Postgame Quotes vs. Hope College

Indiana vs. Hope College
Nov. 1, 2016
Postgame Quotes

Indiana Head Coach Tom Crean
First and foremost, I thought the game with Hope would be very good because it's an outstanding program.

And when I got my start in Division III at Alma College at the age of 20, Hope was then – and still is – one of the premiere programs in Division III. What was ironic and cool tonight at the same time is Glenn Van Wieren was in the building with their athletic director. And as I told my team, at the Division III level he's on par with the Bob Knight and Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim when it comes to wins and what he did. And Greg Mitchell was a part of his teams.

So, they were always the program that everyone was measured by back in the MIAA, where my roots are, and they lived up to every bit of what I thought they would be and they were even better, because they lost some guys too.

We knew they moved very well without the ball. We knew they did a great job of cutting off the post. They have a tremendous game plan, the way they wanted to go down inside and they moved on the air time of the pass into their post doubles. At times it was three guys down there guarding the post. That was great for us to see and have to make the adjustments on.

Everything we could have wanted in this game was there. They made us play extremely hard.

Our mistakes came out -- the things that we haven't spent very much time on came out. The things that we've got to get better at were clear.

Some of our strengths came out. But the bottom line after a month of practice to play against a team that well-coached and that good in this environment was really great for us.

So we played extremely hard. We played a lot of different lineups. I wouldn't read anything into any of the lineups. It could change again on Saturday. To me it's about having as many multi-dimensional, versatile guys that can play numerous positions for us, and try to build ourselves to get a team that can bring fatigue to the game.

We didn't put a zone offense in until yesterday. We've done nothing outside of man-to-man defense at this point. And we've got a long way to go and a lot of learning.

But the most important thing is we're playing hard. We moved the ball. We got guys back that get that confidence of playing that first game that have not played either since before Carolina or in the case of James, right after Christmas. And it was great to see that.

So a lot of things for us to improve upon. I thought we improved in the game. And we went against a very well-coached team. It was very cool to play against Ron Blackledge's grandson and Todd Blackledge's son. We knew he was a good player, and he was even better than I thought after watching him on film after being with him in the game tonight.

That was a cool sidelight for this building tonight to have the Blackledges in it.

Q. On the team's ball movement.
COACH CREAN: I'll go to the film on that. I thought the ball moved well. Our spacing is not there yet. I think that's one of the things -- our spacing was a little bit of a product of some of our turnovers. And, again, we'll grade the transition defense.

I thought the effort was good. Where we made mistakes, we've really got to learn, which is harder for these guys with the way that we want to guard 3-point shooters and guard their penetration. We're not an overhelp team.

A lot of times guys come in, they see that ball being driven or somebody's getting beat. We've got to do a better job on the ball. But we've got to do a better job of early help on the ball, so we get back to our shooters, because we're going to see some really good shooters. And we wanted to treat No. 11 like that today. We wanted to treat No. 11 like that's a guy we're not coming off of.

It's easier said than done. Takes us a little time to get to that point. So that's part of it. And they did a good job in the corners tonight. We got our corner game going more in the second half, especially when I made our 6'11 sophomore become the 3-man tonight. The corner was filled every time.

But, again, we'll get better with that. Our transition D will get better. I thought our running game was pretty solid even though our spacing on the break left a little to be desired. We didn't get it inside as quick as we could have. We don't have a big package right now of offensive arsenal things to go to.

We just haven't done it yet. But I thought the ball moved at a pretty good rate.

Q. Talk about the defensive intensity.
COACH CREAN: I don't know if I would call it the intensity. The intent was good. That's a group that's not played together very much. Juwan just got back. Literally he hasn't been back a week yet when it comes to live basketball. By far the most he did was tonight.

And we had him guard the point guard. So it's a little different. I want this team to learn how to get -- the old saying of get comfortable in the uncomfortable.

Well, it's also how you deal with change. How you deal with sudden change. Like that's a football term, right? But it's also a basketball term for us, with not just how you react to a turnover but how do you react to different teammates that you haven't spent much time with on the court yet.

So intensity definitely picked up as we got more comfortable with that. But I thought our intent was very good from the beginning which is what you want.

