Postgame Quotes: Indiana vs. Jackson State
11/23/2021 9:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Postgame Quotes
Indiana vs. Jackson State
Nov. 23, 2021
MIKE WOODSON | INDIANA HEAD COACH
Q. Talk about the 11 turnovers the team had…
WOODSON: Well, I have to run, too, so I'm a part of that run. You know, I was shaking at halftime. We had eight and we finished the game with eleven, so that's right where we need to be. So I complimented them on that after the game.
Q. On the improvement from the free-throw line…
WOODSON: Well, Geronimo was a big part of that. We got to get him in the gym and we got to keep shooting them, man, because we're a better free throw shooting team than we're showing right now. I don't like that category at all.
Q. On keeping the starters in longer earlier…
WOODSON: No, not really. Again, guys, we got a team that if you're called upon to play you got to be ready to play and you got to produce, and we getting that from everybody that steps on the floor. Didn't have anything to do -- you know, I went with the starters because they were playing pretty good, I thought. I thought they played some really positive minutes. And then I went back to the second unit, and they came in and kept things going. So that's the kind of team we going to have to be in the long run, especially when we start making this run towards the Big Ten. We got to be deep and guys got to be ready to play when called upon.
Q. What did you like and not like about how your team executed against the zone defense…
WOODSON: Again, I asked my coaches coming in at halftime, Is that kind of how Syracuse extends their zone? They had a 2-3 zone. They were in pretty much a 1-2-2 zone where they were matched, and then I made the adjustment by going overload. We came right out of the time out and Parker hit a big three and then we started executing out of that set. So, again, I don't see a lot of the zones in the NBA, so this new for me and I'm just kind of navigating my way through. I thought for the most part we executed pretty well in the zone. We were stagnant early until I made the -- called to time out and made the change. Then we kind of went over at halftime and they didn't come back to it after we made a few buckets.
Q. Talk about Xavier Johnson and his play tonight…
WOODSON: Yeah. Again, we brought Xavier here to help run our ball club, and he can't do it sitting next to me. And being a point guard, there is a lot of things that come with being a point guard. I'm hard on point guards because they got to run our team and still be able to do the things they're capable of doing, too. So we all in a learning stage right now. Coaches are in a learning stage and they're in a learning stage as well trying to deal with me, so...
Q. On the players that came off the bench…
WOODSON: I thought when they came in in the first half they were kind of somewhat going through the motions a little bit and it didn't work for them, so I went back with the starters. And, I mean, that's the kind of team we have. It's no knock against -- they didn't get it 6done while they were in there early, so I went with the unit I thought could get it done. Then I thought when they came back in the second half they settled down and was playing the way I know they're capable of playing.
Q. Can you expand on what the person running the team looks like…
WOODSON: Well, a point guard to me I've always thought a good -- a good or great point guard -- has got to be able to run offense, he's got to be able to know who needs the ball. If Trayce has got it going, he's got to find ways to get him the ball; same with Race. If a guy hasn't had a shot in a while, he needs to know, Hey, I got to get this guy a shot. That's what great point guards do. I mean, and then he has to defend. I don't let him off the hook there either. But I think Trayce, Rob is not with us right now, and Khristian are still learning. It's okay because, again, I'm demanding when it comes to -- they probably played for coaches that didn't push them as hard as I'm pushing, but I expect more and I'm going to keep coaching them that way.
Q. What do you like most about your team and what are the things you feel need the most work…
WOODSON: Well, I think we're starting the shoot the ball a little bit better. I like everything about how we're defending, man. I mean, we're getting after it. I mentioned it to these guys early on when we first started as a team we had to establish some kind of identity, and it had to start on the defensive end. They've held true to that so far this season, and, man, it's got us wins, it's got us -- kept us in games, it's pushed us out above teams in games. It's been our defense that's been solid. Hey, I knew that our defense would be ahead of our offense because I spent so much time putting in and demanding things that I needed to have done on the floor. And now we got to get our offense up to speed. We're not -- you're averaging 70 some points a game; that's not all bad. But I want our offense to be a lot more easier than it is right now, and we're not there yet.
