Louisville HC Kenny Payne Postgame Presser vs. Virginia (1/27/24)
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00:00 Coming into the game, I knew we were playing a good team,
00:05 Virginia team, well coached, very disciplined in what they do.
00:10 Don't change much in how they play.
00:13 Offensively, they do a couple things and they do it over and over and
00:16 over again with great pace, great energy, and great focus.
00:21 Defensively, they play pack line defense.
00:25 If you don't move the ball, if you don't run offense hard,
00:28 there are things about the way they play defensively that will stymie you.
00:33 And I am disappointed that we went over this two or three, four days in a row.
00:40 And we came out and didn't play the way we needed to play to start this game.
00:46 The way that we practiced, the way that we watched film,
00:49 the way that we studied them, it didn't translate to the game.
00:54 And they came out and pretty much handled me with us all over the court.
01:01 Questions?
01:05 >> Can you talk about the preparation?
01:07 Just with there being so many slow starts in a row, just wondering,
01:11 when you think about this disconnect, is there anything that you
01:15 point to for there being such a disconnect between the way that you see
01:20 practice and a pair versus the way they've been playing to start the games?
01:26 >> I just think that it hadn't been every game that we started out slow.
01:32 I think there's been a few games, the Duke game,
01:34 we played pretty good to start the game.
01:37 But also, the disconnect is how vital this team has to play defensively.
01:44 It's vital they have to play together.
01:46 It's vital they have to fight.
01:48 20 points or so, I think in the first half, they got in the paint.
01:53 16, 22 points in the paint.
01:57 You can't beat them when they're playing like that.
01:59 We have to control the game better defensively.
02:02 And then we gotta share the ball.
02:04 We can't hold the ball.
02:05 We can't play with the ball before we attack the lane.
02:08 When our offense is good, the ball is moving and we're getting downhill.
02:12 When our offense is bad, we got guys trying to play one on one.
02:15 It's really that simple.
02:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]
02:20 >> The three ACC games they have lost on the road,
02:22 the teams that beat them made like ten threes or more.
02:25 You guys didn't really take that many threes.
02:27 Was that intentional or they didn't allow them or what happened?
02:31 >> I just think that for our team, Rick, for our team,
02:36 our threes are gonna come off penetration.
02:39 If the ball stays on the perimeter and we shoot a three,
02:43 that means we didn't bring down the defense.
02:45 We're a better shooting team when the ball gets in the lane.
02:49 Ball movement first, we move the defense, we get it, we attack it.
02:53 Ball screen or something, we get down in the lane, the defense sucks in,
02:57 we make a pass, that gets us the three.
02:59 When we're really good offensively, we do the same thing.
03:04 That person gets the pass, he doesn't shoot it, he passes it,
03:09 he passes it, and we get a second lane touch.
03:12 The numbers show that we are a very efficient offensive team when we get one
03:17 or more lane touches, two or more lane touches, we're really, really good.
03:20 >> You guys have been showing improvement game by game, and
03:26 you have a first half like tonight.
03:28 How do you keep that from dragging them back?
03:31 How do you bring them back?
03:32 >> Great question.
03:34 We talk about it, we watch for him, we see where our breakdowns are.
03:41 Some of it is a mindset, we can't let this be a thing that keeps happening.
03:46 We can't let this, because you're right, we have made progress.
03:49 It hadn't shown in the win-loss column, but
03:54 we are a better team than we were a month ago, two months ago.
03:58 But we have to make sure that whatever this is, I haven't given up on these guys.
04:04 These guys haven't given up on themselves.
04:06 We gotta continue to fight, we gotta be focused.
04:09 We gotta know that we gotta fix this defense.
04:13 And a lot of it's effort, anticipation, and talk.
04:16 >> Well, Kenny, I guess I was gonna ask about the defense,
04:20 if it was more technical compared to effort.
04:23 So I guess if it is the effort issue, how do you approach it?
04:25 How do you go about it?
04:26 How do you try to fix those issues if it isn't effort?
04:30 >> So it's more than just the effort.
04:32 It's the ability to talk and communicate.
04:36 If two guys go to one, one of them should have talked to the other one.
04:39 So that we don't have this disconnect.
04:41 So when I say effort, I'm also including in that communication.
04:47 So it's not the effort to want to or to do it.
04:50 It's I'm overthinking and I see something happens and for a second,
04:54 this guy look like he's open.
04:56 And I don't say switch, and then two people run to one.
04:59 We have to communicate with each other.
05:01 We have to be in the stands.
05:03 We have to make sure that when guys go to the basket, we're there to help.
05:07 Not just opening up the basket when we're there and the guys coming at us and
05:12 we jump.
