Tyler Cook, Joventut: 'The job is never finished'

Hello again! As you saw, we made it to the quarterfinals. Since I signed, players have been coming and going. We added Shannon Evans. It's been a process, we needed time to kind of gel and get used to each other and figure out what works for us on the court. I think we're doing a good job with that. The job is never finished for us, there are always things that we can improve on. But I think as long as we are taking steps in the right direction every time we step on the floor and we are getting wins in the process, that makes everything a lot easier. As long as we keep improving, you will continue to see a better version of us.

We had a long break before the eighthfinals game against Ulm. Personally, I rested and got healthier. I was a little banged up going into the break, so having a few days off really helped me out a lot. We had two three-day weekends, so that was the time that we got to recover and step away for a little bit. And then we came in, the guys that were here, we got to work out, played two-on-two or three-on-three. We had one day of four-on-four with some of the younger guys too, watched film and kind of kept ourselves sharp and ready. And I think when everybody joined the group, we just hit the ground running.

Then in Ulm, we played a really good first half. I think the rest helped us out a ton. It's a long season and we have families. We have other things that we do and sometimes it's just good to step away and take a breath. I think we came back more energized, hungry and excited to compete. And I think that's shown in a couple of games since we have been back, especially at home. In Ulm, we played a pretty decent first half. They are a good team, so they came back and gave us a challenge in the second half. But I think being able to stick together and fight through that adversity was a byproduct of us having a different energy about us.

"I'm excited to be able to get out there and compete against Paris again."

I heard a couple of times that we had lost against Ulm two years ago, but it wasn't something that we spoke too much about. I think Coach might have brought it up a couple of weeks ago when we first found out we were playing them. Credit to the coaches and our teammates, as we just focused on the present. We didn't really we didn't harp too much on what happened a couple of years ago. Obviously, there was a little bit of want for payback, I guess. But that's a different team. We are a different team now, so we just came out, competed and won the game.

Our next opponent is Paris Basketball, who beat us twice earlier this season. I was only here for one of those games against them, which was obviously the second time we played them. They made some huge shots at the end of the game and beat us with some tough plays. But I think for us it was encouraging, and almost kind of exciting, to see that we would have won the game with a couple more stops. I think the whole team is excited. I know I'm excited to be able to get out there and compete against them again. It will be highly competitive, very exciting and obviously a chance to move on in the tournament. So I think we are all excited about that opportunity.

It definitely can be done. It takes a lot of focus and a lot of intention because they play somewhat of a different style of basketball. I won't say an NBA style, but they get up and down the court as an NBA team would, like they run in transition. They get quick threes up, quick layups. They have a lot of different guys on that team who can be effective. We have played them twice, I have played them once, so I got a good look at them. I think it's just being focused, understanding what they are trying to do, what their goals are, understanding their personnel and then just being locked in and focused, and executing to the best of our ability once we get there. I think we will be ready for Paris.

I think our team does a good job of staying in the moment, not necessarily looking too far forward or too far back. Obviously, the team's veterans do a great job of telling me things and educating me on some different things when that time comes. But one of my favorite things about our players is that we don't really overtalk when it's not necessary, we just come out and try to compete and play hard. And I think we are a pretty unified and together team. So I think that goes much further than lip service does.

When we played them last at their place, I thought we did a good job. I thought we had a good balance. Obviously, we want to play at our pace, play the style of basketball that suits our personnel but at the same time, you have to respect what they do. And so I think if we kind of find that same balance as we did in the last game, it's not going to be easy. They are going to score and make runs. but I think that we are a team that can do the same on both ends of the court. I think just getting a couple more stops at the end of that game may turn out a little bit differently. It will exciting and we will find different ways to be effective.

"The reason why guys work so hard in the off-seasons and there is more pressure this time of year is because of what's on the line."

This is the reason why we do it. I think it wouldn't be as much fun if all we did was play regular season games and that was it. For everybody, the reason why guys work so hard in the off-seasons and there is more pressure this time of year is because of what's on the line and what you know is possible to achieve. I know for me, this is the most exciting part of the year and I think the rest of the team would agree. It brings more nerves, but it also brings more excitement. If we make it to the semifinals, we will play at least one more game at home. Everybody loves to play big games at home and I think we have one of the best crowds that I have seen, period. When our people come out and show up, it's a huge advantage for us, so that would be awesome, amazing. We obviously have to get the job done in Paris first, but if we can get back here, that only helps us out even more!