Postgame Quotes: vs. Notre Dame
12/18/2021 5:45:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Postgame Quotes
Indiana vs. Notre Dame
Dec. 18, 2021
MIKE WOODSON | INDIANA HEAD COACH
Q. On the 3-point shooting…
WOODSON: I was just happy to see some shots go in, period. You know, I thought we struggled really early in the game and just couldn't make shots, but our defense was just tight. Even when we were struggling, they were I think sitting at 19 when we were at 11, so they weren't going anywhere. They weren't running off, but, boy, I was struggling to find offense tonight, but we made the plays down the stretch that we needed to make in terms of securing the game.
Q. On closing out the game…
WOODSON: That's the first thing I said when I closed out our meeting with the team prior to coming in here today. You stepped up and did what you had to do coming down the stretch, and you are not going to blow every team out. There's going to be games that are going to be close.
Notre Dame is a good team. They are well-coached, so I didn't expect the blow-out -- the 8- to 10-point lead like we had, but we did, and our guys stepped up and made the plays that we needed to make to win the game.
Q. On the halftime adjustments…
WOODSON: Again, going in I thought the momentum shifted our way the last, what, four, five minutes of the first half when we went on that run to get back in it. And then coming up three at half, you know, I was feeling pretty good at that moment, but knowing that 20 minutes is still a lot of time. And I just told them, hey, we just need to put a solid 20-minute half together and come out of here with a win.
Q. On the state of the team…
WOODSON: I'm going to be honest with you. Listen, I'm just happy where we are. We try to take it a game at a time. We've had two Big Ten games, and I thought we played extremely well in both. Came up short in the one. Our next opponent is Northern Kentucky, so we just got to get ready for those guys.
Hey, the Big Ten is what it is, man. We can't run from it, and when time comes to play a Big Ten game, I'm just going to prepare like I normally prepare for any game and just take it one game at a time.
Q. On Parker Stewart's shooting…
WOODSON: He has been very important for us. Again, early on when we first started this journey, I didn't know where the three-point shooting was going to come, and Parker and Miller both have stepped up and made some threes for us.
But I need X to make them. Rob is capable of making them. Khristian, if and when I play him. I mean, I feel good that he can make them. We got guys that can make them.
But I don't want to be a team to just live on three-point shots. If you got it, you know, hey, take it. I mean, if it's there. But I think our strength is playing inside-out with our big guys, and that's been good for us. I don't want to stray away from that.
Q. On Rob Phinisee's impact…
WOODSON: He gave us a huge lift. I need Rob in the worst way. I think he knows how I feel about him in terms of what I think he can do. I just got to get Rob to believe more that he can do things like he did tonight.
I mean, he is a hell of a defender, and he can make shots. He can make plays for other people. That's what point guards do. I just got to get him more comfortable and get him more love and confidence that he can do those things.
Q. On the point guard play…
WOODSON: We've improved, but we still got work in progress with our point guards, and it's okay. Hey, it's the toughest position on the floor, and I'm demanding. I'm going to keep pushing these guys to get better because I know if they do, we're going to be better as a ball club. We'll benefit from it.
They all still trying to learn what we're trying to do. They're searching, man, and I just got to -- I got to help them more somehow.
Q. On the defense…
WOODSON: They hit a three. There were two threes that were made by their team early on that we didn't execute our defense, and one of the time-outs I was very critical because, again, we've gone -- we've had two days to prepare, and you can't walk out on the floor and just forget your coverages.
And it cost us an out of bounds three, and it cost us a three where Xavier didn't switch correctly, so those are things that you can clean up. You take those two threes away early, you know, we're sitting at a very close ball game. Neither team scoring the ball.
In that regard I was pretty happy where we were defensively, and then I thought the second half our defense was even more steady in terms of how we wanted to cover our coverages.
Q. On playing Johnson and Phinisee together…
WOODSON: Well, they were small -- besides the big, Wesley, they were small too. You can play two point guards in that regard. Both of them are pretty good defenders. They defend when they want to defend, and Rob is a hell of a defender. So, I mean, I was looking for defense and two guys to kind of run our team. That's what I was looking for, and I thought they did a pretty good job in both areas I thought.
Q. On the improved turnover numbers in the second half…
WOODSON: I thought offensively we moved the ball in spurts, and when we did, good things happened for us. I got to get them to understand that. You know, it can't be one or two passes and then the shot goes up and lets us a layup.
