Indiana University Athletics
Quotes Previewing First Exhibition Game
11/1/2016 8:08:00 AM | Men's Basketball
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana - Below are quotes from head coach Tom Crean as the Hoosiers prepare to open the 2016-17 with their first exhibtion game on Tuesday night against Hope College at 7 p.m.
On the 2016-17 team:
"I'm excited. It's an entirely new team in so many different ways. Their attitude has been fantastic, their work ethic has been very good but our learning curve is a little different. It's completely different. It was a lot like this in 2013 – everybody that we lost was a significant impact to our team. That's the good news because that means you are winning.
'That's where we are right now, learning to play without Yogi Ferrell and the impact he had over four years. But equally, we miss Troy (Williams) and his ability to move without the ball and put pressure on the rim and the leadership that he would provide defensively. And, in no small part, losing Max Bielfeldt and his experience and the way he shot the ball. Nick Zeisloft and the way he shot the ball and then the guy that we counted on to bridge some of that gap is Collin Hartman and we don't have him out there now.
"It's completely different. With that being said, it's going to take some time for this team to learn the responsibilities that most of them have never had and the level they have to have them at. But it is a great group and I'm excited every day being out there with them. Some days are harder than others for them and me, but the bottom line is that we are in it together and I love watching them grow."
On being ranked in the preseason polls and whether he talks to his team about them:
"I mention Kansas. And when I don't mention Kansas, I mention North Carolina. In all honesty, the polls are a product of us having some guys that could have gone to the NBA but didn't and stayed. And the fact that we had a very good year with a championship and a Sweet 16. I don't know if the general person that makes the predictions has any idea of the value Collin Hartman had for us. And it's a respect for our league. I get all of that. We don't get caught up in any of that, and frankly, I hope any of our knowledgeable basketball people get caught up in that, in terms of our fan base. It is a different team. It's a fact of life. There's not one guy that I don't think is going to continue to get better and better, but it's a completely different deal when you have to learn all the new responsibilities.
"We are going through that right now. The worst thing I could do is sit there and say "Well, it will all get better and we can play through that." No, we have to get it handled. We have to get it understood that if you don't talk as much on defense, you are hurting us. If you don't get back on defense in transition the way it needs to be done, that's a detriment to us. If that ball doesn't move a quick as it needs to, that's hurting us. We don't want our numbers to stay the same or go down, we want our numbers to go up. In the cases like our 3-point shooting, that's hard to do. But we are a 41- or 42- percent 3-point shooting team and have led the BCS schools in that category over a 5-year period. And we are averaging 81 or 82 points per game. We are second overall in the last two years in made 3-point field goals. We don't want those numbers to go down. We want those to go up along with our free throw attempts and we want to have less turnovers. That is a big thing for us. There is no need for us to be a high turnover team at all. We want to play even faster than what we have played, but we can't play reckless.
"I say this each year, but it's true. You have to try very hard to keep the game simple. It is the hardest thing to do as a coach – to keep the game simple on the floor. Call things out, make the pass quickly, block out your man and get to the glass. Just keep doing the things that matter the most as much as you can."
On the players recovering from offseason surgeries:
"That's probably where we are No.1 in the country is guys coming back from major surgery and playing in their first game. I think we would have Kentucky, Duke and Kansas on that number.
"Juwan is cleared. The only one that is not fully cleared yet is Freddie McSwain Jr., and he had surgery since he has been here. We are in a every-other-day mode with him. Today was his first day going full court in a long time. He got back in the drills going live in the last week and a half but that's mainly been in the half court. So we have to take that one a little slow.
"The rehab and training are aggressive, but the comeback we are not trying to make that aggressive. We aren't trying to be conservative, but really look at it every day and say we don't have to rush this. We wouldn't rush it if it was late in the season and we aren't going to rush it now.
