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00:00 >> Yeah, Kenny, we can start with an update on a trade and manual.
00:03 Obviously, Wednesday before the game that you thought that Trey was close to
00:08 getting back to playing.
00:10 Do you think that that'll be the case on Saturday?
00:12 >> I hope that's the case.
00:13 If we practice, it'll be his first day, if he can make it through practicing.
00:19 So we'll see.
00:21 I hope he's able to go.
00:23 He's worked hard to get back, so we'll see.
00:28 >> Kenny, I think I know your answer before I even ask this question, but
00:31 such a long season, you want to get somewhere you're not anywhere near there.
00:34 But for one second in that locker room the other night,
00:38 did you get a chance to take in that win?
00:42 And does that help feed the guys moving forward as far as
00:46 tasting a little bit of success?
00:48 >> I hope so.
00:49 For me, the thing was get a pulse of where they are.
00:55 So when the game was over and I go in the locker room, what did it feel like?
01:00 What does this feel like?
01:02 Because you deserve this, you've earned this.
01:05 You wanna go out and fight and you compete and you get these results.
01:10 And if you do it consistently, you'll win more consistently.
01:14 And we were two starters down.
01:16 You just gotta earn it.
01:19 >> As a follow up, when you look at video,
01:23 you've seen different things after a game.
01:26 There were a lot of good in that game, but
01:27 there's still a lot of things to learn from.
01:29 What did you take out of some of the things you need to work on still?
01:32 >> The biggest thing for me was in the half court, we were really good defensively.
01:37 Sometimes we made baskets and we celebrated, and
01:42 they rushed the ball up in transition baskets.
01:45 There were times when, numerous times, where we scored and
01:52 they came right back and scored because we didn't get back on defense.
01:56 So transition defense was one.
01:58 When we're in the half court, for the most part, we did a really good job of being in
02:02 gaps and defending and making things hard, which has been a theme of ours,
02:06 if we can get people in the half court and not let them get transition baskets.
02:10 So that was number one.
02:12 And then the more that we attack and share the ball, we're hard to deal with.
02:19 The more we settle, we're sort of easy to defend.
02:22 >> Kenny, one thing that definitely stood out in that Miami game was just the energy,
02:27 the effort, guys really playing to win.
02:30 How much, I guess, has the message been like, okay, we've seen what you can do.
02:34 How much has it been a point of emphasis that you need that for 40 minutes?
02:38 And again, good things can happen.
02:40 >> From day one, it's been a point of emphasis.
02:43 I think when you look at our games, the Kentucky game,
02:47 the Virginia Tech game, and even Virginia game.
02:52 You look at those games and when you break it down and look at the film,
02:56 you see it's not ten minutes.
02:58 It's three minutes spurts of bad play that leads to a 10-0 run or
03:03 a six-point game going to a 15-point game.
03:08 That's what this has been, and I'm trying to get them to understand if you play
03:11 together, if you play smart, what happens is you put the pressure on them.
03:16 And you don't give them these runs at critical junctures that it's hard to dig
03:21 yourself out of that hole.
03:22 >> Kenny, Mike James has obviously been playing at another level these last
03:26 couple games.
03:27 One, is it possible to bottle his production?
03:29 And does the team kind of feed off of his type of production and
03:33 maybe try to help their game as well?
03:35 >> I think so.
03:35 I think all the guys respect Mike.
03:38 I know they do for the simple fact that he's not caught up into any of the things
03:44 that most young people are caught up in.
03:46 And what I mean by that, Mike doesn't care what position he played.
03:50 He's played the two, he's played the three, he's played the four.
03:54 And there are guys on that court on his team that are taller than him, and
03:58 he's still, and if I tell him to play the five, all right, coach,
04:01 just tell me, I'll figure it out.
04:03 That's the type player he is.
04:04 You need players like that.
04:07 If you got three, four, five, six of those guys,
04:10 now you're talking about a special team.
04:13 He is the ultimate professional,
04:15 a team guy that his spirit propels us, and he's a leader.
04:21 >> Kenny, from the outside, Wednesday night felt like a shock.
04:28 But from the inside, could you see that coming?
04:31 >> From the inside, I can say again that we've shown in spurts that we are capable.
04:41 Now, have we shown in spurts that we can let go of the rope or
04:46 we can make mistakes that lead to losses?
04:49 Yes, we can beat anybody, but we can be beat by anybody.
04:53 And that's, I gotta get us more consistent.
