Malik Reneau, Kel'el Ware Recap Indiana's 89-80 Win Over Wright State
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00:00 Malik, we got to talk to you earlier this week.
00:02 And you were kind of talking about how you and Khalil's
00:04 chemistry has kind of come along.
00:05 And you guys dropped the term buddy ball.
00:07 Again, Woodson just used it.
00:08 I guess for either of you, both Khalil or Malik,
00:10 how have you guys kind of--
00:12 now that you guys are getting more games under your belt,
00:14 how do you guys see your encore chemistry coming along?
00:17 It's just realizing what the defense has given us.
00:20 I mean, Khalil pointed it out to me
00:22 that when the double team come, just the guy that's
00:26 coming down, the drop down, he's not really
00:28 like helping down too much.
00:30 So you could just throw it over the top.
00:32 And I finally caught--
00:33 I got a glimpse of it and then was able to make
00:35 that pass over the top.
00:37 And then the lob pass, just looking back,
00:39 I see Khalil running.
00:41 So I knew my first instinct in my head
00:43 was I'm not laying this ball up.
00:44 This is going up top and making a highlight play.
00:46 So I just wanted to throw it up and get the crowd hype
00:49 and stuff like that.
00:50 So I made that work.
00:51 But yeah, the term buddy ball is definitely
00:55 what me and Khalil have been looking at,
00:57 especially when I'm on the perimeter.
00:59 I'm looking top down in the post.
01:01 I'm trying to look for him, get some seals, early seals,
01:04 early post-ups, get their big man's in foul trouble
01:07 and stuff like that so we can have an easier
01:10 game playing their secondary unit and stuff like that.
01:13 But yeah, buddy ball is huge for us.
01:16 I guess, Malika, along those lines,
01:18 you watched race and trace last year.
01:21 You fit in with those guys.
01:23 When you start playing with Khalil,
01:24 when he comes in in the summer and you
01:25 start to learn his game and how the two of you
01:27 can fit together, what's different about him?
01:29 How does he approach that position maybe in ways
01:32 different from race or trace?
01:35 Khalil, he's a big frame, very agile, can move.
01:39 And just knowing that any step he gets on his defender,
01:44 he got a chance to raise up and get
01:47 Dana to the top of the backboard.
01:49 So I mean, you could throw it anywhere to him.
01:51 So just knowing that he's able and got great hands when he's
01:57 going up to go get the basketball,
01:59 catch the ball well and stuff.
02:00 But just looking back at race and trace,
02:02 I mean, I've been seeing it the whole last year, the buddy
02:05 ball system.
02:07 And just when I'm in the game looking for a trace, too,
02:10 I had a bunch of passes where I caught it high
02:14 and threw the lob pass over the top of the trace last year,
02:17 too.
02:18 So just keep working on that and keep trying to find my buddy.
02:22 We've got a mic.
02:23 For Khalil.
02:23 Tell him about me.
02:24 The fans are seeming to respond to you very strongly
02:30 with a blocked shot, certain rebounds, things like that.
02:34 Are you sensing that, that the reaction has been--
02:38 is it feeding you a lot?
02:39 Are you noticing it?
02:41 Yeah, all the time.
02:42 I love when the fans get involved in the game
02:44 because it just makes us--
02:46 not even just me, but the whole team, even the bench,
02:49 just the chemistry grows, the energy grows.
02:52 And if we can just keep that going on in the fans,
02:55 just keep on cheering, I feel like we'd be great.
02:59 Yeah, Khalil, do you feel like your confidence
03:01 is at an all-time high in terms of your collegiate career?
03:03 I mean, you didn't really get a chance
03:05 to shine as much last year.
03:06 I mean, are you feeling like you're in a groove now,
03:09 finally?
03:11 I would say I'm more in a groove now with Coach Woodson
03:17 giving me that role where he trusts me enough
03:19 to just go make the play and attack the basket, score,
03:23 even throw it out to my teammates,
03:24 and just play smart on the court.
03:26 And as long as I'm playing hard and just giving them that,
03:30 we should be good.