"With what Tim Garl does, goodness gracious. He does so much. We could spend a week talking about what he does to get guys ready. And then it's Dr. Rink, Dr. Ahlfeld and Dr. Headdy and Andy Hipskind. There are so many people that are at the top of their fields that are involved with these kids. And then you add in Lyonel Anderson and what we have there when it comes to the rehab and the training. They are in great hands and they would be the first to tell you. They aren't in easy hands, they are in tough hands. Rehabbing and training and getting back in great shape are not easy.
"And then we try to taylor-make what we do, whether it's the summer or the fall to each individual guys rehab on the court. Whether it is the chair shooting. We have a whole theory and plan for that. And I think that's one reason they come back better is because it's part of the process of our program – daily improvement. Even when you are injured, there is daily improvement. We never go beyond what they can do, but we go to the limit so they can keep building their confidence in what they can do as well."
On the leadership roles on this team:
"It's going to be on-going for a while. It starts now with not having one or two guys that are the singular leaders of the group. We are not built like that. Right now, we are trying to get our communication right. We are trying to get our responsibility for ourselves right and play over our own level of fatigue. We are trying to constantly get across that you have to constantly compete through your fatigue. One of the best ways to do that is to help someone else do it. That's a foreign concept right now at times in practice. Everyone's intentions are good. No one is out there intentionally not talking, but it's not natural to them.
"That's one of those things where, it's now time to play the games and if you aren't doing what needs to be done at that level, we have to look at something else. There are certain things that we will work through as the season goes on. We have a very nice group of guys who are great young men who have to get a nastier disposition on the court. And not in a bad, but in a very aggressive – and we don't want to over foul. We have seen the box scores from the scrimmages and the exhibitions and there are a plethora of fouls in them. That doesn't help either. We need to be aggressive with our mouth. We need to be aggressive with our determination and helping people do their job. It's amazing what will happen when our guys do that and get confidence in themselves. We are not a confident bunch yet. We just aren't. That is part of it. I don't think we are over-confident by any stretch, but I don't think we understand how hard this is going to be and we don't have time to get into December and January before we are really feeling that responsibility for one another."
Last year's team had outstanding chemistry. How are you looking to replicate that this season?
"We plan to, but that will take some time. The ball has to move quickly. Offensively, there is no question we are way behind. But I don't look at it as being behind. We were discussing it earlier – we probably have one-fifth in of what we would have had in last year going into the exhibition season. We didn't put zone offense in until today. We are behind. We are also behind in our understanding of it. We have changed it this year with the young group, where it is much more of putting the parts in and then we will work on the whole. Put the concepts in and then we will build from there and not put the whole in. So we will put these five plays in from this series or these three plays from this series and then refine it as we go. No, we are putting the part in. We go 3-on-0 or 4-on-0 and then we build it up. All of a sudden, we build it up and then we go from there. It's a little different for me and it's a little different for them, but it's the best way for this team to learn.
"There is not that experience of 'Hey, I go here and you go there.' Those that have that experience are doing a less-than-adequate job of helping those guys get to those spots. So we have to adjust. We don't get mad, we just have to adjust and get through it."
On Victor Oladipo signing a 4-year, $84 million extension with Oklahoma City:
"Absolutely. I spoke with him yesterday and again this morning. It was ironic because it was after one tough phone call and then you are talking to one of the most humble and driven young people. It's incredible. There are other people that deserve to have success in life, but there's not many that deserve it more than he does. He is such a tribute not only Indiana and Washington, D.C. and DeMatha High School and all his friends and family. He's the kind of person that you look at and say 'I get why he is successful.' And I would doubt very much that the $21 million per year is going to change any outlook that he has. Because he has enough people in his life that love him and would shake him back down in a second. None of us have ever had to do that. He is a humble, driven guy. He's so thankful to God for what he is getting. He gets the big picture and the big picture is that we have nothing without God. He gets that.
"And we are pulling for Cody's situation and hopefully it will get done tonight. If it doesn't, then I'm sure it will get done over the summer. I'm anxious to see how that comes to light today."
On what he looking for in tomorrow night's exhibition game vs. Hope College:
"Defensively, it will be transition defense. And offensively, it will be our ball movement."
