JONESBORO -- John Brady is coming off his worst finish in seven seasons as Arkansas State's basketball coach, and his contract status doesn't guarantee another season with the Red Wolves beyond this one. But the veteran coach insists he's not feeling any pressure.
He likes the mix of his current team, which has nine holdovers from last year's 11-18 season and missed making the Sun Belt Conference tournament. He's not thinking about his contract, which expires after this season, saying he hasn't even brought it up with Athletic Director Terry Mohajir.
"Basically, every coach is on a one-year contract. Just ask Steve," said Brady, referencing former UALR Coach Steve Shields, who was fired last March. "That's just the nature of the game. We'll see how it goes. I'm not concerned about it in the least. In fact, I like it actually.
"It gives you something to work for, I guess. "It certainly doesn't keep me up at night, and it won't affect how I coach my team or how I discipline my team or anything."
Brady will instead concern himself with improving the Red Wolves defense and rebounding.
Brady likes his team's base, despite losing its most experienced player, senior guard Cameron Golden, who was released from the team earlier this month after being arrested on aggravated robbery and other charges.
The Red Wolves return four players who started 15 or more games last year, including forward Anthony Livingston, a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt selection who was arrested in May for punching a police officer and is due in Craighead County District Court in January.
Livingston averaged 15.9 points and 10.0 rebounds last year, and is joined by full- or part-time starters from last year in Sean Gardner, who averaged 12.0 points, P.J. Hardwick, who led the Sun Belt with 130 assists and Nouhoum Boucoum, whom Brady said has lost 30 pounds.
Brady hopes the continuity can help a team that last season lost seven games by six points or less.
"I think there is more trust in one another and I think everybody is not as concerned about what they can get out of it," Brady said. "They're more concerned about what the team can produce. When you have that approach, I think you get better in all aspects."
The most pressing concerns for Brady are rebounding and team defense. The Red Wolves were seventh in the Sun Belt with a minus-1.2 rebound margin last year, was sixth in scoring defense (69.4 points per game) and seventh in field-goal percentage defense (42.6 percent).
Gardner and Hardwick both said defense has been a constant reminder at practice.
"Constantly throughout practice," Gardner said. "It kind of gets old after awhile, but it's something that we've got to get used to and get accustomed to doing better."
Gardner needs to improve his defense, but also to be a more polished offensively player while doing a bit more for ASU this year. Gardner shot 41.6 percent from the floor and 35.5 percent from three-point range last year, but said he can improve with better ball handling that can lead to created shots instead of relying on a jumper.
Hardwick wants to be a bigger part of the offense, too. He led the Sun Belt in assists and in assist-to-turnover ratio, but averaged 4.8 points per game. Hardwick hopes that will erase the disappointment from last season, when ASU finished ninth in the 11-team league.
"We won 11 ballgames last year, so I just want to win," Hardwick said. "It's something I'll never forget. You try to move forward, but I won't ever forget it. It sits in the back of my mind, and it motivates you."
Sports on 10/23/2015