I spent time talking with senior forwards Leo Lyons and DeMarre Carroll about being leaders for a group of young freshmen and they are ready to step up to the challenge as the lightbulb appears to have turned on.

That was most certainly the case with Leo Lyons.  The 6’9 senior was plagued by inconsistent play as evident by the fact he averaged 13 points per game over the season, yet led the team with 21 points in the last 12 games only to disappear in the first round of the Big 12 tournament against Nebraska.

Lyons says he wasn’t surprised by his spike in numbers at the end of the year.  Lyons told me, he’s gotten a grasp of what head coach Mike Anderson is looking for and now he feels he can pass along his experience to the rest of the team.  By the way, he says his relationship with coach Anderson is good.

DeMarre Carroll is the nephew of Anderson and he told me that yes there are times when coach expects more of him than the other players, but he says he can handle that pressure.

Carroll leaves it on the floor every night and played most of last year hurt and feels that if he stays healthy he can have an even better year.

Lyons and Carroll share their thoughts on becoming leaders.

Download/listen to Leo Lyons/DeMarre Carroll (1:24 mp3)