Louisville senior guard Charles Minlend discusses the upcoming 2020-21 season.
When asked about the team’s preparation ahead of the season, Minlend said “I think things are looking good.” “Everyone is in pretty good spirits,” he added. “We’re looking good; we’re excited for the season to start.”
Minlend discussed the awkwardness of this offseason, but added that it feels good to know that the season will definitely happen. In regards to expectations, Minlend said “People have different opinions about how we’re going to be this year. We just want to prove everybody wrong and be the best team we can be.”
Minlend did express some uncertainty about his specific role this year. “There have been some people that have stood out more than others,” he said. “It’s going to be hard to tell how things will be before we actually start playing games.
He said that the team is still learning how to play with each other. “We have a lot of unique players,” Minlend said. “We have a lot of young guys who haven’t played that much. We have new guys coming in like me and (Carlik Jones)… It has been extremely competitive in practice.
Finally, when asked about his new teammate Carlik Jones, Minlend said “He’s an extremely talented player.” He’s a really smart player; he knows how to take advantage of what the defense gives him,” he said. “It’s going to be a lot of fun playing with him on the team.”
Minlend joins Louisville as a graduate transfer after spending the past three seasons at San Francisco. The 6-4 guard from Concord, NC averaged 14.4 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists last year with the Dons.
Louisville starts its season on November 25, hosting Southern Illinois in the first of five games in ten days to start the year.