In that regard I got to help them offensively, but defensively we didn't have a whole lot of miscues. You know, we gave up a couple layups at the end of the game that I don't like. I mean, you still got to play the clock, and the score as well. You know, where you give up quick twos, now they can set their defense and get ready to press.
You got to make them at least make two or three, four passes before giving up an easy bucket like we did. I mean, hell, they just drove around us and laid the ball up, so we got to clean that up, but for the most part I was pleased.
RACE THOMPSON | INDIANA FORWARD & TRAYCE JACSKON-DAVIS | INDIANA FORWARD
Q. On closing out the game…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think it shows that we're growing as a team. It was really big for us. I think our defense is really what kept us in the game, and I think our defense is going to be a really big part of what keeps us in a lot of games.
That's what we hold our hat on, and we made plays down the stretch. We got stops down the stretch that we needed to, and then we pulled that one out, so I thought it was good for us.
Q. On Parker Stewart…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Parker is one of the most gracious guys on our team. We all love him, and we know when he is out on the floor we know exactly where he is at all times. We try to find him, and for some reason teams keep leaving him, and we're going to feed him shots, and he is going to hit those shots. You have seen it. We're going to keep feeding him.
Q. On Trayce Jackson-Davis' defense…
THOMPSON: He definitely changes people's shots. You go up for a layup. If he is coming over, you got to adjust because he is going to block it if you don't. He does it in practice. He does it in the games. If I get beat, I'm like, Trayce is going to block it anyway, so not too worried about it. He is definitely a rim protector.
Q. On Rob Phinisee…
JACKSON-DAVIS: The thing is Rob hasn't been 100% yet. Rob hasn't been 100% all year, and I think when he gets there, he is going to be really, really big for us. A big addition to our team. He is trying to grind it out and practice. He just has to get healthy, and I think he is starting to get healthier and starting to get his confidence. Once Rob has his confidence, he can do a lot of good things for us.
Q. On the offensive spacing…
THOMPSON: Makes it easier for us both. It's hard for other teams to dig on me and Trayce because if they do, me and Trayce are completely comfortable and unselfish enough to throw the ball out and have confidence in our teammates to shoot the ball.
Even tonight when they're going under on X, and sure, he shot 2-for-9 from 3-point, but, again, I would tell him to shoot the 10th one because he can make that shot. Definitely just having that outside threat makes it easier for us to do what we want to do, and then if we get two hard digged on, we'll kick it out, and they'll knock it down.
Q. On getting physically and mentally ready each night…
JACKSON-DAVIS: You just got to take what the defense gives you really. I think today I was a little sped up with double-team. Missed a few easy ones, obviously.
At the same time, you can't get too high or too low because Coach Woodson will have an emphasis to keep feeding me. My teammates are the same way. They know I am the best player on the team, and I have to play like it. Even down the stretch when I missed a few shots, missed a few things, they are still trying to compliment me and raise me up to just go on to the next play. Basically that.
Q. Back on Phinisee…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think all of us as a team, we know what each one of us are capable of, and we know what we can do. We've seen it on the floor. I mean, I played with Rob for three years now. I know he has had games where he has been unbelievable.
So, we know every player on the team and what we can do, and we just got to keep telling him even if you miss a shot, shoot the next one.
X was the same way today. X missed a few shots. He is wide open. They're playing him at the free-throw line. Just got to keep shooting it. I've seen him hit two or three shots in a row, so it's just basically confidence, and we just got to keep telling each other, you can hit those shots and do anything that you need to do basically.
Q. On defending on the perimeter more this season…
THOMPSON: I try to keep a little bit of space. Sometimes they got the step on me a little quicker than me maybe, but I try to just be smart about it and think about -- like I really pay attention to personnel when we do that, what they want to do, what this player likes to do.
And I don't know, I just really key in on that and know that player's strength and try to force him away from that, and, again, force him to Trayce if I get beat or to the middle where most of the help is.
It's really just a scouting thing and just overall just keep doing it and keep getting more comfortable with it. I think it's good for me.
Q. On getting more shots later in the game…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think Coach Woodson, a big emphasis, whenever that happens, he has a big emphasis right from the start. He starts yelling and starts getting in people's faces talking about playing inside-out. I think that was a big thing, big key.
