Wes Miller, CJ Fredrick Discuss 68-59 Loss to Iowa State
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00:00 and went on the road and make it very difficult for us.
00:03 It's obvious the point of the turnovers,
00:06 and that was obviously a massive factor,
00:09 if not the biggest factor in the game.
00:11 You guys are aware of that. I'm aware of that.
00:12 Our team's aware of it.
00:14 The fact of the matter is we can sit here
00:18 and talk about the kids that we're playing,
00:19 but I think the onus has to go to me.
00:22 We got to have our team more ready.
00:24 We got to have our team more prepared.
00:26 You know, we come out there and turn it over 25 times.
00:29 We got to do -- I got to do a better job.
00:31 Our staff's got to do a better job.
00:32 And, you know, we got really good players.
00:35 I believe in them.
00:36 So to turn it over 25 times, we got to do better as coaches.
00:41 Was there anything specifically that kept you
00:46 from not being able to shut it off
00:49 and fix an opening segment
00:51 you knew they were coming at you and not completing?
00:55 Yeah, their ball pressure's significant,
00:57 and I think, you know, what they do is they pressure the ball,
01:01 and you make -- you put your head down,
01:02 and you drive into difficult places.
01:04 And, again, we got to do a better job
01:07 of getting our team more prepared for that.
01:09 You know, we tried to simulate that in practice
01:13 and didn't do a good enough job.
01:15 Again, it's a code.
01:16 We got to look in the mirror as coaches, not point fingers.
01:18 We got great kids.
01:20 I believe in them. I'm staying with them.
01:22 We're going to figure it out.
01:23 This team's going to figure it out.
01:25 I believe that.
01:27 But, you know, to come in, like you said,
01:28 six in the opening minute,
01:31 you know, not be able to kind of adjust in a quick enough way
01:35 to -- I mean, I guess it's a one-possession game
01:38 going into the under four in the first half, right?
01:40 And then we give up.
01:41 I think we lose that last war by seven,
01:44 so we're down eight at half.
01:45 So I thought we kind of managed it defensively a little bit,
01:48 even though we had a couple defensive breakdowns.
01:51 But it just got away from us there.
01:53 And then I thought our guys showed fight
01:55 to keep climbing back into it.
01:56 I expect that.
01:58 That's the standard that we've set here for ourselves.
02:02 So nothing's going to sit here and celebrate that,
02:04 but I think it's worth recognizing.
02:07 [Inaudible]
02:14 Yeah, we talk about responding all the time, you know,
02:17 and come on, guys.
02:19 This -- we're disappointed.
02:22 Nobody's more disappointed than I am.
02:25 We just, in the last three days,
02:28 lost to the fifth-ranked team in the country
02:29 and the tenth-ranked team in the country.
02:31 It felt like we blew some opportunities.
02:33 There's no doubt about that.
02:36 But we're in a league where it can be really good
02:40 and feel great like it did last weekend down at Texas Tech,
02:44 or it can feel like you're down in the dumps,
02:45 and the goal from day one has been
02:48 to not get on a roller coaster and just stay steady every day.
02:50 And that's hard when you go through a tough stretch
02:52 where you have a night like we did tonight,
02:54 but that's when you find out what you really are about.
02:58 Got to be at your best when things are hard.
03:00 We'll be at our best now.
03:02 I'll be at my best as a coach.
03:04 Made that commitment to our team,
03:05 and I expect everybody else in our program
03:07 to be at their best when things aren't going our way.
03:09 Is there anything you can take from the two defensive efforts
03:18 in the last game to guide you?
03:23 I mean, obviously, no one wants to take a weapon like that.
03:27 Anything you can use to get used to some tournament time
03:32 that that might be, you know, at some point,
03:36 that you're not even sure where it's at.
03:38 Having the guys pissed off after you can do like this,
03:45 you know, what?
03:47 I think that -- I'd like to think, Scott,
03:55 like, I don't think about it circumstantially,
03:59 and I mean this, and it's hard.
04:01 This is a hard thing to execute,
04:03 but it's what I believe you try to learn from everything,
04:08 and you try to grow in everything you're doing.
04:10 If it's really damn hard and you get your butt kicked
04:15 and you struggle, then embrace it and learn.
04:17 I don't mean it feels good. Embrace it and learn.
04:20 If you do well, figure out what you got to do better,
04:25 you didn't arrive, and embrace it and learn,
04:27 and that's how I'm going to approach it
04:28 as a head coach every single day.
04:30 There's no arrival.
04:31 There's no jumping off the bridge.
04:33 There's no putting my head down.
04:35 I'm pissed.
