Indiana basketball coach Mike Woodson met with the media on Tuesday, a day ahead of the home game against Nebraska. He talked about free throw shooting, growing up as a team and how long he wants to continue coaching.
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00:00 Hey Mike, when it comes to free throws, you guys have done a great job of creating chances
00:06 to get at the line this year.
00:07 I think you're 36th in the country, but obviously not doing a great job when you get there.
00:11 I think bottom 30 in terms of percentage.
00:14 When it comes to the players and their reaction to this, what are you seeing from them?
00:18 Are they pressing too much?
00:20 Are they not taking it seriously enough somewhere in between?
00:23 Where are you seeing that?
00:25 I think they take it serious.
00:27 You know, it's because we shoot them every day, all day in practice, from the beginning
00:34 to the end, the middle.
00:38 It's just a mindset, man.
00:40 I've never seen anything like it in my career.
00:46 I mean, it's just a mindset that these guys just go up and they're free, man.
00:53 I mean, when they give you an opportunity to go score a free bucket or a point, two
01:00 points, you've got to take advantage of it.
01:06 The fact that we've been able to get to the line says a lot about our offense and how
01:15 we've constructed it, trying to play pretty much inside out based on our personnel and
01:20 what we have.
01:24 And we just got to keep working.
01:28 That's all I can say, I mean, in terms of shooting them and getting these guys comfortable,
01:33 man, because tomorrow they're going to be in that same position.
01:37 They're going to get fouled and they got to just step up and make them.
01:42 Mike Dinellis.
01:43 Yeah, Mike, I mean, you know, with the youth you guys have and an experience in terms of
01:48 this stretch, losing three or four, two at home.
01:51 How have you kind of tried to, do you get a sense of their psyche and how they're kind
01:55 of handling it and kind of trying to help them through it?
01:59 Just being kind of something they probably haven't experienced before a lot of these
02:01 kids.
02:02 Well, it's tough.
02:03 You know, I mean, it's my job to help these guys navigate through it.
02:09 I'm trying to stay positive and still have to coach.
02:13 I mean, when you watch film with these guys and you see things that are not right, you
02:19 can't let it slide.
02:20 You have to point it out.
02:22 Films is a teaching tool and, you know, you hope the guys that, you know, they don't take
02:28 it personally, shouldn't take it personally.
02:30 Hell, it's coaching, you know, all coaches do it.
02:32 So, you know, I mean, you know, I look at our first five games, we were four and one
02:39 and the next 10, we were seven and three and these last 10, we're three and seven, you
02:45 know, and you figure if you just added three more games to that mix, you sitting, you know,
02:52 up at the top, not at the top, but you're above the middle going towards the top and
02:59 you're in a good position.
03:00 But right now we're not there.
03:02 So we got six games left and I think we got to win them all.
03:07 I mean, that's just, maybe I'm putting pressure on our guys, but that's the only way I can
03:12 coach.
03:13 You know, we got to take it one game at a time and try to win them all.
03:17 Alex and then Mike Schuman.
03:18 Mike, thanks for the time.
03:19 You know, you've talked at length about the frontcourt being kind of the strength of this
03:24 team this year, but when you kind of look at the rebounding numbers on both ends, I
03:28 think you guys are 10th in offensive rebounding percentage and defensive rebounding percentage
03:33 of Big 10 games.
03:35 What maybe is not happening kind of on the glass that needs to happen and how have you
03:39 guys tried to address that?
03:41 Well, you know, we work on blockout drills pretty much every day.
03:46 We, you know, we don't send four guys to the rim because I'm a big believer.
03:52 You know, you can send three, but trying to send four and then having balance coming back
03:58 the other way from a defensive standpoint, I've always thought it hurts you.
04:03 So you know, I mean, from an offensive standpoint, I think our three bigs, they just got to be
04:09 more active and going to the glass, you know, Malik, especially because he doesn't get a
04:16 lot of putbacks and we don't get them as a team.
04:20 And then defensively, all five guys.
04:24 I mean, we've gotten worked out, worked.
04:27 I mean, the last game, I mean, second chance shots, 50/50 balls, you know, they were the
04:35 difference and when we're doing the right things and getting 50/50 balls and blocking
04:40 out and rebounding, when we rebound with teams, we're normally pretty good and we put ourselves
04:46 in a nice position to win.
04:48 But again, on the other night, it was the 50/50 balls and the second chance opportunities
04:54 that we gave up along with the missed free throws that caused us, I thought.
04:59 Mike the Mason.
05:00 Yeah, good morning, coach.
05:02 Obviously, you've been around this game a long time, seen a number of different teams.
05:07 What's your theory on, you know, can a team become a good free throw shooting team or
05:11 is that something that if it's important to you as a staff, it's going to have to be emphasized
05:16 in recruiting?
05:17 Well, I mean, it's, you know, I look at, you know, McKenzie, he's probably our best free
05:24 throw shooter.
05:25 You know, I mean, Gabe is not a bad free throw shooter from there.
05:29 It's not real good.
05:33 And it's not like these guys got bad strokes.
05:35 You know, I mean, Malik's shot is a good shot.
05:39 The big fellow where is a good shot.
05:42 You know, Gallo shots, not that it's not tore up.
05:44 You know, I mean, none of these guys shots that tore up.
