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00:00 Good afternoon.
00:01 Just to update, we took a day off and we watched Baylor play.
00:10 And when you play the Monday night game,
00:14 you get one extra day of rest.
00:16 So we lightened the load on Wednesday and went hard yesterday.
00:23 We'll go hard today and looking forward to taking on a good Baylor team.
00:27 And hopefully we can get that support that we've had here
00:32 on the Coliseum on Saturdays.
00:33 And I know the weather is going to be a little bit sketchy.
00:36 So I certainly appreciate every amount of support
00:40 we continue to get from our fans.
00:42 And that means the world to this team that's giving everything
00:46 we got each and every night.
00:48 Josh, obviously when teams struggle, sometimes they
00:51 can check out a little bit late in the season.
00:53 But your thought, effort, intensity, focus,
00:56 are they still there for you, practice games that you want?
00:58 I mean, there's times that the effort and intensity starts lagging.
01:02 But I feel like they respond fairly well in the majority of moments.
01:09 By no means.
01:10 And that can be for a team that's playing really well this time of year.
01:13 Because we are in the dog days of the season in February.
01:16 So I was talking on the radio yesterday in terms of our approach to practice
01:22 and trying to figure out how we are most efficient with our time
01:26 and to make sure we get the most out of each and every drill in terms
01:30 of how it carries over to the next scout and the next opponent you got.
01:36 So certainly there's moments where you're lacking effort
01:40 and we get them refocused.
01:41 So we still have a lot of opportunity ahead of us.
01:45 And that's the way we look at it.
01:47 After the TCU game, I think as part of your interview,
01:52 you were saying that there would be some soul searching.
01:56 What does that constitute at this point in the season?
01:59 And how was that process handled?
02:04 I think more than anything, we all got to look at ourselves in the mirror
02:07 and figure out what we can do better to help our program be successful.
02:12 And that's top to bottom.
02:13 I told them it starts with me.
02:15 It starts with our coaching staff.
02:16 So everybody in the program can find ways to improve and get better
02:21 each and every day.
02:22 And that's where we're at.
02:23 We have to look at it as today, what can we do today to improve?
02:31 Can we be the best versions of ourselves today?
02:34 And then wake up the next morning, the sun's going to come up,
02:37 and let's figure out how we can be the best versions of ourselves
02:40 the next day and continue to find ways to improve and get better.
02:45 Because this is a long-term game for all of us, top to bottom,
02:50 on our roster.
02:51 A lot of these guys, even our seniors, they
02:53 plan to play professionally one way or another
02:58 and make money at the game of basketball.
03:00 So they have to understand that each and every day
03:04 is an opportunity and a growth opportunity
03:06 to get better as a professional as well.
03:09 Because they will carry this forth in terms
03:12 of how they finish the season and how they carry themselves.
03:16 I mean, they'll be judged from here on out, as we all will.
03:19 All right.
03:20 What do you see from Baylor?
03:23 Very balanced team, very competitive from top to bottom.
03:27 They seem to always load up on guards.
03:32 And they have a guard-heavy team, which--
03:36 not to take anything away from their forwards,
03:39 but they've always had the strength in numbers
03:43 with their guards.
03:44 And it's no different this year.
03:46 And the main thing, you look and you
03:48 start diving into their roster and their stats.
03:52 So they're very balanced scoring.
03:54 I think the top six guys are right there
03:57 at double-figure scoring.
03:59 So there's not one guy that you key on.
04:02 You key on one guy and somebody else beats you
04:07 or you struggle with.
04:08 So you can't do that.
04:10 You've got to look at them as a collective whole.
04:13 And you've got to guard them as a collective whole in terms
04:16 of that whole mentality of us versus them
04:19 and loading up and helping each other.
04:22 And nobody can feel like-- and I continue
04:24 to say this with our guys--
04:25 nobody can feel like they're on the island guarding one guy.
04:28 There's always help behind you.
04:29 And that's what we've got to approach the game.
04:32 You've gone through-- well, obviously,
04:34 you've gone through a lot of personal changes.
04:37 You've tried different defensive looks.
