Wes Miller, Simas Lukošius Discuss 80-76 Loss to Oklahoma State
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00:00 This team held the job bringing a bunch of young players with a couple older guys
00:05 along in this league.
00:06 And if you look at how they played over the last couple weeks,
00:09 they're playing with everybody.
00:10 And they beat BYU Hanley the other night,
00:14 they had a chance to win at Oklahoma.
00:16 And they come in here, I mean, I think number one,
00:20 Mike Boyden is doing an unbelievable job coaching his group.
00:23 So give credit there, give credit to those kids.
00:25 I think the first thing, and this is kind of what I told them in the locker room,
00:33 I love my group, guys.
00:35 That's not a coaching line, that's not for the media.
00:39 I really, really like this team.
00:41 I really like these guys.
00:43 We got awesome guys.
00:45 I mean, the thing, we just respond.
00:50 To this point, it's got to keep happening.
00:52 We get down, we come out, we find a way to fight back in games.
00:57 We've done it all year.
01:00 And that quality, that character, I'm proud to coach them.
01:04 I'm lucky to be able to coach these guys.
01:09 We just haven't quite figured out as a group the little stuff
01:15 that you got to do to get over the hump.
01:18 And the reason that I like them is because we respond and we're tough
01:21 and we have good kids and they're good players.
01:25 So that's why we're in every game.
01:27 We're in every game because of the character and the quality they have.
01:31 But we're in every game, even when we shouldn't be,
01:35 because we haven't turned that corner on what this winning thing is really all about.
01:40 And I told them that's on me, like I got to get us there.
01:43 I got to get us over the hump to not spot people points
01:46 because we won't sprint back and talk.
01:48 Or do our job in transition defense.
01:49 Not spot people points because we don't box out and pursue the ball
01:54 and the game's on the line.
01:55 And then, okay you give one up, not sprint to the ball
02:00 and communicate to get our defense set
02:02 so the next one you give isn't a wide open three for the best shooter.
02:06 You know, not fouling three points.
02:09 I got to do a better job to get us there.
02:11 I got to get this group to believe that every minute they're in the gym
02:15 they're working for those possessions.
02:17 They're going to work, they're going to compete, they're going to play hard.
02:22 They're especially going to play hard when their backs are in the corner.
02:25 And that is an awesome quality.
02:27 I got to get us to be that way all the time, not just when we're down.
02:32 Okay, not just in segments.
02:34 And I told them I got to do a better job.
02:40 Defensively they shoot 55% of the pass over.
02:45 Is there anything specific that they were doing
02:48 that were giving trouble or a culmination?
02:53 It's a culmination.
02:55 You know, they got some easy baskets in transition.
02:58 Just honestly without – it wasn't like things happened to Krimen.
03:02 We have the turnover, I think Semas turns it over
03:05 trying to drop it off to Azie early.
03:07 But we hustle back so darn hard and John makes a play
03:10 and then it turns into a foul on the other end.
03:12 And the stuff that should result in transition opportunities,
03:16 I thought our effort to get back was good.
03:18 But just on made bad – we make a three if we don't get set.
03:21 They drop it baseline and dang it around and get a wide open three.
03:24 I mean, transition defense was not where – it hasn't been.
03:29 And it's on me.
03:31 I'm trying everything I can do to get them there and I'm not right now.
03:34 And I got to do better.
03:36 Told them that in the locker room.
03:38 So, we made a bunch of mental errors, you know, defensively.
03:43 Like understanding who we're closing out to.
03:45 Like, you know, the scouting report type stuff.
03:48 We gambled a couple times when we shouldn't have.
03:52 Like we went after balls we shouldn't go after.
03:54 I thought our activity was tremendous at times defensively.
03:57 But then sometimes we try to go make plays that are silly.
04:00 Like we go after a loose ball at half court that we just can't get
04:03 and create a five on four, results in a basket.
04:05 And at the end of the half on the out of bounds play,
04:09 we try to steal the inbounds pass and run through it and give up a layup.
04:13 I mean, it was a culmination of some defensive errors.
04:16 But I thought the effort and the deflections, the activity,
04:21 especially when we were down, right?
04:23 I mean, when we get down, you know, and I'm proud of that.
04:27 But we got to be like that all the time
04:28 and we got to be a little bit smarter.
04:30 And again, this isn't on players, man.
04:31 This is on coaching.
04:32 We got to find a way to get our guys to understand.
04:36 Coach, you talked about how fun it is to go down and get a pass.
04:45 How hard is it or how do you get a pass?
04:48 How do you get a pass?
04:52 Yeah, I'm trying everything I can possibly do
04:54 to get them to understand what, you know,
04:57 the stuff you can control to win one or two possessions.
04:59 And as I said, I got to do better.
05:01 I got -- We have wisdom as coaches.
05:03 We've coached, we've played,
05:07 we've been around the game for 20 years.
05:09 So we understand that,
05:11 but our job is to get our kids to understand that,
05:13 our team to understand that.
05:15 And again, I love my team.
05:18 There's a reason we're in every game.
05:20 Like, that speaks to them.
05:21 I got to get them to understand what it takes
05:23 to get one or two possessions better.
