WATCH! Rodney Terry, Dillon Mitchell, and Max Abmas Discuss Their Win Over TCU
After defeating No. 25 TCU 77-66, Texas head coach Rodney Terry and players Dillon Mitchell and Max Abmas discuss the game.
Transcript
00:00 >> Thanks for joining us.
00:01 You're a lovely man.
00:02 >> No, you're good.
00:03 You're good.
00:03 You're good.
00:04 That's all you need to know.
00:05 >> [LAUGH] >> Max A Smith moved into the 14th,
00:10 13th spot on the NCAA scoring list, past Danny Maynard today.
00:15 Coach Terry will open up with a quick comment.
00:17 We'll take questions from the players first.
00:19 Then we'll get to Rocky.
00:20 Coach?
00:21 >> Okay, now the Big 12 contest, man.
00:25 Again, Jamie's got a great team.
00:27 He's done a great job all year long.
00:28 A lot of respect for him and his program here.
00:30 Congratulations to Kimridge.
00:34 I think it is, Williams got inducted today and had his jersey retired today.
00:39 Got a chance to compete against him when I was at Fresno State in the NIT season.
00:44 I think the season they won the championship and stuff.
00:46 Really, this player, a really good player.
00:49 Again, happy for him getting his jersey retired today.
00:54 But these guys right next to me, man, they're the ones, they earned this today.
00:58 It wasn't easy coming into the hostile environment.
01:01 Great crowd today.
01:02 These guys came and competed at a very high level.
01:05 I challenged them all week to be aggressive in everything that we're doing and
01:10 to have a great edge about themselves the remainder of the season.
01:14 And we did that today on a home court of a team that we respect a lot.
01:20 That's a really good team.
01:22 >> Questions from the players, please, Eric.
01:24 >> Quick, second straight game where you had an excellent stretch to close out
01:29 the game, can you take a look at a sequence where you got two straight
01:31 offenses and rebounds, it was 57-57, you get the bucket, and then you get 59-57.
01:36 And then get your hands in the lane, just talk us through that sequence.
01:39 >> I think it's just about playing with a motor.
01:41 That's my identity.
01:43 Rebounding the defense, so I started off a little slow, had a lot of turnovers.
01:47 But I made sure to keep my head up.
01:50 I know the team needs me to win games.
01:51 Team, we all need each other.
01:53 We gotta play together.
01:53 So just staying focused and knowing my identity was, and
01:57 continuing to attack the glass, I mean,
01:59 that's one of our biggest things is the rebounding battle.
02:01 The games we lost, we lost the rebounding battle.
02:03 The games we won, we won the rebounding battle.
02:05 So I think for our team, that's what it comes down to.
02:07 So just playing with a motor every time I step out there.
02:09 >> Max, you're I think 3 of 11 for eight points, for like three misses on the game.
02:16 What got you going down the stretch, and
02:19 how did you not get frustrated with having the first part of the game win?
02:22 >> I mean, just understanding it's a long game.
02:25 The first half, didn't make too many shots.
02:27 Also, didn't begin the second, but I mean, really just staying with it.
02:30 Continuing to make the right play, and I was able to get to the free throw line a
02:33 little bit, kind of get me going and see the ball going a little bit.
02:36 >> This question's for both Dylan and Max.
02:42 With Kendall in the starting lineup, is there just kind of a feeling of need to
02:45 bring a defensive intensity, have to throw a ball from all the way up there?
02:50 >> I mean, Kendall's been big for us all year.
02:52 And whether Kendall's starting or coming off the bench,
02:55 he's gonna bring that defensive energy, intense, and crash the glass.
03:02 So we feed off his energy, and he's been big for us this year.
03:07 >> I mean, yeah, like Max said, we tend to feed off each other's energy.
03:10 When one guy's coming out with that physical mindset, just playing hard,
03:13 the whole team feeds off it.
03:15 And then it's over when you got five guys playing together,
03:18 playing hard with that physical mindset.
03:20 And the main thing is having that defensive mindset.
03:23 So that's something Kendall brings for us every night.
03:25 He plays hard every night.
03:26 There's never a time we gotta question his motor.
03:28 And that's just something he brings to the team that we need.
03:31 >> Mitch, when did you know that Max is heating up?
03:37 Was there a moment down that stretch, you're like, all right,
03:39 he's kind of got his stroke going?
03:41 >> I think probably, you never know with Max, man, I don't know.
03:45 I don't know where, but I know when he had that and one late in the game,
03:48 I think it was tied or something, he had that and one.
03:51 That's when I kind of could see it, it's starting to click for him.
03:54 And then we try to draw up a couple of plays to get him going.
03:56 But for Max, he's just a player that go get to himself.
03:59 You don't really gotta draw none up.
04:00 So I just think he had that first three and I was like, all right.
04:04 Even if he feels like he had a slow game, Max, he's gonna finish the game.
