Boston College Athletics
Q&A With Olivier Hanlan
October 24, 2014 | Men's Basketball
How different was this summer for you compared to last year's with all of the NBA camps?
"I feel much better. I feel well-rested. I had a pretty good summer in terms of just working out by myself and coach, and just recharging my batteries for my junior year. I feel a lot more confident coming in, being refreshed and ready to go."
How much did fatigue play a role for you last season after the summer you had?
"I was a little tired coming into my sophomore year but it was a great summer in terms of exposure and going up against the best competition in the nation at all of those NBA camps. I was a little more tired though. I came straight to BC after the last camp and started right away."
What were some of the factors that that you considered when you chose to return to BC?
"It was a great situation for me on and off the court. The education is great. Coach Christian showed me a lot of game tape of his old team and showed me aspects of my game that I could improve so much on by playing with them. The other thing was all of the guys coming back, the fifth-year guys and Dennis (Clifford) coming back."
What are some things you have tried to improve on since the end of last season?
"I tried to improve on my scoring ability, especially my 15-foot jumpers. I also worked on stopping on a dime and creating space on my own. Every other aspect of my game too, but that is the one I focused on the most."
What areas has the team improved on since the end of last year?
"Defense. Coach Christian emphasizes defense every day in practice. Some practices we have more defense than offense. Our defense is improving every day. We've already made a pretty big jump on that and we have to keep pushing in terms of having everything gel together. We're looking pretty good."
How has the presence of Aaron Brown and Dimitri Batten helped this team?
"They bring experience. They both came from good programs, two winning programs. They have the right mentality of coming in and impacting the program, and having the winning mindset. They are really good competitors so that pushes everybody to work harder."
What are you doing this year to become even more of a leader?
"Just being more with my teammates to be honest. I feel like we are much more together this year. Whenever we do something on weekends, we are together. We're trying to eat together during the week. I'm trying to focus on being more vocal in practice and off the court."
Why do you wear #21?
"My dad wore it. My older brother and my sister wear it. Everyone wears it. It's a family thing."
What are you looking forward to the most in the next 21 days?
"I can't wait to play against someday else. UNH is our first game. If we come out strong and put every single aspect of it together, offensively and defensively, we should be in pretty good shape."
