• last year
Oklahoma coach Porter Moser talks to the media ahead of the Sooners' game at No. 9 Baylor on Feb. 12, 2024.
Transcript
00:00 >> I know we've asked you this a lot, but it's been a couple days since Saturday.
00:04 What not only has been the takeaway from that win since watching film, but
00:07 what are the takeaways going into tomorrow night?
00:10 >> Finding a way to win through a lot of adversity,
00:13 through a lot of ups and downs in the game.
00:15 There were a lot of ups and downs in that game, a lot of adversity in that game.
00:19 And just to find a way to win, I mean, that's what you take away.
00:24 I think for our guys to think we're three and
00:27 one in those close games down the stretch, and to keep building confidence.
00:32 Sometimes it's not pretty.
00:33 Sometimes things aren't going your way, whether it's a bad call,
00:37 a missed free throw, a missed shot, a turnover.
00:40 But there's a million ways to find ways to win these games.
00:43 And that's what we took out of our guys.
00:45 Hey, put that in the bank, you found a way to win.
00:47 That's a positive, the belief that no matter what happens,
00:50 there's a million ways to find ways to win by the end of that buzzer.
00:55 >> You don't have any time to celebrate that though,
00:57 because you only have two days to get ready for a game.
01:00 Can you kind of walk us through what that's like for a basketball team today?
01:03 >> It's Saturday, late Saturdays, Tuesday turnarounds, especially on the road.
01:11 I mean, it was all day, first time around playing Baylor this year,
01:14 it was all day prepping.
01:14 They got a lot of new faces.
01:16 And so yesterday was so much about prepping for Baylor.
01:22 You work out today, you leave.
01:24 And just so much respect for Baylor and how they do things.
01:28 They do so many things well to prepare for them.
01:33 Defensively, they're always switching up.
01:34 They're switching up their ball screen coverages.
01:36 They're switching up their zone.
01:38 They press offensively.
01:41 There's so much movement, creativity.
01:43 And then they keep surrounding themselves with elite guards.
01:46 You think, you sit there scratching your head going, man,
01:49 they lose Flagler, George, and Cryer.
01:52 There's no way they can be as good.
01:54 And all of a sudden you come up with Walters, Nunn, and Ray J.
01:57 Dennis, and those three are elite guards.
02:01 And Langston Love off the bench is elite.
02:03 So they just have great guards.
02:05 I think Bridges, I mean, he really hurt us last year.
02:09 Ton of respect for him is how hard he plays, how skilled he is.
02:13 They completely load up with new bigs.
02:16 I think Missy is, and we talked about the freshman league and
02:20 I didn't even follow it that he was a freshman until I saw it.
02:23 I'm like, my gosh.
02:25 So he's terrific.
02:27 It gives them a defensive and an offensive dynamic.
02:29 So a lot to go into prepping for Baylor on a short turnaround,
02:33 especially of how good we think they are.
02:35 >> You mentioned Luke after the game Saturday.
02:38 Have you seen it grow since then?
02:40 >> Absolutely.
02:42 What I loved about Luke is we've seen him come in with a tremendous confidence,
02:46 like at Kansas, he came in.
02:47 And then we've seen him where he hasn't played, which is more normal.
02:51 Sometimes guys come in and they're trying to find their feet.
02:54 We really are pouring into the loop that right away,
02:56 know that the team's got confidence in you to shoot it.
02:59 We even like him on the block.
03:01 I mean, he drew three fouls last game.
03:03 We like his passing ability, he had three assists.
03:07 So just the loop that has that confidence to come in there,
03:12 cuz we're gonna need him and we're gonna play him.
03:13 >> What does that do with maybe lineup flexibility in terms of whether it's him
03:17 and the five or Jalen and him together or John or Sam?
03:20 Just how much does that give you extra lineup flexibility?
03:22 >> It does help, it does help.
03:24 Anytime you can get another player stepping up that you feel that at this time
03:28 of year can play, because so many teams are old.
03:34 These atmospheres are really, really good.
03:37 The teams are outstanding.
03:39 So do we have more guys that you have confidence in that is gonna embrace
03:43 that moment, I think Luke is at that point.
03:45 >> You guys have won twice on the road this year in the Big 12.
03:48 What's it gonna take to get a road win in Waco?
03:51 >> Just resiliency and grit, resiliency to keep fighting through hard.
03:56 There's gonna be a lot of hard moments on the road,
03:59 a lot of hard moments playing these elite teams.
04:02 And your resiliency to fight through hard,
04:03 the resiliency to continue to guard, box out, run, meaning transition.
04:10 So a lot of grit, I mean, you're gonna go in there, it's another,
04:14 I haven't been in the new arena, but I've seen it on tape and very, very loud.
04:19 So you gotta have resiliency and grit and
04:23 a togetherness when you're trying to battle on the road in this league.
04:26 >> Los mentioned offensively things got stagnant.
04:29 What's the, I guess, recipe to just fixing that?
04:33 >> Just movement, just not of, sometimes a lot of us, they look to,
04:37 JV on Los, and there's just to get movement.
04:41 I've really worked on the last couple of days, like yesterday we did.
04:44 Just getting some more ball movement.
04:46 It's hard because you do want the ball in JV on Los's hands.
04:49 So it's a trick in there.
