Josh Eilert Texas Preview
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00:00 >> Good morning guys, just a recap from Kansas State.
00:04 Wednesday we had to take day off.
00:08 Yesterday we regrouped and worked through the film and
00:12 try to figure out what we can correct.
00:15 It's certainly a disappointing result.
00:19 I thought we had a pretty good matchup against Kansas State, but
00:22 there are a lot of things we can shore up from that game.
00:25 And one of the things we touched on the most is probably our defensive rotations.
00:31 I thought we did a pretty good job in our traps, but
00:34 our rotations on the back side were lacking to say the least.
00:40 So that and some of our offensive stagnancy,
00:45 the ball movement wasn't there.
00:48 And I thought there were a lot of people trying to do too much
00:53 on the offensive end when we had plenty of clocks.
00:56 So we're working through all these issues and
00:59 certainly the chemistry isn't coming quite nearly as fast as I'd like it to.
01:04 But everybody's head and middle space is in a good spot and
01:09 everybody wants to figure out how we get this corrected.
01:13 But looking forward to a good opportunity.
01:15 This league is a bear.
01:20 So looking at four out of five of the first five matchups in the league are
01:24 ranked opponents and Texas is as good as anybody will play all year.
01:29 And the reigning Big 12 tournament champions and
01:33 even when you look at their rotation and you think about that.
01:37 You got Dylan DeSue coming off the bench that was the most outstanding player in
01:43 the Big 12 tournament.
01:45 So they have the size, they have the athleticism,
01:50 they have the talent and they're a really good basketball team.
01:56 And so looking forward to another challenge and
02:00 hoping to see a good showing from out near nation.
02:04 Continue to back us and what we're trying to do here and
02:09 we're giving everything we got and we're gonna continue to do so.
02:15 >> Josh, I think you addressed this a little bit on the radio show last night,
02:19 but give us a recap of what Jesse's status is,
02:22 how much he's able to practice, things like that.
02:24 >> Well, I think yesterday or Wednesday,
02:27 I believe Wednesday would have been the three week since his surgery.
02:33 So it's been three weeks, so we're three weeks plus.
02:37 I think he's got another week left in the brace before they take pictures of it and
02:43 determine where it's at.
02:45 And at that point, he's had zero mobility with the wrist in four weeks.
02:52 So it'll be a fluid situation as determining what the rehab is in
02:58 terms of timetable from there.
02:59 So originally, I thought four weeks was four weeks to getting back to playing,
03:08 but it's kinda like construction, and
03:13 I tell you two weeks and it ends up being four.
03:16 So these situations, I mean, we gotta do what's best for Jesse.
03:20 So we're not gonna compromise that and put him in a situation to where
03:25 they could affect him long term.
03:28 So we're gonna make sure we do right by Jesse Edwards.
03:32 >> What can he do in practice?
03:33 I mean, I assume he's been doing conditioning stuff.
03:36 Does he get any shots up?
03:38 What does he do in practice?
03:39 >> He does a lot of work on the side, especially developing his left hand.
03:45 I think he's becoming way more comfortable with his left hand, and
03:48 he does a lot of mobility, a lot of conditioning.
03:51 We have great people in our program between Randy Metter and Sean.
03:59 So Sean does an incredible job of figuring out how to continue to work with
04:03 his strength regardless of eliminating the risk in the equation.
04:08 So Sean Brown and Randy Metter have continued to work with him diligently.
04:14 And even on the side, he continues to stay locked in with what we're doing.
04:20 And he's a great teammate throughout the process, and
04:24 he wants to do everything he can in the meantime,
04:28 even though he's saddled with the injury.
04:31 >> Biggest concern with Texas?
04:34 >> Their size, their size.
04:36 I don't know what Shedrick's situation is gonna be.
04:43 It looks like he had some back spasms in that Texas Tech game and
04:48 didn't see any action against Cincinnati.
04:50 But Dylan Dessau, like I said, would probably be,
04:55 if he's still saddled with that injury,
04:59 would be the starting five man, and he's very, very talented.
05:04 But not only their size and rebounding, which is always an issue,
05:10 it's a defensive transition for us.
05:13 They're one of the best in the country at going downhill.
05:16 And so we gotta figure out how to get back and get matched and shore that up.
05:22 >> I know winning is the ultimate, but
05:27 are there some incremental things that you'd like to see from your team to get
05:31 to the point where you can win?
