Indiana University Athletics
Big Ten Coaches Weekly Teleconference - Jan. 12
1/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2015
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BLOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head coach Tom Crean joined the other Big Ten Conference men's basketball head coaches on the weekly teleconference Monday morning. Below is a transcript of what Coach Crean had to say.
Opening Statement
"Well, we have a quick turnaround with a game tomorrow night against Penn State. We are trying to get some rest and get ready for this game. It is always a battle with Penn State. It doesn't matter what league you are in, (Penn State head coach) Pat Chambers teams compete, play as hard and as physical as anybody. We learned that first-hand in here last year. We won at Penn State and then we lost a game at home. We have to make sure that we understand that when you play Penn State, you have to play for 40 minutes at minimum. They account for every second of the game. That's the only way you can really play. We have to have that kind of mentality.
"They can really score the ball. It's really more than D.J. Newbill. Obviously he is doing a fantastic job of scoring and is one of the better scorers in the country. In addition to their physicality, their ability to shoot quick and they can space the floor with numerous guys that can make shots, so that makes them so hard to play against. And they do a great job of covering for each other, defensively.
"That's one of the things with this league, you have to be so strong and physical and quick with your cuts and setups. You have to be ready to shoot and attack because people are not going to make many mistakes in this league. That's the same thing we dealt with this past Saturday with Ohio State - they are going to take options away from you. So you have to be able to make plays, make reads and cuts. But, at the same time, you have to make that offensive rebounding a big part of your offense. To us, that's where we have to continue to make strides, along with the defensive end with our transition and our ability to rebound the ball so we can get consistent with that.
"We are excited to come off a win after being away from home for almost three weeks and we turnaround and play at home again tomorrow night."
On evaluating Emmitt Holt so far this season and his potential to break into the starting lineup:
"I think so much is made of being in the starting lineup, and I think its one of those things that is important but it is not on the top of the list of how you plan and prepare for a game. Matchups sometimes are part of it, and that can play into the starting lineup. Certainly, you have to look at what is best for your team at that given moment.
"Emmitt has done a fantastic job of becoming a `game player' for us. He's not just a rotation player or a situational player or a spot-filler. He's a player, and that's what you want to be. That is the key thing. And for him, it's bringing a lot of effort on the glass. He has very good short-space quickness and movement and mobility. And now, with his awareness, especially with what is going on behind him - when he can talk it out a little bit better and he has a little bit more of a comfort level with it - that's the learning curve right now.
"Most young guys - and Emmitt is no different - they are trying to protect themselves, in the sense that they don't want to get scored upon or they want to make sure that they are in the right place and they are not exactly confident on how to help somebody else be in the right place. He is getting better with that all the time.
"He has very good quick twitch. He gets to the glass. He is in the right place at the right time because he is moving. To me, he is a guy that is a big part of our team and is capable of being consistent and doing more. If he continues to stay with what he is doing and improve in practice, he will be that way."
On not moving guys playing well off the bench into the starting lineup to keep the bench options strong:
"There are a lot of factors that go into it, but the bottom line is you need to remember that it is a long game. It's an extremely long game. It is a long game for a reason, because a lot of different things happen in it. You have to be able to get momentum a lot of different ways. It comes down to the consistency of players.
"Collin (Hartman) did an excellent job the other night against Ohio State, but he really didn't play well against Michigan State. None of us played well, but he didn't play well either. He was like everyone else heading into that Ohio State game, he need to get back to doing what he does and how it effects us. When he is playing with that pure hustle and movement and leadership, he is a really good offensive player and defensive player.
"Some guys are better as starters and some guys are better as subs. But none of that matters when it is time to win the game. There are so man different instances inside of the game where momentum can be created or grabbed back and the guys that do the best job of that are usually the ones that are going to finish the game."
