Arizona’s Ivan Kharchenkov on bulking up, becoming a leader, dealing with defeat

He’ll probably be asked to play multiple positions this season for the Wildcats.

Whether it’s small forward, power forward or something else, Kharchenkov is ready, willing and able.

“Whatever the team needs me to play, I'll play,” Kharchenkov said. “If I need to play defense on a ‘five,’ I'll play defense on a five. If I need to bring up the ball or play the five offensively ... literally whatever the team needs, I don't mind.

“I feel like in modern basketball, more and more, the positions don't matter. You can go small ball, you can go big, you can do this, you can do that. And that's the thing about me: I can do multiple things.”

Kharchenkov mostly played small forward as a freshman last season, quickly developing into a key starter for a team that reached the Final Four. He dabbled at power forward, and that might be his main spot this season if Tommy Lloyd is unable to land any additional big bodies.

Kharchenkov’s body has gotten bigger. He’s currently carrying between 240 and 245 pounds on his 6-foot-7 frame. Last season he bounced between 230 and 235.

Kharchenkov has fully embraced Chris Rounds’ strength-and-conditioning program.

“At the beginning last year, I was a little bit skeptical about it because it was completely night and day, the difference from Europe and America,” said Kharchenkov, who was born in Russia and grew up in Germany. “But I started buying it more and more, and I think this year I really made the next step — fully trusting it and understanding it also.

“It's super hard. ... You really have to shift your mindset a little bit. You have to like doing weights because it's tough; you can’t be too soft to do it. I like doing it.”

What else has Kharchenkov been working on this summer? He outlined his summer plans while appearing on The Wildcast podcast this week. Kharchenkov also discussed his NBA Draft decision, his new leadership role, his early impressions of freshman Caleb Holt, how he handled the end of last season and more.

Highlights of that interview can be found below. The conversation has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.

Why was returning to Arizona instead of entering the NBA Draft the best option for you?

A: “Because I feel like I can develop as a player really good here. I can really make the next step here. Also, I felt like the first year I needed a couple months, couple games to really adjust. I feel like the second year, I will most of the time know what to do.”

Your ultimate goal is to make it to the NBA. But you’ve said in the past that you don’t necessarily have to stick to a strict timeline. Was that part of your thought process?

A: “Definitely. I don't want to put any pressure on myself. ... I just want to be the best version of myself I can be right now.

“Obviously, I have so many things that I can work on every summer. This is actually my first summer ever I can actually work on myself, on my body, on anything, on my game.

“Whenever the time comes, it comes. I feel like I will know when ... it's time to go.”

You and Motiejus Krivas are the only guys back from last year’s rotation. How do you feel like your role will change?

A: “Well, I think definitely the leadership. I made a big, big jump just because of all the seniors leaving — JB (Jaden Bradley), Tobe (Awake), Delly (Anthony Dell’Orso). They're definitely the biggest ones that were leading the team last year, and I think this year it’s definitely gonna be my role — especially knowing Tommy for a year now and not having that many seniors or any (returning) seniors at all ... just freshmen or new guys coming in from the portal.

“So super excited to help them, get them in the groove quicker. I feel like I'm gonna be more like the vocal leader because Mo doesn't like to talk that much. He's a little shy.”

Is there anyone in particular that you've taken under your wing this summer?

A: “Cam (Holmes). He's been asking a lot of questions. I've been trying to help him a lot. Also Caleb (Holt).

“It's just such a big jump from high school to college, especially to a big level like Arizona. Just trying to tell them, ‘OK that was a good practice. You can’t relax because there are four more practices to go in the week.’

“Nothing crazy but whatever question (Holmes) has, I'll be there for him, and I told him that.”

Cam told us he likes defense. How did you develop your defensive mindset?

A: “It developed overseas in Europe. I was always playing against people older than my age, so I always needed to be stronger. All the coaches, they're like, ‘OK, you're younger, so the only way for you to see the court is you have to play defense.’ So yeah, I started playing defense.

