Iowa big man after non-con victory
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00:00 Go into questions for Ben.
00:01 Ben, it kind of seemed like there was a lid on the basket
00:07 for the team generally, well, except for you and DeSante.
00:11 Do you know what was going on there?
00:12 Just kind of a slow start?
00:14 Yeah, I'm not sure.
00:15 We're getting good looks.
00:17 They just weren't falling.
00:17 I don't know if guys were feeling a little tired
00:20 or whatnot, but we just didn't really have the same energy
00:22 coming out in the first half.
00:24 I thought we did a little bit better in the second half.
00:27 Still couldn't really pull away.
00:28 They were pretty scrappy, but I'm confident in all my guys
00:32 and my teammates and their ability to hit shots.
00:35 What's the amount of fouling that was going on tonight?
00:38 Was it hard to get in a rhythm?
00:41 A little bit sometimes.
00:42 I felt like the pace was okay.
00:45 I mean, we were getting them in the bonus
00:46 and double bonus and whatever,
00:48 pushing it that way and trying to get points.
00:50 Now we missed a lot of free throws.
00:52 I think 14, coach said, but I thought the pace was okay.
00:57 Through your first four games,
00:58 you've been pretty effective in every game.
01:01 Why do you think you've been able to have success so far?
01:05 I think I'm just playing with confidence,
01:06 and coach instills that in me,
01:08 and my teammates have confidence in me.
01:11 Just getting looks, just playing the game,
01:13 reading and reacting our motion offense,
01:15 and just hitting shots.
01:16 You mentioned their scrappiness.
01:18 They had the advantage on the boards in the first half.
01:20 I think they had 10 offensive rebounds.
01:23 Is that just credit to them?
01:25 Is there something you guys weren't doing as effectively?
01:27 Credit to them.
01:29 Like I said, we got to come out with more energy.
01:31 We got to find ways to grind out some possessions
01:34 and finish with a rebound.
01:36 And we didn't.
01:37 They would get in there, get hands on it,
01:39 or tip it out and hit shots.
01:41 So a little bit of both.
01:43 I was offense.
01:44 How much different is it than what you ran at Valpo,
01:47 and just what was that kind of transition process like?
01:50 It's definitely a lot faster here.
01:51 We get up and down in transition,
01:53 push the ball a lot faster.
01:56 Did a lot more five catch at Valpo.
01:58 Here's a lot more send down screens,
02:00 flares, cutting, slipping, which I like to.
02:04 Your kind of ability to stretch the floor,
02:06 that mid-range game,
02:08 at what point in your career did you develop that?
02:11 I'm not really sure.
02:13 I hit those shots in high school a bunch,
02:14 you know, face-ups, running the free-throw line.
02:18 Kind of over COVID at Valpo,
02:20 when we weren't able to get in the gym,
02:22 I would get outside, you know, on a little outdoor hoop
02:24 and just, you know, shoot a lot of mid-ranges.
02:29 The three-point line was a little short.
02:32 So, I don't know.
02:33 I probably should have shot more threes, honestly.
02:36 But worked on my face-up game, too.
02:38 You had nine boards, I think four steals.
02:41 Do you consider yourself a good defensive player?
02:45 Sometimes.
02:46 But, I don't know.
02:47 I thought I did an average job
02:50 staying in front of their guards on switches.
02:51 I probably could have helped my guards out a little bit more
02:54 by getting out there and moving my feet a little better.
02:57 And then, just in terms of the steals,
02:58 those were just out of the zone, or out of the press,
03:01 and just kind of moving into positions and stuff.
03:03 Very positional.
03:05 In these last two games,
03:06 there's been kind of lulls for the offense.
03:09 Today was a little bit different.
03:10 But you've just been able to be consistent.
03:14 And kind of the one thing
03:15 that's been consistently working for the offense
03:17 over these first four games,
03:19 is that something that you guys have talked about,
03:21 or is that just kind of the way things have shucked out so far?
03:23 I think it's just kind of the way things have been.
03:25 And, I mean, Peyton's come out and been huge for us.
03:28 He struggled a little bit tonight, hitting shots.
03:31 But it's just kind of whoever's on
03:32 and whoever's hitting shots.
03:34 Was there a moment in the game where you kind of noticed,
03:37 made the coaches notice, the threes just weren't falling,
03:40 and you knew a lot of it had to fall on you and Owen
03:43 getting the higher percentage,
03:44 but probably tougher, more physical shots,
03:47 like in the paint?
03:48 They were fouling a bunch,
03:49 so the emphasis was keep being aggressive inside
03:53 and driving the ball and getting to the free throw line.
03:58 We've asked you why you transferred to Iowa,
04:01 but what are your hopes and goals for this year and beyond?
04:06 My main goal is just help this team win
04:08 and, you know, whatever that looks like,
04:10 and just win as many games as we can,
04:12 be as competitive as we can be.
04:15 And, you know, personal goals, play professionally,
04:17 whatever that looks like.
04:19 I'll just keep working my hardest
04:20 and whatever happens, happens.
04:22 I think Patrick said he feels like defensive rebounding
04:26 might kind of make or break your guys' season.
04:28 How much has, like, Fran challenged you in that area?
04:32 Like, where do you feel like you can still kind of improve?
04:35 Yeah, definitely an area of improvement for me
04:37 and the whole team.
04:38 We just got to get out there as a collective group
04:41 and box out and finish possessions.
04:44 We've emphasized that in practice, obviously.
04:46 Still need to work on it a bit.
04:48 - All right, thanks, man.
04:49 - Thanks, man.