On who might be the vocal leader of the team:
"The one that is better at taking that away from me. Whoever that is. I'm ready to give it up and I know our coaches are ready to give it up. It's going to have to be more than one or two people, especially with the way this team is built. We have to have a lot of movement and playing at the basket and away from the basket. It has to start with the junior – James Blackmon Jr., Robert Johnson and Josh Newkirk.
But it has to go in other directions too because we are expecting a lot out of our sophomores. But the vocal leader takes some time. A responsible guy that pushes and demands a lot out of others – that has to come quicker."
On how deep the rotation could be this season:
"When we are healthy and De'Ron is healthy and in a position to play the way he is capable after overcoming injuries here, this team could get anywhere in the 10-12 range, easily."
On who has surprised so far in practice:
"I'm not disappointed in anyone. Everybody is doing things very well and everybody can do things better. The things that matter the most are the things that take the least amount of work but are the hardest to do consistently, and that is to talk and point things out to each other and to take responsibility for one another. I don't have anyone that I would single out as being head and shoulders above and I don't have anyone that I would say is way behind."
On Zach McRoberts' potential impact on the team:
"I think our fans will be excited to watch him. There is a substantial role that is there for him to grab. If I was going to go back to when he first joined the team in May and see that he has added almost 30 pounds and works the way he works to go with the smarts and intelligence that he has and improving as a shooter – I think he will have a very big role for us."
On when Freddie McSwain might be able to play in a game after his injury:
"Sometime next week. I would say there is an outside shot for Saturday's game but hopefully for the Kansas game (on Nov. 11)."
On what each freshman brings to the team:
"With De'Ron, he can score. Really, we need to simplify it for him with the time he missed (over the summer). What he missed and what he had to do to get here with the test that he had to take to get here is nothing short of amazing. He's been through a lot in his life. He had to pass four classes this summer and he took his last test on a Friday night, was on a plane at midnight Saturday and was in class on Monday. He has had a couple injuries that we dealt with in the fall, and he got injured a couple days ago.
"What I try to tell him is that he's going to be like a hockey player for a while and he's going to play in shifts. It's going to be some short bursts because he's not at the place he needs to be just yet. None of us are upset about it. We get it, because he works and works and works some more. He can score; he can rebounds; and we have to be patient with him. I will be very disappointed if people have unrealistic expectations of him right off the bat. He is going to get it, but it's not there right now. He's going to get it because he's a great kid and he's working and already getting better. It's tough to miss that summer and not have that strength and conditioning that you have to have to be ready to play.
"Devonte Green can score in bunches and he can shoot the 3-pointer. We need him to keep the game simple and be an attack player on defense.
"Curtis Jones can wear a lot of hats for us. He can shoot the ball. We need him to keep the game simple and we need him to play the ball screen, we need him to play the wing or handle the ball. In Devonte's and Curtis' cases, we need them to move without the ball.
"Grant Gelon needs to remember that he is a really, really good shooter. He needs to spot-up and knock it down. We are continuing to help him utilize his strength and some technique things with his shot and also moving without the ball. He has to learn the nuances of college basketball defense. He's in a rush to do it right now and he wants to please. They all want to please, and that's not necessarily what leads to success. What leads to success is doing it right and working through your mistakes, not being uptight.
"And then Freddie is just a tremendous athlete. Freddie will be a guy that it might take a while because he wasn't here this summer and he had the surgery. If people start saying 'He's not this and he's not that.' That's going to be ridiculous. I hope the true fans will look at it and say 'Don't do that. These guys didn't have it like everyone else. It's going to take a while for them to learn.' That's what we see with the freshmen for the most part.
"And then Josh Newkirk is not a freshman, but he's going to have a very big role for us. He has to realize that it is time for him to play that role and show more leadership. He has to be more demanding of his teammates and put them in the right spots and we think he's a really good player."
"And although Johnny Jager doesn't get to play this year (after transferring), he has gotten a lot better in the last 4-5 weeks. Obviously he has some pretty good coaching down the line at Wabash College and Bloomington South. He is tough and wants to do well. He's getting better athletically. He does everything that we ask, whether he is on the scout team or on live scrimmages or the extra work. He can talk more and provide more for his teammates. I'm happy that we have him and I think he's going to do a good job for us."