Q. On OG's shooting.
COACH CREAN: I never look at it as a schedule. Sometimes we'll get some comparison points to where guys in the past were.

So, okay, we've got him on this track or we've got him on that track. I'll sometimes do that. OG spends as much time in the gym as anybody we've had here at his age. And if that continues to keep up, I mean extra time. If that continues to keep up, he will be in a really good place.

We've had recruits come in in the past and, like, maybe it's we're going to go at noon or we're going to go at 12:30. Or I'll come out and I'll say, this is why -- this is why this is a great place if you love to do this.

And say, okay, wait these two or three guys are already out on the court working with the GMs or working with the managers and it's 10:30.

And we're not even going till noon. And they're not being asked. And they're not being told to. And they're not being coached other than the guys rebounding the ball for them.

So that's why we have a player development program the way that it is. That's why we have the -- the players always create the structure. The coaches create the structure but the players create the culture. And when you've got that kind of work ethic, and OG has it and others have it as well, I think he's going to continue to get better shooting the ball and he's got to get better in a lot of things but he works very hard at those things. And shooting is certainly a big part of it.

Q. Talk about Juwan's rebounding.
COACH CREAN: He hasn't shown any since he's been back out there, which is good, because we weren't putting him out until he was without question healed. So if something ever happens again, knock on wood, it's not going to be because he didn't heal properly. He's fully healed and fully cleared.

And I think we could have put him out there a month ago and we wouldn't have noticed the difference in him. And that's just how he is.

And look how many times he came back from it last year. I'm not sure how many guys would have done that. Really, in the sense of like getting cleared and then coming back out there and doing all the extra rehab.

And Tim Garl deserves a lot of credit for that. He was given a new name by Grant Gelon. He called him Dr. Tim. So now I refer to him as Dr. Tim.

I already thought he was, but now Grant thinks he is, too, so that's good enough for me. So Dr. Tim has done a great job with him, as have Dr. Rink, Dr. Ahlfeld did the surgery.

But these guys, every one of the guys that have come back from the injury, you can't push them past being timid. You can't push them into feeling they're comfortable. Only they can do that. And we leave them alone on that. They've got to feel that.

And they've done a really good job of that. So he plays -- he needs his time. He needs to continue to have that versatility for us. He's going to be a guy that, especially with Collin out, that's just going to play numerous roles for us.

Zach McRoberts has got to work his way into that. And as I told Zach, I'll tell you when I don't think you're good enough or you can't play. So until you hear it from me just go out there and treat yourself like you've been here a long time, and he'll get that as well.

I didn't think any of them played like they've been injured at all. It was good.

Q. On Devonte Green's play tonight.
COACH CREAN: He'll continue to get better, too. He's learning the nuances of it. And really working a lot with his footwork. He's so quick and sometimes he's too quick with the ball.

But the reasons we offered him when we did is because not only of his talent. You could see his talent before we offered. It was his precision. It was his execution.

It was not only his 3-point shot-making, it was the way he delivered the ball. It was the way he got up and defended people. It was the velocity that he put on the ball and his passes, the force that he played defense with.

And I think we're seeing that. And as he gets more and more confident -- we're asking a lot of him, because every one of the freshmen, and De'Ron will get there even though De'Ron -- he's got great feet. We're playing him like he's a hockey player right now. It's very short shifts for him.

And we're both on the same page with that. We just talked about it again because De'Ron is going to be a very good player, but he's got -- he's got to get healthy. He's got to work his way into the condition.

He's a product of not being here this summer and then having some setbacks in the fall, with some injury things.

So Devonte and Curtis are guys that are going to continue to get better and better inside of that. And Grant just needs to get the defense down and get his confidence down and he'll get better and better. Devonte and Curtis can be very interchangeable for us and we'd like to get it to the point where they understand exactly how to make everybody else better like our team is learning how to make them better.

Q. Talk about what James learned in his time off.
COACH CREAN: I think it's ongoing. I think we've been very hard on the juniors, I have been for reasons of leadership. And not just playing, but the responsibility that they have to take for everybody else. All three of them are quiet by nature. James as well.

