Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson met with the media on Monday and talked about preparations for Tuesday night's season opener against Florida Gulf Coast at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall in Bloomington.
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00:00 Hey, good morning coach.
00:02 Morning. Hey, with with Xavier.
00:06 Give me like.
00:09 I'm sorry you can hear me OK.
00:10 Yeah, I can hear you now.
00:12 OK with Xavier Johnson,
00:14 what are the two or three key things
00:16 that you look for for him to have
00:19 a consistent productive season
00:20 at the level that he can?
00:25 Just play like he did.
00:26 The last game was pretty good.
00:28 I mean, there's going to be nights
00:30 that he has big scoring nights,
00:31 but I thought he did a good job
00:34 in getting us in our sets.
00:36 Defensively up the floor,
00:38 applying pressure.
00:41 I think he had six assists the other night,
00:44 so.
00:44 You know he's kind of slowly slowed
00:46 down a little bit the other night.
00:49 Got guys in position where he could
00:51 make plays and and and get guys
00:53 the ball when they needed it.
00:55 You know, but again,
00:56 there's going to be nights where he
00:59 might be the guy that has a hot night.
01:02 But I just need him to leave.
01:04 That's that's what a point guards
01:06 should do and make sure guys are
01:09 doing what they supposed to do.
01:13 Is that the Mike Schuman?
01:15 It's following up Mike on X.
01:16 I know you said you're always
01:18 tougher on point guards.
01:19 You've always sort of demanded a lot
01:21 of him just for that position,
01:23 but how have you seen him navigate
01:25 this season for this season when you
01:27 know maybe there are fewer of those
01:29 experienced voices around than they were?
01:31 A year ago I know he's a captain.
01:33 I know he probably had to go through
01:35 his own personal journey of coming
01:36 through the injury and and you know,
01:38 sort of getting realigned to come
01:40 back for a six year.
01:41 Just how have you seen him approach?
01:43 Not just the idea of point guard,
01:45 the idea of captain of leader of,
01:47 you know,
01:47 sort of locker room presence
01:49 ahead of this season.
01:50 Well, there's no no doubt he's grown.
01:53 You know, I think the injury had a
01:55 lot to do with it because it humbles
01:58 you when you get hurt. And don't
02:01 know what direction you're going
02:02 to go and how quickly you can get back.
02:06 On the floor to play it humbles you
02:09 and and it's it's an eye opener and.
02:13 You know, he basically hadn't really played.
02:18 Since you know, I think was a
02:21 67 games in last season, so.
02:23 You know the fact that he put
02:26 the work in to get back.
02:28 You know, mentally,
02:29 I think he's in a better place.
02:34 To lead, you know, I mean,
02:35 that's why I made him the captain.
02:39 And you know, having that title,
02:41 it bears a lot of responsibilities
02:44 and there's nothing wrong with that.
02:46 It's just are you willing to accept it and?
02:50 And do all the necessary things
02:52 on and off the court to help?
02:55 You know this team win.
02:56 I mean, 'cause that's what it's all about.
02:59 Mike then Jim Coyle.
03:01 Yeah, coach in the exhibitions we saw
03:03 renew and where both make three pointers.
03:06 How important is that to this team?
03:08 Have you seen enough in the fall to expect
03:12 that they can consistently do that?
03:14 Only time will tell.
03:15 You know you you can't predict
03:18 you know what teams do you know?
03:20 I I coached in New York team that
03:23 had all three point shooters.
03:26 And they were all great over their
03:28 careers and knocking him down.
03:29 So I knew what I was going to get.
03:31 You have no idea what you're
03:33 going to get yet. Only time will tell.
03:36 Jim, then Tom brew.
03:38 So it's kind of following up on that.
03:40 I was going to ask what does it do to
03:42 an offense when you have guys like
03:45 Kellel Ware and Malik Renu who are
03:47 bigs and usually playing in the pain area?
03:49 But they can step out and hit the three
03:52 and have to be respected to do that.
03:55 What does that give your offense
03:57 as far as a variety and what does
04:00 it do to force defenses to adjust?
04:03 Well, it's a bonus because again,
04:06 all the years that I coached in the pros.
04:12 You know, Al Horford was the only
04:14 guy that could step out and make
04:16 up to about a 1718 foot shot.
04:19 And as his career went along,
04:21 he extended his shot to be able to
04:24 consistently make threes when he shot him.
04:28 He's the only center that I've had.
04:31 Uh, you know, I take back that
04:33 Amari Stoudamire could step out
04:35 and make it up to 18 to 20 feet.
04:38 Beyond that, he he just never really shot him,
04:41 but he was never around long enough
04:44 and healthy enough to see it.
04:47 See him in a full season so.
04:51 This is new again for me.
04:55 Because these two guys can't,
04:56 you know, stretch it to the three point line.
04:59 But again, I'm not one of those
05:01 coaches that consistently want my bigs.
05:03 You know, I mean if they're
05:05 open and got a good look, yeah.
05:08 Yeah, you know I'm not opposing.
05:10 I'm taking this shot and knocking it down.
05:13 But you know, bigs supposed to play inside too.
05:15 You know, I mean, I don't want them thinking
05:18 they they gotta live on just shooting
05:20 three point three point shots because
05:22 that for me that's not the way
05:24 the game should be played.
05:26 I'm the Mason.
05:27 Mikey got a freshman point guard in Gabe Cop.
05:30 So have you seen enough of him
05:32 through the summer and through the
05:33 exhibition games to know that you can
05:35 go ahead and trust him with some
05:37 quality minutes as we get rolling?
05:39 Hearing some big games?
05:40 There's no doubt he's going
05:41 to play quality minutes.
05:43 I mean, he's proven that.
05:45 That's the reason why we recruited him.
