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00:00 >> Yeah, first of all, I'd just like to thank all the fans that came out for
00:04 the season opener.
00:06 And I think I put something out there on Twitter, but
00:09 I just wanted to verbalize that.
00:12 I mean, I preach a lot of gratitude in our program and
00:15 very gracious for all those fans that backed us through all the turmoil and
00:20 where we're at right now.
00:22 And it was a special, special evening for me.
00:25 There's a lot of anxiety and a lot of buildup to that day one and
00:30 that first official game.
00:32 But the great sense of relief as a coach when you finally get that first win,
00:37 that was special and I had a lot of family in town.
00:41 And so to all those fans that came out and supported us on game one and
00:46 all the students and the maniacs and everybody's involved,
00:51 the administration, players, thank you.
00:54 That meant a lot to me, so, but glad it's over.
00:58 >> [LAUGH] >> Glad it's over, game one's in the books
01:03 and got that monkey off our back in terms of getting game one.
01:08 So now we move on to game two and it's certainly gonna be another challenge,
01:13 especially with a shorthanded roster.
01:15 So Monmouth's a good team.
01:17 King Rice, we've seen him a couple times there in his tenure with Monmouth.
01:23 Saw him in 2018, saw him in 2014 for opener.
01:27 So they got a scrappy bunch.
01:31 They got a bunch that wants to get up in you and take things away and
01:36 really try to create havoc and turnovers.
01:38 And they got a couple guys between Jack Collins and
01:42 Xander Rice that are putting up a lot of shots that can really score it.
01:45 So we got another challenge on our hands and
01:49 trying to do everything we can to help our legs.
01:54 And we've played a lot of minutes and
01:56 a lot of guys played a lot of minutes that typically don't play that many minutes.
01:59 So we've been really mindful of that, playing three games in eight days with
02:03 a short bench and trying to do as much as we can, learning on film and
02:07 getting prepared to take on that challenge on Friday night.
02:10 >> Coach, after seeing the film of game one,
02:16 what was the final evaluation there, things that you saw?
02:19 >> Offensively, I mean, I was worried there.
02:23 We shot 14% in the first half and
02:25 everybody thought I had some profound words of wisdom at halftime.
02:30 And more than anything, I just had a heart to heart with them and said, guys,
02:36 it can't get any worse than this in terms of the way we shot it.
02:39 And we talked a lot about trust and trust in the process,
02:44 trust in the system, trust in each other.
02:47 And they didn't get a lot of reps, that first group together.
02:53 And so I understand that there probably was a little some trust issues and
02:58 people being in the right spot.
03:00 But I think we cleaned a lot of that up on film.
03:04 And once we started doing the little things and
03:07 being in the right spacing in the second half,
03:10 it didn't take much to where we really turned it offensively.
03:15 And coming out of the gate, I think that the first play out of the gate was
03:19 probably our most executed play of the night.
03:22 And it came down to one really good screen.
03:25 And I told those guys yesterday,
03:28 one of the most underrated parts of the game of basketball is a good solid screen.
03:33 And that got Seth open by setting a good solid screen and he stepped out and
03:36 made a shot.
03:37 >> You mentioned the shortened depth, obviously you know that.
03:42 And you've talked about this before, but
03:43 do you have to adjust practice even and keep their legs?
03:48 >> Yeah, I mean, I gotta read the room in a lot of ways.
03:50 I mean, yesterday we had a couple things on our starting five that
03:56 were bothering guys, just nagging injuries, nothing you can't play through.
04:00 But it's gonna certainly affect your performance if you don't take care of
04:04 them the right way.
04:05 So yeah, I've been more mindful about not getting up and down as much.
04:11 And we spent a lot more time in the film room.
04:14 And the film room is a great teaching tool.
04:17 So we tried to do as much as that as we could.
04:21 Not only self-scouting our game and putting Missouri State to bed and
04:27 trying to fix all that we can fix by watching that film.
04:31 But also moving into our next opponent with Monmouth and
04:36 getting prepared for them as well.
04:38 >> Josh, you were out shooting with subs.
04:39 It looked like you were, particularly with Jesse and Kobe, before media timeouts,
04:44 you were getting them out to get them a little extra rest.