At the same time, we trust our guards to make the right plays, and if they want to shoot the ball, they can shoot the ball. I know they can hit shots. But after that first sequence, he came and said we're playing inside-out the rest of the game, so ...
Q. On playing with a calm demeanor…
JACKSON-DAVIS: You got to stay level-headed really. You can't get too high. You can't get too low. Obviously, I sometimes let out some emotion, but not too much. And then sometimes you miss layups. You got to stay composed and locked into the game.
I know he didn't mean anything malicious by it. I could tell by the way when I fell, he was still holding me to make sure I didn't fall very hard. It was just a basketball play, and obviously, it happens. I mean, it's not -- it is what it is, I guess. I'm not mad at it.
Q. On Anthony Leal…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Anthony is a huge role on our team. I think he is starting to carve out that role and he knows what he needs to do, and it has to be a spot-up shooter and play hard on defense, and he is doing that.
And he is just going to keep continuing to grow and get better because we need him on the floor, honestly. He is one of our best defenders on the team, and you saw today. He had a huge key stop on that dig, so props to him. His confidence is going to keep growing, and he is just going to keep getting better.
MIKE BREY | NOTRE DAME HEAD COACH
Q. On Trayce Jackson-Davis…
BREY: He is really gifted. He had his numbers. We were afraid of coming down there and really all-out doubling because, again, if they make too many threes, they're too far away from you, and overall, I thought we did a pretty good job, Paul and Nate, wrestling him, with a little help.
But he is a physical specimen, and he really plays with a nice demeanor. He has a great demeanor, and then the defensive presence as far as blocking shots. He is a great talent. I remember him as a young player here in the state and to see who he has become. I love his demeanor. He just kind of plays, and he gets banged on a lot. And, you know, we had the hard foul incident, and him and Cormac Ryan are like, I know what -- he is -- he has a great frame of mind.
On Indiana's defensive pressure…
BREY: Well, he is just so good. I mean, I think we had two possessions where we got it to Atkinson, right, with a chance to maybe take the lead, and it was one-on-one in the post, and Paul -- I think Paul is still in a little bit of an adjustment period coming from the Ivy League playing against Trayce Jackson-Davis kind of bodies that keep coming at him.
And I thought he made an unbelievable play on the reverse layup to block it. It's just a big-time NBA prospect defensive play. Atkinson looked around like where did he come from?
Again, he has a good demeanor. He has a great tempo. He is long. He is up above the rim. When you have a guy that can take away some stuff at the rim defensively, it does help your defense. It really makes your other guys confident, and they have that with him back there.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
Indiana vs. Notre Dame
Dec. 18, 2021
MIKE WOODSON | INDIANA HEAD COACH
Q. On the 3-point shooting…
WOODSON: I was just happy to see some shots go in, period. You know, I thought we struggled really early in the game and just couldn't make shots, but our defense was just tight. Even when we were struggling, they were I think sitting at 19 when we were at 11, so they weren't going anywhere. They weren't running off, but, boy, I was struggling to find offense tonight, but we made the plays down the stretch that we needed to make in terms of securing the game.
Q. On closing out the game…
WOODSON: That's the first thing I said when I closed out our meeting with the team prior to coming in here today. You stepped up and did what you had to do coming down the stretch, and you are not going to blow every team out. There's going to be games that are going to be close.
Notre Dame is a good team. They are well-coached, so I didn't expect the blow-out -- the 8- to 10-point lead like we had, but we did, and our guys stepped up and made the plays that we needed to make to win the game.
Q. On the halftime adjustments…
WOODSON: Again, going in I thought the momentum shifted our way the last, what, four, five minutes of the first half when we went on that run to get back in it. And then coming up three at half, you know, I was feeling pretty good at that moment, but knowing that 20 minutes is still a lot of time. And I just told them, hey, we just need to put a solid 20-minute half together and come out of here with a win.
Q. On the state of the team…
WOODSON: I'm going to be honest with you. Listen, I'm just happy where we are. We try to take it a game at a time. We've had two Big Ten games, and I thought we played extremely well in both. Came up short in the one. Our next opponent is Northern Kentucky, so we just got to get ready for those guys.
Hey, the Big Ten is what it is, man. We can't run from it, and when time comes to play a Big Ten game, I'm just going to prepare like I normally prepare for any game and just take it one game at a time.