Q. How much of getting an offense up to speed is getting the ball in Trayce's hands more…
WOODSON: Absolutely. He only had seven touches tonight, and a lot of that had to do with the zone. Again, guys, he's going to be trapped a lot this year. I mean, when he got it they trapped him. He made great passes out of the zone. Sometimes he's going to be able to beat the traps and sometimes he's got to sacrifice the ball for the sake of the took. That's just go offense is what I call it. Yeah, when I look at the stat sheet and see that he only got seven shots tonight, he's got to get more than that. So that's on me.
XAVIER JOHNSON | INDIANA GUARD & MILLER KOPP | INDIANA FORWARD
Q. Talk about being more aggressive on offenses tonight…
JOHNSON: The mindset for every game is to be aggressive. For the past two game I been in foul trouble in the first half, so where I can be aggressive in the first first half. Today I was on the floor, I was available for my team to play. I just can't say anything else. We came out on top.
Q. Xavier, what do you think worked well against their zone…
JOHNSON: Movement and ball penetration really helped us against the zone, and late in the second half I think I drove it out Miller and I saw that he was just kept being wide open, they was leaving him wide open. That created more scoring opportunities.
Q. Why do you feel your defense has been so impactful to start the season…
KOPP: I think that's just what coach harps on the most. In practice every day we start with defense and that's what we focus on a lot, and when he first came here that's what he talked to all of us about is guarding.
Q. Xavier, how difficult do you think it is for teams to prepare for your game changing elite speed?
JOHNSON: It's hard because you can't prepare against speed. I just got to be composed and be available for my coaches and my teammates to be on the floor to help them out so we can win.
Q. On maintain aggressiveness and control...
JOHNSON: I mean, it's a lot of film that goes into that. I mean, I try to slow down and speed up, recognize numbers. Today, I mean, I just took advantage of that and I was successful with it, so I'm just going to keep on getting better and better at doing that.
Q. Miller, what do you think worked out for you and the team as a whole against the zone…
KOPP: I think it took us a couple possessions to figure it out, but after that we just wanted to move and get some obviously open looks and get the ball in the middle of the zone and make plays from there. We felt like if we get the ball there we could get lobs and kick-outs and wouldn't be able to make plays from there.
Q. Talk about how you work on communication during practice…
KOPP: I think it's nothing like special. It's just coaches are always on us about talking in walk-throughs and stretching and whatever it is. If we're doing anything, we need to be talking and over-talking pretty much.
Q. What have you seen from Khristian Lander….
JOHNSON: I see a guard that's just come out of high school, he's a five star, he didn't play much last year, but honestly when I came here I wanted to help him out and just help him be a point guard. I'm not the greatest point guard, but I played against a lot of point guards and I'm just trying to put my competitiveness in him because I see a bright future in him.
Q. How helpful is it to have Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson in the paint…
KOPP: It's nice, you know, for everybody in the perimeter knowing those two guys are back there just protecting the paint, protecting the rim. Every shot is pretty much contested, and it's hard to get lay-ups and make lay-ups against those two guys. So it's good.
WAYNE BRENT | JACKSON STATE HEAD COACH
Opening Statement…
I thought Indiana had a really good team. We haven't seen that kind of size and length, other than Illinois. We played three or four games on our schedule with people who kind of look like us. But talking about power five, Illinois, Indiana, they're so big, strong. Defensively they are really good and you can tell, we haven't shot the ball like that against interlock opponents. But that had nothing to do with us. That was all Indiana, just the length they had and blocking the shots on the inside. I just think they have a really good team.
Q. On how much their shooting was affected by Indiana defense…
BRENT: We got to the basket a couple of times, but then they blocked the shot. But then with their length, they were pushing us out further than what we wanted to be to run our offense, so we started taking some questionable jump shots. But they got a couple 6'4", 6'5", 6'6" guys with a hand in your face and we probably got a 5'11", 6' guy so it contests that shot and makes shots difficult. And then any time our guys get a drive or get in the paint, then they got the two or three bigs on that back line that's 6'9", 6'10", 7'. So, they're blocking shots. Even when they don't block it, they alter the shots, so they make it tough for you to score.
Q. On the impact of the bench players…
BRENT: The thing for us is that we play so many road games, we trying to build and we look at this game as a practice game to get better, to play against somebody at a higher level, to play against somebody who's got a good crowd, got good traditions. So, we use this game to try and get better down the road.