04:46 How do you work that?
04:47 >> We talked about, I have a lot of trust and faith in our staff.
04:52 And those guys talk collectively.
04:55 And I found out as a head coach,
04:57 you can't control as much as you think you can control.
05:01 So if you try to, you're probably gonna do a bad job in some form or fashion.
05:05 So the more we have communication prior to and a game plan prior to,
05:11 and we're all on the same page, I totally trust those guys in making
05:16 the rotations substitution wise, without me having to put
05:21 all that much energy and thought into it in game.
05:27 So we talk about it, we have a game plan.
05:29 Doesn't mean the game plan always happens the way you anticipate it to.
05:34 But I certainly have a lot of faith in my assistants to make those decisions.
05:39 >> It looked like you were mindful though,
05:40 before media timeouts to try to maybe steal an extra minute.
05:43 >> Yeah, that was part of the strategy.
05:45 I mean, if you can get a dead ball, whether it be 30,
05:48 40 seconds before a media timeout, why not get that extra rest when you do that?
05:53 No, there was a couple of instances where we had some sets and
05:57 some plays in place that I probably wouldn't have run had there been some,
06:03 certain guys on the floor that came in after the fact that kind of ruined
06:08 a couple of sets and a lot of it comes down to communication.
06:12 And we talked a lot in the last couple of days about doing a lot better job of
06:16 communication coming out of timeouts to where if there is somebody coming in,
06:20 we gotta have those player huddles and everybody's on the same page.
06:23 Because those are just as important, those player huddles as they are
06:29 with the coach during a media timeout, for instance.
06:32 >> One other thing, there's a zone part of that function too.
06:36 I know you use it as a change up or maybe, but
06:38 to help with your guys with their legs, this zone?
06:40 >> Yeah, we had to.
06:42 We had to try to maintain fresh legs, but
06:46 we also did to change the game of some sort too.
06:50 And sometimes when you're chasing guys all over defensively,
06:54 you don't have nearly the offensive production either.
06:57 So yeah, I think I might have got a little too creative there.
07:02 Late in the game to where I thought we were all on the same page.
07:07 I found out different.
07:09 So there's some guys open that I thought maybe we could stretch that to 12,
07:14 15 point lead and smooth sailing out the end.
07:17 But we made some mistakes defensively and
07:20 especially with communication and knowing what we were in.
07:23 >> Meet all five playing zone, right?
07:25 >> It helps, certainly helps when we're all on the same page.
07:28 >> What did you learn from the first game that you didn't know or
07:32 suspected but you weren't sure of?
07:35 >> That's a good question.
07:38 [BLANK_AUDIO]
07:44 I didn't well, there's some things I was pleasantly surprised with.
07:49 I thought the game was called really well.
07:52 I mean, I thought Jesse did an excellent job of staying out of foul trouble.
07:58 He's starting to surprise me a lot better with what he can do on the perimeter in
08:03 terms of guarding.
08:04 I know the thing with Kobe and Seth and
08:10 those guys that played limited minutes off the bench over the years.
08:14 I think there's a learning curve in terms of playing that many minutes and
08:19 coming right out of the gate and being productive.
08:21 I had my suspicions that they were gonna sag back on Jesse and
08:27 double team Jesse, and I think that's gonna happen all year.
08:29 I didn't know they were just gonna invite some of our guards to just beat them and
08:36 shoot us out of their defense.
08:40 So I mean, we gotta be probably more prepared for that.
08:43 Guys are gonna just invite certain guys to beat you on the perimeter and
08:47 they don't wanna get picked apart down low.
08:53 But like I told our guys, I mean, Jesse Edwards is special.
08:57 He's in a lot of ways, he's our bread and butter.
08:59 So the more touches we can get him, the better off everybody's gonna be
09:05 from offensive production standpoint.
09:07 And Jesse's gonna make good decisions with the ball.
09:09 And if he's doubled, he's gonna pass out of it.
09:11 And if we make the right cuts and rotations and
09:15 fill behinds, we're gonna get great shots.
09:19 >> Josh, learning from Phil, maybe easier later in the year, right?
09:24 When you're short prep and you know more about your own team.
