Tyler Herro focused on staying himself

On this week’s edition of “Meet the Wildcats,” CoachCal.com editor TJ Beisner sat down with Tyler Herro to talk about his transition to Kentucky and his expectations for the season.

Herro was originally committed to play for the Wisconsin Badgers, but reopened his recruitment last fall and scored an offer from Kentucky that he gladly accepted. Herro told Beisner that things in Lexington are off to a good start with the team getting to bond and spending a lot of time together.

“Just being here with the team in the summer, not a lot of teams do that this early,” Herro said. “Just getting after early, I think that is going to help us in the long run.”

He went on to talk about the personal relationships within the young team.

“I think all 13 guys that we have, we are all real close. Everyone likes he other,” he continued. “Just building a bond off the court, I think that is going to help us on the court.”

This team is going to get much more bonding time in over next two weeks with a trip to the Bahamas in the schedule. That trip seemed to pay extreme dividends in 2014, a team that was constructed in a similar way to this one.

What should we expect to see from Herro in the Bahamas and when the regular season starts? What does he bring to this talented group?

“I think, definitely, I can make shots. But I just want to be a good teammate and do whatever Coach Cal and the coaching staff needs me to do, whether that’s make shots, play defense, or whatever my role may be I think I can fill that role.”

In order to find that role in such a talented group, Herro is going to have to adapt to a team where he may not be the primary scorer. That is certainly going to be an adjustment since he averaged 32.9 points per game his senior season and put up at least 40 in eight of his games. How will this adjustment challenge him in the coming season?

“I think just being myself. Because coming from a high school where I took all the shots, and now I’m here with 12 other guys that can all score and all play defense and are all really good, I think just not getting away from myself. Still being myself on the court, just trying to score and stuff like that...just playing my game.”

If all of the practice reports are true, Tyler Herro being himself is something that Big Blue Nation should look forward to. Don’t sleep on Herro’s comparisons to Devin Booker, as that may be more of a reality that most of us realize.

Listen to the entire interview here as Herro also talks about how “different” playing at Kentucky is and what it was like playing for his dad in AAU.