And all three of them are coming back from major surgeries. And this was the first time -- we forget about Josh. He hadn't played -- not only hadn't played in a year, but a year ago he was barely walking when he was here.

So the microfracture surgery is a very tough surgery to come back from. So we're asking a lot of the juniors. We know they've overcome some things.

And James is the epitome of a guy that has so much more to give and we're going to hold him to a high expectation level of it.

But I thought he moved the ball. I thought he talked better tonight. I thought he moved without the ball. I thought he was ready to shoot. Put him in the post. There are different things we can do.

And the more they get comfortable back in their own skin of playing the game, after the time that they've missed, the more they'll get comfortable with their teammates.

But with our schedule, we're trying to push that a little bit faster. We don't have three or four games before we get into a big game/big name team situation. We start right away.

But I thought he did a good job tonight as well. I'll see what the film says, but I thought he did a really good job.

Q. Talk about James' leadership.
COACH CREAN: It needs to be forced. It needed to be forced out of Yogi as well. It really did. Yogi's leadership went to a whole other level when we got into the Big Ten season.

What Yogi had was a presence, was a durability and people had a real comfort level playing with him because it was like it was safe to play with Yogi because Yogi was so good, Yogi could do so many different things.

So there's different forms of leadership. But verbal, demanding, make the game easier for everybody else – that takes time for guys. It's very unnatural for most people.

You've got to speed that process up. It's like player development. You speed the process up for them.

Now you slow it down if it becomes too much. But a lot of times guys don't understand the abilities that they have. And it's your job as a coach and the coaching staff to pull that out of them.

So they'll get there. They'll get there. We want them to be comfortable. But we also want them to make the game easier for their teammates. And a lot of times it's not only the nonverbal presence, it's the verbal presence that's got to be there. And it makes it easier for them.

Q. Talk about the game on Saturday.
COACH CREAN: The date worked for us as much as anything else. And he's a very good coach. It's a very good program. And they'll play extremely hard. And we're not used to doing things with way team two years in a row.

But we have a lot of respect for him. And again the date worked for us because we wanted to play that date knowing when we were leaving for Hawaii.

And our guys will be ready. I'm sure they will be too. But our guys will be ready. They're a tremendous screening, cutting, move-without-the-ball team. They put a lot of pressure on you with their cuts. We'll have to defend that at a high level. And there will be a little more -- we may have to guard the half court a little bit longer at times.

So that will be part of it, too. It will be a next great step for these guys.

Indiana Players - James Blackmon Jr., Juwan Morgan and Devonte Green
Q. Juwan, how are you feeling?
JUWAN MORGAN: Basically I'm feeling really good. The process I went through with the training staff and strength coach and all the support of my team and family, it brought me to where I am right now, and I'm just ready to go help my team.

Q. James, talk about being in a game situation.
JAMES BLACKMON: It feels great. This is what I've been waiting for ever since I got hurt, just to be back on the floor with my teammates, just the rehab and everyone who helped me with it, I'm just glad to be back.

I felt good. It's different than practice actually playing in the game. I was really excited to be out there. So just settling down once the game got started.

Q. Juwan, talk about OG's 3-point shooting.
JUWAN MORGAN: I think it's been a real big focus, just adding another element to his game. Like tonight, he was on fire as soon as he got out there. He was just knocking down shots, and when he's knocking down shots it opens up things for Thomas. And once Thomas is scoring, people have to impose back opens up the game for us again.

Q. James, were you surprised by Devonte's play tonight?
BLACKMON: No, I wasn't really surprised. He's a guy that can bring energy to the game offensively and defensively. So tonight he definitely showed that and we feed off of that as a team.

Q. Devonte, you played like you belonged.
DEVONTE GREEN: Yeah, I definitely felt like I belonged. I've been practicing with my teammates all summer and all preseason.

Q. Juwan, talk about the point guard play.
JUWAN MORGAN: I feel like I did pretty well out there. I don't think I've made any big mistakes. I was just making the simple plays, like Coach Crean always preach to us. We need to hit a lot of singles. We don't need to get for home run plays.

