Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:10 Well, it was not very disappointing.
00:14 We lead for
00:16 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:19 All the 0.06 seconds.
00:21 [INAUDIBLE]
00:24 And yeah, we didn't deserve to win the game, they deserved to win the game.
00:28 We made plays and it's hard to say where our defense was.
00:32 We pulled up to 24 and 10 the first half.
00:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:39 We made three threes the whole game.
00:41 It's just such a shame for me.
00:44 I mean, I.
00:45 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:52 The crowd was unbelievable.
00:54 [BLANK_AUDIO]
00:57 It's almost like these players, sometimes they expect everybody to get to them.
01:03 They gotta get something back.
01:05 Well, we didn't do that.
01:08 And I didn't, they didn't, and that was disappointing.
01:10 [BLANK_AUDIO]
01:12 Trying not to win many games if our two shooters go, what did they go, six for 24?
01:18 [BLANK_AUDIO]
01:26 Both of them struggled.
01:27 I thought Booker did a nice job, I thought Cohen played okay.
01:33 It was our veterans.
01:34 We didn't rebound the ball.
01:36 We didn't make wide open shots.
01:40 That can get frustrating.
01:43 We only turned it over ten times before in the last minute.
01:48 So I had a lot of fun watching the dude find out what I think went wrong.
01:53 So probably the less said the better for me.
01:56 I'll answer any question you got.
01:58 [BLANK_AUDIO]
02:00 >> Tom, on defense, you had a second half, what changed a lot?
02:03 What did you do?
02:05 >> Well, I thought Devin Royal, who hasn't been playing much,
02:10 really hurt us.
02:11 He gets 14 points there.
02:13 I just thought that sometimes guys let their offense dictate their defense.
02:21 And we didn't do as good a job.
02:24 I thought AJ did a hell of a job on Thornton.
02:27 And even though Gale only went three for ten, he gets offensive rebounds and
02:32 gets fouls and gets free throws, goes six for six.
02:35 And I mean, if you look at their stats other than Royal,
02:41 they're not very good.
02:44 And yet they shoot 37-17 and we lose at home.
02:50 You know, Rebondy was part of it, not being able to line it up is part of it.
02:55 Best shooters not being able to make shots was part of it.
02:58 Probably I didn't do a good enough job coaching them was part of it.
03:02 And give them credit.
03:04 And I'm 13 and 12 and they didn't quit, so give them credit.
03:10 >> Tom, I know you always focus on accountability for your teams and
03:13 yourself.
03:14 You even mentioned last week with the change that this program went through.
03:17 How much of an X factor is it when they're up, they have a big win against
03:21 Purdue, they come in like that, it's almost like some new blood.
03:24 How much of an X factor can that be in running to a team a couple weeks out or
03:28 something like that?
03:30 >> I don't think any, I really don't.
03:32 I just think when you got three seniors that have been through the worst,
03:36 that shouldn't have anything to do with it.
03:40 I mean, we're playing for a lot too.
03:43 We're at home playing in front of a crowd that was so good.
03:47 And in between ripping me and us, which they would be deserved.
03:56 At least thank them because they did their job a lot better than I did mine.
04:00 But I really don't think I did anything to do it.
04:05 Sure, they won a game, they went to Minnesota and lost.
04:08 Everybody's beaten somebody this year.
04:12 It was more about us than it was about them.
04:15 And in my mind, and it's kind of shown 37, 17.
04:19 I mean, those aren't very good numbers and they still won.
04:23 >> I'm wondering about the decision with Booker in the second half,
04:29 put him on a bench with 15.
04:31 They started attacking you guys inside and
04:33 did you have three blocks at that point?
04:35 What changed with him out for you guys?
04:40 >> Well, they were running, those guards are running off ball screens and
04:43 we just didn't think he was available to do things as some of our veterans.
04:49 And just a coaching decision we made.
04:53 I love what Booker did, he did a lot of good things.
04:56 And but there were some things that he didn't see that he didn't do,
05:01 coverages.
05:02 And so that's the only thing that changed.