04:40 Are you comfortable with--
04:42 like when you're going into a game plan,
04:44 so OK, let's do this.
04:47 Or does that kind of change depending
04:48 on the outlook of the opponent?
04:51 What they-- I guess, what they--
04:54 Well, it's different each and every game.
04:58 Certainly, you always have to try
05:00 to prepare to have something in your pocket to change the game.
05:04 And so when things start to--
05:06 if they do start going in the opponent's direction,
05:10 you've got to figure out how to change it.
05:12 And so there's times--
05:16 we've had a couple opportunities and the games
05:18 have slipped away because just nothing seemed to work,
05:21 no matter what angle you threw at them.
05:23 And that's going to happen from time to time.
05:25 You look at scores in this league
05:26 and you see Kansas that was a perennial champion, basically,
05:31 in this league.
05:32 And go to Texas Tech and you just get thumped.
05:36 And so there's going to be nights where you just
05:39 don't have it.
05:40 And the home team will get the best of you in a lot of ways.
05:44 So you just figure out how do you turn the page
05:48 and you figure out how do you learn from it
05:50 and move on and grow.
05:52 Obviously, some coaches get associated
05:57 with a type of defense.
05:58 You're behind, obviously.
06:00 Hugging man to man, Bob Knight, man to man.
06:04 When you were coming into this year,
06:06 did you have just like, this is what our base defense is
06:13 going to be and this is what I want to hang my hat on?
06:17 Has that changed a lot through all the changes?
06:20 We're kind of squeezed.
06:21 We're in really a pressure cooker situation.
06:24 And trying to piece together the roster,
06:26 you're taking whatever piece you could possibly--
06:29 that could help you late, that you didn't have a lot of options.
06:34 So to answer your question, the way I look at things,
06:38 and if I had a big picture, long term plan as to how
06:42 I want to play defensively, you can kind of
06:45 throw that out the window in this situation.
06:48 So you get to play to the personnel that you have.
06:50 So you try to get the best personnel you can possibly get
06:53 in a late summer situation.
06:55 And then you figure out what's going
06:57 to put them in the best positions to succeed.
07:02 You don't have the time to try to recruit
07:05 to the idea of what you want to do.
07:08 So that kind of hinders you in that way.
07:11 So the situation we were put in, you
07:13 try to get the best available players,
07:15 and they can help you and immediately make an impact.
07:19 But that doesn't necessarily help you
07:22 in terms of recruiting to the system that you want to play.
07:25 So have we tried a lot of different things?
07:28 Yes.
07:29 But that was by necessity to try to make ourselves
07:33 a competitive group night in, night out.
07:36 I guess that's kind of my point, is you never
07:38 had that opportunity when you're game planning and practicing.
07:44 Instead of-- you had to try.
07:46 I mean, you had to not only try, but work on all this.
07:51 Yeah, and then with the management of the roster
07:54 in terms of this guy's in, this guy's out,
07:57 we're adding these three guys.
07:58 We're playing six or seven man rotation
08:00 for the first nine games.
08:01 That's going to be a little different strategy
08:03 than when you have a little bit more depth,
08:06 and you can do things differently.
08:08 And then you realize that chemistry really isn't there,
08:11 and the way we want to play isn't going to work.
08:15 Then let's figure out how we simplify it and create a team
08:20 environment on the defensive end where everybody's
08:22 helping one another.
08:23 And we're packing things in is where we kind of got to.
08:27 Doesn't necessarily mean that's my philosophy by any means.
08:30 It's just in the short term, in the moment,
08:33 you've got to figure out what you can do to be successful.
08:36 So you've done man, two, three, right?
08:40 Backline, you've done some full court stuff here and there.
08:46 Have you made up anything?
08:47 I mean, is there anything that you guys haven't?
08:49 There's certainly some things that you--
08:51 there are a lot of different defensive schemes
08:54 you can go to, but it's hard this time of year
08:57 to have wholesale changes by any means.