04:58 That's my job.
04:59 And I'm constantly talking about it, and what does it look like?
05:04 Well, it looks like on defense we cover for each other.
05:08 It looks like on offense we play for each other.
05:11 And we take pride in a guy playing together.
05:13 And we play with a spirit that puts the other team on their heels.
05:19 We play with a spirit where we're fighting every single second for a win.
05:23 We're not just playing to get numbers or playing to get a shot.
05:27 We're playing to win the game.
05:29 And if we do that and do that together, we give ourselves a fighting chance.
05:32 >> Kenny, you mentioned the runs that can tend to get away.
05:37 I think there were two in that Miami game where you guys punched back.
05:39 You were down by eight before halftime, cut to four.
05:42 And then I think you were down by about eight or
05:44 nine early in the second half and got it down.
05:46 What did you see in those two segments that maybe your guys haven't shown you in
05:50 the other runs that got away to cause those games to be losses?
05:55 >> Well, the first thing, the body language of the guys were,
05:58 we can play with these guys, they believe.
06:02 The chemistry and the fight and the way they talk to each other on the court.
06:09 All right, guys, we gotta do this.
06:10 We're gonna trap from here.
06:11 We're gonna go do this.
06:12 We're gonna rotate over here.
06:13 They were talking to each other.
06:15 There wasn't as much uncertainty on the court or doubt on the court.
06:20 Regardless of the win or loss, that was a fight to win the game.
06:26 And that's all I can ask them to do is fight to win the game.
06:29 >> Kenny, as you transition and look to tomorrow's game,
06:33 how do you take a win like this and tell your team as well that
06:37 while a win like this is huge, you do have to turn your attention to the following
06:40 one and take that momentum moving forward as well?
06:44 >> I think the first thing is know that you're playing a team that's
06:47 a very good team as well.
06:49 Probably one of the most physical teams that we've played.
06:52 They are tough.
06:54 They play with energy.
06:55 They're very good in transition.
06:58 They have a big guy that everybody is trapping no matter where he's catching it.
07:03 And we have to deal with him.
07:06 But we have tasted what it feels like to fight in a situation where
07:12 you're not quote unquote from the outside looking in,
07:17 you're not supposed to win.
07:20 Well, let's build on that.
07:23 And I'm not saying we wanna lose.
07:25 I'm saying that same energy that we fought to win,
07:28 bring that tomorrow in your house and you'll give yourself a chance to win.
07:32 >> Going back to the game on Wednesday,
07:37 in starting Hersey, was that something that you saw based on how he had been
07:43 playing in practice or was it more so things that you weren't getting out of Tyler?
07:48 >> Wasn't really about Tyler or more about Hersey as I say this guys and
07:56 I don't know sometimes if y'all really believe it or not.
08:00 If you got a jersey on your back, I'm good putting you in the game.
08:05 Because you are not taking second backseat to any player on this team.
08:10 If you got a jersey on your back, I just need you to go in the game and fight.
08:14 You do that, you can help us.
08:16 Just it can be two minutes, it can be one minute.
08:19 Go in that game and be solid and fight for us.
08:21 And that's what Hersey did.
08:24 And I'm proud of Hersey and let's see if he can build on it.
08:27 I don't know yet what I'm gonna do with the lineup.
08:30 But I rewarded the kid for hard work.
08:34 That's the way this should go.
08:35 >> Kenny, what did it feel like for you to finally be able to win a game on
08:41 the road, especially against a good team like Miami?
08:43 >> For me, it's hard to answer that question.
08:48 My thoughts, my process of how I digest the game was more about the players.
08:56 It was all about them.
08:57 I said it last week, I think.
09:00 The wins belong to them, the losses belong to me.
09:03 That's what this job is.
09:05 And so for me, it was more about having them, watching them celebrate.
09:10 Watching them see their hard work pay off.
09:13 Watching them understand I'm holding some of you accountable,
09:16 all of you accountable.
09:18 And I know sometimes it seems like it's hard, you don't like it.
09:23 But at the end of the day, I love you, and
09:25 I'm doing this to make you better players and also better people.
09:28 >> Kenny, on paper, it almost seems like you guys have had
09:36 your better performances away from here.
09:39 Do you sense any kind of freedom on the road or looseness from the guys,
09:45 and maybe a little bit more tense or something here?
09:48 Have you noticed any tangible difference?
09:51 >> I haven't.
09:53 I believe that we have to earn respect.