05:08 He did have some blocks, he did have some things and given credit for that.
05:14 But at the same time, we struggled to rebound the ball,
05:21 they were getting rebounds in there.
05:23 And then he blocked a shot, but there's nothing bad.
05:27 Everything about Booker I thought was good.
05:29 >> You heavily emphasized more offensive intensity after Tuesday.
05:35 Despite the outcome, did you see a lot of growth and improvement in that area?
05:38 >> I saw some, I thought there was a lot of loose balls we didn't get,
05:42 a lot of balls in the front.
05:44 We didn't get, like I said, we had two guys that really struggled.
05:50 And when you struggle that much shooting the ball, it affects all of your game.
05:55 I didn't think we guarded as well with those guys either.
05:58 But the numbers show that we're somewhat better defensively.
06:07 >> Jayden's been talking a lot over the last few weeks about playing desperate.
06:12 And tonight it just seemed like you guys didn't really-
06:14 >> I thought he played desperate.
06:16 I mean, taking the ball in there,
06:18 doing things that desperate doesn't mean out of control.
06:23 But go ahead, I'm sorry.
06:24 >> No, no, you're good.
06:25 But that's kind of what I wanted to get into.
06:26 It wasn't until that 7-0 swing in the second half where it really seemed like
06:31 everyone on the floor was at that desperation point.
06:34 I guess, did you see that or am I- >> No,
06:37 I didn't think we were desperate enough the whole game, to tell you the truth.
06:41 I didn't think, I mean, our defense was pretty good and we were doing some things.
06:44 But we weren't making shots ever.
06:47 The whole game we had wide open, we were tied about three at the end,
06:52 wide open threes.
06:53 We didn't make any of them.
06:57 So I don't know if that's desperate.
06:59 I think people don't play as desperate now.
07:02 They're more worried about their own games.
07:05 Desperate means you're worried about the team.
07:07 And I didn't think we were, I didn't think every loose ball,
07:13 it's been one of our problems.
07:15 I didn't think we got a lot of those loose balls.
07:17 I mean, we were down at halftime by a good amount.
07:21 So desperate, you would seven minute mark.
07:25 I don't think we changed the rebounding much.
07:29 But we missed some great shots.
07:32 And hard to do that and you can't score 60 points at home.
07:36 That's never happened, I don't think, in a long time.
07:39 So.
07:39 >> Tyson, I think, took his first shot, I wanna say 12 minutes in, maybe.
07:46 Goes 25 to 15.
07:48 Were they guarding him well?
07:49 Do you think it was just a hard line for him?
07:50 Was it a combination?
07:51 >> No, I think he was frustrated with that.
07:54 But sure it wasn't the calls.
07:55 I mean, yeah, when you're one of the better players, you're gonna get defended.
08:02 I thought AJ did a hell of a job on Thornton.
08:05 He gets two breakaways cuz of the turnovers we have.
08:08 Other than that, he goes two for 11.
08:11 So Ty's gotta realize that people are gonna come at him more.
08:14 They're gonna double him.
08:16 He's gonna come off ball screens.
08:17 They're gonna do things.
08:18 For some reason tonight I thought it really frustrated him, but maybe not.
08:23 But like I said, if my two shooters shoot that way, we're not gonna,
08:32 nobody's gonna win games with that.
08:35 Your defense can't carry you so far.
08:37 >> Tom, one of the narratives on this team is that they've been somewhat feast or
08:42 famine throughout the year.
08:43 How much would you say you agree with that sentiment?
08:45 >> I don't know where the feast has been.
08:53 I mean, I don't think any game I felt like we, God,
08:59 I shouldn't say any, but not enough games we put our foot on their throat.
09:06 I don't think we've done a great job of that.
09:10 AJ said we're not finishing very well, and he's right.
09:14 So I don't know if it's feast or famine.
09:16 I really don't, but we'll,
09:20 I'm just gonna have to look at the film and see.
09:28 Some of the things we did, I just thought were mind boggling to me.
09:31 And it's under my tutelage, so I'm gonna figure it out.