09:27 >> Yeah, we're- >> How much trickier is it
09:28 at the start of the year?
09:29 >> It is trickier.
09:31 We are in a stretch of three games in eight days.
09:36 And with a short bench, you gotta make sure you keep these things in mind and
09:43 figure these things out.
09:45 And hopefully we get a little more added depth in the coming weeks.
09:49 And hopefully we get some good news there.
09:51 And but right now we gotta do with control the variables we can control.
09:59 So three games in eight days, you try to keep fresh legs with a short bench and
10:05 use the learning tools that you have and that's film.
10:08 >> One game, the exhibition, the scrimmage, you're using all of it.
10:11 Like how much can you actually show them?
10:13 >> Say that again.
10:13 >> How much can you show that they're using the exhibition,
10:15 the scrimmage, and the game?
10:16 Are you doing just Monday's game or are you doing practice games?
10:18 >> We pretty much put the exhibition to bed.
10:21 Now we've really dissected the Missouri State film.
10:25 So things that you thought you had corrected, and
10:29 like, man, we did a really good job here.
10:32 And something might rear its ugly head in a different area.
10:36 And so something that we really preached on after the George Mason
10:43 exhibition game, we preached on some different things after Missouri State.
10:48 So you never know game in, game out, what you're gonna have to correct.
10:53 So we just keep on trying to correct the mistakes we're making and
10:56 trying to be way more efficient.
10:57 >> Coach, when you're, not to compare errors or anything, but
11:02 to kind of get a clear picture where you talk about what defenses do with Jesse.
11:08 Is it similar to the same problems that you guys faced a few years ago with Oscar
11:12 and Derek, guys would, you know, dump down on them.
11:18 And all of a sudden, you know, Sean had to make shots and
11:21 Taz and for a while sometimes the shots went in, sometimes it didn't.
11:25 But is that kind of what you're talking about?
11:27 >> Yeah, and I think if you make comparisons there,
11:29 I think Jesse's a way more willing and able passer out of the post.
11:35 So it will be harder for those teams to double.
11:39 We just gotta be in the correct spacing in terms of taking
11:45 advantage of step in shots, because we will get step in shots.
11:50 We're patient in the double team, we make the right reads,
11:53 we make the right cuts off the ball, we make the right, you know,
11:57 we fill in behind with shooters.
11:59 So, and we make the extra pass because teams are really good with one rotation.
12:05 Now the second and third rotations when college basketball becomes really hard
12:11 in terms of ball movement, in terms of making those rotations.
12:14 >> [INAUDIBLE] You gotta knock those shots down.
12:17 >> Yeah, it comes down to making shots, making open shots.
12:21 And we all know that step in shots are way easier to make than, you know,
12:26 shots off the bounce or shots that we try to create one on one.
12:30 So, you know, I think we only had two assists on four field goals in that first
12:35 half, and I think that had a lot to do with people were trying to do too much.
12:39 And I think what I talked about in the post game presser, I mean,
12:43 I don't wanna use the word selfish because I don't think our guys are selfish by
12:46 any means, but when they see spacing break down and
12:51 structure break down and people aren't in the right spot, I think people are more
12:55 likely and guys are more likely to try to, you know,
12:57 create off the bounce to make something happen that really isn't there.
13:00 >> Right.
13:02 >> Question, Akook and Raekwon, any news there on either?
13:07 >> No, I don't have anything new to report.
13:08 I mean, just keep crossing my fingers and thinking positive thoughts.
13:13 And I thought maybe I'd hear yesterday or today on Raekwon,
13:19 but my understanding is they meet on Tuesdays.
13:22 But I thought maybe since it was election day on Tuesday,
13:25 maybe it was one day delayed.
13:27 But I put a lot of thought in these things and
13:30 probably overthink them when I should just control what I can control and move on.
13:34 Nothing new on Akook, just, I mean, things are certainly trending in a positive
13:41 direction, if I can speak from a general side of things.
13:44 That everything seems to be trending positively, which is great for
13:50 him and his health, which is something we can all put a smile on our face for.
