guys wanting to win mixed with the older guys. The younger kids are playing really hard, and I don't know if it's because I bring that intensity to them, or if they have it. I think it's a combination of both."

It doesn't appear as though many of the newcomers are intimidated. Do you get that sense? "They're coming right in. They were ready to play because we killed them (Saturday), beat them, 5-0. We were dogging them, talking trash to them, and they responded today. They all stayed with it, and they played."

You've been back on campus for about 10 days now. How much time did you get to spend in Buffalo after getting back to the U.S.? "I had six days at home. Did nothing. I shot like, two times. I got to see family, and relax a little bit beacuse I knew once I got back here that we were going to be working."

How much did you need those days off? "A whole lot. A whole lot. Coach Ryan had us up in Colorado doing two-a-days the whole time out there, and then we went to Serbia and played, what, nine games in 10-11 days."

Looking back on it as a whole, how valuable was the experience for you as a player and a person? "Oh man, it was wonderful. It was a great experience, it was good to play with those guys -- some of them are going to be pros. So I got a chance to lead those guys, show them what I was made of and show them how Marquette works. It was really, really good."

How did you feel you stacked up against your frontcourt mates? "I felt I was right there at the level. I'm a competitor; I take pride in everything I do. Those guys are good, but I've worked to be an elite player, and I went out there and played with elite players, and tried to do the best I could."

That was your first time overseas. What was the experience like for you off the court? "It was good. Just waking up every day you were like, 'Wow, we're actually in Serbia. We're way in Europe.' Serbia was a really nice place. There have two parts -- more of a modern Serbia, a new Serbia, kind of where we were, and there's the old Serbia, and that's where we went sightseeing. It had all the ancient things. We didn/t get to see stuff from the war, and I didn't really want to, but we got to see a lot of the old buildings, where the kings used to stay. Their downtown area was neat."

You guys obviously headed over there to win the gold medal, but had to settle for bronze after losing a tough game to Russia. Is that a disappointment to you? "Disappointed that we didn't win, because we had a great chance to win, a great opportunity. We were right there. But Russia was a good team, Serbia was a good team. We beat Serbia right before that, and beat Russia also, but they came back and they responded. But I'm not disappointed that we have the bronze, because I'll never get to have that opportunity again. I got to stand on the podium, get the flowers and get my medal with all the other teams, so that was wonderful. But we are disappointed that we didn't actually win the whole thing, which is what we wanted to do."

What did you do with your medal? Is it in a safe-deposit box somewhere? You're not planning on wearing it around campus, are you? "(laughs). No, I don't want anybody trying to take it from me. But I actually had to steal it from my dad. He takes all my stuff. I brought my jersey here because I told him that we needed to get some pictures with it and he was like, 'Well, OK, but you need to make sure and hurry up and bring it back. I kinda had to steal all that stuff away from you.' (laughs) But I look at it every day; it's hanging on my wall right alongside my jersey, so it's wonderful. I looked on ESPN.com today and saw that they older (senior) team was playing, and I was just looking at their jerseys and thinking, 'Wow, they're exactly the same.' It was just a wonderful blessing I was able to experience it."

I read that the anti-American sentiment over there during the University Games was palpable. Is that true, and if so, what was it like to be on the other side of it? "Every time we had a game, those guys were gunning for us. They wanted to make a statement out of us. So we had to bring it every single day. It's actually funny -- we had this kid who was really short, about 16 years old, and he was one of the volunteers for the tournament, and he was really, really smart. He talked to us about how Serbians felt about Americans because of what happened. He said a lot of them really don't like us, and he was like the ones that don't like us really aren't as educated; they only know what some military people tell them. They don't know the whole story. So it was they either loved us, or they hated us. It was never in between. But to experience that, I think it was great. Some people loved watching USA Basketball, and some people didn't. And they showed us."

So how does playing Serbia on its home court compare to playing, say, Louisville at Freedom Hall or UConn at Gampel Pavilion? "Hey, I'm going to tell you: Louisville is tough, UConn is tough, but playing Serbia in front of Serbian fans, in front of 20,000-22,000, man, it was crazy. I mean, I got to experience a guy coming on the court in Providence. Here, they were throwing things, some were flipping us off. But if you're a great player, you love to play road games, it was great, But we had to get out of there (laughs)."

I also read you guys weren't allowed to go anywhere without armed guards. What was that like? "Yeah, we had escorts everywhere we went -- even the mall. There were policemen, military all over the place. Around the village, there was a pass you had to wear, and you couldn't get anywhere if you didn't have that pass. All we wore was pretty much USA stuff, and they could look and see that and be like, 'No. You don't have that pass, you're not getting in.' It helped though, because we felt safe."

