IAMBB Players 103023
Iowa players quincy postgame
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00:00 Questions for Ben?
00:00 Happy with your performance?
00:06 I think so.
00:07 I mean, it was good to play a different team.
00:09 You know, it's been a while
00:09 and obviously we had our secret scrimmage last weekend,
00:12 but leading up to that, just months and months
00:14 with kind of the same guys and same plays
00:17 and nothing was working.
00:18 So it was good to shake it up a little bit.
00:21 I thought I played well.
00:23 Could have been a little bit more aggressive maybe,
00:24 but yeah, decent showing.
00:27 Please talk about being more aggressive.
00:29 Can you elaborate on that a little bit?
00:31 Yeah, maybe just off the drive,
00:33 off maybe like a high post catch or my mid-range game.
00:37 I don't think I really,
00:38 maybe I've attempted one shot from a face up.
00:41 You know, in practice I've been hit a lot of mid-range,
00:44 had pretty consistent clips.
00:46 So we'd like to get more of those, but yeah.
00:50 You guys got off to a little bit
00:51 of a slow start offensively.
00:53 What do you attribute that to?
00:55 Yeah, I feel like we weren't ready.
00:58 Maybe we weren't locked in as we should have been.
01:00 And that's kind of, you know,
01:04 not who this group has been.
01:06 You know, in our Europe trip
01:07 and our scrimmage last weekend, we always come out,
01:11 you know, ready to go, start flying around, hit shots
01:13 and, you know, play aggressively on defense.
01:16 I don't know if we took them for granted or whatnot,
01:19 but we just came out flat.
01:20 So I don't expect that moving forward.
01:22 It was a bit atypical for us, but yeah.
01:26 Look for us to be a little bit more aggressive
01:27 out of the gates.
01:29 - You obviously led the Missouri Valley Conference
01:31 in scoring last season,
01:32 but it seems like passing is something
01:35 that you can kind of impact the game with.
01:36 I guess just how do you view your ability to pass the ball
01:40 and kind of be a distributor
01:41 as well as being able to score?
01:44 - Yeah, I mean, it's just basketball.
01:45 It's just read and react.
01:47 You know, if there's a play
01:48 and somebody's open on a back cut or something,
01:50 just throw the ball and it's a team game.
01:53 And if the team flourishes, we all win.
01:55 So, yeah.
01:57 - What would you say about the freshmen
01:59 that went in there?
02:00 Like you said, it's a little bit of a slower start,
02:01 but it seems like they really picked up the energy
02:03 from the first dribble.
02:04 What have you kind of seen from their group
02:05 just tonight and in general?
02:06 - Yeah, they were very impressive.
02:08 And in practice, they show that every day.
02:09 They're very, very aggressive
02:11 and kind of in your face group.
02:13 And they did that.
02:14 They picked up the defensive intensity
02:16 and got out on the break a little bit.
02:18 So it was impressive to see their production.
02:20 - You've seen Wajih have a couple of those fast break
02:22 swats in practice too?
02:24 - Yeah, yeah.
02:25 He's always really good at that.
02:27 Long arms, just tracks the ball well.
02:29 And I've seen that a few times.
02:31 Been victim to it a couple of times too.
02:33 - Do you like those hockey line changes
02:35 that you guys are doing?
02:36 Five in, five out?
02:38 - Yeah, I mean, it's, I don't know if we'll do that
02:41 going forward or maybe we will,
02:42 but it was a good seed.
02:44 Just kind of shake it up a little bit
02:45 and work with different lines
02:47 and get energy from the second line,
02:51 like we've talked about.
02:52 So it definitely reminded me of hockey.
02:55 - What's the biggest jump you want to see this group make
02:58 between now and the season opener?
03:00 - Just a little bit more physicality on defense,
03:04 getting up on ball screens,
03:05 just kind of developing an identity on the defensive end.
03:09 - You mentioned talking about
03:12 where you can be a little bit more aggressive on offense.
03:15 What do you think about your performance
03:17 in terms of rebounding defense tonight?
03:21 - I think a couple of times it was poor
03:22 on a ball screen coverage.
03:23 I could have been up a little bit more,
03:26 being a little bit more active with my hands,
03:29 but I've shown that in practice.
03:31 And going forward, I expect to guard ball screens better,
03:36 be a little bit more aggressive,
03:37 be up on the guards, not give angles.
03:40 - One three today.
03:42 How much is that something you want to kind of show
03:46 in your game?
03:47 I mean, do you want to really be able to stretch it out?
03:49 - Yeah, yeah, absolutely.
03:50 I mean, if they're open, I'll definitely look to shoot them.
