Josh Dix Interview 2124
Josh Dix Interview
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00:00 Josh, after a game like what just happened the other night,
00:03 is it kind of hard to bounce back,
00:05 get back to work, focus on the next game?
00:07 No, not really.
00:09 I think we're more excited to bounce back.
00:11 I feel like we just kind of want to get another opportunity
00:13 to go out there and win, so.
00:16 How frustrating are these close losses?
00:18 You were right there with Merwin,
00:19 right there with Indiana.
00:21 Oh, yeah, they're frustrating for sure
00:23 because we know we felt like we should have won that game,
00:25 especially getting down early.
00:26 We can't dig ourselves that kind of hole.
00:29 We felt like we were the better team,
00:30 so, you know, it's frustrating,
00:31 but especially in a league like this
00:33 where it's so tight towards the end,
00:36 we need every wing we could get,
00:37 so it's frustrating a little bit for sure.
00:40 That rebound you got at the end of the game
00:44 that the other guys were down two,
00:46 was that just a situation where you're trying to get it in
00:48 and then just having to bounce the wrong way?
00:50 Yeah, I was falling, so I didn't think
00:52 I had enough time to call a timeout or anything.
00:54 I was kind of already there,
00:55 and I thought Owen was right there.
00:56 I maybe could have got it to him,
00:58 but looking back on it,
00:59 I probably should have just fell out of bounds,
01:01 and we could have played underneath defense
01:03 with 20 seconds on the shot clock down two,
01:05 so we probably should have done that.
01:07 Fran, you guys have lost three times at home,
01:09 Big Ten already.
01:11 Is there a sense of urgency with this game,
01:12 or is this just another one game at a time type mindset?
01:15 I mean, yeah, it's one game at a time,
01:17 but we know that we need to win this game,
01:18 especially with the goals that we have.
01:21 You know, this is an important game.
01:22 We want to win out at home the rest of the year,
01:24 so that's a goal for sure.
01:26 Fran was saying, I guess you got banged up a little bit
01:28 in the Indiana game.
01:30 Just what happened, and how are you doing physically?
01:32 Yeah, I'm doing good.
01:33 I kind of tweaked my ankle in the first half,
01:35 but I felt like I could play through it a little bit,
01:37 so I just tried to do as best as I could, you know,
01:40 and I'm feeling good, though.
01:43 Is there anything between, like, the Maryland game,
01:45 Indiana game was two games that,
01:47 I mean, you guys had to lead late,
01:49 didn't kind of make as many plays as needed to win.
01:52 Was there any similar threads you saw,
01:54 things you guys could change
01:56 to kind of be able to come out with those?
01:58 I mean, I felt like the coaches, you know,
02:00 gave us a good game plan,
02:01 and we kind of knew what they were going to do
02:02 coming down the stretch.
02:04 We just got to be better at stopping it, I feel like.
02:08 What stands out to you about Ohio State?
02:10 Oh, yeah, they have a really good guard play,
02:12 you know, between Thornton, Gale, and Battle.
02:15 They all average around 14 points a game,
02:17 so we're going to have to stop them,
02:19 and then they got a good bigs with Akbar
02:22 and then Zedke off the bench,
02:23 so we're going to have to rebound and push the ball.
02:27 I think I asked you about this before,
02:29 but starting versus coming off the bench,
02:32 Fran said he's thinking for right now
02:33 that you're going to stay in the starting lineup.
02:36 Is that, like, I mean,
02:38 last time I played basketball was high school,
02:39 so I don't know if I can relate right now,
02:42 but, like, I guess it felt like a different mindset
02:45 coming off the bench versus starting.
02:47 Do you feel that, too, or what are your thoughts there?
02:50 Not really.
02:51 You know, I just kind of want to help the team win
02:52 in whatever position I'm put in.
02:54 You know, coming off the bench, I'm cool with that,
02:55 or starting, you know.
02:57 P-Mac, he's been great for us, so, you know,
02:59 just if he starts him, it's cool.
03:01 I'll come off the bench and rock with the second unit,
03:04 but other than that, yeah, it don't really matter to me.
