Louisville HC Kenny Payne Previews Miami (1/8/24)
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00:00 All right, we'll move along here.
00:03 Next up is Kenny Payne from Louisville.
00:06 I think he is on here.
00:08 How we doing?
00:10 There he is.
00:13 Good morning, Kenny.
00:14 Good to see you.
00:15 Good morning.
00:16 If you have a question for Kenny Payne, go ahead and use the raise hand tool.
00:23 If you need access to record, just let me know that as well and I can get that for you.
00:28 First question will come from Brooks Holton.
00:29 Go ahead, Brooks.
00:30 Hey, Kenny.
00:31 Good morning.
00:32 What's up, Brooks?
00:33 Just wanted to get an update on Trey and Manny's injury status.
00:37 Do you think that they're going to practice today?
00:40 I hope they practice today.
00:41 I hadn't heard yet.
00:42 It's still early in the morning for them.
00:44 So again, I know their day to day and I'm hoping today we get good news and they can
00:53 get ready to practice and get us ready for Miami team.
00:58 That's really good.
01:00 And then just to answer your question, basically it's day to day.
01:03 Yeah, I haven't heard the latest.
01:05 Yeah.
01:06 And then, you know, just talking about Miami, you know, they have a high scoring offense.
01:10 What would be the biggest test for your defense?
01:12 You know, if you guys are, you know, shorthanded again?
01:16 Well, when you look at their team and you see in conference play, they got three guys
01:21 averaging basically 18 points a game.
01:25 They score 80 points a game.
01:28 They average nine threes in that span.
01:32 Shoot it at a high clip, 44, 45 percent.
01:36 They're very good offensive team.
01:39 They share the ball.
01:41 They're a great offensive team that we got to defend.
01:45 And so we can't relax anywhere on the court.
01:47 And we got to play with some physicality on their home court.
01:51 Michelle Kaufman, go ahead.
01:57 Hey, Coach, Michelle Kaufman for the Miami Herald here.
02:02 How are you?
02:03 Happy New Year.
02:04 Yeah, I just want to ask you, how do you think this Miami team compares with last year's
02:13 Miami team?
02:14 What are what are the differences, you know, without Isaiah Wong and Jordan Miller?
02:18 How do you think that they've compensated for that?
02:21 And, you know, do you see any weak spots?
02:25 Is there anything that surprises you?
02:27 Well, first of all, last year's team, I think, went to a final four, right?
02:34 So the rest is to be seen if they can duplicate that, because they are a really good team.
02:40 They're a really good offensive team.
02:43 But getting the final fours, that's what they're going against.
02:47 That's what their measuring stick is.
02:50 They are capable.
02:51 They are more than capable on the offensive end.
02:57 They share the ball.
02:58 They they brought in guys from other places that have had success.
03:04 And they got a great coach.
03:05 So they're a very good team.
03:08 I want to ask one quick question.
03:12 How are they different with and without Wuga?
03:14 Because Wuga Poplar has not played the last couple games with an injury.
03:17 What do they lose when they don't have him?
03:19 Well, to me, that's your glue guy.
03:23 That's a guy that brings great energy, that does a lot of different things.
03:28 He's gotten better scoring the ball on the offensive end.
03:30 He's worked hard since he's been there from day one to now to get better offensively.
03:37 He rebounds.
03:38 He's great in transition.
03:41 Very good defender.
03:44 You know, he makes them a very, very, very tough team to play against simply because
03:50 he does all the dirty stuff and he's he's a winner.
03:56 Thank you.
03:57 Mike Barber, go ahead.
03:59 Yeah, looking at Matt Cleveland, what are some of the ways that he's enhanced or changed
04:06 that team?
04:07 It seems like he's fit in and had kind of that instant impact.
04:09 Well, obviously, when you look at and I'm just looking at conference play and he's averaging
04:15 17, 18 a game that speaks for itself when a guy can just plug into a system like that
04:24 and have that kind of success coming from a great, great program under Leonard Hamilton.
04:32 You know, he's he's been a difference maker for him.
04:36 He's been a player that that helps them get over the hump and they haven't lost a beat
04:40 from last year to this year.
04:43 As you think of guys, you you are coaching guys you've coached before in your career,
04:47 been around.
