Wes Miller on 81-77 Win Over TCU
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00:00 and really proud of our resilience.
00:05 Just trying to continue to stay in it,
00:08 fight back, find a way.
00:11 That was the real positive tonight.
00:13 And we've lost the last two games by one possession.
00:17 Guys had chances to make plays to win it,
00:20 plays that you can expect to convert,
00:23 whether it's free throws or layups or that type of thing.
00:26 And as I've told you guys after those games,
00:29 that's not the reason you lose the game,
00:31 but you know the toll that takes on those guys
00:34 and on a team when you lose a couple in a row
00:37 that you felt you could have won by just converting
00:40 a reasonable play that you can expect to convert.
00:43 And so tonight, when Dan misses the two free throws,
00:47 I think it's kind of one of those things
00:48 you're going, "Oh, my gosh, no way."
00:51 You can feel that from the team.
00:53 And to just find a way to get to overtime
00:55 and then find a way, that's the kind of resilience
00:57 that you're really proud of as a coach.
00:59 And it's something we can really build on moving forward.
01:01 So, I'm proud of that.
01:04 Guys, I thought John Newman was just incredible tonight
01:07 on both ends.
01:09 You know, I think in the regulation one time,
01:11 I subbed him out offense, defense,
01:13 and I'm going, "What the heck am I doing?"
01:15 He was great on offense.
01:16 And then he made so many defensive plays.
01:18 How about the play where he steals it on the right sideline?
01:21 I mean, from Miller.
01:22 I mean, he was terrific.
01:25 And then to see him step up and make big free throws,
01:27 I thought that was really cool, too.
01:29 And I thought Day-Day had his best game in league play.
01:33 I thought he looked confident, aggressive.
01:37 He's continuing to grow defensively.
01:40 So, I was pleased with those two.
01:44 And then it wasn't Dick's night.
01:46 You know, like, we're struggling to find him
01:49 and get him in the ring. They did a nice job.
01:51 They switched him early and made it difficult.
01:54 But, boy, the three hits was just a massive three.
01:57 And we talked about it as we had a chance to huddle over there
02:00 while they were checking the monitor.
02:01 So, you know, I could keep going down the line,
02:04 but I thought John Newman was just terrific.
02:08 So, it was good to see Aziz back there.
02:11 He practiced live for the first time yesterday.
02:14 And said he felt great.
02:15 And I was a little worried if we played him too much,
02:18 especially as the game got going on.
02:20 But he was so effective.
02:21 I mean, look, he's plus 12,
02:23 and the impact he has on the game
02:25 and on our team is tremendous.
02:27 And he said he felt pretty good after the game.
02:29 So that's a good sign moving forward.
02:30 But it was good to see him back out there.
02:32 They score 26 points in seven minutes right out of the gate.
02:36 You have two timeouts.
02:39 How impressed are you with the way your team responded?
02:43 I think they scored five over the next eight,
02:46 you know, four minutes, I think.
02:47 Well, I was really unimpressed with the way we started the game.
02:51 Quite frankly, I was pissed. And I didn't expect that.
02:53 This team has been pretty consistent
02:56 with, like, effort and energy.
02:59 And I didn't think we had very good effort
03:01 or energy to start the game.
03:02 And I was really disappointed.
03:04 That surprised me.
03:07 But then, as I said, the thing I was proud of tonight
03:09 was how we responded to things.
03:11 And we responded quickly.
03:12 And I thought that Gisle, Josh, and AZ came off the bench
03:18 and just ignited us a little bit.
03:20 I thought they gave us some energy early.
03:22 And that kind of got us going a little bit again.
03:26 And then I thought our guys, for the rest of the night,
03:28 had good effort and energy.
03:29 But that first, however, what was it, six, seven,
03:32 eight minutes, I mean, that was disappointing.
03:36 We kind of spotted ourselves --
03:39 or spotted them some easy baskets.
03:41 And we're trying to kind of dig out of it the whole first half.
03:45 What would you characterize the final five seconds
03:48 of the game?
03:51 And how you guys handled the momentum?
03:55 Man, I'll tell you what.
03:58 That was wild. That was a wild sequence.
04:01 I mean, it really was.
04:04 That's up there. You know, you coach a long time.
04:06 You've been through some wild sequences.
04:08 That's just coaching. That's basketball.
04:10 But that's on the list.
04:11 I mean, that was insane, just the swings.
04:16 You know, that was wild.
04:18 A lot of missed free throws in there, three of them.
04:21 The exact that would have won the game for either team.
04:23 He took it incredibly hard. And I knew he would.
04:40 I mean, I think I said that to you guys while I was in here.
04:43 And that comes from somebody as a player
04:46 and trying to grow as a coach and adult
04:49 that does that same type of thing to himself.
04:51 So I respect John because his care is so hot.
04:56 Like, I can relate to that.
04:59 But he's also a leader on our team.
05:01 And it's like this is what I've learned about being a coach.
05:04 We don't - we take losses incredibly hard.
05:09 Somebody said something in a press conference the other day.
05:12 You guys see Patino's press conference?
05:14 I mean, like, every coach relates to that
05:17 because it was just brutally honest.
