Everything Jaelin Llewellyn said during his Defend the Block appearance
On why he chose Michigan
It's been a historically great program, they're used to winning basketball. I want to get to the tournament as bad as anybody. This is a team that has experience being there and they need some experience at the guard position as well. Definitely helps that Ann Arbor is only about four-and-a-half hours away from my hometown. My parents, friends and family can come by and watch some more games than my previous years at Princeton and Virginia for high school as well.
On getting to the tournament was the focal point of his transfer process
Definitely, because it hurt so much being right there this year. Even with winning the conference during the regular season and just falling short in the conference tournament, it really stung. I want to be in a position where I can be right back where I was last March.
On the recruiting process with Michigan
They've just been great to me and my family so far. Got really connected well on my visit and they made me feel really comfortable. They've outlined from the start what they need as a program from the guard position. I can feel that they have belief in me and my abilities. I think it's just grown since I've met most of the staff in April, I believe. It's been great getting to know them a bit since I've been here.
On the previous transfer point guards
Especially with Mike Smith coming from another Ivy League program, I spent some time playing against him my freshman year so I was able to see the type of player he was and to see the success he had at a program like this is definitely an impact in my decision because I saw someone in familiar shoes to where I was and coming here and being successful. Took some time to reach out to him as well and he had nothing but good things to say. It was definitely great.
On how the transfer process compared to high school recruiting
I think I was able to sift through what was the truth and what was fluff and stuff like that. There's a lot of stuff in high school, going on visits and having a lot of shows, presentation-wise. I've been through it all in four years, or three because of Covid. I think I knew exactly what I was looking for. I think, in high school, it was all so new I wasn't sure what was being said. The high school recruiting process is crazy. I feel like it was a lot easier this time.
On educating factoring in this high school and transfer decisions
It factored in a lot in high school because I knew the ball stops bouncing eventually. I had an opportunity to go there athletically and play high minutes from a freshman to my last year there. To get the opportunity to receive an Ivy League education, I wouldn't have had the opportunity without basketball and that's something not a lot of people can say that they've done. I think that was the main decision back then. This time around, I don't think it was the same emphasis on looking for education. I feel like I should have two years but if I only have one, I want to maximize what I can do athletically. Given Michigan's academic standard, it's only a cherry on top. I'm definitely looking forward to studying social here as well.
On sitting out the 2020 season because of the pandemic
It was more challenging than people even realize. I probably went a year-and-a-half without seeing maybe 60% of my team because we weren't allowed on campus. Only a small amount of people were allowed back on campus in the spring. I spent that year working at my high school in Virginia as a senior dorm parent at our boarding school and I was an assistant coach for my basketball team. I was completely away from it all for a year. It felt like I didn't go to Princeton at all even though I was taking online courses. Taking online Ivy League courses, in the middle of a pandemic, was not an easy thing to do. I got it done.
On having the Ivy League season shut down while everyone else was playing
I remember that day so vividly. We got called for a meeting and we were like, 'Why do we have to go down for a meeting?' Yeah, your season is done. We were just stunned because we felt like—we made the conference tournament and we felt like we were hitting our stride a little bit. We were all, at first, really confused. Like, why are you guys doing this to us? As each day, something else started happening, you start to realize, oh, jeez, this is a lot more than what we expected.
On whether he was surprised he was able to maintain productivity after a year away from basketball
It was definitely challenging because, at times, especially in September going back, it felt like for our whole class, we were freshmen again. Moving back in to something we haven't been to in a long time. I think it was a quick transition to feeling normal again and feeling right there. My main focus this past year was getting my efficiency up and my shooting numbers up. I think that paid off from the work in that Covid year that we missed.
On his dad playing a role in him getting through the year off
He's always been there helping me do things. He always checks in to see how I'm doing and if I'm struggling, he always has the right thing to say. It was a little challenging during that Covid year as well because I spent all of it in Virginia as opposed to Canada. I was kind of relying on, a lot of the time, just myself. I had my friends there from high school and they would come back from school and stuff.
On how he would assess his game
I think I'm a quick guard that can space the floor with my shot and attack the paint. Get guys involved with my quickness and agility. I think I can shoot it at all three levels as well. I'm just excited to get started. Love taking charges, so, watch out (laughs).
On Hunter Dickinson
He's a force offensively and defensively. It's going to take a lot to stop him. It's going to be a big change because my center at Princeton, he was about 6'7 and we spaced it and played five out. Now you've got a big guy down there, it's a whole different game. I'm excited to put him in a position to be successful. He's also going to put me and the rest of the guys on the team in positions to be successful because so much focus is going to be on him when he's down low and stretching the floor as well. If they collapse, I've been getting catch-and-shoots from my big man last year, I'll be ready on the wing.
On what he can glean from last year's Michigan team
I think there's a lot of young talent, talent that is improving every day. From what I've seen just from being here for a short couple of weeks, I can tell that these guys work so hard and they put in so much time and effort every single day. Regardless of who you are, if you're putting in this much work, you're going to be so much better and successful. There's a lot of talent around this whole team. I'm excited to get everyone here so I can see it all.
On what excites him about playing in the Big Ten
There's so much talent at every position. Admittedly, playing in these crazy atmospheres is going to be a lot different from the Ivy League. We've gotten a taste of it. We played Indiana my sophomore year and that was awesome. I'm just excited to also get in on some of these Big Ten rivalries. I hear all the stories and people talking about it. I'm excited to be part of it.
On how well he understands the Michigan-MSU, Michigan-OSU rivalries mean
I can get the sense of what it means to the program to get either of those wins. I feel like I won't completely understand it until I step out on that court and feel the energy and atmosphere of the arenas. I'm going to do everything I can to prepare myself for that moment.
On what he likes to do
I like to play a lot of video games. I play Call of Duty and Rocket League, some other games like that. I've been learning how to produce music since the Covid year, that was something I picked up because we didn't have a season. Just been learning how to make beats and stuff like that.
On what area of social work he wants to get into
I'm still pretty open. I was a history major at Princeton as well, I'm excited to learn what social work has to offer because my dad has been a social worker his whole life after basketball. I'm pretty open in that regard. It could be a pretty cool opportunity to take history after basketball and teach it somewhere maybe.
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