Q. James, talk about Devonte's development.
JAMES BLACKMON, JR: Just really, first off, competing from the jump. I just remember him coming out and starting from the summer competing. And he's just aggressive offensively and defensively. So that opens up things for him and everyone else.

Q. Follow up on that, how rare is it for a freshman to be confident and be aggressive on both sides of the ball?
JAMES BLACKMON, JR: It's pretty rare. But when you're ready to be out there and you're prepared and you put in a lot of time, it's easy.

Q. Devonte, tell us how it is playing with talent.
DEVONTE GREEN: It definitely helped me. But playing with different players you've got to know different roles, different personalities. And coming in here I just had a different mindset playing with new guys. I'm learning everybody's game, their personalities on the court and how to play with them.

Q. James, what needs to be worked on heading into the season?
JAMES BLACKMON, JR: I felt a little like the big thing we talked about is our rebounding, defensively. We gave up too many offensive rebounds for them.

So that's definitely something we're going to tighten up on and just go in there with two hands. We can't allow that many rebounds.

Q. Juwan, talk about the defensive play.
JUWAN MORGAN: Not nearly what it needs to be. We had some lapses just as far as the switch game and communication on that and especially in the first half, when we came out, they hit some pretty easy baskets, just because a lackadaisical mindset on our part. And we can't have those lapses at the beginning of the game. We have to come out ready to play from the jump.

Q. James, talk about OG handling the ball.
JAMES BLACKMON, JR: I feel like he did really well with it, you know. He has to step up and be one of those guys who handle the ball a lot this year. And he wasn't afraid to do that. So that's why he had a huge game.

Q. Juwan, talk about the turnovers.
JUWAN MORGAN: Definitely amongst all the team. We just said that we have to eliminate unforced turnovers and really take care of the ball. Like I said earlier, we have to go for the single plays instead of hitting, trying to make a skip pass on the man closest to you, so he can hit the person in the corner, things like that.

Q. James, talk about Thomas and De'Ron playing together.
JAMES BLACKMON, JR: Yeah, it's definitely possible. Thomas has worked on those skills a lot to be running the floor and feeding the post. So it's definitely an option.

Q. Juwan, talk about having James back.
JUWAN MORGAN: It opens up so many elements of the game because James is increasing his passing ability so much from what I've seen from last year from before he got hurt. He's still the playmaker and scorer that we know. So he always finds us in the right spot.

So whenever he's hot all you have to do is get off again to the right spot or cut and he'll find you and that opens up so much more. And it's just a lot of fun.

Q. James, talk about the chemistry.
JAMES BLACKMON, JR: We just have to take it game-by-game really and pick up on things from this game that we can get better at and follow up on the Saturday. So I felt like we started out great but Saturday we'll try to tighten up on the things we talked about from today.

Hope College Head Coach Greg Mitchell
Opening Statement…
First of all, we just played a great team on a great stage. We gave up a lot of size and quickness. I think when you can celebrate who you are and play with a plan, you always have a chance. I thought our guys were unified. I thought the ball was shared, it was moving from side to side. I though we were competing. We get to the offensive glass, and were able to get some extra possessions, which going in, we were not know we would have that opportunity. I think we ended up with 16 offensive rebounds and that was solid. Then, I think we turned it over 12 times to their 16. If we make a few more shots, maybe we keep it closer. Overall, we take a lot from this.

On struggling after leading 14-7…
I think a little bit of reality set in, I like to be completely frank. Our margin of error was very slight. I think their shot-making ability from all over the place is tough. If they have got to make 12 threes, then that is probably a good situation for us. We were not getting beat up early inside, but later that became an issue. It may have been fatigue, and we fouled out a couple of our bigs. I think it was their shot making, and again we quit making some shots.

On getting to coach in Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall…
I'm just as excited as the players were, honestly. I was born in Indianapolis and my family is all from here, and there is a lot of heritage that runs through my blood that is Hoosier blood. This is the basketball Mecca. To play here and coach here and have our guys play well, it just makes for a great experience. We will remember it.

Indiana University Athletics

Players Mentioned

James Blackmon Jr.

Grant Gelon

Devonte Green

Zach McRoberts

Juwan Morgan

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