Indiana vs. Jackson State
Nov. 23, 2021
MIKE WOODSON | INDIANA HEAD COACH
Q. Talk about the 11 turnovers the team had…
WOODSON: Well, I have to run, too, so I'm a part of that run. You know, I was shaking at halftime. We had eight and we finished the game with eleven, so that's right where we need to be. So I complimented them on that after the game.
Q. On the improvement from the free-throw line…
WOODSON: Well, Geronimo was a big part of that. We got to get him in the gym and we got to keep shooting them, man, because we're a better free throw shooting team than we're showing right now. I don't like that category at all.
Q. On keeping the starters in longer earlier…
WOODSON: No, not really. Again, guys, we got a team that if you're called upon to play you got to be ready to play and you got to produce, and we getting that from everybody that steps on the floor. Didn't have anything to do -- you know, I went with the starters because they were playing pretty good, I thought. I thought they played some really positive minutes. And then I went back to the second unit, and they came in and kept things going. So that's the kind of team we going to have to be in the long run, especially when we start making this run towards the Big Ten. We got to be deep and guys got to be ready to play when called upon.
Q. What did you like and not like about how your team executed against the zone defense…
WOODSON: Again, I asked my coaches coming in at halftime, Is that kind of how Syracuse extends their zone? They had a 2-3 zone. They were in pretty much a 1-2-2 zone where they were matched, and then I made the adjustment by going overload. We came right out of the time out and Parker hit a big three and then we started executing out of that set. So, again, I don't see a lot of the zones in the NBA, so this new for me and I'm just kind of navigating my way through. I thought for the most part we executed pretty well in the zone. We were stagnant early until I made the -- called to time out and made the change. Then we kind of went over at halftime and they didn't come back to it after we made a few buckets.
Q. Talk about Xavier Johnson and his play tonight…
WOODSON: Yeah. Again, we brought Xavier here to help run our ball club, and he can't do it sitting next to me. And being a point guard, there is a lot of things that come with being a point guard. I'm hard on point guards because they got to run our team and still be able to do the things they're capable of doing, too. So we all in a learning stage right now. Coaches are in a learning stage and they're in a learning stage as well trying to deal with me, so...
Q. On the players that came off the bench…
WOODSON: I thought when they came in in the first half they were kind of somewhat going through the motions a little bit and it didn't work for them, so I went back with the starters. And, I mean, that's the kind of team we have. It's no knock against -- they didn't get it 6done while they were in there early, so I went with the unit I thought could get it done. Then I thought when they came back in the second half they settled down and was playing the way I know they're capable of playing.
Q. Can you expand on what the person running the team looks like…
WOODSON: Well, a point guard to me I've always thought a good -- a good or great point guard -- has got to be able to run offense, he's got to be able to know who needs the ball. If Trayce has got it going, he's got to find ways to get him the ball; same with Race. If a guy hasn't had a shot in a while, he needs to know, Hey, I got to get this guy a shot. That's what great point guards do. I mean, and then he has to defend. I don't let him off the hook there either. But I think Trayce, Rob is not with us right now, and Khristian are still learning. It's okay because, again, I'm demanding when it comes to -- they probably played for coaches that didn't push them as hard as I'm pushing, but I expect more and I'm going to keep coaching them that way.
Q. What do you like most about your team and what are the things you feel need the most work…
WOODSON: Well, I think we're starting the shoot the ball a little bit better. I like everything about how we're defending, man. I mean, we're getting after it. I mentioned it to these guys early on when we first started as a team we had to establish some kind of identity, and it had to start on the defensive end. They've held true to that so far this season, and, man, it's got us wins, it's got us -- kept us in games, it's pushed us out above teams in games. It's been our defense that's been solid. Hey, I knew that our defense would be ahead of our offense because I spent so much time putting in and demanding things that I needed to have done on the floor. And now we got to get our offense up to speed. We're not -- you're averaging 70 some points a game; that's not all bad. But I want our offense to be a lot more easier than it is right now, and we're not there yet.
