Indiana University Athletics
Coach Crean Talks About Friday's Season Opener
11/9/2016 11:58:00 PM | Men's Basketball
HONOLULU - Indiana head coach Tom Crean met with members of the media in Honolulu on Wednesday to talk about the team's trip so far and also preview Friday's game against No. 2/3 Kanas (9 p.m. ET; ESPN) as part of the State Farm Armed Forces Classic. Below is a brief transcript of what he had to say:
On this trip as part of the big picture:
"This is something that a lot of our guys have never had the chance to do, and that's to get out to here to see what this is all about and to see what Pearl Harbor is all about. They were able to learn about the history of it through a short movie and then a great tour. It's something that they will always have in their minds for the rest of their lives.
"Then later tonight we will finish the night with a clinic, which I think is great. Just pulling in and seeing the smiles of the families along with Kansas, Michigan State and Arizona. Those are the kinds of things that make it worthwhile. We wouldn't have an opportunity like this otherwise, so this is great."
On being in Hawaii last year and coming back to Hawaii a second straight year because of the military aspect of this trip:
"When we were asked to be a part of this a couple years back, this was a great honor. It would be very hard to say no to something like this. Once you are here, it's incredible. Once you leave, it gives you incredible memories that are a lot more than just basketball.
"Obviously you come out here and you have to get locked in to playing the game and winning the game. We are really trying to keep the mindset that whatever we are doing at that point in time is the most import part of that time of the day. That's whether we are visiting with servicemen and women or practicing or taking a tour or working with young kids. We want to make sure we are really, really into that. Our guys have done a really good job with that and it's something that they will always carry with them."
On the matchup with No. 2/3 Kansas:
"It's a huge opportunity for our team on many levels. We are playing against a great program. We are playing against a team that, from top to bottom, is really sound and solid. It's as fast of a team, on film, that most of these guys are going to face. We play North Carolina later this month so we will have something to compare it to there.
"The way Kansas is coached, the way the execute and the way they defend and everything I've read about Coach Self being on them about their rebounding so we know that's going to play into it. There's no doubt about it that they are outstanding and we are going to have to play as hard and as smart as we possibly can. We are nowhere near what we are going to be like down the road, and I'm sure they are not either. But we just have to play very hard and very smart and try to keep it as simple as possible."
On how much practice the team is able to get in while in Hawaii before the game:
"Well, we practiced today obviously and we practiced Sunday and Monday. Then we traveled all day Tuesday and went about 2 hours today, which was good. We had a film session and we will have another one tonight. Then tomorrow (Thursday), we will keep it relatively short, sharp, focused and intense and then turn around and play on Friday.
"There's no shortage of getting better at basketball out here, but there is a great mindset on making sure that we take it all in. It's incredible how this is setup and how everyone is treating us at the base and the people from ESPN. Just looking around at all the players from the other teams, I think you can tell that they know, like our guys, that they are in a unique situation and are honored to be here."
On whether Indiana-Kansas series is something that could come up down the line:
"Well, I think it is. The people that cover us regularly know our situation when it comes to scheduling contracts. We have a thing called the Crossroads Classic that really takes the ability to do a home-and-home away, and that's locked in every year. We have the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. We have the Gavitt Tipoff Games, which his five out of seven years. We took a series with Louisville. This would be something that we would love to get going and even, potentially down the road with Kentucky, and I think Kansas would fit right into that. If we could make it work out, especially in a home-and-home situation, it could be something really good. Hopefully that's something that we can visit sometime later this year and see what happens."
With the military aspect of this trip and Juwan Morgan growing up in a military family, how has that kind of shaped him to this point in his life?
"He is a very resourceful person. Obviously with what you have seen in his first season at Indiana, he is very resilient and tough. He is incredibly smart and very cerebral. It's not an accident that we started him at the point guard spot in our first exhibition game.
"This is basically finishing his second week of live contact, so it would be very easy to get ahead of the game and think that he should be somewhere else (with his progress), but he's not. There are still a lot of things that have to come back to him in the sense of being able to play inside of that contact.
