Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/410582
82 need to set the pace of the match right away. e coaches talk about score first, score fast, and keep scoring. I can't focus on being tired, I need to focus on making the other guy tired and score points." All of that is possible, Bands says, because Burak has qualities most big men do not. He can scramble and move, he has good offense, and his flexibility is a plus during flurries. "en you combine the basics that he is getting better every day," Brands said. "He has come a long way; if he blends it together, you have a super competitor." For Burak, there has been good and bad, high and low. "When he is consistent at a high level for a seven- minute match, he is doggone tough," Brands said. If consistency and comfort go hand-in-hand, it could be a banner season for Burak. e days of being apprehensive around Brands have passed. "When I talk, it's very forward. e intentions are so but it doesn't sound very so and I think he had to learn that," Brands said. is is how the head coach knows Burak is more relaxed: "He came up to me before practice the other day and asked if I heard the joke about the pepperoni pizza," Brands said. "en he said, 'Never mind, it's cheesy.' en he asked if I heard the one about the pencil? Never mind, there is no point to it. at goes on all day long." e oen laid-back Burak said he needs to understand when it's time to explode and be fiery…like those in the UI coaching chairs. And when Burak consistently applies pressure, the results will be no joke.