05:13 And then in the air we jump sideways and we leave the basket open and
05:16 make a layup, things like that.
05:18 >> Kenny, obviously this season's been an emotional toll on you.
05:21 For games like this, just simply don't go for it, you're away from the start.
05:25 What do you do yourself to kind of overcome the adversity?
05:28 And what will your response to this be like in just an emotional aspect?
05:35 >> I know the guys wanna do well.
05:37 That's your question, that's a great question.
05:39 For me, just keep plugging away.
05:43 We're gonna keep fighting, we're gonna keep plugging away,
05:45 we're gonna keep pushing them.
05:47 We're gonna keep loving them.
05:48 I love this team, I love these kids.
05:50 I think they can figure it out.
05:53 I think they've gotten better.
05:55 I'm in no way discouraged.
05:57 I'm embarrassed because I don't wanna lose.
06:01 I don't want them to lose.
06:02 I want them to succeed.
06:03 I want them to overcome their barriers.
06:06 I want them to overcome their fears.
06:08 And a lot of this is, they gotta get through it.
06:12 So you gotta go through it.
06:14 It's not gonna be easy.
06:15 We've had a lot of quote unquote bad luck.
06:21 We don't have Dennis Evans.
06:22 We don't have JJ Treanor, who's a starter after 10 and 6.
06:26 Look, there's been a lot of things that have happened that, but
06:29 that's not an excuse for us going out and trying to win games and
06:33 playing to win and playing winning basketball.
06:35 >> Yeah, I just wonder in terms of halftime, you're down 41-13,
06:40 you were down by 30.
06:41 Was it just you that talked or did any players sort of rally the guys or
06:48 talk to the guys saying it was not acceptable?
06:50 >> I think Mike James was emotional in the locker room
06:55 before the coaches came in.
06:58 Look, we need more than Mike James.
07:02 We need all the guys emotional.
07:04 We need all the guys balling.
07:06 We need all the guys challenging each other to be better so
07:11 that we, one player can't do this by themselves.
07:14 We're not that type of team.
07:16 We need guys to be maxed out or close to maxed out with their effort,
07:21 their energy, their focus.
07:23 You can't have a bunch of guys having bad games on the same day playing in the ACC.
07:27 You just can't.
07:30 >> Kenny, when you guys do have that bad first half,
07:33 are you saying anything at halftime or making adjustments in the second half to
07:36 make sure that those guys that sometimes haven't done the best with adversity in
07:40 situations like that, that don't make it go from bad to worse?
07:43 >> No question we are and I am.
07:44 I'm trying to make the adjustment, okay, you're not understanding maybe we go to
07:50 a different type of offense where we move the ball first for a while and
07:54 then we do something different.
07:56 Defensively, we may have to go more zone.
07:59 I'm throwing everything I can on the wall.
08:02 I'm trying to challenge guys to be better.
08:04 Example, how can a Trey White play 28 minutes and no rebounds?
08:14 Trey, we can't win.
08:16 You have to have a better game for this team to win.
08:19 You are one of our better players, one of our best players.
08:23 You can't have these type of games.
08:25 You have to make an impact on the winning and losing of our team.
08:29 We need you to make the impact on winning.
08:30 >> Coach, you played these guys already this season, so second meeting.
08:37 They're very different though with minor and
08:39 be kind of given the minutes at the five.
08:41 What are the ways that they've changed?
08:44 >> I think they're more athletic.
08:45 I think they're stronger around the basket, more physical.
08:48 Minor brings them, going into the game,
08:51 I think he had more offensive rebounds than defensive rebounds.
08:56 He sets great screens, he gets in the gap and he can finish around the basket.
09:00 They're just in tune.
09:05 Today they were as good as I've seen them play.
09:07 They were sharp.
09:09 They ran their offense just about to perfection.
09:14 And the second that we broke down, if they ran their offense for
09:19 25 seconds and we broke down at the 12 second mark,
09:23 it came and showed up when it got to 20 seconds.
09:26 Because we was constantly trying to make up for the mistakes.
09:28 >> With Manny coming back from his injury today, I'm just wondering if there's any
09:35 reason that you didn't put him in the first half, he came in late in the second,
09:38 and just get your thoughts on how he looked first game back in a while.
09:41 >> I thought he did a good job.
09:42 I want Manny to be able to be comfortable on the court, to know what we're doing,
09:48 to watch a little bit and then make the adjustment.
09:53 And so, but on the flip side of that, I need Brandon to be dominant.
09:58 When Brandon Hadfield is dominant, our team, he gives us more time.
10:03 He gives us some wiggle room, some rope to play with, so
10:06 that the other guys can see it and adjust to it.
10:08 >> All right, thank you.
10:10 >> Thank you.