Q. How much of getting an offense up to speed is getting the ball in Trayce's hands more…
WOODSON: Absolutely. He only had seven touches tonight, and a lot of that had to do with the zone. Again, guys, he's going to be trapped a lot this year. I mean, when he got it they trapped him. He made great passes out of the zone. Sometimes he's going to be able to beat the traps and sometimes he's got to sacrifice the ball for the sake of the took. That's just go offense is what I call it. Yeah, when I look at the stat sheet and see that he only got seven shots tonight, he's got to get more than that. So that's on me.
XAVIER JOHNSON | INDIANA GUARD & MILLER KOPP | INDIANA FORWARD
Q. Talk about being more aggressive on offenses tonight…
JOHNSON: The mindset for every game is to be aggressive. For the past two game I been in foul trouble in the first half, so where I can be aggressive in the first first half. Today I was on the floor, I was available for my team to play. I just can't say anything else. We came out on top.
Q. Xavier, what do you think worked well against their zone…
JOHNSON: Movement and ball penetration really helped us against the zone, and late in the second half I think I drove it out Miller and I saw that he was just kept being wide open, they was leaving him wide open. That created more scoring opportunities.
Q. Why do you feel your defense has been so impactful to start the season…
KOPP: I think that's just what coach harps on the most. In practice every day we start with defense and that's what we focus on a lot, and when he first came here that's what he talked to all of us about is guarding.
Q. Xavier, how difficult do you think it is for teams to prepare for your game changing elite speed?
JOHNSON: It's hard because you can't prepare against speed. I just got to be composed and be available for my coaches and my teammates to be on the floor to help them out so we can win.
Q. On maintain aggressiveness and control...
JOHNSON: I mean, it's a lot of film that goes into that. I mean, I try to slow down and speed up, recognize numbers. Today, I mean, I just took advantage of that and I was successful with it, so I'm just going to keep on getting better and better at doing that.
Q. Miller, what do you think worked out for you and the team as a whole against the zone…
KOPP: I think it took us a couple possessions to figure it out, but after that we just wanted to move and get some obviously open looks and get the ball in the middle of the zone and make plays from there. We felt like if we get the ball there we could get lobs and kick-outs and wouldn't be able to make plays from there.
Q. Talk about how you work on communication during practice…
KOPP: I think it's nothing like special. It's just coaches are always on us about talking in walk-throughs and stretching and whatever it is. If we're doing anything, we need to be talking and over-talking pretty much.
Q. What have you seen from Khristian Lander….
JOHNSON: I see a guard that's just come out of high school, he's a five star, he didn't play much last year, but honestly when I came here I wanted to help him out and just help him be a point guard. I'm not the greatest point guard, but I played against a lot of point guards and I'm just trying to put my competitiveness in him because I see a bright future in him.
Q. How helpful is it to have Trayce Jackson-Davis and Race Thompson in the paint…
KOPP: It's nice, you know, for everybody in the perimeter knowing those two guys are back there just protecting the paint, protecting the rim. Every shot is pretty much contested, and it's hard to get lay-ups and make lay-ups against those two guys. So it's good.
WAYNE BRENT | JACKSON STATE HEAD COACH
Opening Statement…
I thought Indiana had a really good team. We haven't seen that kind of size and length, other than Illinois. We played three or four games on our schedule with people who kind of look like us. But talking about power five, Illinois, Indiana, they're so big, strong. Defensively they are really good and you can tell, we haven't shot the ball like that against interlock opponents. But that had nothing to do with us. That was all Indiana, just the length they had and blocking the shots on the inside. I just think they have a really good team.
Q. On how much their shooting was affected by Indiana defense…
BRENT: We got to the basket a couple of times, but then they blocked the shot. But then with their length, they were pushing us out further than what we wanted to be to run our offense, so we started taking some questionable jump shots. But they got a couple 6'4", 6'5", 6'6" guys with a hand in your face and we probably got a 5'11", 6' guy so it contests that shot and makes shots difficult. And then any time our guys get a drive or get in the paint, then they got the two or three bigs on that back line that's 6'9", 6'10", 7'. So, they're blocking shots. Even when they don't block it, they alter the shots, so they make it tough for you to score.
Q. On the impact of the bench players…
BRENT: The thing for us is that we play so many road games, we trying to build and we look at this game as a practice game to get better, to play against somebody at a higher level, to play against somebody who's got a good crowd, got good traditions. So, we use this game to try and get better down the road.
Players Mentioned
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