08:59 I mean, it was kind of hard to turn that page
09:02 and have a wholesale change from what we're trying to do to--
09:05 I wouldn't say it's backline by any means,
09:07 because we're not adopting all the backline principles,
09:09 but we're certainly a heavier gap than we used to be.
09:13 See, I mean, it's the new world.
09:18 You look close and see Jalen Bridges.
09:20 You just saw him last year, too.
09:21 Does that still feel odd for a coach
09:23 to look over on the other bench and see somebody
09:26 who was on your bench for a long time?
09:27 Yeah, it's a little bit.
09:28 I mean, I saw Jalen in Kansas City in the Big 12 media days,
09:34 and I always had a wonderful relationship with Jalen.
09:37 So I was excited to see him and give him a hug.
09:41 I have no ill will towards Jalen by any means,
09:45 and I don't think he has any ill will towards me.
09:48 And so it's strange.
09:51 You create those relationships in the recruiting process,
09:56 and you know their family, and you
09:58 run into their family in the community.
10:00 And to see him at Baylor and going against him
10:06 in a different color jersey, it's a little bit--
10:09 probably be a little stranger for me
10:11 as being a head coach than it would be as an assistant.
10:14 But I have no ill will towards Jalen whatsoever.
10:18 And in this business, you want your guys
10:21 to succeed one way or another.
10:23 And I care about Jalen, and I hope he does well, just not
10:27 against the Mountaineers.
10:29 When you scout him, what--
10:31 No, he's playing his role for them
10:33 and playing it at a high level.
10:34 So he's the guy that's going to play his role extremely well
10:40 and shoot that basketball when he's open.
10:42 And if I remember right, I think he's double-double night
10:45 last time he had a chance to come in here to Coliseum.
10:49 So hopefully we can stymie that a little bit this time.
10:52 Do you think, Josh, that when the portal came in
10:59 and the NIL came in, they said that was going to--
11:01 all these bigger, better schools are going
11:04 to get all the great talent?
11:06 In other words, we're going to have super teams again.
11:09 But has it worked the other way?
11:11 Has it spread talent more?
11:14 Yeah, it has.
11:15 The teams with the most resources
11:21 are usually going to catch up at the end of the day.
11:24 And I think the teams that had the advantage
11:26 in the last couple of years were the ones that
11:30 adapted well to the changes and adopted the changes.
11:35 So they weren't stuck in their ways.
11:37 And they said, OK, we're going to embrace the NIL.
11:40 We're going to embrace the immediate transfer.
11:42 And we're going to run with it.
11:45 But certainly at the end of the day,
11:47 it's going to be whoever has the most resources.
11:50 But you're going to find teams out there.
11:53 They're certainly probably an outlier to where
11:59 they found a way to keep and retain
12:01 the majority of their players.
12:02 And their chemistry is there.
12:04 And they might not be the most talented team.
12:07 But certainly they can beat people
12:09 because they're so well-connected.
12:11 And you're going to find that those programs and those teams
12:15 from time to time that might upset someone.
12:18 But because the next team down the road,
12:21 whether it be a high major that has been winning year in,
12:25 year out, just gets disconnected because they're kind of looking
12:30 out for their own.
12:31 Sounds like what you're saying is
12:34 that it's almost as important, your in-house recruiting
12:39 of your own people, as scouring.
12:43 Oh, yeah.
12:44 You've got to keep the guy rather than--
12:46 That's 100% the way you've got to look at it,
12:48 and especially from year to year turnover.
12:50 I mean, you want to start from the inside out in terms
12:55 of recruiting your own guys and retention of the guys that
13:01 helped you get where you're at.
13:03 And that's probably where teams are
13:05 going to find that they're going to narrow their focus when
13:08 the season ends and before the portal opens up,
13:12 that they're going to start with their own locker room
13:15 before they go elsewhere.
13:17 I'm curious on your opinion on this.
13:19 Because you were behind the scenes for a few years
13:21 when the portal became the portal,
13:24 and then obviously getting the situation
13:25 that you were this year.
13:29 Do you think it's possible for a team--
13:33 say they have 10 scholarship open or x number,
13:39 and they just go out and grab portal guys.
