UC Forwards Viktor Lakhin And Jamille Reynolds Address Media Following 65-49 Win Over Merrimack
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00:00 took away what you were seeing earlier,
00:02 just kind of the flow of the offense?
00:04 Was that weird?
00:05 So...
00:07 Yeah, we were-- our person was ready
00:10 and coach prepared us to use our size more down in the paint
00:14 because they're smaller.
00:15 So and I think we utilized it very well early in the game.
00:18 Jimmy, what's it been like, you know, being on the court
00:24 and then, you know, you saw him get a couple of missed
00:26 on tonight, just kind of just keep your timing up
00:28 and get going, get in the minutes?
00:31 I say that I'm still a little rusty, you know.
00:34 It's been a while.
00:35 I'm trying to get back in that, you know, that game mode,
00:37 you know, getting used to everything.
00:39 So that is...
00:40 What types of things are they doing to you guys
00:46 in the paint underneath that they were clapping
00:49 the ball away a little bit?
00:50 Yeah, I mean, they're very active on the ball
00:58 and it's hard to--
00:59 we got to keep working on being strong in the ball
01:02 and it's hard to keep it and chin it well enough
01:05 to rebound a couple of times happened to Jamil and me.
01:07 Like, you just got to put it up there
01:09 and we're trying to make it more complicated than it is.
01:11 So it's not as much damage.
01:14 We got to get better.
01:15 Did the defense think you kind of play ugly
01:18 when you guys were getting up and down?
01:21 Because they kind of done the same thing this morning.
01:24 Yeah, I think it was an ugly game.
01:26 Missed a lot.
01:28 That's kind of makes everything, your shots,
01:31 shot selection, but down the stretch,
01:34 I think we did a pretty good job.
01:36 Jamil, can you talk about the environment
01:38 and obviously it's your first game.
01:41 Thank you for talking about the environment.
01:44 Thank you.
01:45 Oh, I love the environment.
01:49 You know, I'm kind of new to it, you know,
01:52 coming from Temple, like, we'd have like
01:55 the kind of fans that we have here.
01:56 So, you know, I love it.
01:57 Like, it's just, you know, when you play here,
01:59 it's like it's plus 10.
02:01 So, like, it's the environment here.
02:03 So it just makes, like, us play harder,
02:05 you know, and like we can feel the energy.
02:08 Nick, how comfortable do you feel with that table, Scott?
02:11 How well do you think you can operate
02:14 against teams that are going to have bigger sizes?
02:18 Feel very comfortable, but yeah, like you said,
02:21 going into better game, better team, better games.
02:26 Have to improve it even more because I thought
02:29 I missed a couple easy ones that I should have made
02:31 and I'm going to need for our team
02:33 to make them later in the year.
02:36 So I feel confident, but I got to keep working on it
02:39 and also on the counter.
02:41 Yeah.
02:42 [Indistinct]
02:52 This whole week, Coach, like, he's been on me,
02:55 like, just stay on the glass, you know,
02:56 crash every time, crash every time,
02:58 because, you know, sometimes in practice,
02:59 I take plays off so I can make sure, you know,
03:01 I win, crash every time, and work it out.
03:05 You know, take a snack on Friday,
03:07 get word that, you know, everything's going to be clear
03:10 and you're going to be good to go without any concerns.
03:13 What was that like for you?
03:15 What was that feeling after waiting
03:17 almost two months to get the news?
03:19 It was like a huge, like, relief, you know.
03:23 I've been wanting to play, like, ever since, you know,
03:25 first game, but, you know, it is what it is.
03:28 But I was, you know, just --
03:30 Like, it wasn't like --
03:32 Like, Coach was like, "Oh, yeah, he told me about it."
03:33 Like, don't get too excited.
03:35 Like, get your feet wet, you know, the first game,
03:38 you know, and then, like, it's a big game,
03:40 so -- so -- so, although, like, you know, like,
03:44 I really wanted to play. I was going to take my time.
03:46 You know, I did my rotation.
03:48 Dick, Coach said after the game,
03:52 after they went out, that you were pissed off.
03:55 What was the attitude in practice?
03:56 You guys, like, off the game.
03:58 Similar or was it just, like, a different discussion?
04:02 Yeah, we're pissed, and it kind of ruins
04:05 your momentum that we had,
04:08 and it's hard for some players,
04:10 especially, like, who had been in this program,
04:12 and we had high expectations from us going into the game.
04:17 Didn't work out as well for us,
04:18 but got to keep the mindset.
04:22 That's why I don't feel as happy.
04:25 I'm happy that we won, but I think we still got to work
04:28 on us and be better and more consistent
04:31 throughout the 40 minutes, like, they didn't show.
04:33 Like, we got to -- We have a long way to go.
04:36 Like, we need to play better on our own.
04:38 We got a long way to go.
04:40 I'll bring it every day, and we, as a team,
04:43 we need to keep staying focused and keep getting better.
04:48 Victor, along those lines,
04:50 how important is it to determine, like,
04:52 and to distinguish who you guys are heading into the playoffs?
04:58 Very important.
04:59 That's what we're trying to do, and we struggle, as of right now,
05:02 playing our own games, like we saw Dade and Xavier,
05:05 probably two games we didn't look like us.
05:09 We need to keep practicing the habits we practice
05:12 and coach delivering it to us.
05:16 So it's very important going to a league
05:19 and knowing what we can rely on,
05:21 consistent on a day-to-day basis,
05:23 and that's what we're trying to work on.
05:25 Jake, you finished with 18 points tonight
05:27 on the April 4th, how important was it
05:30 for you to have that night to go back home?
05:33 [inaudible]
05:36 Even though I think I didn't play as good,
05:39 the numbers I put on are very important for confidence,
05:43 of course, especially what three games
05:45 I didn't have as good of a game
05:47 as I should have or expected for myself.
05:49 So I think it's really important to finish strong,
05:51 and we have one more game to go to the Christmas break.
05:54 So it was very important.
05:56 Jake, two games.
05:59 [inaudible]
06:04 Like I said, keep working on our identity,
06:07 keep working on being more consistent
06:10 throughout 40 minutes, keep practicing hard,
06:12 keep dropping those pennies, and those are the main things.
06:17 Like, just keep getting better,
06:18 keep figuring out what we can rely on,
06:21 what's our strength, improving our weaknesses,
06:25 and I think we're just right.
06:28 More questions? Thanks guys.