Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Men's Basketball Practice Report, Dec. 21
12/21/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Dec. 21, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana men's basketball team held an open practice on Wednesday, Dec. 21 in preparation for its game against Butler on Friday, Dec. 23 at Conseco Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Below are quotes following practice.
Head Coach Mike Davis
On what changes with the return of D.J. White:
MD: "The system is the same and everything is going to be the same, we just have to keep playing team basketball. We have had seven games of 15 or more assists. The last two years we only had eight total of 15 or more. If we get the ball inside to Marco (Killingsworth) and D.J. (White) and play inside-out, we won't have to worry about people adjusting. We will just have to spot up and be ready to shoot the basketball."
On facing different defenses and what IU needs to do offensively:
MD: "We are going to face so many different defenses. The main thing for us is to get the ball inside. The best place to pass the basketball is from the post out. We want to try to play with time on the shot clock, that is one reason we will try to get the ball inside as soon as possible. A lot of times, you are screening and moving and the shot clock is running down on you. We have had a couple of cases where the shot clock ran out on us because we did not get the ball inside quick enough. We are going to try to use the shot clock as much as possible and get the ball inside."
On Butler:
MD: "They are very good basketball team, similar to what Indiana State is, but maybe a better shooting team overall. By shooting team, I mean they have three or four guys that shoot the outside shot. They play hard and physical. It will be a very difficult game to win if we don't come out, concentrate and play hard. They will have a good crowd, and we will have a good crowd. It is going to be a tough contest for us."
On what the team needs to improve on over the final two games before the Big Ten schedule starts:
MD: "We are just trying to get better every day. I watched the Charlotte game tape. Watching the game, you may have thought we played well and looked great, but we have a lot of areas to clean up. Defensively, we still need to get better. Offensively, we have to spot up better and be ready to shoot the basketball quicker. Our guards are not shot ready when they catch the basketball. We are trying to clean that area up. Our big guys just have to be patient, get the ball out quicker and play together. Just to get D.J. back into a rhythm was important. I thought he played great for the first game back. He only had one practice and to play 17 minutes in that type of environment against those types of athletes was good."
Senior guard Marshall Strickland
On depth of the team possibly being a problem:
MS: "It is never a problem. It just pressures guys to work harder every day in practice. It keeps everyone on their toes. We can go deep on our bench, and there really isn't any let down when we go to our substitutions."
On defense being important to getting playing time:
MS: "Defense is something that the coaches have really stressed on us. You could actually argue that last year we were a better defending team. This year we are getting it together slowly. I think once our defense catches up to our offensive ability, we are going to be a real tough team to stop."
Sophomore forward D.J. White
On learning while sitting out:
DW: "It taught me a lot. From just watching and being a student of the game, you learn a lot. Defensively, it is the most I have learned. That is not one of my best skills, but I try to work on it. Just being in the right spot and seeing different things on the floor helped me a lot."
On his return and what it means defensively:
DW: "I feel we have another presence on the inside. Not too many teams are going to come in too often, because I feel like I have a shot blocking presence."