09:36 >> Tom, I know in the Big Ten, anybody can win anywhere.
09:43 But you had two games here in Harlem.
09:46 How do you stop the bleeding, seeing with your remaining games that are coming up?
09:50 And would you rather have another game this week, or
09:53 do you think the team needs a week off?
09:56 >> Yeah, I told you about the basketball gods, the basketball gods.
09:59 We've been going on a pretty tough schedule, right?
10:02 And now this week, we get five or six days between games, and it's spring break.
10:07 You think that's good, it's not good.
10:12 I mean, last week I gave them two days off just because I thought they were so
10:16 worn down.
10:17 So your question was what I'm saying?
10:21 >> Just how do you stop the bleeding, getting ready to go into Mackey?
10:25 I mean, I know you- >> Play 80, stop the bleeding that way.
10:28 This is one time I'm gonna say,
10:33 they've gotta figure some things out too.
10:40 We had a really good couple days of practice.
10:43 And early on, when we missed some shots, guys' heads just went down.
10:47 I mean, to be honest with you, that's ridiculous.
10:51 And so we'll meet with them, we'll talk to them, we'll work at it.
10:56 But they gotta make some decisions too.
10:58 And it's a day and age, we're not allowed to blame anybody else.
11:02 So I'll take all the blame, but players gotta make some decisions.
11:06 We had enough good shots, we had enough chances to get a rebound.
11:14 And we didn't do that, and we did a good job.
11:20 >> Tom, last they played without Davis in battle.
11:23 >> Yeah, I think that helped them.
11:25 I know that sounds stupid, but last year they played with a great player,
11:29 the best player.
11:31 And I warned my staff about that.
11:35 And I thought Gale did a lot more, was a lot more active.
11:39 I should say it helped them, but I don't know who I would play as much.
11:45 In fact, he wouldn't have, they were pretty much a four.
11:50 I thought they went to Oak Park a little bit more.
11:53 So give Jay credit, he did a good job of that.
11:57 And but you never know, sometimes, I swear when I get into a game,
12:01 somebody's missing a player, I don't find out the way to play the game.
12:05 That's never a good thing from my standpoint.
12:08 And yet, I do appreciate that that was a good player.
12:13 But I don't look at it like, what if they had a battle, they'd have beaten me by 15.
12:16 I really don't.
12:18 >> Well, what I wanna ask is that they had some guys step up that weren't expecting,
12:22 I'm sure, coming in this morning.
12:24 What does it take for a player to get to this stage of the season to be able to say,
12:27 okay, this guy's not playing, I need to give more than I'm given at any point?
12:31 How does a player do that at this point in the season?
12:34 >> Man, I know when I was a player, that would have been a dream come true.
12:38 You never hope somebody else gets hurt or somebody else is sick.
12:42 But I remember one time when a freshman coach that I had said,
12:49 don't worry about why you get the opportunity,
12:51 just make sure you take advantage of the opportunity.
12:54 And he was Wayne Jones, who coached at UD and all over.
12:58 It's a pretty good point, some guys do that, some guys don't.
13:05 And I just thought that they had a couple guys, give them a lot of credit.
13:10 They really stepped up, but if you look at the rest of their stats,
13:14 they're not very good either, and neither are ours.
13:18 >> We saw Amadi was a little more comfortable on the bench today.
13:23 How did the change that you moved to the bench affect you from a confidence
13:27 standpoint?
13:28 >> Here's the deal on that so you know.
13:30 I mean, some of you are gonna be so incredibly,
13:33 most of you have gone to every practice every week since I started the season.
13:40 One time, right, most of you.
13:42 And you saw what book was like.
13:44 I think it was Tyson Walker said to me two days ago,
13:47 man, he's improved in two weeks.
13:49 So the easy thing for a writer to do is say, why didn't you play him more?
13:55 Why didn't you do this?
13:56 And trust me when I say book knows exactly what's going on.
14:02 I spent hours with book, hours, and
14:06 helped him tell me what he was feeling and what he thinks he wasn't ready for and was.