09:57 And that was my message before the Miami game.
10:01 Guys, you have to earn respect from yourself, from your teammates,
10:07 from the referees, from the opponent, from your fans.
10:11 You have to earn respect, and it's not just on you.
10:15 I have to do the same thing.
10:16 Every coaching staff member has to do the same thing.
10:19 People aren't just giving us respect.
10:22 And it's a shame to say this, but not even our own fans.
10:26 We have to earn that, and that's okay.
10:29 That's what makes this program great.
10:31 It's built on players and programs and teams that have earned respect from their
10:36 own, and I want this team to do the same.
10:39 >> Kenny, you mentioned you can feel like you can beat anybody and
10:43 get beat by anybody.
10:44 Coach Keats said the same thing earlier in the week about his team.
10:47 What do you see with them, it looks like they've got a couple really good on
10:50 ball defenders, four in double figures, and
10:53 they kind of rotate those big guys, don't they?
10:55 >> They're very active.
10:57 They're tough defensively.
10:59 They press.
10:59 They create turnovers out of their press.
11:02 We're gonna have to handle it.
11:04 He does a great job of coaching them and helping them play with confidence.
11:10 They're a good team.
11:12 They can beat anybody, like you said.
11:15 So we have to come in and match and enhance their intensity and
11:20 play harder than them and fight harder than them and see what happens.
11:25 We have to play together.
11:26 We have to take care of the ball.
11:27 We're gonna have to defend at a high level, and we're gonna have to take good
11:32 shots and have some good stuff happen for us offensively.
11:35 >> Kenny, I think your guys' content team put out a video of you saying,
11:41 I believe in you guys, you have to believe before the Miami game.
11:44 And that's a message you say often, but
11:46 did you feel like in that moment in time before that game,
11:49 it was particularly needed for those guys to hear it and motivate them a little bit?
11:54 >> I feel like every time I say it is needed.
11:57 I try not to say things that I don't, it's not one moment bigger than the other.
12:03 I go into every game believing that we're gonna win.
12:09 I need them to believe.
12:10 And not just believe, I need them to go out and fight to win.
12:15 And then see what happens.
12:16 You don't know if you're gonna win or lose until you win or lose.
12:19 So I need you to go into the game and believe that you can win and
12:22 know how hard it's gonna be.
12:25 Who would ever think that two guys starting that hadn't started
12:29 pretty much all year can come in, we're down on men, and
12:34 we come out with a win playing that way.
12:37 It just goes to show if you believe and you fight, you got a fight chance.
12:41 >> Kenny, what's your relationship like with Coach Keats?
12:46 Did you ever recruit any of his guys when he was back at Hargrave or
12:49 anything like that?
12:51 >> Not really, we're close, we're good friends.
12:54 He was one of the first people when I got the job here
12:58 that talked to me about being a head coach, being an African American head coach.
13:07 The challenges that you're gonna face, so
13:11 he's a friend, very well respected in the business.
13:15 Knows what it takes to win.
13:18 And as a fraternity of coaches, we have to stick together and
13:24 he's one of the people that has done a good job of being a friend with me and
13:29 hopefully I've been the same to him.
13:30 I respect what he does, I respect how his teams play.
13:36 He's a good coach and he's a good friend.
13:37 >> Last one.
13:38 >> Yeah, having a game like Wednesday, I mean what your players do,
13:44 I soak it up, but how have you seen them maybe keep a level head?
13:50 Is that something that they've been able to do?
13:52 Just considering how big of a moment it was,
13:56 have you seen them keeping focused and not trying to dwell too much in the past?
14:01 >> Well, for me, when the game was over, the game was over, it's on to the next.
14:08 For them, I want them to relish for a moment, relish in what that felt like.
14:15 Relish in Mike James, what did it feel like?
14:18 Scott Clark, take the turnovers out, six rebounds, four, five,
14:22 six assists, winning basketball.
14:26 I saw you get in the stands and move your feet and fight to get a win.
14:31 Relish in that.
14:32 And then know that tomorrow, for example, yesterday, bring that same energy.
14:40 And then the following day, which is today, bring that same energy.
14:44 And then tomorrow, be ready for a war knowing you have to bring that same energy.
14:49 And let's build on this.
14:51 And building on it is playing a certain way to win the game.
14:56 And not playing selfish and not playing tentative, it's playing aggressive,
15:01 confident, and playing to win.
15:04 >> All right, thank you.