05:33 >> Yeah, I mean, it's an everyday process, right?
05:37 It's a, we didn't have that chemistry that everybody else did in
05:43 the summer and in the normal build up to getting to Big 12 play.
05:49 So that is what it is.
05:53 So right now, we just wanna continue to see our guys in the right frame of mind.
05:58 And continue to see guys that wanna come in and be a part of the solution.
06:03 And for the most part, that's the case.
06:06 And so we continue to wanna see growth each and every day.
06:11 And that's part of where we're at right now.
06:14 So if we continue to go in the right direction,
06:16 there's no reason we can't be competitive each and every game.
06:20 And put ourselves in a position to win.
06:23 >> When you look at Texas's offense, is there a one guy that you have to take
06:28 away because I mean, they've obviously got four or five guys who can score.
06:34 A kind of unique situation there where it's just not one or two guys.
06:39 >> Ace Miss is the one you probably look at.
06:42 And I think he's fifth all time and
06:45 three point makes in the history of college basketball.
06:50 So he can really fill it up and trying to figure out who you can,
06:56 who you gotta key on, but also who you can stun off of or
07:01 dig off of to help your teammates.
07:03 So certainly that's one of the issues trying to guard these guys,
07:09 is figuring out where their weakness is and they don't have very many.
07:13 >> I was gonna ask the thing, you help off of someone and
07:17 the person you're helping off of, he's averaging 12, 13 minutes a game.
07:22 >> They're talented from top to bottom for sure.
07:25 So it's gotta be a team mentality.
07:29 It's gotta be a team mentality.
07:30 It's gotta be us versus them, not me versus my matchup.
07:35 We talked a lot about that yesterday and I use that exact terminology with them.
07:40 It's us versus them.
07:42 We can't get in the mindset, it's my matchup and
07:46 I'm gonna guard this guy and this guy and this is what they do.
07:49 It's gotta be team defense and us versus them.
07:52 >> Surprised at all what Central Florida did to Kansas.
07:59 I mean, and you look to obviously Hilton Magic, it's Hilton Magic with Houston.
08:03 Some of the things that are happening in the league.
08:05 >> Yeah, the one thing that I told those guys after the game,
08:09 after the Kansas State game, and we can point at our offense and
08:14 we can be more efficient and there's a lot of ways we can improve.
08:17 But the one thing that stuck out to me is we gave up 81 points and
08:23 we gave up 89 points versus Houston.
08:26 So in league play, we're giving up 85 points a game.
08:30 And I said, Houston's a very, very good defensive team, but
08:35 they have their struggles on the offense and the half court.
08:37 And I think I spoke about that.
08:40 But regardless of not even knowing the score, I told those guys,
08:44 in this league, you gotta hang your hat on some defense.
08:49 And so, consequently, they lost 57-53.
08:55 They held Iowa State and Hilton to 57 points.
08:58 But they came out of there with a loss.
09:05 And you look at all the scores in the first 14 Big 12 games,
09:10 I looked at the averages, it looked like the winning teams were averaging 71 and
09:14 the losing teams were averaging 65.
09:18 So are we scoring enough?
09:19 We can certainly be more efficient on the offensive end and score more points.
09:24 But the defensive end, we have to shore up and we have to shore it up quick.
09:28 >> So you can't ask for teams this league?
09:30 You got- >> No, it can't be the mentality.
09:32 It can't be like we're gonna give up two and get three on the other end.
09:38 It's we gotta be us versus them on the defensive end, and
09:42 we gotta be way more efficient on the offensive.
09:44 >> Josh, they start Hunter and Max, those two small guys in the backcourt.
09:51 You don't see that a whole lot, they're probably six feet, right?
09:53 I guess, how do they make that go, or how do they work around that?
09:56 Cuz that could be a deficiency, right?
09:58 But they can score so much, and they move so fast, those guys, too,
10:00 that probably their strength.
10:02 >> No, you put smaller guards around larger forwards, it works pretty well.
10:09 They got plenty of size elsewhere.
10:11 I mean, if you look at the three men, the starting three men, Dylan Mitchell, 6'8",
10:15 205, he's long, athletic, and rebounds as good as anybody in the country.
10:20 So especially from the offensive rebounding perspective,
10:23 he's two and a half offensive rebounds a game.