“At the beginning I was not good at it. Then tried to put more and more emphasis on it, especially because I obviously wanted to play. I always picked up the guard or the best player from the other team. When I was practicing with the pros, I was guarding Carsen Edwards, Shabazz Napier — really, really good players.

“I was playing against people that literally could be my father. I had teammates that had four kids, and one of them is 15 — and I'm 17. I'm like, ‘Holy (cow)!’

“I definitely had to prove myself defensively, gain the trust of the coach, of the players, put in more work than anybody else, come earlier, leave later, all these things. And that's how I improved over the years.”

What do you think about Caleb Holt and what he's going to bring?

A: “Caleb is going to bring a lot of things. He's going to bring a lot of energy. He's going to bring just the grit, the toughness. He's just a good basketball player. He plays basketball the right way. He's just hooping out there, having fun and playing super hard. He definitely has big things ahead, and we're gonna have a lot of fun watching him and playing with him.”

What are the areas you wanted to improve on the most this offseason?

A: “I definitely wanted to get stronger in the weight room. That's what I'm working on with Rounds.

“I (also) wanted to be a little bit more comfortable handling the ball whenever I go to the paint. I don't always want to pick it up because that's just easy for the defender to strip me.

“Third, and probably the biggest thing, is shooting. I was shooting, I think, below 33% last year. (Kharchenkov shot 31.7% from 3-point range.) I just wanted to bump it up a little bit.

“There's no pressure. It's always a process. I've just been in the lab since I came back, working on it. Shot’s feeling good.”

You guys made it all the way to the Final Four last year. Then you ran into Michigan. How did you process the way the season ended?

A: “At the beginning, it was definitely a little bit difficult. Actually the most difficult thing was the night after the game. I didn't sleep the whole night, and then the next morning at like 7 a.m. we had to leave.

“So just like the next 24 hours were definitely (crappy). But after that, you (are) doing just the regular stuff. You go to class, pick up on your assignments, all of that. You just don't think about basketball.

“I didn't touch the ball. I didn't (go) to the gym. I didn't do anything. Just trying to give my body a rest after the long season, and obviously try not to think about it at all.

“The good thing is ... we gave it our all, so at least I don't have the feeling like, ‘Ah, I could have done better’ or ‘I could have done more.’ Yeah, it sucks, but it's just what it is. It's sports, and that's why I like it.”

How long did you go without touching a basketball after the Final Four?

A: “Like a month and a half. The first time I touched a basketball was back in Germany again when I had my little camp (on May 16).”

Why is it important to you to do stuff like hosting a camp?

A: “It's just showing them the perspective that it's possible when you put in the work, you put in the hours, you put in the effort, you could be where I am right now. I just always want to give back to the community that supports me. It was just fun, enjoying time with the kids, teaching them a couple tricks here and there. It's (satisfying) to see them fail and fail and fail and then, after 10 times failing, they succeed, and to see how happy they are.”

You’ve developed a connection with the fans here. How did that relationship evolve?

A: “It happened naturally. At the beginning, I was a little bit shy, new to everything, didn't know how really to express myself. And then Tommy just told me, ‘Just play basketball, just be yourself.’ I really took it to heart.

“I just always try to spend a little bit more time with the fans, because they're coming two, three hours before even the gym opens. ... I always try to sign as many things as possible, talk to as many people as possible, but there’s so many. It's a good problem to have — so many people supporting you.”

Between now and the Red-Blue Showcase, what does life look like for you?

A: “Two workouts a day, in the morning, in the evening. Team practice is gonna get picked up (Friday). Just working out, recovering.

“Whenever I have a little bit more time, I'm gonna try to slide a golf session in, trying to work on my swing. Then we're gonna fly to Lithuania. We're gonna have three big games there. I think it's gonna be a good test for us to see mentally where we’re at.

“Then we're gonna come back. Right before Red-Blue is gonna be my birthday, my 20th. Then yeah, it's Red-Blue and it's go time.”