03:54 - Last question.
03:55 A lot of points in the fast break tonight.
03:56 Is that something that Fran plans with you guys
03:58 or is that something that happens just naturally?
04:01 - I mean, we work on our transition game every day,
04:04 to get warm.
04:05 One of the first drills we do in practice
04:07 is just get up and down and work on our transition.
04:09 So that's something we emphasize for sure.
04:12 And if it's there and we're in great shape as a team,
04:16 so we're just going to keep running, get easy layups.
04:20 - All right, thanks, Coach.
04:23 - Got a long run with those freshmen.
04:28 - Yeah.
04:29 - What do you think about their minutes
04:30 and what you saw on the court from all of them?
04:32 - They're going to be a big piece
04:34 of kind of what we're doing this season.
04:35 They're all really good.
04:36 They're all really talented, you know.
04:37 When they first got here, they were kind of raw,
04:39 but they all play together
04:42 and it's really fun playing with them.
04:43 I like, I enjoy playing with them a lot, so it's good.
04:45 - Do you feel like you have to lead that group?
04:48 - Yeah, for sure.
04:49 I mean, I kind of went through it last year with C-Mac.
04:51 He kind of led us younger guys on the bench.
04:53 So I kind of know now like what to expect
04:56 and how to help them and stuff like that.
04:58 - I was going to say, do you kind of view yourself
05:01 as being kind of that stabilizer with those two freshmen?
05:04 Do you know that you were going to get extended run
05:06 with them pregame, that you were going to be on the floor
05:08 with all four of them?
05:09 - Yeah, yeah, I knew.
05:10 I kind of, we've been doing that a lot in practice
05:13 where I've been running with them and stuff.
05:14 So I've just kind of been trying to help them out
05:15 when needed and stuff.
05:16 Like they come to me with a lot of questions
05:18 about plays, defensive schemes and stuff like that.
05:21 So I just try to help them to the best of my ability.
05:23 - It seems like you kind of might be
05:24 in that kind of six man role.
05:26 I guess just how do you kind of view your role?
05:29 - Oh yeah, just come in and do really
05:30 whatever the team needs me.
05:31 If that score, score, play the point,
05:34 kind of whatever, guard the other team's best player,
05:35 just do whatever we need.
05:37 If we need a little spark,
05:38 I feel like us five off the bench
05:40 could really give our team that, so.
05:41 - How far ahead do you feel right now
05:43 compared to where you were this time last year?
05:46 - I feel a lot more ahead, you know,
05:47 just understanding like the pace of the game, you know.
05:50 It was really fast for me last year, really physical.
05:52 So just being able to adapt to that this year
05:54 has really helped me.
05:56 - You guys got off to kind of a slow start offensively.
05:58 What was Fran's message in that time?
06:01 - We're just, we were getting good shots, he felt.
06:04 We were sharing the ball and stuff.
06:05 A little bit too many turnovers,
06:07 but we just had to pick things up on the defense end.
06:09 We felt if we could get stops and then run,
06:12 that's our best offense, so.
06:15 - It seems like the freshmen don't really lack confidence.
06:17 I don't think there's a shot that Price would turn down.
06:20 - Oh yeah.
06:20 - But I guess, how would you kind of assess the confidence
06:22 and how you've seen them grow just in that role?
06:24 Of course, you know, between practice and games.
06:26 - Oh yeah, when they first got here, like I said,
06:28 they were kind of raw,
06:29 but you know, I've seen their confidence grow.
06:31 I mean, I'm confident in each and every one of them.
06:34 Abilities, I see it every day in practice,
06:35 what they can do and what they could provide for our team.
06:38 So I think there'll be a big piece moving forward.
06:41 - What does Lodge bring?
06:43 It just seems like it's a lot of athleticism,
06:44 a lot of strength, but he just doesn't,
06:46 seems like he does a lot of the little things
06:47 that you guys would really need.
06:48 - Yeah, he does a lot of little things.
06:50 He gets us a lot of extra possessions.
06:51 I mean, as you saw, he's like a defensive anchor.
06:53 I mean, he protects the paint, him and Owen.
06:56 They're going to be really good for us,
06:58 but yeah, he does a lot of little things.
06:59 He can also score, shoot.
07:01 So he does pretty much everything well.
07:02 - Has he had the fast break slots like that
07:05 in practice too?
07:06 - Oh yeah, yeah, we've seen it.
07:07 I mean, he's had a couple dunks.
07:09 I'm sure he'll get a couple this year.
07:10 He's going to be a good athlete for us for sure.