05:18 And you're like, yep, I feel the same way.
05:21 But as a coach in a leadership position,
05:24 we don't get to dwell because we have a responsibility
05:27 to the guys in the locker room to respond the right way
05:30 and prepare for the next game and lead them.
05:32 We don't get to dwell.
05:34 And that was one of the things John and I talked about.
05:36 It's like I relate and understand
05:40 and appreciate how much you care and why you're taking it so hard.
05:43 But you don't get to dwell because you're a leader
05:45 on our team and you have to show them how to deal with it.
05:48 And he didn't turn the corner as quick as I wanted.
05:52 But by the time we got into the Baylor game,
05:54 I thought he had the right approach.
05:55 And I thought that helped our team after the Baylor game
05:58 when Dan misses a layup and Cimas misses a three.
06:03 And they're really down. I thought it helped.
06:05 They've all kind of been through it together a little bit now.
06:07 That's how the team starts coming together.
06:08 So he took it really hard.
06:10 But it was great to see him kind of back looking confident,
06:14 get back to that moment on the free throw line
06:15 and make two big ones.
06:17 What's your emotion today?
06:19 Day-to-day, what's on your mind for the layup?
06:21 What's going around the bank?
06:22 What's tough shots?
06:23 Big rebounds.
06:25 What do you think is the reason for the overrun?
06:29 I mean, coaching's a wacky profession.
06:34 He gets the steal and the run-out layup
06:37 and tries to get his feet set to go dunk it.
06:42 I've calmed down a lot in my old age.
06:46 It's not even funny to me.
06:47 I mean, it's like, "Come on."
06:50 But that's coaching.
06:53 We got two rookie point guards.
06:55 They're rookies. That's just what it is.
06:59 They're about everything that Cincinnati Bearcats are about.
07:04 Like, they represent what this program
07:07 has been about for a long --
07:09 They're the right kind of kids, but they're rookies.
07:11 And they're learning what this takes.
07:14 They're the best league in college basketball.
07:16 And my job isn't to freak out and yell and scream at them.
07:20 He knows he missed a damn layup, a big one.
07:23 I think with the four-point game when he did,
07:25 late in the regulation,
07:27 my job is to keep helping them learn and grow
07:31 and get them ready to play the next play.
07:33 He doesn't need me to tell him that he screwed it up there.
07:36 He knows, okay?
07:38 So, yeah, that's the kind of roller coaster
07:41 that coaches live on,
07:42 but we got to get to a point we don't smoke layups.
07:46 Okay? We saw way too many of that the last couple games.
07:49 Two more.
07:51 You talked after the Texas game about John
07:53 maybe being fatigued at the end
07:55 because you had to use him almost all 40 minutes.
07:58 How much has it meant for this team?
07:59 For Josh, I thought, gave three minutes on Emmanuel Miller,
08:04 you know, when you called on him,
08:06 to be able to kind of give you a second defensive guy
08:09 on the wing?
08:11 I think I'm actually glad you asked the question.
08:16 He has been a key to us improving as a defensive team.
08:24 I don't know if we look like an improved defensive team tonight
08:28 but during stretches, but he's been a massive key.
08:31 He's one of our best defensive players,
08:32 and to have somebody else other than John
08:35 that you not just, you know, can play defense,
08:38 but you can rely on every day,
08:41 and Josh has become a guy that's a great defensive player
08:43 that's reliable and consistent every day.
08:46 It's really added to our team in an incredibly positive way
08:50 and probably something that doesn't get enough attention
08:52 and should, so, yeah, I've been really pleased with Josh.
08:55 Josh, you've got a different player.
08:57 [Indistinct]
09:09 I think, you know, when it comes to our offense
09:12 and guys' performances, I think guys, like,
09:16 we don't have a team full of, you know,
09:19 fourth- and fifth-year seniors.
09:22 You know, like, we got some younger players
09:24 or players that maybe are older but in new positions,
09:28 and they're talented, they're gifted.
09:30 Like, we have a nice roster, but they're learning their way,
09:33 and, you know, you're starting to see that.
09:36 Like, you know, you see Dan Skilling starting to show
09:39 what he's capable of offensively the last couple games,
09:42 you know, at this level, right?
09:43 Or, you know, you see Seamoss and what he's capable of,
09:47 you know, but these guys are at this level for the first time,
09:51 finding their way for the first time.
09:53 As we continue to work through it
09:55 and they become more consistent,
09:57 we're going to become a very good offensive team
09:58 because we have a lot of offensive depth and ability.
10:02 [Indistinct]
10:10 Yeah, you know, like, it's important
10:14 when you've lost a couple games
10:15 that you felt you had real chances to win.
10:19 It's important to win one.
10:20 You got to learn how to win in one-two possession games,
10:23 which it seems like this whole dang league is, right?
10:26 And so it was important.
10:27 If we didn't win tonight, we'd be back at work.
10:30 We'd be down, but we'd be back at work
10:32 trying to figure out how to do it again,
10:33 and we'd eventually do it.
10:34 But it was nice that it came through tonight,
10:36 and that should give our team some confidence.