10:26 And no, but Ace Smithson, he's a great shooter, he's an elite shooter.
10:33 So they got good guard play, they got good bigs,
10:37 they're very balanced, very balanced in their approach.
10:42 What's that?
10:42 >> Almost like two point guards, but they're kind of shooters, but still.
10:45 >> Yeah, they can both handle it.
10:46 And as a coach, you love having two guys on the floor that can handle it.
10:52 >> Jesse for a second for me.
10:57 So when he does come back, how much does that change what you do?
11:00 And is there gonna have to be another learning curve as you insert him with
11:03 guys who haven't played with him?
11:04 >> I think we've tabled a lot of the actions that we had to throw it close.
11:12 We'll certainly have, I guess, a reorientation with some of those actions
11:19 to get those back into the fold that make us more of a balanced attack on the offense
11:23 event, so you look at almost anybody you play, regardless of whether they have
11:29 a low post threat, they're trying to dump it in close early to establish that.
11:35 And that'll be with Jesse back in the fold,
11:39 we can certainly start to play inside out.
11:41 And that's gonna relieve a lot of pressure that the teams are putting on,
11:45 whether it be Kerr and Raekwon and Noah and some of our guard play.
11:50 >> You said he can help a cook.
11:52 Now that he can be a true four, weak side defender type thing,
11:56 how much will that help him?
11:57 >> It'll help a cook, it'll help Pat.
12:00 I mean, those guys are giving everything they got in the situation we're in,
12:06 trying to play out of position.
12:09 And they are playing out of position, more so a cook than Pat.
12:13 Pat's got really good size and can kinda hold his own down low.
12:17 But offensively, he's given us a lot and taken that role on and
12:23 accepted it and even given us some hard baskets down low.
12:28 But that's really not his game and
12:31 he's trying to develop that as quick as possible to help his team.
12:35 So that will relieve some pressure, but like I told those guys,
12:39 if you're gonna make money in the game of basketball,
12:44 the more you can show how versatile you are, that you can take on about any role
12:48 you're asked to take on, that's gonna be beneficial for you in your career.
12:52 >> You've obviously been tied or
12:55 have ties to this conference even before you came to Oregon Town.
12:58 With Texas leaving, any thoughts there?
13:03 Have you had, or are there any thoughts at this point about Texas, Oklahoma leaving?
13:08 And then obviously, the after effects of that with the new teams coming in and
13:13 his realignment, I mean, it's a football thing obviously, but
13:18 it affects basketball as well.
13:22 >> Yeah, it's strange, I mean, to me,
13:24 even it's still strange to me seeing Nebraska in the Big Ten.
13:29 It's still strange to me that Colorado was in the Pac-12,
13:32 now it's full circle of coming back.
13:35 I mean, I grew up in this league watching the Big Eight,
13:40 and a very, very condensed geographical conference.
13:45 And so I understand why they do it, and
13:49 it's big business, but yeah, to see Texas leave and
13:55 to see Oklahoma leave, and especially Oklahoma,
13:59 they were one of the original Big Eight.
14:02 And so, yeah, it's a new age,
14:07 it just shows how old I'm getting, I guess.
14:10 And you see, you grow up and I remember watching,
14:16 having a notebook in grade school with the original Big Eight schools.
14:20 And how much ownership you had and growing up in the Midwest and
14:26 understanding this is the conference that I associated myself with.
14:31 >> What had success against Texas, what have they been able to do?
14:36 >> They gotta get back to transition for sure.
14:41 That's certainly one of their strengths is going downhill in offensive transition.
14:47 So if you have the ability to rebound the basketball on the offensive end,
14:54 that can really slow down transition.
14:57 We're not a great offensive rebounding team based on our makeup by any means,
15:03 but we can certainly control our offensive production.
15:08 And I think the one thing, and the light ball turnovers in the Kansas State game,
15:14 and a lot of the forced one-on-one action when there was so
15:17 much help that forced us into bad shots, we can control that.
15:23 And that's something that we've keyed on pretty heavily in the last couple days.
15:27 >> So transition offense is one of the best things they do?
15:30 >> Yeah, they're one of the best in the country, and probably,
15:33 if you looked at numbers, probably top 25 in the country just going downhill in
15:37 offensive transition.
15:38 So yeah, and then they rebound the basketball really well.