14:13 And we did it because we thought the matchup at center was more his size,
14:19 compared to some of these beasts that we've played against.
14:24 And so that has something to do with it.
14:26 And you don't wanna put a guy in there and he gets crushed.
14:29 And then the confidence goes to hell.
14:31 But we'll be able to build on this with Monty.
14:34 Doesn't mean we've got a strange situation the next game,
14:39 because you've got a guy that is so big and they go to so often.
14:43 So we'll have to make some decisions.
14:46 But I'm really proud of Monty.
14:49 I mean, he gave an interview to somebody in here, Jay Wright, who was at the game.
14:55 It was one of the best interviews you've ever heard.
14:58 Cuz he didn't complain, didn't do this and that, explained things very well.
15:04 And I think there's an advantage to letting you guys come to practice.
15:08 If you really come there to look and watch and not gossip and talk,
15:11 you'd see what he could and couldn't do.
15:15 And he is getting better.
15:16 And that's what should happen.
15:18 Just like it did to Draymond at the end of the season, and
15:21 just like it did to Xavier Tillman.
15:24 I mean, guys, that's what the process is.
15:27 So we're gonna continue to grow with him.
15:31 He's gonna be a superstar next year.
15:33 I really believe that.
15:34 He'll get bigger and stronger.
15:35 And play more physical and
15:39 hopefully we'll make some progress still this year.
15:42 What we got left.
15:45 >> Early in the season, you had mentioned that leadership was kind of concerned
15:49 whether or not this group is prepared for that type of responsibility.
15:54 Sounds like we're still seeing that a little bit now at this point.
15:58 How, I guess, concerning is it that that is still an issue with guys that have been
16:02 here and done that?
16:04 And is it salvageable at this point?
16:05 >> Well, it's not.
16:06 Being a leader doesn't mean that you're experienced and
16:10 that you're experienced guys that couldn't lead the way out of a bathroom.
16:16 I mean, just because you're experienced, that doesn't mean you're a leader.
16:21 Leadership is something that we're all craving for.
16:24 We're all looking for leadership is something that is within.
16:28 I mean, you have to take care of yourself and you have to take care of others.
16:32 That's what leaders do.
16:34 And there's not a lot of people.
16:35 And I said, I told you I thought COVID hurt that because we all siloed in on
16:39 ourselves.
16:40 I'm not gonna sit here and tell you that our leadership is very good, but
16:44 I told you the same thing at the beginning.
16:47 I hope nobody thought I was gonna give somebody a shot and
16:50 all of a sudden they became a leader, cuz that doesn't happen.
16:55 There's some great players that default that were great players and
16:59 not great leaders.
17:01 There's another guy that's not a great player, maybe, but he's a great leader.
17:05 And that's the problem.
17:07 But I don't know if that had anything to do with tonight.
17:12 I thought, put a lot on AJ and I was really,
17:16 I really was pleased with AJ for the most part.
17:20 I'd like to see him rebound a little bit better.
17:23 But he played damn good defense on a very good player, I'm talking.
17:27 He went four for eight, he went for one for three, and nine points,
17:33 four assists, one turnover, block shot.
17:36 I thought AJ played pretty well.
17:40 We're just not very strong in that.
17:42 That's something, just our size.
17:44 They go inside and get fouled, we go inside and they call it a block.
17:49 I was a little disappointed in that with the officiating too, but
17:53 that's the way it goes when the basketball gods get you.
17:56 >> Got a couple more, starting with Steven.
17:58 >> I don't know if this is too sudden, but I'm just wondering,
18:01 did you hear a player voice in the locker room after you lost two straight home
18:04 games late in the year?
18:05 Did that let you know, like, they have a sense of-
18:09 >> No, of course not.
18:09 >> What's the opportunity as well as- >> No,
18:11 I mean, everybody's pretty down about it.
18:14 Thank God we got a week in a way, but no, no, no.
18:19 I mean, and that's not totally abnormal.
18:22 First one, yes.
18:24 The second one, I mean, guys led the whole game and were stunned with a,
18:28 I don't know, anybody know what kind of shot that was?