05:50 You know, he just does all the little
05:52 things that you know you supposed to do.
05:54 Now he's going to have his ups and downs.
05:57 Based on matchups and things of that nature,
06:00 but he's a tough competitor and.
06:03 Sometimes toughness get you through it,
06:05 so I'm I'm very pleased you know
06:07 with his progress and and hope that
06:09 he just continues to grow and and
06:12 learn the college game because he's
06:14 got a long way to go.
06:16 Mason and Daniel.
06:19 My kind of going off that theme,
06:20 but really talking more about
06:22 the entire second unit.
06:23 How often do you see your starters
06:25 ramping up minutes and and how big
06:27 of a portion of the minutes do you
06:29 still see your second unit getting as
06:31 you get more into the regular season?
06:33 I just like the way we've been
06:35 playing, you know, here late,
06:36 you know, and.
06:38 You know, it's it's kind of how I.
06:40 Put it together and the second
06:42 unit they're going to play.
06:44 You know, I mean I.
06:46 I feel good about our second unit,
06:48 you know, but they're going
06:49 to have to produce.
06:49 You know, I'm I'm playing the guys
06:52 that is going to produce and play and.
06:55 They've shown it and and earn my
06:58 respect in terms of earning minutes
07:00 and they're going to play and.
07:04 They're playing well,
07:05 they'll be in here while they're not.
07:07 Then you know we have to juggle
07:09 and try to find you know guys that
07:12 are playing well together to help us win.
07:14 I mean, that's that's what team is all about.
07:18 Daniel and John.
07:21 With all the fresh faces you had this year,
07:23 I'm just wondering what you feel
07:24 like you learned about your team
07:26 against you and then last Friday as well.
07:30 Well, I mean again, I'm still learning
07:32 that we got a long way to go guys.
07:33 I mean, that was just two exhibition games.
07:38 You learn more as the season go on,
07:40 so it's you know my thing is we've
07:43 done a lot of good things in those
07:46 two exhibition games.
07:47 Uhm?
07:49 Based on all the things that
07:51 we've thrown at these guys,
07:52 and you know the fact that they picked up
07:55 what what we've given him, you know,
07:58 is promising, but again,
08:00 only time will tell me we got a long
08:02 way to go in terms of, you know,
08:05 our schedule and you know the
08:06 teams that we plan, you know,
08:08 and it starts, you know, tomorrow night.
08:10 I mean, Florida Gulf Coast is
08:12 a good basketball team,
08:13 so we gotta come ready to compete
08:16 and put in a 40 minute ball game.
08:19 Zion, then Alex was it.
08:22 Mike, just just following up on that
08:24 coming out of those exhibition games.
08:26 What is something that you think
08:27 really will have to improve as the
08:29 actual regular season starts tomorrow?
08:31 Well again, are.
08:34 You know, we're not really familiar yet
08:36 with our defensive rotations on
08:38 the backside of our defense.
08:39 That's something that you know we
08:41 gotta get better and then we gotta
08:43 rebound the ball better.
08:45 I mean, that's that's usual
08:46 in a defensive possession.
08:48 We we play a good defensive possession
08:50 and then we don't.
08:52 We don't block out somebody ball watching
08:55 and you know that guy comes in and keeps it.
08:58 You know the keep it alive for you know
09:02 their team so I we just gotta listen.
09:04 There are a number of things we
09:06 offensively are execution and
09:07 then the half court game has gotta.
09:09 Improve so I mean and we just gotta
09:11 keep working at it man because that's
09:13 that's the only way you can.
09:15 You can fix it is is practice and
09:17 continue to work and get familiar
09:19 with what we're trying to get done
09:21 and and rehearse it over and over
09:23 and over and over again until you
09:26 get it right. Alex last one.
09:30 Coach, thanks for the time.
09:33 Appreciate it.
09:33 I know to kind Newton was somebody
09:35 you were really excited about when
09:36 you're able to sign him and he's
09:38 obviously had a tough go of things
09:39 with the injury situation in healthy doing.
09:41 How will it be determined whether or
09:43 not like kind of what the path forward
09:45 is for him and with a young guy like
09:47 that going through an injury situation?
09:49 How do you keep him engaged in
09:51 practice and keep his spirits high
09:52 when he's obviously going through
09:53 some tough times with the engine?
09:55 Well, early on he was struggling.
09:59 Because he was hurt and he just didn't
10:01 feel like he was a part of it,
10:03 but he's kind of grown past that now
10:06 and because it he's starting to
10:08 move around a little bit.
10:09 You know he ran a little
10:11 bit on the treadmill.
10:13 He's been able to come out and walk through.
10:17 He hadn't done a whole lot of
10:19 the walkthrough stuff,
10:21 but you know the stretching and and
10:23 the warm up stuff prior to us
10:27 actually get going on the court.
10:30 You know he's been a part of that,
10:34 but I mean, I think he's moving
10:36 in the right direction.
10:37 How quickly he comes back.
10:39 You know, only time will tell.
10:42 And then we gotta make a decision on what
10:44 you know we're going to do with him.
10:46 Is he healthy enough to play?
10:48 You know when he comes back?
10:50 If not, you know you might have to
10:52 think about red shirt and things
10:54 that that nature we hadn't even
10:55 talked about that, but you know,
10:57 I mean that's that's on the
10:59 back burner that may occur,
11:01 so we just gotta let nature take
11:03 his course. He's gotta continue to
11:05 just work and rehab like he's been
11:07 doing because I I bought him here
11:09 just like up because I truly like
11:11 his toughness and the things that
11:13 he he can do on both ends of the
11:16 floor and we just haven't been able
11:18 to get him out there to give him an
11:21 opportunity to show it showcasing.
11:24 Alright, thanks coach.
11:25 Alright guys, take care.