On the 2016-17 team:
"I'm excited. It's an entirely new team in so many different ways. Their attitude has been fantastic, their work ethic has been very good but our learning curve is a little different. It's completely different. It was a lot like this in 2013 – everybody that we lost was a significant impact to our team. That's the good news because that means you are winning.
'That's where we are right now, learning to play without Yogi Ferrell and the impact he had over four years. But equally, we miss Troy (Williams) and his ability to move without the ball and put pressure on the rim and the leadership that he would provide defensively. And, in no small part, losing Max Bielfeldt and his experience and the way he shot the ball. Nick Zeisloft and the way he shot the ball and then the guy that we counted on to bridge some of that gap is Collin Hartman and we don't have him out there now.
"It's completely different. With that being said, it's going to take some time for this team to learn the responsibilities that most of them have never had and the level they have to have them at. But it is a great group and I'm excited every day being out there with them. Some days are harder than others for them and me, but the bottom line is that we are in it together and I love watching them grow."
On being ranked in the preseason polls and whether he talks to his team about them:
"I mention Kansas. And when I don't mention Kansas, I mention North Carolina. In all honesty, the polls are a product of us having some guys that could have gone to the NBA but didn't and stayed. And the fact that we had a very good year with a championship and a Sweet 16. I don't know if the general person that makes the predictions has any idea of the value Collin Hartman had for us. And it's a respect for our league. I get all of that. We don't get caught up in any of that, and frankly, I hope any of our knowledgeable basketball people get caught up in that, in terms of our fan base. It is a different team. It's a fact of life. There's not one guy that I don't think is going to continue to get better and better, but it's a completely different deal when you have to learn all the new responsibilities.
"We are going through that right now. The worst thing I could do is sit there and say "Well, it will all get better and we can play through that." No, we have to get it handled. We have to get it understood that if you don't talk as much on defense, you are hurting us. If you don't get back on defense in transition the way it needs to be done, that's a detriment to us. If that ball doesn't move a quick as it needs to, that's hurting us. We don't want our numbers to stay the same or go down, we want our numbers to go up. In the cases like our 3-point shooting, that's hard to do. But we are a 41- or 42- percent 3-point shooting team and have led the BCS schools in that category over a 5-year period. And we are averaging 81 or 82 points per game. We are second overall in the last two years in made 3-point field goals. We don't want those numbers to go down. We want those to go up along with our free throw attempts and we want to have less turnovers. That is a big thing for us. There is no need for us to be a high turnover team at all. We want to play even faster than what we have played, but we can't play reckless.
"I say this each year, but it's true. You have to try very hard to keep the game simple. It is the hardest thing to do as a coach – to keep the game simple on the floor. Call things out, make the pass quickly, block out your man and get to the glass. Just keep doing the things that matter the most as much as you can."
On the players recovering from offseason surgeries:
"That's probably where we are No.1 in the country is guys coming back from major surgery and playing in their first game. I think we would have Kentucky, Duke and Kansas on that number.
"Juwan is cleared. The only one that is not fully cleared yet is Freddie McSwain Jr., and he had surgery since he has been here. We are in a every-other-day mode with him. Today was his first day going full court in a long time. He got back in the drills going live in the last week and a half but that's mainly been in the half court. So we have to take that one a little slow.
"The rehab and training are aggressive, but the comeback we are not trying to make that aggressive. We aren't trying to be conservative, but really look at it every day and say we don't have to rush this. We wouldn't rush it if it was late in the season and we aren't going to rush it now.
"With what Tim Garl does, goodness gracious. He does so much. We could spend a week talking about what he does to get guys ready. And then it's Dr. Rink, Dr. Ahlfeld and Dr. Headdy and Andy Hipskind. There are so many people that are at the top of their fields that are involved with these kids. And then you add in Lyonel Anderson and what we have there when it comes to the rehab and the training. They are in great hands and they would be the first to tell you. They aren't in easy hands, they are in tough hands. Rehabbing and training and getting back in great shape are not easy.