13:55 >> Can you get on the floor and do anything or is he totally-
13:59 >> No, I mean, that's all in the medical hands and
14:04 we're being as precautious as possible with him to make sure he's in a good place.
14:08 >> We talked plenty about Oakry after the game, but
14:13 the other two bench guys, Pat and Jeremiah, just your results so far for them?
14:19 >> Those guys need more reps.
14:20 We haven't had a great opportunity to get them as many reps as we would like.
14:28 There's a couple of really good plays that Pat gave us in the second half that
14:32 we can, like I told him after the game, gave him hugs, man, we can build on this.
14:36 We need to get Pat to where he's very comfortable being on the floor and
14:40 plays with just great instinct.
14:45 And I think sometimes Pat thinks the game a little too hard when he's one of
14:49 the strongest, most athletic guys on the floor in a lot of ways.
14:54 And if I can get him to just get that mentality of nobody's stopping me,
14:58 I'm gonna go get this offensive rebound, he could be a huge asset to our program.
15:02 And JB, I mean, I gave the guys, we have a goal for
15:09 our team for every game in terms of keeping turnovers to nine and under.
15:15 And we held that team, a good defensive Missouri State team.
15:19 We only committed seven turnovers.
15:21 So that's with Kobe Johnson, which played limited point guard, and
15:27 Jeremiah Bimberea, the freshman,
15:28 that never played a bounce college basketball until the other night.
15:31 So kudos to those guys, and that was a pleasant surprise.
15:36 We really took care of the ball against a good defensive team.
15:38 >> Back to Mike's question about prep.
15:41 The first game, you really had very little to go on.
15:44 It was mostly ghosts.
15:46 This game, you've got a lot to go on because you played them and they played them.
15:50 Was that by design or did it just happen that way?
15:52 >> No, sometimes it just happens that way.
15:55 It's nice to have that comparable.
15:58 When you watch film, especially when you look at guys' size and athleticism,
16:04 and when you have something to compare it to and
16:07 you just saw George Mason play in person and you know what guys are capable of,
16:12 that makes it a lot easier to make those judgments and
16:18 those comparisons between, especially in terms of personnel.
16:22 You can certainly see what they do from a structure standpoint on film easily, but
16:26 when you make those strength comparisons, those speed comparisons,
16:31 can he go by this guy?
16:33 Because we see our guys every single day, what they can do against,
16:37 like when they went against George Mason, for example.
16:40 And then I can compare that with what Monomath guys did against George Mason.
16:44 So, but yeah, it's helpful.
16:48 It's helpful to have some film to go off of.
16:50 Missouri State, we didn't have any.
16:52 >> Stepping back to that, did you felt like you had everything covered now that
16:55 you look back on what you prepared for from Missouri State?
16:59 >> For the most part.
17:00 I thought we did a pretty good job defensively.
17:04 They had a hard time scoring as well.
17:06 Certainly they made shots in the second half when we, like I said,
17:12 I got a little too cute with my changes of defense that
17:16 probably created some opportunities for them to get some really good shots.
17:21 But credit to them, they made them there in the second half.
17:25 But they also had their struggles to score in the first half.
17:28 And when you shoot 14% in the first half, 4 for 32, and you're only down six,
17:34 that's a win.
17:36 >> You anticipate more pressure from Monomath on Friday?
17:40 >> I didn't see any of that pressure.
17:41 It doesn't mean that they don't see the fact that we got some backup guards.
17:47 But I thought for the most part, I mean, we took care of pressure.
17:51 We didn't exactly execute perfectly, but
17:54 we didn't have any turnovers in the backcourt.
17:58 Trying to get it up against their pressure that they threw at us.
18:02 >> I guess having taller wings helps.
18:06 You can either throw over it or handle it.
18:08 It doesn't have to be the point guard that deals with pressure.
18:10 >> Yeah, and then when you got a four man like Quinn with all that experience and
18:14 a veteran like, he can handle it and he can make good decisions.
18:17 He can always flash up there and catch.
18:19 So that's always helpful for a coach to have a forward that is mobile,
18:25 like Quinn, and can make those good decisions.
18:28 >> New standard for block charge this year, officials call it the right way.
18:34 So how do you teach your kids?
18:36 I mean, do you think it's a big deal or not?
