Q&A with Aaron Calixte
Graduate transfer point guard Aaron Calixte scored 15 points against UT-Rio Grande Valley in his debut with Oklahoma.
The Oklahoma men’s basketball team is on a rare two-game road trip to start the season.
The Sooners have been in South Texas since Thursday.
OU beat UT-Rio Grande Valley on Friday night, and then spent Saturday watching Bedlam and going to the SpursRockets game in San Antonio.
The Oklahoman caught up with graduate transfer point guard Aaron Calixte by phone after practice Sunday afternoon. Calixte, in his OU debut, scored 15 points on 4 of 7 shooting against UT-Rio Grande Valley.
He was 3 of 4 from 3-point range.
Calixte transferred to Oklahoma from Maine, where he averaged 16.9 points and 3.2 assists per game last season.
Q: What was it like playing your first game for OU?
A: “It was really fun — just playing with guys that know how to play the game, playing with guys that are really talented. It was a good learning step for us, and I think the more we practice, the more we play with each other, each game we’ll get better.”
What were some of those things you learned?
“I think the biggest thing is just communication. Just figuring out who are the guys that are gonna be over-talkative, who are the guys that we’re gonna need to remind about bad shots. The playing aspect (is) the same. Knowing where guys are gonna be on the court, knowing where guys like the ball, finding the hot guy.”
How much more can you do as a point guard now that you’re surrounded by different teammates?
“I have players that can play, players that can shoot the ball really well. It’s kind of a different approach that I take to the game, but also being aggressive. There’s nothing more I could ask for — just playing with guys that can actually play, guys that can hit shots and guys that are also going to find me.”
Shooting close to 50 percent from three isn’t a realistic pace to keep up, but do you think outside shooting can be a strength of this team?
“I think everyone on this team can shoot the ball really well. We worked hard to get in the gym, so I think when it comes to games we’re used to taking those shots. The ball might not always go in the hoop, so we want to emphasize the defensive end. That’s a priority.”
What has this opening road trip been like?
“It’s been super fun. Obviously we take it as a good challenge to open up with true road games against two good teams. We watched the Spurs game. We got to watch Bedlam. Trips like this, doing activities like going to the Spurs game is only going to help our team chemistry. That’s a big thing for us in being successful.”