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00:00 >> Well, first of all, I give them a lot of credit.
00:01 They came in here and I said, play us, play harder than us,
00:07 play stronger than us, made some big plays.
00:11 But we had a foul trouble early and that hurt us.
00:19 We missed all those free throws early, that hurt us.
00:21 But one for 20 from the three and
00:26 I mean, how many of those 23 or 40 from the free throw line?
00:31 We, 94 games we come in here, shoot free throws and watch film and
00:37 we keep track and last night we had an all time high 90% as a team.
00:44 And we just missed free throw after free throw after free throw.
00:49 And as the moralizing in the first half when
00:54 we were in the game, we just missed it.
00:58 And we had a couple guys that I thought played very poorly.
01:02 But the only guy that played well was Colin and he played awfully well.
01:07 And Tyson's throw, looks like he had 35 points,
01:13 but he didn't play very well.
01:17 And AJ was cramping all night and
01:20 Jaden struggled and Malik struggled.
01:26 So they helped play this, they deserved the win.
01:31 I told a couple of you that I was concerned about the game because of what
01:36 they had and what they were doing.
01:38 I didn't think it would go like that, but I again, I hope that we can shoot like we did.
01:44 Expect our defense to carry us in any way and
01:49 it didn't, but it didn't because it's depressing to keep missing free throw.
01:56 So question.
01:57 [BLANK_AUDIO]
02:02 >> How many of you guys emphasized the starts to games?
02:05 I guess how far should you work it to see them start the way that they did tonight?
02:08 >> Well, we didn't turn the ball over and stuff like that.
02:13 We just, we didn't make shots.
02:19 And I don't think it was an all Tennessee game where we just gave up everything.
02:25 I think we didn't make shots, we didn't make any shots, and
02:29 we didn't make free throws.
02:31 And we didn't turn it over like that.
02:34 It wasn't a couple turnovers we had that ended up layups.
02:40 And that's why they got a 12 point lead.
02:42 But I don't have a good answer.
02:48 I think anyway, three juniors and
02:52 seniors played like they played.
02:55 But I also don't care because I'll play some freshman then.
03:00 >> Coach.
03:04 >> Let the controversy begin.
03:06 >> Coach, last weekend, Donald Konecki went for 28 and
03:11 tonight Terrence Edwards went for 24.
03:13 How much is the perimeter defense a concern to you?
03:15 >> It's a big concern.
03:17 I didn't think guys like Jaden, I thought would be great, AJ, great.
03:23 And Trey, I thought was really playing well defensively and
03:29 we didn't do a very good job.
03:32 But our bench didn't do a very good job on those ball screens either.
03:36 So it was a collection of people.
03:37 It was, I don't think anybody had a good game.
03:40 And I don't know if guys were down about missing those free throws.
03:44 It didn't seem like we got very stagnant offensively then and
03:49 we didn't cover very well defensively.
03:52 And again, give them credit, they played well.
03:55 >> Coach, towards the end of the game, Tyson Walker seemed to do all he could to
04:01 keep you guys in the game and win the game for you, even though it didn't work out.
04:04 Who do you expect to step up behind Tyson as that second option
04:09 when you guys need somebody to go to?
04:12 >> Yeah, it's a good question and I'm gonna answer it for you right now.
04:16 You hope AJ would be a guy, you hope JB would mature into that guy.
04:24 And I really thought Malik would and tonight he, for
04:28 a great week of practice, he just didn't.
04:30 So I don't have a good answer, but Tyson didn't have a great game either.
04:35 He just kept the same in there, but it wasn't the same Tyson Walker either.
04:41 And as you saw, he was cramping up the whole night.
04:43 So I don't know why those two were cramping up so much, but I haven't seen that.
04:50 >> How do you think and hope your team responds to this?
04:53 >> Well, I hope they respond by being ticked off.
05:00 But I hope they respond by playing a little harder, more physical.
05:08 And I don't know what to say about the free throws.
05:11 I harp on it every day and I have shot well from the line in practice.
05:17 It just happened, I mean, really,
05:19 a get right down to it other than Cooper who's been shooting pretty well.
05:24 I never thought Tyson would go left for 20,
05:26 cuz that's really what he did cuz he missed three for one and one, I think.
05:30 So it's hard to complain about that.
05:34 I complain more about we're supposed to be switching late.
05:39 A couple guys didn't do what they're supposed to do and
05:41 that's how they got a couple of those late buckets that something in overtime.
05:45 >> I'm wondering about the defensive side of things, particularly in the outset,
05:52 because how much did the missed shots that you guys were having there affect what
05:56 you wanted to do?
05:57 >> Yeah, that's one of the problems of a couple of those players.
06:00 As soon as they miss a couple shots,
06:02 they everything relies on their offense and we gotta get better at that.
06:09 But that in effect, the second half,
06:14 every loose ball would seem to bounce their way.
06:17 There were some weird calls too.
06:18 I mean, we must have had five or six on screens.
06:24 And so we had our picks and fouls, told a lot.
06:28 So I never had any continuity the whole night long.
06:34 >> And Tom, staying with the theme of leadership from last week,
06:36 you talked about communication was an issue.
06:39 Is there a leadership trait that stands out tonight that's worth working on as
06:42 well?
06:43 >> Yeah, I said that was the concern I had last week.
06:47 That was the concern I've had.
06:49 I don't think it's, I mean, I put a lot on AJ.
06:52 That's one thing I put on him.
06:54 And so we'll figure it out.
06:59 I don't think you keep, there'll be some adjustments.
07:08 We didn't show much leadership.