18:39 >> Yeah, it's a big deal.
18:42 I mean, we gotta adapt.
18:44 We gotta adapt to the way they're calling it.
18:46 Now, I think I had this conversation with you guys a couple times in terms of
18:50 primary and secondary defender.
18:51 We didn't get any of those calls, I believe, in the George Mason exhibition
18:57 game in terms of the primary defender.
19:00 If you're in legal guarding position, you have that right to that space.
19:05 Now we got one of those calls with Jesse, primary defender.
19:09 Jesse did take a charge.
19:11 So I guess that was probably our first and only charge we've taken so
19:14 far this year.
19:15 But I think what's gonna happen is we're finally now getting to
19:19 the separation in the rule.
19:21 Not necessarily is it automatically a block every time.
19:24 So yeah, it might be pretty much an automatic for
19:30 a lot of those officials in terms of the secondary defender and
19:35 the help side defender in terms of block charge.
19:38 But the primary defender is 100% entitled to his space.
19:42 If he beats him to the spot, that's his space.
19:45 >> I mean, not you, secondary guy just can't even try to take a charge?
19:51 >> You spend a lot of time walling up.
19:53 It's all A to A in terms of your verticality.
19:57 So wall up as big as possible and
20:00 make them come through your chest and score through you.
20:03 And all that collision happens in the air and
20:06 that's kind of the way they want the game to be played.
20:09 >> The players that are having to do more in terms of rolling minutes,
20:14 how are they dealing with that?
20:15 Are they embracing the opportunity?
20:17 Are they excited about it?
20:19 What are your thoughts on that?
20:20 >> Well, some of them don't show enough excitement in anything in their life and
20:25 I tell them that you might wanna smile once in a while.
20:27 I kept on hearing that the two days prior to it, enjoy the moment, smile.
20:32 It's not easy to do.
20:34 It's not easy to do.
20:35 It's a lot easier to do after the game, for sure.
20:38 So, some of it's just their personality and
20:42 every time I see Kobe smile, I point it out because it doesn't happen very often.
20:46 But yeah, I think they're embracing it.
20:50 It's an opportunity that doesn't always come in life.
20:56 So when it does, I just keep on telling them,
20:59 be ready to take advantage of that opportunity.
21:01 And I don't think they're by any means scared of the moment by any means.
21:07 But they can certainly be more aggressive with it.
21:10 So.
21:12 >> I'm hardly an expert on basketball playbook, but we heard that,
21:16 especially when you had Kerr available, that kick and
21:19 roll was gonna be a big part of your offense.
21:21 And I don't remember seeing very much of it in the game, and
21:24 even when he was shooting 14%.
21:26 I was just wondering, were you holding on that?
21:29 Was that because of Kerr not being in there?
21:30 Was it?
21:33 >> Yeah, I mean, Kerr and Kobe are two different point guards in a lot of ways.
21:36 So I mean, the way you call the game from a strategy standpoint is gonna be
21:41 a little different with the two different point guards.
21:43 Yeah, Kerr is really, really effective off a ball screen and
21:49 he can make really good reads.
21:51 Kobe's more of a steady, steady handling guy that can just get the ball in
21:57 the right place and make sure you're in the offense.
22:00 Is he good off pick and roll?
22:02 I want him to be a little more aggressive coming off pick and roll and
22:06 take advantage of these new rules.
22:08 I mean, Kobe's got a really good athletic frame and he can come downhill.
22:13 He can come downhill and put a lot of pressure on the rim and
22:16 go at these guards and finish through them.
22:19 And take advantage of that new block charge rule and
22:22 that's what I'm trying to get at with his mindset.
22:26 If we can get him more aggressive coming downhill off those pick and rolls and
22:30 he's got good vision too and he's gonna get the ball in the right place.
22:33 I mean, but they're different.
22:35 They're 100% different and you gotta, from a coaching standpoint,
22:38 you gotta definitely keep that in mind.
22:41 >> Kind of along those lines about them being different,
22:45 you could probably post Kobe up.
22:48 >> Yeah. >> And you're not probably posting.
22:51 >> Yeah.