04:36 It hurts because I hate losing, but you embrace it and you learn,
04:40 and there's going to be things to learn from every night,
04:42 and when we play at a really high level,
04:43 when we play at a really high level now,
04:46 there's going to be an opportunity to learn every night.
04:47 Whether it feels good or doesn't feel good, you better do it.
04:50 If you think you've arrived or you put your head down and pout,
04:53 then you're going to take two steps back.
04:55 You keep growing and learning, it's going to work out.
04:57 I really believe that, and I try to execute that,
05:00 especially when it's hard.
05:02 So, yeah, I mean, yes, there's things to learn
05:05 when you play against Houston and Iowa State,
05:07 two of the best defenses in the country.
05:09 TJ, you did 16 minutes in tonight,
05:12 worked back in, how you feeling overall,
05:15 and how comfortable do you feel with the environment?
05:20 Yeah, you know, I had no issues.
05:22 My body felt good.
05:25 Been having a good couple days of practice,
05:27 and, you know, no setbacks planned.
05:30 So, everything's been to plan.
05:33 Coach, can you just walk us through
05:34 what those conversations have been like?
05:37 [inaudible]
05:44 Conversations with who?
05:45 Players.
05:48 It's not rocket science, guys.
05:50 We got to execute better.
05:51 We got to be stronger with the ball.
05:53 We got to meet passes when we're being double teamed.
05:56 You know, we got to --
05:59 You know, sometimes as they start a double
06:01 and stay at the end of the first half,
06:02 then all of a sudden we're overreacting to that
06:05 as opposed to executing better, which will help you deal
06:08 or maybe have an advantage versus double team.
06:11 So, I mean, nothing that's rocket science.
06:15 Just trying to get guys to, number one,
06:18 attack the double team, be stronger with the ball,
06:22 do their job within our plays or our assignments offensively,
06:26 and not get on our heels.
06:28 And I think that's what I saw, and I think everybody saw.
06:31 And, again, don't blame the damn kids.
06:33 Blame the coach. We got to get them ready.
06:35 We obviously didn't have them ready if you come out
06:37 and you have that kind of performance.
06:40 Twenty-five minutes tonight for Chisel.
06:43 He was in a lot late against Houston.
06:45 How is he starting to earn that trust
06:48 where he's a guy that's seen his minutes increase?
06:52 Listen, I've said it.
06:54 I know everybody wants to --
06:57 You know, narratives, and you guys all have jobs to do.
07:00 And I get it.
07:01 I appreciate all the interest in our program and our team.
07:03 So I ask for this.
07:05 I'm not complaining.
07:07 But, you know, you guys are looking into this way too much,
07:12 way more than I'll ever look at it.
07:15 Chisel James is really good. Everybody can see it.
07:18 He's really important to this team.
07:20 He was important to this team in our first game against UIC,
07:24 whoever the heck we played against.
07:26 Davion Thomas is really important to this team.
07:28 He was important to our team against UIC.
07:30 They're both going to be important to our team
07:32 against Central Florida on Saturday.
07:34 It's not been a competition.
07:36 We need both.
07:37 We have two guards, two ball-handling players,
07:40 two point guards.
07:42 They both really matter.
07:43 Some teams have five of them and start three of them.
07:46 We got two.
07:47 Stop trying to figure out which one's the guy.
07:49 They're both the damn guy.
07:51 And that's the way I've looked at it from day one.
07:53 We played them both together when they're playing well.
07:55 You know, sometimes one of them seems to be more effective,
07:58 so they get a little more minutes.
08:00 Like, this ain't rocket science.
08:02 We have two. I wish we had 25.
08:04 And then we could talk about them depth charts.
08:06 They're both the guy.
08:08 And they both are doing the right things every day to work.
08:10 They're both great kids.
08:12 We got the right two kids at point guard.
08:13 Sorry, I'm just in a bad mood, guys.
08:19 I hate losing. I hate it.
08:23 So I'm not mad you guys are doing your jobs.
08:25 I don't mean to be a prick.
08:27 I can't help it. I just -- it's nobody's fault.
08:29 I hate losing. We are going to figure it out.
08:32 This team is going to figure it out.
08:35 PJ, you've been on for a long time.
08:39 This time of year, how important is it for you?
08:41 Yeah.
08:50 You know, in this league, every game's an opportunity.
08:54 We got -- we got seven games left.
08:58 So it's like Coach says all the time.
09:01 It's what this program, what we stand for.
09:03 It's responding, working hard.
09:05 And that's exactly what we're going to do.
09:07 We're going to stay together
09:09 and going to get ready for Central Florida
09:10 and, you know, take advantage --
09:13 try to take advantage of these opportunities.
09:17 Anything else?