18:32 I mean, was it open?
18:34 >> No, it wasn't there.
18:35 >> I don't know what you're talking about.
18:37 >> It was just falling away kind of, I didn't really see it.
18:41 Refs that I thought were average got in the way of mine, so I didn't see it.
18:46 But no, there was nobody, I think everybody was pretty down,
18:54 which can be a positive too, it should be down.
18:57 I don't remember losing two games in a row and
19:02 I don't know, Matthew, no.
19:06 >> I can't think of a time.
19:08 >> So I'm gonna have to figure out how to change that.
19:15 And just disappointing that we would shoot as poorly as we shot.
19:22 I mean, Ty had that one in the corner, he's had two in the corner,
19:25 but nobody near him.
19:26 Just gonna hope those go in.
19:29 If they don't go in, you don't win.
19:33 If they do go in, all of a sudden you're up.
19:35 Bokeh had one halfway down, would have put us up, I think, 12 or 11.
19:40 I had a couple that would have put us up 7 or 8.
19:44 Game changes a lot.
19:46 And we didn't do a very good job at the end.
19:50 We kind of figured and knew what they'd go to, and they went to it.
19:56 A little bit of a blown coverage,
19:59 Marty had doubled the low post a couple times earlier.
20:05 And then he got that follow, which was half a phantom.
20:07 And then the last time he just didn't go.
20:09 And AJ, when you're one on one with a guy, it sure wasn't his fault.
20:14 So they deserve the win.
20:19 >> How much does this one sting compared to some other losses this year,
20:23 especially with this one being at the buzzer, basically?
20:25 [BLANK_AUDIO]
20:35 >> I would say this one stings about as much as any loss I've had in eight or
20:40 ten years.
20:40 I just felt like we practiced well enough to really play well.
20:47 I didn't care who they had.
20:50 I was more worried about us than them.
20:52 And we didn't.
20:55 And so, end of the day, as always is,
21:00 I have to take the responsibility for that.
21:05 And I just gotta make sure I watch the film and
21:08 know everything I'm talking about before I do it.
21:12 But I'll do it, and I'll watch it tonight, and I'll try to figure it out.
21:19 But nobody tried to miss shots.
21:22 The crowd tried hard to keep us in it.
21:27 I mean, they were so damn good.
21:30 I just feel bad.
21:32 I am different than a player.
21:35 I do feel like I play for all the people.
21:39 I play for 600,000 alums.
21:42 I play for every player that ever played here.
21:46 And I'm saddened to think that I don't see enough players doing that this day and
21:52 age, and I do feel bad about that.
21:55 But times are changing, and things are changing, and
21:59 just part of the new world.
22:01 But I'll look at that, try to figure it out, so whatever.
22:07 >> One final one.
22:08 >> Yes. >> I'm just wondering about the other
22:10 days, kind of what you saw from Coups and
22:14 Kohler, it seemed like there were moments of good play and
22:18 some defensive lapses.
22:19 >> Yeah, that's exactly right.
22:22 And with Kohler and Xavier, we got more offense.
22:28 Motty was by far the best rebounder of the bunch.
22:32 I don't know what he ended up with, but he got his hands on a lot of them.
22:36 He gets six in 15 minutes.
22:39 He's by far the best rebounder.
22:42 And did a good job defensively in a lot of ways,
22:47 except maybe for that last one.
22:48 But I didn't think Coup was quite as good as he's been,
22:54 and defensively, or rebounding.
22:59 And I should check and see before I say it.
23:02 I thought Jackson played okay.
23:04 I thought Jackson played okay.
23:07 I mean, Coup had nothing but a foul and a turnover.
23:11 Didn't get a rebound in.
23:14 But maybe it's hard to do that in seven, eight minutes.
23:17 I don't know.
23:20 But I thought in some ways we tried to rotate the guys to get what we could get
23:24 out of the guys for what we're missing.
23:28 And the rebounding was hurting us.
23:32 And that's why we did what we did.
23:35 >> I'll say it, guys.
23:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]