22:52 And if you go back and look at the film, the first set I ran
22:57 was trying to take advantage of Kobe's size in the post.
23:00 So I ran him off a smash screen and ran him right into the post and
23:06 we just didn't make the pass.
23:07 He was open, he was open and Seth chose not to force it and
23:12 we moved on with the set.
23:14 But that was option number one coming out of the gate was trying to get Kobe going.
23:19 And I thought I had a mismatch there that we could put him in the post and
23:25 score with a smaller guard on him.
23:26 >> Josh, how much are you calling?
23:28 So you've seen offense motion, which is really not a lot of plays, right?
23:32 Just kind of reading and feeling, but it sounds like you're calling a lot of stuff.
23:35 >> Yeah, I want them, and my whole idea was for
23:40 them to be free flowing in terms of their transition, their early offense.
23:45 And I believe kind of what happened in a lot of ways, and
23:48 we got just so tired because we're playing so many minutes.
23:51 So we kind of abandoned our bread and butter, which is getting out,
23:55 filling corners, creating space.
23:58 And that's something we really harped on in the film,
24:00 is just let's do the things that we're really good at.
24:03 And just because we're tired doesn't mean we take plays off.
24:08 One guy takes a play off and he's in the wrong position,
24:11 it can throw everything off.
24:12 And we have a lot of sets and we have some structure that we go to
24:19 when the set breaks down.
24:20 I think we only got into it four times from my understanding.
24:25 And a lot of that has to do with people being not in the right spot or
24:31 in the right positioning.
24:33 And so when players feel that, they feel a need to bounce it and
24:39 create when they probably shouldn't be.
24:41 >> Calculated guess, just from your experiences as a coach,
24:46 how often are they successful?
24:48 When you call a play set, everybody does everything right.
24:51 >> The crazy thing is, it's usually you know what works well for
24:57 the right combinations.
24:59 And that's why I was talking about earlier,
25:01 it's like you call a set based on who you see in front of you in a timeout.
25:05 And then you hadn't got to that set and you have a substitution in the meantime.
25:10 And that set doesn't work nearly as good with that group of guys out there.
25:15 So we've had a lot of conversations in terms of making sure,
25:20 one, we might scrap the set that we call the timeout.
25:23 Or two, we got to be very mindful and communicate in what we're doing.
25:31 And so those guys that are in those huddles and not in the game at that
25:37 specific moment need to know what's going on when they get checked in.
25:42 So yeah, certain things work for certain groups.
25:45 And you sit down as a coach and you see who's in front of you and
25:49 try to put them in the best position possible when they're coming out of
25:53 those huddles.
25:53 >> To that point though, are you still figuring out what works exactly with
25:56 different people?
25:58 >> Yeah, I learn every day.
26:01 I learn every day.
26:01 And the playbook that I put in place prior to ever starting day one of practice,
26:09 we've probably only got about half of it in.
26:11 So I thought you have grand ideas of how things are gonna go.
26:18 We thought it'd all be in by now and it'll be a well-oiled machine.
26:23 But there's been a lot of challenges since then that have thrown a wrench in
26:27 the whole process, I can tell you that.
26:29 >> One more here.
26:30 I know you're a positive guy and I know you're gonna get Kerr back.
26:35 Is the message to the guys, hey, this is an opportunity for you guys to learn and
26:39 grow and get some experience until we get these guys back?
26:42 Maybe Kerr, maybe more than that.
26:44 Is that kind of the message?
26:45 >> Yeah, absolutely.
26:46 I mean, think about the depth we'll have if we get through this and
26:52 fairly unscathed through this first nine games.
26:55 Think about the depth and experience that we got with so many of these guys.
27:00 And if we can get back to having a true depth and
27:04 we got ten guys we can play, we're gonna be a heck of a lot stronger in January and
27:10 February than we would have been.
27:12 Because we got guys that are battle tested and got those minutes and
27:16 seen some success.
27:18 So I'm 100% optimistic in that regard and that's the only way you can look at it.
27:23 If you wanna hang your head and say, poor me, we all know in life,
27:28 poor me doesn't work very good.
27:29 Good things don't happen to guys that say poor me.
27:33 >> Well, all these guys know they're gonna be playing.