03:06 I just want to win, so.
03:08 You seem like you've been --
03:09 I mean, you've started the last handful of games.
03:10 You've gotten in a rhythm in terms of contributing.
03:13 Just what do you feel like is going well for you right now?
03:16 I feel like my teammates are kind of just fine with me,
03:18 and they trust me to make plays,
03:20 so I just got to kind of go out there and have confidence
03:22 in myself to make plays as well.
03:25 In that same vein, it just kind of seems like you've taken --
03:28 I guess you've moved up a level from where you were last year
03:31 and at the start of the year.
03:33 Is there anything that sparked that this year?
03:35 Is it just your confidence? Is it the way the offseason went?
03:38 Yeah, I feel like just the coaches and my teammates
03:41 kind of just telling me to shoot more and be more aggressive
03:44 and make plays for others and myself, you know,
03:46 that kind of just gave me a lot more confidence
03:48 to just go out there and kind of play my game.
03:51 I know defensive rebounding was something
03:52 that hurt you guys against Indiana.
03:55 I mean, is there anything you guys can do
03:57 to be better on the boards?
03:59 I know obviously they have a seven-footer,
04:01 but can the guards help more,
04:04 or how do you kind of attack that moving forward?
04:06 Oh, yeah, for sure.
04:08 I feel like the guards definitely have to help more.
04:10 We have to get down there and rebound.
04:11 I mean, the bigs are trying their best to box out,
04:13 so we kind of got to go down there and clean up
04:15 and stuff a lot more, but, yeah, I feel like overall,
04:18 our team just got to be a little tougher on the glass,
04:21 because once we get the rebound, we can run,
04:22 and I feel like that's one of our best parts of our team.
04:26 Is there anything in practice,
04:27 rebounding-wise, you can do for that?
04:29 I mean, yeah, we work on it, so it's kind of just us.
04:32 I mean, the coaches, we work on it.
04:33 They tell us what we need to do.
04:35 Like, they tell us it's going to be a physical game,
04:37 so I feel like it's just on us
04:39 that we have to go out there and do it.
04:41 What have you seen Peyton the last two games?
04:43 He's really caught fire from deep.
04:45 What do you see out of him right now?
04:47 I mean, yeah, he's on fire.
04:49 We just got to keep feeding him the ball.
04:51 Every shot he takes, I think, is a good shot.
04:53 I trust him with his instincts and stuff out there,
04:56 so, yeah, we're going to need him down the stretch as well.
05:00 Do you think you can pass him free-throw percentage-wise?
05:02 It's getting pretty close. I don't know.
05:03 I missed one last game, so that kind of gave me a little dip,
05:07 but I don't know. He's a good free-throw shooter,
05:09 so I'm just trying to be a good free-throw shooter.
05:12 Is that the most important part of your game, free-throw?
05:15 In high school, I was just okay.
05:18 I feel like I worked on it a lot here in the summer
05:22 when I came in with Coach Piroc,
05:23 because he felt like I needed to be a better free-throw shooter.
05:26 So, yeah.
05:27 Is that just, like, reps, mental?
05:30 What goes into being a good free-throw shooter?
05:32 Honestly, both, you know, just mental.
05:34 I mean, especially in a place like Indiana,
05:37 you know, the crowd's going crazy
05:38 when you're shooting free-throws,
05:39 just kind of zoning them out and just concentrating,
05:41 but a lot of reps, too.
05:43 Tony and Peyton have both been playing really well lately.
05:46 They're scoring the ball.
05:48 I guess when it comes to games where maybe Ben is struggling,
05:52 oh, and having foul trouble or whatever,
05:54 do you feel, like, called upon to be that third guy
05:58 who can go get a bucket?
05:59 Yeah. I mean, if, you know, they're kind of struggling,
06:02 you know, and we need more scoring,
06:04 I feel like, you know, I can kind of do that sometimes,
06:06 but if, you know, they got a click,
06:08 and, you know, I'm cool with just feeding them
06:10 and, you know, playing defense and stuff like that, so.
06:13 All right. Thanks, Josh.
06:14 Thanks, Josh.
06:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]