What was it like playing for Bo Ryan and Rob Jeter? "It was a surprise for me, because I didn't know Coach Ryan was such an intense coach. When we played (Wisconsin), I was really worried about him; I was worried about their players. But he was really intense. I didn't dive for a ball one time, and I can't tell you, because you don't have that little bleep-out thing, but he was like, 'What are you doing? You've got to get on the floor!' It was the first time he had actually yelled at me and I was like, 'OK, my fault, Coach. I got you.' (laughs) But he was very intelligent, very nice, and I'm glad I got to meet him. Same thing for Coach Jeter. Coach Jeter was a really good guy, really cool. I'm happy I got to get to know both of them just because we have our little rivalries here and now, when we play them, I can actually go to them and talk to them, because I know them."

But on the flip side of that coin, both of them probably have a much better handle on you as a player. That can't be good heading into this coming season, can it? "(laughs) They know me now. Oh yeah, they know me from top to bottom. And I'm pretty sure Coach Ryan was thinking, 'Let me try this...let me see if Lazar can do this.' (laughs) But it was all a great experience."

Now that you're back, how important has it been for you to begin and continue the bonding process with all your new teammates -- especially since you're going to be the leader this year? "Oh yeah, for sure. And I think it's going a lot better than I would have thought. These kids are young, but these guys are warriors. Me and J-May were getting into it yesterday, pushing each other, getting into little scuffles. D-Buycks...people think Erik (Williams) is quiet; Erik was yelling at everybody. Brett's the one I'm most worried about right now because he's quiet. But he sees it, he knows, and he wants to win. But to those who have any doubts, don't worry, because I'm not worried at all. i'm really excited with these kids. They're tough. They're really tough. And we need that, because a lot of people don't think we're going to do a lot of good things. I'm not worried at all. These are hard-nosed, hard-working guys, and I'm just glad I can leave my mark on them and they can take this program and leave it at an elite level."
               

http://www.jsonline.com/blogs/sports/51821197.html
               

[lurch91]

Checking back in with Lazar Hayward
               
Brett's the one I'm most worried about right now because he's quiet. But he sees it, he knows, and he wants to win.                

Lazar needs to get Brett to break out of his shell this before the season starts.  That comment made me a little queasy.

[radome]

"These kids are young, but these guys are warriors."  I don't know if he meant it that way but nice touch.

[The Lens]

Lazar needs to get Brett to break out of his shell this before the season starts.  That comment made me a little queasy.

He's a freshman!

Can we just let him play.  I'm telling you, in 3 years having a 6'9" Shooter will be a decent thing.  Who cares if he blows his first couple of years.  Imagine if David Diggs was run off his first 3 years, do we win the GAS?  What if Grimm was run off do we slow down Alando Tucker and beat UW?

There's nothing wrong with senior role players but they need to become seniors first.  Somehow we've gotten to the point where if the kid isn't a 1st team newcomer, we all want to run him.

[Canned Goods n Ammo]

He's a freshman!

Can we just let him play.  I'm telling you, in 3 years having a 6'9" Shooter will be a decent thing.  Who cares if he blows his first couple of years.  Imagine if David Diggs was run off his first 3 years, do we win the GAS?  What if Grimm was run off do we slow down Alando Tucker and beat UW?

There's nothing wrong with senior role players but they need to become seniors first.  Somehow we've gotten to the point where if the kid isn't a 1st team newcomer, we all want to run him.

Agree 100%.

It's not like every kid on the roster can play 30 min. per game. There just aren't that many minutes in a game.

Some guys are just going to be good role players for most of there career. There is nothing wrong with that.

The key is, only having a 3 or 4 career role players, not 8 or 9 of them on the roster.

[reinko]

He's a freshman!

Can we just let him play.  I'm telling you, in 3 years having a 6'9" Shooter will be a decent thing.  Who cares if he blows his first couple of years.  Imagine if David Diggs was run off his first 3 years, do we win the GAS?  What if Grimm was run off do we slow down Alando Tucker and beat UW?

There's nothing wrong with senior role players but they need to become seniors first.  Somehow we've gotten to the point where if the kid isn't a 1st team newcomer, we all want to run him.

Ding!  You are correct sir.

[TomW1365]

Lazar Haward seems to have really embrased a leadership role on this team... if nothing else, playing for team USA has to give guys like Lazar an extra shot of confidence coming into 2009-2010.