04:51 And but, and also the thing is not to continue to transition.
04:56 I think we're at our best in transition.
04:57 So sometimes I think they weren't, we weren't pushing it in a close game.
05:04 And I wanna stay aggressive with the guys.
05:06 That's been the message, just keep staying aggressive.
05:09 >> If I remember correctly, Los only took five shots.
05:12 >> Yeah. >> It seems like he can score or
05:15 he gets going when he wants to score.
05:17 You encourage him to take- >> Yeah, like against BYU,
05:20 they were playing such a drop coverage that he went in and was aggressive scoring.
05:24 No, I definitely, scoring for him is, he's such a good facilitator.
05:29 He's not a selfish kid.
05:31 But there's times where I want him to be more aggressive scoring, so definitely.
05:34 >> What have you seen from Waldo these last four weeks?
05:37 >> Man, I've seen just a young man who plays with an urgency,
05:42 plays with an edge, plays with an enthusiasm.
05:45 It's been contagious with him because his mind is so
05:50 right coming off the bench just absolutely defending,
05:56 running, impacting, he's been a vocal leader.
06:01 And the guys can tell that he's playing with urgency,
06:04 that he's in his final two months of college basketball.
06:08 And what I love is he's not doing it pressing.
06:12 Sometimes guys get that moment they press, like, this is my final thing,
06:15 I gotta do everything.
06:16 He's not, he's just got a joy with his urgency, and that's a great combination.
06:22 Joy and urgency, cuz sometimes you can have tightness and an urgency.
06:27 He's just got this joy and urgency, and he's playing loose, and
06:29 he's playing great.
06:30 >> Can you talk about those veteran guys, but like Waldo, Latre, as seniors,
06:35 just what kind of steadying presence do they have just with their experience?
06:39 >> They both made little plays that don't show up in the box court.
06:42 I've said two games in a row, Latre made some 50-50 rebounds that came out of
06:46 a pack with a big time.
06:48 Waldo got that poke at the end of the game.
06:49 Just veteran plays to keep playing through things.
06:52 And like I said, there's a million ways to win games, and to find ways,
06:56 whether it's deflection, a rebound, a 50-50 ball, a screen, and a right execution.
07:02 Those guys have been in that moment.
07:04 >> What's your take on just where Baylor's at right now?
07:07 They went through a three-game losing streak earlier, then won some, and
07:10 then they're coming off the loss in Lawrence.
07:13 >> I think when you look at any team in this league,
07:15 any team that goes on a three-game losing streak, there's no reason to panic.
07:19 Doesn't mean that, it just easily can happen, all right?
07:22 So I don't even think like, they went on a losing streak.
07:27 They've been elite, they're tough games.
07:29 They're tough games, they lost one on the road at Texas at the buzzer.
07:33 I mean, these are tough games.
07:34 They lost, I don't know how many overtimes a TSU game.
07:37 So I don't put anything into anybody going on a couple game losing
07:42 streaks in this league, it's what it is.
07:44 Everything is hard.
07:45 We know how good they are.
07:47 I mean, they are good on both ends.
07:49 Defensively, offensively, extremely well coached.
07:53 So we gotta be ready.
07:55 We gotta be ready to bring it.
07:57 We gotta play to a high standard going into Baylor.
08:00 >> [INAUDIBLE]
08:09 >> It was great.
08:09 I actually, I almost never look, this might be a first.
08:14 I almost never look at how many blocked shots we have.
08:17 We just simply haven't been that team.
08:19 And for some reason, I was like, man, I felt like we blocked a lot from our guards.
08:23 And I went, we had nine.
08:24 We had nine blocked shots last game.
08:26 I don't even know if that could be a high for us.
08:29 But it's coming from our wings.
08:31 Jalen and Waldo and Otega, I think they all got a blocked shot.
08:35 And that means he's not quitting on plays.
08:39 He's coming, the guy drives by him, he's not quitting on it, he's not fouling.
08:42 But I just think that he's getting his, I think him and Waldo and
08:47 the Trey and Otega can be bigger wings, outstanding defenders
08:52 that can create some turnovers with either a blocked shot, a deflection, pressure.
08:57 So I think Jalen gives you that with his length and I think,
09:03 it also, even if, it's like any shot blocker, a big.
09:06 A lot of times when a big, you know a big can block, it might affect you.
09:09 You might not get the blocked shot, but it affects you.
09:11 I think that's starting to happen with Jalen.
09:12 Excuse me.
09:13 People are starting to realize, at the end there, he might get it.
09:18 He's really timing them up very well.
09:21 >> Reporters around this time last year, rumors about Notre Dame.
09:25 >> I don't even, anytime I hear a question that starts out with last year,
09:29 it makes me want to end this.
09:31 >> But now there's rumors, reports circulating about you.
09:36 >> I haven't talked to anybody, not even thinking about anything.
09:38 I'm just absolutely not even engaging into anything like that, 100%.
09:44 So excited about where we're at with the team.
09:45 This is everything we've tried to build for, is being in this position.
09:48 And same time as last year, all rumor,
09:54 mutt mill fodder, nothing, nothing true.
09:56 >> Do you have a game plan if one of your players fouls out on the bench again?
10:01 This time?
10:01 >> Yes.
10:02 >> [LAUGH]
10:04 >> Thanks Porter.