15:43 >> They push you any chance they get?
15:45 >> Yeah.
15:45 >> Yeah.
15:46 >> You talked about liability at present, and
15:50 when you think defense, you think block shots,
15:55 stealing balls, etc., you don't really have those guys like they used to.
16:02 What does the heart of your defense have to be?
16:04 >> It's gotta be team defense.
16:06 You need as much ball pressure as possible in about anything you do,
16:13 but that ball pressure has gotta understand that you got help behind you.
16:18 Especially with the roster we have right now,
16:22 we have to understand you're not on an island out there.
16:27 You got guys behind you in the right position to stunt and
16:32 dig and do whatever needs to be done to shore up some of that.
16:37 And like I said, it's gotta be us versus them on a defensive approach.
16:41 So we gotta understand that we're all connected, and
16:45 sometimes you see a lot of disconnect on the defensive end.
16:48 And that's what we've worked hard on the last couple days to preach and
16:53 clean up and teach.
16:56 And I thought I've been pleased with the two days of prep that we've had thus far.
17:03 >> With the offensive spurt getting in the starting lineup,
17:06 do you see any confidence boost in the facility or off the court?
17:10 How is he handling that personally?
17:12 >> Yeah, you can see the confidence for sure.
17:15 He carries himself differently.
17:17 And they're all young men.
17:23 They're all going through a lot.
17:25 Everybody is, and it's a lot of pressure on kids.
17:29 So when they are playing better, you can tell.
17:32 You can tell that they carry themselves differently.
17:35 They carry themselves with a lot more moxie and confidence.
17:39 And that's starting to help his mentality each and every day in practice.
17:44 And hopefully it just continues to snowball in that direction.
17:48 >> Josh, going back to the two point card thing,
17:51 you guys have something kind of similar.
17:52 Maybe a little bit taller than those two, but
17:54 could have gone in different directions when you had your roster in starting.
17:57 But for any reason, you were inspired to go with Kerr and Noah as starters?
18:01 >> Say that again?
18:02 >> For any reason, you picked Noah and Kerr as starters?
18:05 >> It's all fluid.
18:07 We continue to look at lineup combinations.
18:09 And nothing's decided even for
18:15 Saturday as our starting lineup.
18:18 We continue to look at that.
18:20 And I don't go into practice thinking this is what we're gonna do.
18:26 For sure, two days out, you experiment a little bit and
18:33 figure out what rotations you think work the best.
18:36 And then you try to settle in the day before the game.
18:38 It's not an exact science, but
18:43 you certainly wanna reward the guys that are doing right.
18:47 But then you also wanna figure out what is your best option off the bench
18:52 with your rotations, whether it be for ball handling or
18:56 a spark off the bench for offense.
18:57 So we're certainly looking at those things as well, because you don't wanna
19:02 have a go in the wrong direction with your first rotations.
19:06 >> I probably messed it up when I was asking, but
19:08 I mentioned they have the two smaller guards, two point guards basically.
19:10 You kinda have the same thing, they're bigger, a little bit taller.
19:13 But did you like the potential of that pairing?
19:15 Cuz you could have started Seth and Kerr or Seth and Rayquan.
19:19 You could have done something different, I guess,
19:20 with the two point guards because offensively you wanted to do better.
19:23 >> Yeah, between Kobe and Noah and Kerr,
19:27 I like all those matchups with those two guards.
19:29 So you can mix and match some of those things.
19:36 So for us, if we were gonna make any change in the lineup, it'd probably be for
19:40 our rotations offensively more so than our matchups with them defensively.
19:46 >> You've been back on track, and
19:49 how badly do you need him to be something of what he was before?
19:53 >> No, we need everybody.
19:54 We need everybody to do whatever that role is to help the team.
20:01 And he'd be the first to tell you he hasn't
20:06 played as well as he would like over the last four games.
20:12 But he continues to come in every day and try to figure that out.
20:16 But yeah, we need him to get going and make shots for us.
20:23 And certainly, just like any other college basketball player,
20:26 it seems like when shots are falling, everybody plays a little harder.
20:32 And it's a confidence thing in college basketball.
20:35 And so we're trying to get him going, and we're trying to get everybody going,
20:41 and clicking on all cylinders.
20:44 [BLANK_AUDIO]
20:47 >> Anything else?
20:48 [BLANK_AUDIO]