04:07 He's gonna play hard till the buzzer goes off.
04:09 So it was just about trusting him.
04:11 That's always there with our team.
04:12 >> Any else with points?
04:15 Thank you, gentlemen.
04:16 Questions for coach?
04:19 Here, go ahead.
04:21 >> Archie, after the stretch, they went 14-4,
04:24 seeing that team's really locked in defensively.
04:28 Did you notice a heightened sense of urgency as far as their defensive play?
04:34 >> Is that 14-4 for them, you mean?
04:36 >> 14-4, they went 14-4.
04:38 >> Start the game?
04:39 Yeah, I mean, I always tell our guys, whether you start the game, good start,
04:43 it's 40 minutes.
04:44 We gotta settle in, we gotta work the game.
04:47 We gotta value taking care of the ball.
04:49 We gotta get more physical.
04:51 And that was the message.
04:53 I mean, no one's gonna, I always said that, guys,
04:55 no one's gonna knock anybody out in the first four minutes.
04:58 We're in the big 12.
04:59 You gotta play this thing to the bone, we call it to the bone.
05:01 Play it all the way to the end, right?
05:03 And we just gotta work the game.
05:05 We gotta settle in and we gotta play.
05:07 We gotta sit down, can't give them anything easy in transition.
05:11 And just work the game.
05:12 >> Coach, was there a moment down the stretch, like what I asked you, Mitch,
05:17 when you thought, okay, Max is starting to get going now.
05:20 He's had a slow game.
05:22 >> I thought that a couple times already.
05:24 I'm ready to set, so I wanna get him going myself.
05:26 [LAUGH] I'm like, hey man, we gotta have you get involved in this game and
05:30 start scoring the ball for us.
05:31 But we called his number a couple of times on a couple of great looks.
05:35 One time we got him right downhill to the basket.
05:37 I thought he had a great opportunity to shoot the ball, but he got downhill.
05:40 I came back, ran a different set, and got another great look.
05:45 A look we'll take all day, every day.
05:48 And he didn't make it, but we need to get him going.
05:50 We need to get him involved.
05:51 We need to get him a shot or two where he got a chance to get a good look.
05:55 And I think from that point on, he always just plays the right way,
05:59 plays to win.
06:00 Max is a special player, special kid, on the court, off the court.
06:06 And he passed it great today.
06:09 He passed Danny Manning.
06:10 So he's gonna go down as one of the greatest to the point as well.
06:15 But love Max and love how he just can reach to win.
06:20 >> Go ahead, sir.
06:21 >> Ronnie, you pressured TC's guards a lot defensively,
06:25 brought that pressure out to the court a lot of the day.
06:27 How important was that to your defensive game plan to disrupt what TC wanted to do
06:31 in the first half?
06:32 >> Coach McClain does a great job with our defense.
06:35 Frank Hayden does a great job with our offense.
06:38 And obviously our support staff does a great job with everything else in terms
06:41 of our game plan.
06:43 But when you come into this game, we want to be aggressive.
06:47 And the start of the game, they got a lot of points in the paint.
06:51 A lot of it was in pick and roll.
06:52 They're a big pick and roll team.
06:53 But we watch a lot of tape, we prepare too in terms of preparation.
06:59 And I wish they came in this building, did a great job with their pressure in pick
07:05 and roll, and thought it'd be really good for us as well.
07:08 I didn't think that their guards, they're good players, but
07:11 I didn't think that they held the pressure very well in their pick and
07:14 roll situations and stuff.
07:17 >> Two last ones for coach.
07:18 Eric. >> Archie, just piggybacking off of that
07:20 question, how much of what you're trying to do defensively starts with the guards
07:23 and the perimeter?
07:25 >> What continue to get better as the season goes.
07:29 A one on one defense, sitting down trying to stay in front of guys.
07:32 Pick and roll defense, we work on it every single day in terms of trying to improve
07:37 and get better with our tags, high tags, low tags.
07:41 Not giving guys positions where they get airspace at the rim.
07:47 We got better, we got better.
07:49 And a lot of times guys try to switch off, even in the Houston game,
07:53 they try to switch off and get Max in a one on one situation.
07:56 Max got better defensively.
07:58 He sat down and guarded shit one on one and made sure that ball almost.
08:03 So we're getting better.
08:05 We still got work to do, but proud of my guys effort.
08:08 >> Thomas, last one.
08:09 >> Coach, what was the thought process in starting Kendall and
08:12 how do you think the team responded to him in starting line up?
08:15 >> Kendall's been a star in his role all year.
08:17 He plays winning basketball, big time competitor.
08:22 He's earned the opportunity and right to have a chance to start games for us.
08:26 He's always in the game at closing time for us.
08:29 But he's earned the right to have an opportunity to be out there when
08:32 the game starts.
08:33 And every guy understood that.
08:36 They understood that and they accepted that and I thought embraced it.
08:41 >> Thank you all, appreciate it.