05:26 And you do that by controlling the things you can control.
05:30 We're not doing that at a high enough level,
05:32 and that's on me.
05:33 And I will keep trying.
05:35 And sometimes -- And I've done this now.
05:38 I've been around this for 20 years.
05:40 Sometimes kids have to fail to really,
05:44 really let it click.
05:45 And a group has to go through it together a little bit.
05:47 And I hate that.
05:48 I'm not trying to make an excuse or make light
05:51 of losing some games that we should win.
05:53 But my hope is, because we got high character,
05:56 that they're going to start going,
05:57 "Oh, man, we got to get this right."
06:00 Like, the stuff we can control, we got to get it right.
06:03 And if we do that, man, now all of a sudden,
06:06 we're feeling great standing up here tonight
06:08 talking to you guys instead of feeling like down in the dumps
06:11 because we pissed another game off at home.
06:14 You guys have come back and rebounded
06:21 four after every tough game.
06:23 I've had a lot of people ask about Victor.
06:31 I'm playing, and I think you did minutes and rebounds.
06:36 You know, we've gone away from here the last two games.
06:45 That hasn't been an easy decision.
06:49 It's not been one I've taken lightly.
06:53 You know, he had a stretch there
06:55 where he wasn't playing to his standard.
07:00 And he had a sickness.
07:02 He had some, you know, body breaking down,
07:04 things like that, so it's not all --
07:07 We shouldn't pile on Victor.
07:08 And I've just decided to kind of roll with some other guys
07:12 that have been more consistent here over the last month.
07:15 I've said this all along for us to be the best team we can be.
07:19 I think Victor Lockett needs to be a big part of it,
07:22 and I think we've played our best basketball
07:23 for the most part he has been.
07:27 I want him to dig his way out.
07:30 I want him to get back to doing the things
07:33 that we know we can do defensively on the back boards.
07:38 And I think we haven't given up on him
07:41 in any way from a playing standpoint.
07:42 He's a terrific kid.
07:44 He knows a lot about our program,
07:45 and he's got opportunities every day.
07:48 But we have gone away from here the last couple games,
07:50 and that's not been easy to do as a coach.
07:53 Coach, you guys look at this 3-3 in the second half,
07:55 and then kind of sparks that run in the middle portion
07:58 of the time of the final eight minutes.
08:00 Was there a conscious defense,
08:03 kind of going deep heart defense there,
08:04 trying to get as much defense in the first half?
08:06 I thought he was great, you know, in the second half.
08:08 I thought that, especially during that segment.
08:11 He's coming, right?
08:12 Everybody can see it.
08:14 That was exciting. That was fun.
08:16 And then they kind of had their way with him
08:18 in the ball screen for three straight possessions.
08:21 And, you know, we finally got over the hump and got the lead.
08:25 And so that's why I took him out, told him that.
08:29 Gissel's got the greatest attitude in the world.
08:32 I think we're really close
08:34 to getting him over the hump defensively.
08:35 He's so much better than he was, you know, weeks ago.
08:40 And we need him to get over the hump.
08:42 Like, our team needs him out there more than --
08:44 Like, I look down, like, we need him to be playing
08:46 significantly more minutes than this
08:48 because you can see the things that he can do.
08:50 He just -- He's got the ability to make plays
08:52 with the ball in his hands that, you know, other than CMOS,
08:57 nobody else can do consistently like him.
08:59 Like, and he makes others better.
09:01 And he's right there, guys. He's right there.
09:03 And I don't want to wait until next year.
09:06 Like, I want him to get there now.
09:07 But, you know, three straight possessions.
09:09 Then Day-Day comes in and gets a steal
09:11 and a ball screen, the next possession.
09:13 So we kind of rolled that way.
09:15 And, you know, by the time you're thinking about it again,
09:17 it's under four minutes.
09:19 So that's the truth of it.
09:21 But, yeah, I'm a bigger fan of Gissel James
09:25 than anybody in that building, okay?
09:27 And I'm really, really pleased with his improvement.
09:32 And I think he's about one little step away defensively
09:36 from being out there a heck of a lot more.
09:39 CMOS, you're both lost points in the last --
09:42 for the last five games.
09:43 Both statutes tonight, five rebounds, four assists.
09:45 Like, you feel like you're kind of hitting your stride,
09:48 hitting some of the tears in the portions of your play
09:51 you wanted to hit going into this?
09:54 I'd say, yeah, a little bit.
09:56 I mean, my confidence is going up game to game.
09:59 And the coach is going to me a lot.
10:02 And, yeah, I'm feeling more comfortable
10:04 in the offense each and every day,
10:06 more comfortable playing with my teammates each and every day.
10:09 So that's been a big part of it.
10:11 But I wouldn't say I'm really there yet where I want to be
10:16 because I think there's a lot where I can get better at,
10:19 especially on defense, but also on offense.
10:21 There's some silly mistakes that I do sometimes
10:23 that really should be eliminated from my game.
10:27 Coach, you saw Josh Green
10:29 [inaudible]
10:36 Yes.
10:40 Any more questions for Timo?
10:44 All right, we're good. Thank you.
10:45 Thanks, guys.
10:46 Bye.