04:48 What are the trademarks that make you say, hey, that guy could be a coach when his playing
04:53 days are over?
04:54 What are things that jump out to you?
04:57 Few things.
04:58 One, does he love what he's doing?
04:59 Not like he has to love it.
05:02 As a player, you have to be a giver, not a taker.
05:06 And in this generation, that's hard to do.
05:08 So when you find young men that are givers, you know that, you know, they have a love
05:16 a passion for it.
05:17 They love giving to their team.
05:19 All that translates to coaching.
05:23 Probably just a knowledge of the game, a feel for the game.
05:28 You can as a player, you can tell which players can end up being great coaches based off of
05:36 how they what they've experienced and how they react to what both good and bad to what
05:42 happens on the court.
05:44 Thank you.
05:45 Jody Demling, go ahead, sir.
05:49 Kenny Delo obviously played for Miami last year, got his first start, you know, the other
05:53 day because of the injuries.
05:55 What have you seen from him and what's the kind of the next step?
06:00 What do you want out of him and moving forward when his minutes are probably going to be
06:04 larger the rest of the year?
06:07 One, I think Delo's, you know, he's an integral part of what we're doing, Jody.
06:15 And it may not show up in a stat sheet.
06:17 I need a player that can pass the basketball.
06:20 He can do that.
06:21 I need a player that has an understanding for where to be on the court spacing, unselfish,
06:29 can get a tough rebound.
06:32 He can do all of those things.
06:34 I just need him to believe in himself and go out and play hard as he can.
06:38 And if he makes mistakes, we can live with that.
06:41 But just make them being aggressive, assertive and confident.
06:46 I love the kid.
06:47 He's a tough minded kid.
06:50 You know, he just has to know that we trust him.
06:53 And that's why we brought him here.
06:55 That was my follow up on that.
06:57 You kind of mentioned it.
06:58 But is he a guy that the stats might not show how good he does for your team on the floor?
07:03 You know what I mean?
07:04 He means more than just stats.
07:06 No question.
07:08 He keeps things steady on the court.
07:12 I would like for him to be confident in knowing that, look, if you're uncomfortable shooting
07:17 a three ball, take a step in and knock down a long two.
07:21 I'm okay with that.
07:22 I just need the ball to go through the basket.
07:26 If you drive it in and you know you're going against an athlete and you know the athlete
07:31 may block the shot, give him a shot fake, go to the free throw line, knock down two.
07:35 Be willing to give up your body on a box out.
07:39 Be willing to give up your body and take a charge.
07:43 Look, D'Lo is one of those guys that's learning about himself and learning how to what his
07:49 place is on the basketball court.
07:51 But defensively, guys like D'Lo can have a super, super productive career just by being
07:59 a positional defensive player.
08:02 And that's what I'm trying to get him to understand.
08:04 You don't have to be the active in somebody's face, but just being in the spot that you're
08:09 supposed to be in and having great position is vital for you.
08:15 I've got time for one more question from Brooks Holt.
08:18 Go ahead, Brooks.
08:19 Yeah, Kenny, after the game Saturday, you talked about guys needing to play confident
08:24 through mistakes.
08:25 I'm just wondering, with guys like D'Lo and Caleb just getting a more run now, just how
08:33 big of a moment was that for them to be able to play through those mistakes?
08:38 And then, do you see their confidence growing?
08:40 I'm after you guys, I go back and I look at the film of the game and try to correct the
08:44 mistakes.
08:45 Well, I thought Caleb did a very good job.
08:49 He played with energy, made some mistakes, but he kept fighting through it, ran the floor
08:55 hard, got a couple of don'ts, got a few rebounds.
08:59 All of that is a positive.
09:02 I just need him to get more comfortable being on the floor, be more vocal, be more energetic,
09:08 play hard, play as hard as you can, as physical as you can, without fouling, and enjoy being
09:15 on the floor because you're getting an opportunity to gain something that most freshmen around
09:21 the country aren't getting, and that's experience, and you're learning on the fly.
09:26 That's going to help you down the road, but that also can help you this season with being
09:32 more comfortable being on the floor for extended minutes of time.
09:35 Kenny, thank you for the time today.
09:40 Appreciate it.
09:41 We'll see you next week.