05:47 So I look at it just from a mental standpoint, man.
05:50 I mean, you can't be scared to step up there.
05:55 I mean, it's a part of basketball.
05:59 It's been that way from the beginning of the time.
06:02 So you know, all I can do is keep preaching.
06:05 You know, if their shots were tore up, then that's different.
06:09 I mean, then you got to work on the mechanics and do a lot of different things in that area.
06:14 But they don't have bad shots.
06:18 So it's between the ears to me.
06:20 You know, we just got to get these guys comfortable in making them because it's a big part of
06:26 the game.
06:27 And you should punish teams when they put you in that position.
06:33 Mason then Jack.
06:34 Mike, thanks for your time this morning.
06:36 I think last night you said that Gabe Cubs played one of his better games of the season
06:41 in defending Boo Boo in Northwestern.
06:43 Kind of when you look back at his season this year and what's next for him, kind of what
06:47 do you see as the next steps of his development?
06:50 Well, again, you know, he's been thrown to the to the wolves basically as a freshman,
06:58 you know, and I recruited Gabe.
07:01 You know, the deal was, you know, we would everybody thought Jalen wouldn't be a one
07:07 and done.
07:08 That was the whole deal.
07:10 And you had X and you knew Gabe would come in and probably be a third point guard behind
07:16 two really two veteran guys, you know, Jalen being a sophomore now.
07:22 And you know, we when we knew Jalen was leaving, we desperately tried to find a backup point
07:30 guard or starting point guard to go along with Xavier.
07:36 And Gallo.
07:38 So we we explored, we talked to different guys and and guys went to different, you know,
07:45 with other places based on.
07:48 They thought that was a better fit.
07:50 So, you know, we basically came into this season hoping like hell that X didn't get
07:55 hurt and.
07:59 And.
08:00 Gabe would get an opportunity to learn slowly, but that hasn't been the case.
08:06 He's been thrown right out there.
08:08 And I think he's had a good freshman season, man, I may consider it.
08:13 You know, he hadn't shot shot the ball very well, but the other night he made two threes
08:19 and defensively, I think he's been solid from day one.
08:23 I mean, and in trying to deal, especially in the big 10 with every team's point guard
08:29 is pretty damn good.
08:31 And he's pretty much held his own from a defensive standpoint.
08:34 I thought the other night against Boo Boy, I mean, he's been one of the hottest point
08:39 guards in the league and the whole day.
08:41 Young man, three from 14 shooting and some of the different times down the floor where
08:47 we he was able to keep him in front, which has been a task for a lot of teams.
08:51 I was really impressed with that.
08:55 Jack and then Tom.
08:56 Mike, you've talked a lot about this season, just the team playing well in spurts, but
09:01 not being able to, you know, put a full game together.
09:04 I guess.
09:05 Why do you think that's been the case and kind of what do you feel like you can do at
09:07 this point of the season to get them to kind of sustain a full 40 minute game when they've
09:12 shown that they can play at a high level, you know, in spurts?
09:15 Well, again, you look at I think the best game we played to me was the Kansas game.
09:22 And then we we dropped the ball the last three, four minutes of that game.
09:27 So I mean, we've proven we can play at a high level.
09:33 You know, we just you just got to keep working, man.
09:36 Look, I think the reason why we're you know, we're dropping the ball a lot of times is
09:43 just not used to being there.
09:46 You know, I mean, the newness of our team.
09:51 A lot of these guys, you know, my job is to try to put them in the best position possible.
09:58 And, you know, you try to go to guys that you think that can deliver.
10:03 And you know, it's a mixture of things not making shots, not making free throws, critical
10:10 turnovers at critical times, not getting a key rebound.
10:17 You know, all of that is is just newness, I think.
10:22 This team the last two years didn't do that a lot of times.
10:25 I mean, we were able to if we jumped on the team, we were able to sustain it and and play
10:31 it all the way to the end and and not playing spurts like we've had this had to do this
10:37 season.
10:38 And I just like to think as you know, as the years go by and we continue to grow, if we're
10:45 able to keep everybody together, you won't have that.
10:50 But you know, we got six games left.
10:54 You know, and it starts tomorrow.
10:55 I mean, this is a big game for our team and in terms of really staying in the hunt and
11:02 trying to move the other way versus going the other way.
11:05 Tom, last one.
11:07 Mike, in 2024 here, you and I both turned 66 years old, and I know how my mindset kind
11:13 of works.
11:14 I'm kind of curious about how yours works.
11:16 Like, do you think at all in the few minutes of off time you have as to how much longer
11:22 you want to do this?
11:23 Well, again, I'm a you know, I came back to try to put this team in the best position
11:29 possible and you know, I'm going to continue to do that.
11:34 I mean, I'm I'm not I'm 60, almost 66, but I feel good and I still move around and I
11:42 think I still think well, in terms of the game and I still think I can teach the game.
11:48 So I don't know.
11:49 I mean, there are coaches that are coaching into their 70s and you know, I don't know
11:54 if that's something I'll do.
11:56 I don't know.
11:57 You know, but at this point, I'll take it a day at a time, a year at a time.
12:02 I'm not going anywhere anytime soon, guys.
12:04 I'm just not.
12:05 So I'm going to continue to build this team and and try to put this team in the best position
12:10 possible and see where it leads us.