07:10 >> Tom, Lois is total again by Michigan State standards.
07:16 Is that a matter of the guys not getting the ball where it needs to go?
07:20 >> No. >> Or shots not going?
07:21 >> I think what happens, and this is my whole problem with everything we're
07:25 doing right now, and guys are worrying too much about other things.
07:30 And AJ has three assistants, and
07:33 guys wide open in those corners that he threw up.
07:37 That's not who he is, not a shooter.
07:38 That's okay.
07:40 It was Magic Johnson.
07:41 And I thought that was a big part since it was in his hands.
07:48 But then again, when guys miss a lot of shots, it doesn't matter.
07:52 God was throwing the ball to him, and to get an assist, guys gotta make shots.
07:59 >> Tom, you had said that you like the pressure of being ranked so high, so
08:04 early, and a lot of guys had talked about knowing that there's gonna be a target on
08:08 your guys' back with that ranking.
08:10 Do you feel like this was a need to wake up call, or how do you kind of view that?
08:16 >> To me, wake up calls are for
08:19 programs that all of a sudden came out of the ashes.
08:23 And when you've got a solid program, there should be no wake up calls.
08:28 So I take responsibility for that.
08:31 There's no reason for a wake up call.
08:35 There's gonna be some changes, but there's no reason for a wake up call.
08:38 I'm really big on giving guys a chance.
08:41 But there were some things that happened over and over again that,
08:46 we'll see.
08:47 >> Can I follow up?
08:51 >> Sure.
08:52 >> Do you see the derby change in the starting lineup?
08:55 >> Maybe, I wouldn't answer that anyway.
08:58 So guys aren't gonna do what they're not supposed to do.
09:04 I don't need guys taking shots that are not shooters.
09:07 I don't need guys [INAUDIBLE]
09:10 >> And we're gonna pay attention more to
09:12 what we're saying to Huddle and if we're gonna switch, we gotta switch.
09:16 I say all that, if you make a quarter of the free throws we miss,
09:20 we win the game by six or eight.
09:23 Give them credit, they made 75%.
09:28 As I said, we missed, we shot 62, but
09:31 it was really worse than that if you count the one and ones.
09:35 And that was really in that run in the first half.
09:37 >> Coach, you mentioned obviously some rough shooting tonight and
09:43 then there's some late defensive switches.
09:45 It's clearly still early, but can you tell me what the next couple of days of
09:48 practice will look like?
09:49 What you're specifically looking for?
09:50 Is it gonna be shot making, more leadership?
09:52 >> Ugly, I mean, it's gonna be ugly.
09:56 Guys are gonna practice, there's too much load management,
10:01 worried about sports science and this and that.
10:04 That's out the door.
10:05 Just gonna practice.
10:07 We practiced pretty good, but the physical part of it,
10:11 it's always worried about too many things that aren't in my field.
10:16 So no, I'm not gonna sit there and make guys head cases.
10:23 We got, if we play better defensively,
10:28 if we got those rebounds and those balls, we didn't cut out.
10:31 Those are effort related things.
10:34 Shooting, I'm still wanting to shoot the ball correctly.
10:38 I don't know if I've ever seen a shoot the ball that correctly.
10:42 Definitely not from the line, I don't think ever.
10:46 And I don't know if I've ever had a team that went one for 20, one for three.
10:50 So, you know, stuff happens as they say, but we'll get that part straightened out.
10:57 I'm more concerned about the other parts.
10:59 I don't think guys are being impressed with it.
11:02 I think they're too pampered.
11:05 I mean, get whatever they want.
11:08 I'm not big on that.
11:12 >> You've been in time with so many veterans.
11:16 Once you were done, or when you went into the locker room, either,
11:18 I'm just wondering, did you hear them talking amongst themselves?
11:21 Were guys taking ownership?
11:23 >> No, they don't have very good leadership.
11:24 That's one thing that I said at the first press conference,
11:27 is your leadership, who's your leader?
11:30 I said, I'm hoping it's this guy, this guy, but no.
11:35 No, I mean, guys were hurt, guys were disappointed,
11:38 guys were probably, I guess,
11:44 embarrassed because of the way they played.
11:47 And that takes nothing away from James Madison.
11:52 They played awfully well, they ran stuff well.
11:54 Mark did a great job coaching them.
11:57 I think they deserve a lot of credit.
12:00 But again, when you start missing shots like that, it does become contagious.
12:05 Both in the free throw line, at least if you make up some.
12:09 At one time, I think we would have had to eat up in the first half.
12:13 We would have just made 80% of our free throws.
12:16 And we didn't, and I think that wore on us a little bit.
12:22 And then the follow-up trouble, we had Monty,
12:26 we had Malik, and follow trouble early.
12:30 I think Monty got two of his three on illegal screens.
12:34 So I guess we had to do a better job of that.
12:41 >> Anything else?
12:42 >> Coach, you mentioned Cole wasn't the only one that you thought had a good game.
12:46 Why is that?
12:47 >> Cuz he played hard, he played with some passion,
12:49 he played with some enthusiasm, he played like a freshman should.
12:52 And Jeremy, it was okay.
12:55 I mean, I gave some guys a chance, but he'll get more time.
13:00 And then Booker, it was a tough game for him.
13:03 It's gotta be a tough game sometimes with smaller teams that are really athletic.
13:08 That's just gonna be part of his process.
13:12 It'll be almost bigger for him when he played bigger teams.
13:14 So I wasn't disappointed with any of the freshmen.
13:18 I was more disappointed with some of the veterans, to be frank about it.
13:23 [BLANK_AUDIO]