03:33 Hey, guys, this is for either one of you.
03:34 You guys have gotten out-rebounded
03:36 through the first three games and, right,
03:38 say, at 14 on the offensive glass.
03:40 What would you guys attribute those issues to?
03:43 And how can you guys kind of turn that around ahead
03:45 of the Empire Classic?
03:48 Yeah, just prioritizing boxing out and our guards
03:53 coming in to help us.
03:54 I mean, because for me, I'm switching one through four.
03:58 So half of the time, I'll probably be on a one man.
04:01 And I'm trying to contest a 40-footer
04:02 and trying to get in to rebound.
04:05 So just trying to contest the rebound
04:07 and making sure I get back to rebound and help Khalil out
04:10 and not just expecting Khalil to get every rebound.
04:14 I think that's a big thing for us.
04:16 And then just getting rebounded, too,
04:18 also bringing the guards in to help on that sort of speed.
04:21 I think we're going to prioritize that.
04:23 And we know that we've been getting out-rebounded.
04:25 So we just got to prioritize that and make
04:27 that a big issue for us.
04:29 Yeah, for either one of you, X mentioned Sunday
04:35 that effort in practice maybe hadn't
04:37 been where you guys wanted.
04:38 Was there anything that maybe changed
04:40 throughout the last week?
04:42 Yeah, I mean, coaches got strict on us.
04:45 Practice has been hard.
04:47 We really got to step our focus up in practice
04:51 and step our whole attitude or approach towards practice.
04:56 And then once we do that, we should be fine and ready to go.
05:00 Jack, for Mike.
05:02 For Khalil, looking ahead, UConn is next.
05:05 You played them last year.
05:06 What do you remember about that match-up?
05:09 And how much are you looking forward to a rematch?
05:11 They have some talent to beg still.
05:13 I'm looking forward to playing the team.
05:16 They're a tough team.
05:17 And we're just going to have to go and compete.
05:20 The past is the past.
05:21 I'm with a new team now.
05:22 They have a new team.
05:23 So we just have to compete.
05:26 Mike, then Trevor.
05:27 Malik, on offense in the first half,
05:29 you guys looked like you were really
05:30 trying to push the pace off makes or misses.
05:33 How much of a point of emphasis was that this week
05:35 going into this game?
05:36 That was huge.
05:38 Just trying to get flow.
05:39 I mean, we're very static, especially when we're
05:42 trying to get into offense.
05:43 So we already have set plays called.
05:45 So I mean, I was telling X, I mean, if I get the inbounds,
05:52 we've got to push the pace.
05:54 Advanced passes up the court, even the swing pass to me,
05:57 and then starting the offense or initiating
05:59 some type of movement so we could get the basketball
06:02 move side to side, and then get into our initial thrust.
06:05 I mean, we did that very well in the first half, I believe.
06:08 Just getting those advanced passes up, and then even me,
06:11 when I get in on the break, the swing it out to Gallo
06:15 the one time, the advanced pass up the sideline.
06:18 So I mean, it's a big priority that we set in practice.
06:22 Just trying to get flow and different movement
06:25 and create different matchups and switches and angles
06:29 that we can explore when we come down the court.
06:33 Last question, Trevor.
06:34 Against these smaller teams, both of you
06:36 have to guard on the perimeter a lot.
06:38 How challenging is that, and what
06:40 do you take away from that, kind of going into the Big 10
06:43 season?
06:44 It's definitely challenging, but I mean,
06:46 Coach wouldn't give us no challenge that we can't handle.
06:49 I mean, just guarding little six footers or 6'1" people,
06:56 I mean, they're quick to you, so you got to give a little step.
06:59 But be able to contest the shot when
07:02 they're ready to pull up, which is hard because you're
07:04 trying to give space so you won't get blow pass,
07:07 and you're trying to not give the shot up,
07:08 so you got to do two at once.
07:09 So you got to really be focused, locked in,
07:13 and ready to go when they come your way
07:15 and they try to attack you.