"But when you talk about a young man that has been raised extremely well by a great family, a loving family, a close-knit family. He has been surrounded by excellent coaches and his family has surrounded him by outstanding people that continue to shape his young life. It is an honor to coach him, without a doubt."
On this trip as part of the big picture:
"This is something that a lot of our guys have never had the chance to do, and that's to get out to here to see what this is all about and to see what Pearl Harbor is all about. They were able to learn about the history of it through a short movie and then a great tour. It's something that they will always have in their minds for the rest of their lives.
"Then later tonight we will finish the night with a clinic, which I think is great. Just pulling in and seeing the smiles of the families along with Kansas, Michigan State and Arizona. Those are the kinds of things that make it worthwhile. We wouldn't have an opportunity like this otherwise, so this is great."
On being in Hawaii last year and coming back to Hawaii a second straight year because of the military aspect of this trip:
"When we were asked to be a part of this a couple years back, this was a great honor. It would be very hard to say no to something like this. Once you are here, it's incredible. Once you leave, it gives you incredible memories that are a lot more than just basketball.
"Obviously you come out here and you have to get locked in to playing the game and winning the game. We are really trying to keep the mindset that whatever we are doing at that point in time is the most import part of that time of the day. That's whether we are visiting with servicemen and women or practicing or taking a tour or working with young kids. We want to make sure we are really, really into that. Our guys have done a really good job with that and it's something that they will always carry with them."
On the matchup with No. 2/3 Kansas:
"It's a huge opportunity for our team on many levels. We are playing against a great program. We are playing against a team that, from top to bottom, is really sound and solid. It's as fast of a team, on film, that most of these guys are going to face. We play North Carolina later this month so we will have something to compare it to there.
"The way Kansas is coached, the way the execute and the way they defend and everything I've read about Coach Self being on them about their rebounding so we know that's going to play into it. There's no doubt about it that they are outstanding and we are going to have to play as hard and as smart as we possibly can. We are nowhere near what we are going to be like down the road, and I'm sure they are not either. But we just have to play very hard and very smart and try to keep it as simple as possible."
On how much practice the team is able to get in while in Hawaii before the game:
"Well, we practiced today obviously and we practiced Sunday and Monday. Then we traveled all day Tuesday and went about 2 hours today, which was good. We had a film session and we will have another one tonight. Then tomorrow (Thursday), we will keep it relatively short, sharp, focused and intense and then turn around and play on Friday.
"There's no shortage of getting better at basketball out here, but there is a great mindset on making sure that we take it all in. It's incredible how this is setup and how everyone is treating us at the base and the people from ESPN. Just looking around at all the players from the other teams, I think you can tell that they know, like our guys, that they are in a unique situation and are honored to be here."
On whether Indiana-Kansas series is something that could come up down the line:
"Well, I think it is. The people that cover us regularly know our situation when it comes to scheduling contracts. We have a thing called the Crossroads Classic that really takes the ability to do a home-and-home away, and that's locked in every year. We have the Big Ten/ACC Challenge. We have the Gavitt Tipoff Games, which his five out of seven years. We took a series with Louisville. This would be something that we would love to get going and even, potentially down the road with Kentucky, and I think Kansas would fit right into that. If we could make it work out, especially in a home-and-home situation, it could be something really good. Hopefully that's something that we can visit sometime later this year and see what happens."
With the military aspect of this trip and Juwan Morgan growing up in a military family, how has that kind of shaped him to this point in his life?
"He is a very resourceful person. Obviously with what you have seen in his first season at Indiana, he is very resilient and tough. He is incredibly smart and very cerebral. It's not an accident that we started him at the point guard spot in our first exhibition game.
"This is basically finishing his second week of live contact, so it would be very easy to get ahead of the game and think that he should be somewhere else (with his progress), but he's not. There are still a lot of things that have to come back to him in the sense of being able to play inside of that contact.
"But when you talk about a young man that has been raised extremely well by a great family, a loving family, a close-knit family. He has been surrounded by excellent coaches and his family has surrounded him by outstanding people that continue to shape his young life. It is an honor to coach him, without a doubt."
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