13:42 Is it possible-- and maybe they're a highly ranked--
13:47 is it possible for that scenario to really work?
13:51 It all sounds good on paper.
13:52 I get that.
13:53 Yes, it has everything to do with the mentality
13:56 of those 10 guys.
13:58 Are you getting 10 very competitive guys that
14:01 love the game of basketball?
14:02 Are you getting 10 competitive guys
14:04 that want to do everything for their teammates
14:07 and will do whatever it takes to win?
14:14 But there's programs that you see it,
14:16 and there's some disconnect.
14:19 And then guys are looking out for their own.
14:21 And in the team sport, it doesn't work.
14:25 So to have that chemistry and you get the right character
14:29 guys that would--
14:33 bad reference, take a bullet for one another,
14:36 but would certainly do that and do everything it takes to win.
14:43 You certainly want to get those guys off winning programs
14:46 that know how to win, that have that mentality
14:50 and that competitive nature that they
14:53 want to do everything they can for the team to win.
14:55 It's more than just their stats from their previous--
14:58 Yeah, you can't just say, OK, this guy had 15 and 12,
15:04 but came from a losing program.
15:07 And he might be that cancer on that losing program.
15:12 So there's a lot more factors when you're picking guys up
15:17 and recruiting than just the stats in so many ways.
15:24 And I think with our situation, I think more than anything,
15:29 we got great guys and guys that want to win.
15:31 Just try to put all those pieces together late
15:34 and try to get them to all mesh.
15:36 And when everybody else had a two, three month head
15:40 start on you, that became our biggest concern
15:42 and our biggest issue to try to overcome is the chemistry.
15:47 We only had part of it for one part and part for the other.
15:50 Yeah, so it was kind of like somebody--
15:56 who was it?
15:57 Mike Gansey says, you're running a G League team.
16:00 And that's kind of the way it felt there for the longest time.
16:04 But now all of our pieces are here.
16:06 And I keep preaching to our guys,
16:08 what's stopping us from maximizing our potential
16:11 on the way out?
16:12 We've got everybody here, everybody
16:14 that we thought we'd have from day one.
16:16 You added a few weeks ago Aiden Nelson.
16:19 And so you knew he was a practice player,
16:21 though he got a few minutes in the other day.
16:23 So just effort, attitude, you getting out of him
16:25 what you want?
16:26 What's he been like?
16:27 He's a great high character kid and excited to be
16:31 in the gym every day.
16:32 Loves the game of basketball.
16:34 He has nothing-- he's gained nothing from this.
16:39 I mean, he's doubling up his workouts
16:41 with football and basketball.
16:43 And he's one of the first ones in the gym
16:46 and the last ones to leave.
16:48 And just loves the game.
16:49 And I think there's something to be said for that.
16:52 Just having guys like that around the program that
16:54 just want to be here and enjoy the game of basketball,
16:57 enjoy the competitive nature of it, enjoy the camaraderie.
17:01 And he's just an excellent human being and an excellent person.
17:04 And excited to have him around each and every day.
17:07 Last couple of times where you've
17:10 been able to just bring guys in off the bench to play late.
17:14 Membry hasn't been a part of that.
17:16 Is he hurt?
17:16 Or is there anything--
17:18 No, he isn't hurt.
17:21 Well, I mean, he had that nagging shoulder injury
17:24 that carried over from the Florida trip,
17:28 if you remember right.
17:30 But he's looking at trying to get a medical redshirt.
17:34 So he'd asked me to--
17:37 he'd be pursuing that.
17:39 And if it came down to it, we could certainly
17:42 try to force the issue with putting him in.
17:45 But in order for him to be eligible,
17:48 he couldn't play in a certain amount of gains
17:50 past a certain amount--
17:51 a certain time.
17:52 So yeah, so I respected his wishes.
17:56 And we haven't thrown him in a situation like that.
17:59 I imagine he's probably pretty safe under the threshold.
18:02 I think he's like 10% or something.
18:04 Yeah, I believe he's right at that threshold.
18:06 And we looked into it.
18:07 So he's going to be starting that process.
18:10 Coach, thank you.