27:35 >> Yeah.
27:36 >> They know Friday, get ready to play.
27:38 >> Yeah.
27:39 >> Yeah.
27:40 >> Hopefully they look at it as another beautiful opportunity.
27:42 >> Coach, I got a question about Quinn and
27:46 the fact that when he comes out here and talks to us, he-
27:50 >> He's pretty good at talking, isn't he?
27:51 >> Yeah, I mean, he's just person in the back of the room.
27:53 He's funny, knowledgeable.
27:55 I mean, there's more to life though than just a press conference.
28:00 So what's he like with- >> No, he's fun to be around.
28:03 He's a joy to be around and
28:06 I wish some of Quinn's personality rub off on some of the other ones.
28:10 Because communication in basketball is so critical.
28:16 And he over communicates, he's fun to be around.
28:20 He's always bringing a great attitude to practice every day.
28:23 And so we could all use a little more Quinn in our lives.
28:28 And that's the type of guys I want in my program.
28:31 You're around each other so much that if you don't have joy in what you're doing,
28:36 and it's always a drag, then college basketball isn't for
28:39 you because there's a lot of hours we put in together.
28:42 So those are program guys that I'm excited to have here.
28:47 >> I'm just kind of curious, I mean, when they're talking to us,
28:49 you're doing the radio.
28:50 So do you ever go back and watch their press conferences, what they-
28:54 >> No, I heard it was good though.
28:55 >> Yeah, yeah, it was.
28:56 >> It was?
28:57 >> Yeah.
28:58 No, I don't have that much time really to, if something was,
29:04 I'm sure it'd be all over Twitter if he said something wrong, so.
29:09 >> Josh always talk about sets and guys getting to know each other, but
29:12 the final 45 seconds was pretty much open.
29:16 And guys seem like they made really good plays getting out of pressure and
29:18 getting the ball in the middle of the court with dunks, I think.
29:20 >> Yeah.
29:21 >> As you watch that, I guess I'm impressed, but teachable out of that.
29:24 I mean, does that still get worked on very much, but as rehearsed?
29:28 >> No, we've worked on press break and it wasn't perfect by any means,
29:33 but what in basketball is exactly how you draw it up or perfect.
29:36 The one thing I did realize, and you go back and
29:40 think about it, is how close that game really was with one minute to go.
29:44 And we kind of opened it up with two big buckets when they kept on pressing us.
29:49 So, yeah, in the moment, you're just trying to get through it and
29:56 make sure you do right by all those guys.
29:58 And it's the little things as a coach that really drive you crazy,
30:02 like an inbounds pass when nobody's ready to guard.
30:05 And they just kick it to the corner and make it open three when you let your guard
30:10 down, and every possession counts, especially when you're so short-handed.
30:16 And but I get that they're tired, I get that they play a lot of minutes, but
30:20 rest when you go in the locker room after you're celebrating a win.
30:25 >> Well, those last two games, winning time, your guys executed.
30:28 George Mason, you came back there, and in the last 40 seconds of the Missouri State
30:34 game, your guys made winning plays.
30:36 >> Yeah, they did, credit to them, and hopefully we continue that.
30:40 So I'd like to get to the point where we can, when we got eight point lead,
30:46 we can just extend it to 15 instead of letting them get right back in it.
30:50 And I'm not perfect by any means, and
30:53 as a coach, you second guess almost every decision you make to try to make sure
30:58 you're doing right by everybody in the program.
31:00 So I do a lot of, if it's my fault, I'll certainly take it on my shoulders.
31:07 But we all try to do this together, and like I told them before the game,
31:12 this is your team, this is 100% your team.
31:15 And I hate that I'm plastered on every production and
31:20 every billboard in terms of West Virginia basketball.
31:23 It's really not my personality.
31:26 It's, this is about you guys.
31:29 This is about you guys, it's your team.
31:30 You guys gotta take ownership in it, have a lot of equity in the process, and
31:35 trust one another, and build each other up, keep each other accountable.
31:39 And that's how we're gonna be good.
31:42 And if they take that mentality each and
31:44 every day and have that growth mindset, we'll be good.
31:47 >> Coach, thank you.