"And then we try to taylor-make what we do, whether it's the summer or the fall to each individual guys rehab on the court. Whether it is the chair shooting. We have a whole theory and plan for that. And I think that's one reason they come back better is because it's part of the process of our program – daily improvement. Even when you are injured, there is daily improvement. We never go beyond what they can do, but we go to the limit so they can keep building their confidence in what they can do as well."
On the leadership roles on this team:
"It's going to be on-going for a while. It starts now with not having one or two guys that are the singular leaders of the group. We are not built like that. Right now, we are trying to get our communication right. We are trying to get our responsibility for ourselves right and play over our own level of fatigue. We are trying to constantly get across that you have to constantly compete through your fatigue. One of the best ways to do that is to help someone else do it. That's a foreign concept right now at times in practice. Everyone's intentions are good. No one is out there intentionally not talking, but it's not natural to them.
"That's one of those things where, it's now time to play the games and if you aren't doing what needs to be done at that level, we have to look at something else. There are certain things that we will work through as the season goes on. We have a very nice group of guys who are great young men who have to get a nastier disposition on the court. And not in a bad, but in a very aggressive – and we don't want to over foul. We have seen the box scores from the scrimmages and the exhibitions and there are a plethora of fouls in them. That doesn't help either. We need to be aggressive with our mouth. We need to be aggressive with our determination and helping people do their job. It's amazing what will happen when our guys do that and get confidence in themselves. We are not a confident bunch yet. We just aren't. That is part of it. I don't think we are over-confident by any stretch, but I don't think we understand how hard this is going to be and we don't have time to get into December and January before we are really feeling that responsibility for one another."
Last year's team had outstanding chemistry. How are you looking to replicate that this season?
"We plan to, but that will take some time. The ball has to move quickly. Offensively, there is no question we are way behind. But I don't look at it as being behind. We were discussing it earlier – we probably have one-fifth in of what we would have had in last year going into the exhibition season. We didn't put zone offense in until today. We are behind. We are also behind in our understanding of it. We have changed it this year with the young group, where it is much more of putting the parts in and then we will work on the whole. Put the concepts in and then we will build from there and not put the whole in. So we will put these five plays in from this series or these three plays from this series and then refine it as we go. No, we are putting the part in. We go 3-on-0 or 4-on-0 and then we build it up. All of a sudden, we build it up and then we go from there. It's a little different for me and it's a little different for them, but it's the best way for this team to learn.
"There is not that experience of 'Hey, I go here and you go there.' Those that have that experience are doing a less-than-adequate job of helping those guys get to those spots. So we have to adjust. We don't get mad, we just have to adjust and get through it."
On Victor Oladipo signing a 4-year, $84 million extension with Oklahoma City:
"Absolutely. I spoke with him yesterday and again this morning. It was ironic because it was after one tough phone call and then you are talking to one of the most humble and driven young people. It's incredible. There are other people that deserve to have success in life, but there's not many that deserve it more than he does. He is such a tribute not only Indiana and Washington, D.C. and DeMatha High School and all his friends and family. He's the kind of person that you look at and say 'I get why he is successful.' And I would doubt very much that the $21 million per year is going to change any outlook that he has. Because he has enough people in his life that love him and would shake him back down in a second. None of us have ever had to do that. He is a humble, driven guy. He's so thankful to God for what he is getting. He gets the big picture and the big picture is that we have nothing without God. He gets that.
"And we are pulling for Cody's situation and hopefully it will get done tonight. If it doesn't, then I'm sure it will get done over the summer. I'm anxious to see how that comes to light today."
On what he looking for in tomorrow night's exhibition game vs. Hope College:
"Defensively, it will be transition defense. And offensively, it will be our ball movement."
On who might be the vocal leader of the team:
"The one that is better at taking that away from me. Whoever that is. I'm ready to give it up and I know our coaches are ready to give it up. It's going to have to be more than one or two people, especially with the way this team is built. We have to have a lot of movement and playing at the basket and away from the basket. It has to start with the junior – James Blackmon Jr., Robert Johnson and Josh Newkirk.
