Everything Kobe Bufkin said during his Defend the Block podcast appearance

On what the offseason looks like for him

My regiment is that I usually take two weeks off and then come back and then just go and ease my way into it for about the first week. Then, hit it hard doing two-a-days and stuff like that. Around this time where practice starts, you just focus more on practice and, of course, get your workouts in before and after. It's not kill, kill, kill all the time. It's more, springtime.

On where he's grown the most during the offseason

Probably defensively, trying to model myself after my senior, Eli Brooks. Just taking a lot of pointers from him and watching a lot of film on him.

On the difficulty of not having Eli Brooks

Eli comes back. Obviously, it's going to be tough not having him on the floor. He did pretty much everything we needed him to do last year and more. Not having him on the court is going to be different but it's an adjustment we'll have to make.

On whether he feels like he's taken real strides in his game

For sure. I felt like I felt myself coming around, kind of catching up with everybody towards the end of my freshman season. Obviously, I didn't get to display it because we were already in flow and our guys are doing very well. I feel like I was coming around in the end at practice, definitely. This year, obviously, I am looking to make that jump.

On whether he feels like things are starting to slow down

The game was a bit different but it's starting to slow down, definitely, for me this year.

On how his body has transformed and how much he notices it

I notice it every time I play basketball now. I've put on 20-25 pounds since I've been here at the beginning of my freshman year, a lot of that being from this spring. I notice the difference every time I step on the court.

On his performance in the Ohio State game

I just remember DJ had went down and they just kind of threw me in. I wasn't warm or anything, I was just ready to go. Eli drove baseline and he was looking at CHou in the corner, with CHou being our starting three. Him being the great shooter that he is, they sucked to him, the defense went to him and it left me wide open. I was ready to shoot the ball.

On how he stays ready while on the bench

Just noticing how they're covering. A lot of ball-screen coverages. If they're going under if they're going over. I noticed a couple of times how many people are ball watching off the corners, who can back-cut, who can't. Staying ready, it's really just cheering. I do a lot of jumping, and do a lot of sweating on the bench while I was over there. I was ready when that time came.

On what his teammates support meant to him

It was good for me to hear because when I was in the moment, I didn't think of it as being as big of a shot as it was when I went back and watched it. For them to be excited for me more than I was for myself, it was good to see.

On learning Hunter Dickinson was coming back

It was exciting. Obviously, having Hunter is a huge piece because it's a bucket every time you put it in the post. It was good to have him to lean on.

On Dickinson's leadership

It's grown since when I got here. Obviously, they asked him to be a leader last year and I feel like throughout the season last year, he's grown extensively. This year, he's grown even more.

On how much his presence makes it easier for a guard

Very easy, I would say. Easier than it normally would be. Obviously, it's because of who he is. Having all that attention on him opens up all that space on the floor for us.

On who is primed to take a step forward this year

I'll leave you with two. First, T-Will. T-Will is kind of like my workout partner during the spring. Seeing him, even his percentages during the offseason, while we're shooting, skyrocketed from the three-point line was crazy to see. Isaiah Barnes. Him in the weight room, him on the court, his attention to detail on the court and in the weight room has made his physical abilities skyrocket. It's good to see that.

On leaving a legacy with what's left of his recruiting class

For sure. We put our best forward every time we step on the court and I feel like that will be enough this year.

On how he's helping the freshmen to get acclimated

I feel like I paid attention a lot last year as a freshman so I've learned stuff pretty quickly. Seeing them come in, I've seen a lot of mistakes. Even throughout these past two days I saw them myself or seeing things happen before they happen. Oh, he's going to do this because that's what I did. Just trying to correct those things and keep them confident on the court.

On how much he's changed as a person

I've matured a lot. I felt like I've found my way to navigate throughout campus, what I had to do, and what's the fat I can cut out of my life to make my life more simple. Because obviously, living this life can be pretty hectic. Just staying mentally strong. I feel like I could take a few blows than I could last year.

On his individual goals before the season

For me, it would be defense. Defense never goes away. That's been something I have been focusing on since high school. Shooting the ball a lot better. Last year I didn't shoot the ball as well as I would've liked to but, this year, I feel like I've made a jump. Definitely from the three-point line.

On team goals before the season

We talk about communication with each other on and off the court. Making sure everybody is good. Just building that bond with the team. Knowing each other inside and out as far as family. Not just worrying about what we're doing on the court but really caring for each other as a brother. Competing on the court. I feel like that brings character to the team as well because you show me how you are when you're really mad or when you're in the trenches trying to win a game. Those two things are something that we've been pretty big on as far as in the locker room.

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