Trevon Brazile is back for his third season in Fayetteville, and the versatile forward is embracing a new attack dog mentality instilled by first-year head coach John Calipari.
Brazile has undeniable talent, but Arkansas’ lone returner has yet to reach his full potential. Calipari believes the key to taking his game to a new level is trading in some finesse for killer instinct.
Rather than camp out on the perimeter looking for catch-and-shoot threes, the staff has placed an emphasis on making Brazile comfortable being aggressive inside the arc.
“TB, I’m trying to make him an attack dog,” Calipari said. “I don’t want him standing out there shooting threes. No, no, you’re not doing that here.”
Brazile, who averaged 8.9 points and 5.9 rebounds in 26 games last season, is back after testing the NBA Draft waters over the summer and will look to be the next in a long line of pros Calipari has churned out in his Hall of Fame career.
“His resume speaks for itself, so I just try to do what he says,” Brazile said. “This summer, I feel like I’ve made a lot of progress with not shooting threes and being what he calls an attack dog. So, just trying to be an attack dog.”
In many ways, Brazile is the prototype stretch forward and is a career 35.4% shooter from beyond the arc. In a vacuum, it comes across as a head-scratcher to limit one of his most enticing attributes.
But, make no mistake, Brazile will have the green light to dial up from distance when the season rolls around. For now, the goal is to make him more comfortable being uncomfortable so he has the confidence to deploy his full skillset under the lights.
“Trevon is better than I thought he was,” Calipari said. “A story, I was standing there and he was laying on his back. I said ‘You’re better than I thought you were.’ He looks at me and says ‘I told you.’
“That’s the confidence I want him to feel. He’s talented, but he’s got to get into wars and be comfortable in those situations.”
Calipari has coached against Brazile in two games. The 6-10 forward scored eight points, grabbed a pair of rebounds and fouled out in 15 minutes in Arkansas’ 111-102 loss at Rupp in March and went for four points, five boards and a pair of steals as a true freshman at Missouri.
“I’m excited for him,” Calipari said. “Talked to Cuonzo Martin about him, who loves him by the way. My hope is everyone comes out and says ‘That’s what I knew he could be.’ Then we’ve done our job as coaches.”