07:12 - One thing you and I talked about before the season
07:15 is you wanted to be known as more of a,
07:18 not so much as just being a shooter, but more than that.
07:21 You feel like you've kind of given that roll over
07:24 to Price now or?
07:26 - I mean, he's a sharp shooter.
07:29 I wouldn't say I was a sharp shooter.
07:30 I mean, that's kind of his thing.
07:32 He came in, everyone knew he could shoot the ball.
07:34 So I mean, yeah, he's going to do it.
07:38 I mean, he might pull a couple from deep.
07:40 So just, those are good shots for him.
07:43 I trust him to knock them down.
07:43 - Do you ever see either of the Sanfords turn down a shot?
07:46 - No, no, but we're all okay with them shooting
07:49 whatever shot they feel.
07:50 I mean, it's a good shot.
07:52 When they cross half court, I feel like it's a good shot.
07:54 So.
07:55 - Josh, really quick.
07:56 I mean, one of the things that stands out
07:58 with about France coaching style,
07:59 is he seems like he puts a lot of time
08:01 to instilling confidence in the younger guys.
08:03 And when you're kind of just being brought up,
08:05 I mean, what stands out about the way France
08:06 kind of instilled that confidence
08:08 in some of the younger guys?
08:09 - I mean, he's a great coach.
08:11 I mean, he wants you to shoot every shot that you're open.
08:14 He wants you to make aggressive moves.
08:15 I mean, if you turn it over, he wants it to be aggressive.
08:18 Not like you're playing out there scared and stuff.
08:20 So he just wants you to be confident, play your game,
08:23 and that's how you're going to be the best you.
08:25 - All right, thanks, Chad.
08:26 - Yeah, thank you.
08:27 - Bryce.
08:27 - Four or five, happy with your debut?
08:31 - Yeah, obviously shot it pretty well,
08:34 but you know, got a long ways to go.
08:36 And it's a good first step,
08:38 but obviously you need a lot of growth, so.
08:40 - How good was it to get those first two?
08:42 - Oh yeah, it felt really good to make the first couple
08:45 in my first game here.
08:46 You know, I was hoping that I wouldn't have any struggles
08:50 at the new arena playing there first time.
08:53 And you know, got in there, just was confident in my stroke
08:55 and knocked a couple down.
08:57 - What, I guess, it seems like you guys are,
08:59 maybe this is a weird question,
09:00 but it seems like you guys are very self-aware
09:02 about your strengths and weaknesses.
09:03 As being the freshman class,
09:05 it just seems like you guys really gelled early,
09:07 but it seems like there's an advanced level of self-awareness
09:09 is that just the way Fran's coached you?
09:11 Is that just you guys or how would you describe it?
09:13 - We got a lot of experience overseas,
09:15 as you guys know too.
09:16 So I think that helped us kind of figure out who we were
09:18 and you know, what we can bring to the team.
09:20 So that's just carrying over a lot of practices
09:22 in the summer and you know, obviously now.
09:25 So just figuring each other out.
09:27 - Do you like that kind of the hockey line change
09:30 where five in, five out?
09:32 - Whatever coach wants to do.
09:34 Yeah, I'm good with whatever.
09:35 - What else did you do tonight besides shoot
09:37 that you feel comfortable about?
09:39 - You know, I thought I ran the floor really well.
09:43 It's been a focus of mine, you know,
09:45 just sprinting down to the corners every time.
09:47 It's not only gonna get me shots,
09:48 but it's gonna get other guys open too
09:50 down the middle of the lane.
09:50 So there's that.
09:53 Defense gotta get better for sure,
09:55 but headed in the right direction, I think.
09:58 - How helpful is it for you guys in that second unit
10:01 that Owen just runs the floor right down the middle
10:04 so well and can find him?
10:05 - Yeah, I've known it for a long time.
10:08 He's a pretty special player and runs really well
10:10 and you know, he'll go up and dunk it on anybody.
10:13 So, you know, I know he's really good at that
10:16 and looking forward to playing with us more.
10:19 - How, I guess, how has Josh Dix kind of been
10:21 that steady leader for maybe that second unit
10:24 and the younger guys?
10:25 But how would you kind of describe his leadership
10:26 and what he brings to that, you guys line up?
10:27 - Absolutely.
10:29 You know, we got four freshmen in him,
10:30 so, you know, he's kind of got to lead the way with us
10:32 and, you know, learning all the new stuff.
10:34 And he does a great job of that,
10:36 telling us where to be, what to do and all that stuff.
10:38 He's been really good for our second group.
10:41 - One more question.
10:42 Nope, all right, thank you.