But it has to go in other directions too because we are expecting a lot out of our sophomores. But the vocal leader takes some time. A responsible guy that pushes and demands a lot out of others – that has to come quicker."
On how deep the rotation could be this season:
"When we are healthy and De'Ron is healthy and in a position to play the way he is capable after overcoming injuries here, this team could get anywhere in the 10-12 range, easily."
On who has surprised so far in practice:
"I'm not disappointed in anyone. Everybody is doing things very well and everybody can do things better. The things that matter the most are the things that take the least amount of work but are the hardest to do consistently, and that is to talk and point things out to each other and to take responsibility for one another. I don't have anyone that I would single out as being head and shoulders above and I don't have anyone that I would say is way behind."
On Zach McRoberts' potential impact on the team:
"I think our fans will be excited to watch him. There is a substantial role that is there for him to grab. If I was going to go back to when he first joined the team in May and see that he has added almost 30 pounds and works the way he works to go with the smarts and intelligence that he has and improving as a shooter – I think he will have a very big role for us."
On when Freddie McSwain might be able to play in a game after his injury:
"Sometime next week. I would say there is an outside shot for Saturday's game but hopefully for the Kansas game (on Nov. 11)."
On what each freshman brings to the team:
"With De'Ron, he can score. Really, we need to simplify it for him with the time he missed (over the summer). What he missed and what he had to do to get here with the test that he had to take to get here is nothing short of amazing. He's been through a lot in his life. He had to pass four classes this summer and he took his last test on a Friday night, was on a plane at midnight Saturday and was in class on Monday. He has had a couple injuries that we dealt with in the fall, and he got injured a couple days ago.
"What I try to tell him is that he's going to be like a hockey player for a while and he's going to play in shifts. It's going to be some short bursts because he's not at the place he needs to be just yet. None of us are upset about it. We get it, because he works and works and works some more. He can score; he can rebounds; and we have to be patient with him. I will be very disappointed if people have unrealistic expectations of him right off the bat. He is going to get it, but it's not there right now. He's going to get it because he's a great kid and he's working and already getting better. It's tough to miss that summer and not have that strength and conditioning that you have to have to be ready to play.
"Devonte Green can score in bunches and he can shoot the 3-pointer. We need him to keep the game simple and be an attack player on defense.
"Curtis Jones can wear a lot of hats for us. He can shoot the ball. We need him to keep the game simple and we need him to play the ball screen, we need him to play the wing or handle the ball. In Devonte's and Curtis' cases, we need them to move without the ball.
"Grant Gelon needs to remember that he is a really, really good shooter. He needs to spot-up and knock it down. We are continuing to help him utilize his strength and some technique things with his shot and also moving without the ball. He has to learn the nuances of college basketball defense. He's in a rush to do it right now and he wants to please. They all want to please, and that's not necessarily what leads to success. What leads to success is doing it right and working through your mistakes, not being uptight.
"And then Freddie is just a tremendous athlete. Freddie will be a guy that it might take a while because he wasn't here this summer and he had the surgery. If people start saying 'He's not this and he's not that.' That's going to be ridiculous. I hope the true fans will look at it and say 'Don't do that. These guys didn't have it like everyone else. It's going to take a while for them to learn.' That's what we see with the freshmen for the most part.
"And then Josh Newkirk is not a freshman, but he's going to have a very big role for us. He has to realize that it is time for him to play that role and show more leadership. He has to be more demanding of his teammates and put them in the right spots and we think he's a really good player."
"And although Johnny Jager doesn't get to play this year (after transferring), he has gotten a lot better in the last 4-5 weeks. Obviously he has some pretty good coaching down the line at Wabash College and Bloomington South. He is tough and wants to do well. He's getting better athletically. He does everything that we ask, whether he is on the scout team or on live scrimmages or the extra work. He can talk more and provide more for his teammates. I'm happy that we have him and I think he's going to do a good job for us."
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