Q. On Parker Stewart's shooting…
WOODSON: He has been very important for us. Again, early on when we first started this journey, I didn't know where the three-point shooting was going to come, and Parker and Miller both have stepped up and made some threes for us.
But I need X to make them. Rob is capable of making them. Khristian, if and when I play him. I mean, I feel good that he can make them. We got guys that can make them.
But I don't want to be a team to just live on three-point shots. If you got it, you know, hey, take it. I mean, if it's there. But I think our strength is playing inside-out with our big guys, and that's been good for us. I don't want to stray away from that.
Q. On Rob Phinisee's impact…
WOODSON: He gave us a huge lift. I need Rob in the worst way. I think he knows how I feel about him in terms of what I think he can do. I just got to get Rob to believe more that he can do things like he did tonight.
I mean, he is a hell of a defender, and he can make shots. He can make plays for other people. That's what point guards do. I just got to get him more comfortable and get him more love and confidence that he can do those things.
Q. On the point guard play…
WOODSON: We've improved, but we still got work in progress with our point guards, and it's okay. Hey, it's the toughest position on the floor, and I'm demanding. I'm going to keep pushing these guys to get better because I know if they do, we're going to be better as a ball club. We'll benefit from it.
They all still trying to learn what we're trying to do. They're searching, man, and I just got to -- I got to help them more somehow.
Q. On the defense…
WOODSON: They hit a three. There were two threes that were made by their team early on that we didn't execute our defense, and one of the time-outs I was very critical because, again, we've gone -- we've had two days to prepare, and you can't walk out on the floor and just forget your coverages.
And it cost us an out of bounds three, and it cost us a three where Xavier didn't switch correctly, so those are things that you can clean up. You take those two threes away early, you know, we're sitting at a very close ball game. Neither team scoring the ball.
In that regard I was pretty happy where we were defensively, and then I thought the second half our defense was even more steady in terms of how we wanted to cover our coverages.
Q. On playing Johnson and Phinisee together…
WOODSON: Well, they were small -- besides the big, Wesley, they were small too. You can play two point guards in that regard. Both of them are pretty good defenders. They defend when they want to defend, and Rob is a hell of a defender. So, I mean, I was looking for defense and two guys to kind of run our team. That's what I was looking for, and I thought they did a pretty good job in both areas I thought.
Q. On the improved turnover numbers in the second half…
WOODSON: I thought offensively we moved the ball in spurts, and when we did, good things happened for us. I got to get them to understand that. You know, it can't be one or two passes and then the shot goes up and lets us a layup.
In that regard I got to help them offensively, but defensively we didn't have a whole lot of miscues. You know, we gave up a couple layups at the end of the game that I don't like. I mean, you still got to play the clock, and the score as well. You know, where you give up quick twos, now they can set their defense and get ready to press.
You got to make them at least make two or three, four passes before giving up an easy bucket like we did. I mean, hell, they just drove around us and laid the ball up, so we got to clean that up, but for the most part I was pleased.
RACE THOMPSON | INDIANA FORWARD & TRAYCE JACSKON-DAVIS | INDIANA FORWARD
Q. On closing out the game…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think it shows that we're growing as a team. It was really big for us. I think our defense is really what kept us in the game, and I think our defense is going to be a really big part of what keeps us in a lot of games.
That's what we hold our hat on, and we made plays down the stretch. We got stops down the stretch that we needed to, and then we pulled that one out, so I thought it was good for us.
Q. On Parker Stewart…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Parker is one of the most gracious guys on our team. We all love him, and we know when he is out on the floor we know exactly where he is at all times. We try to find him, and for some reason teams keep leaving him, and we're going to feed him shots, and he is going to hit those shots. You have seen it. We're going to keep feeding him.
Q. On Trayce Jackson-Davis' defense…
THOMPSON: He definitely changes people's shots. You go up for a layup. If he is coming over, you got to adjust because he is going to block it if you don't. He does it in practice. He does it in the games. If I get beat, I'm like, Trayce is going to block it anyway, so not too worried about it. He is definitely a rim protector.
Q. On Rob Phinisee…
JACKSON-DAVIS: The thing is Rob hasn't been 100% yet. Rob hasn't been 100% all year, and I think when he gets there, he is going to be really, really big for us. A big addition to our team. He is trying to grind it out and practice. He just has to get healthy, and I think he is starting to get healthier and starting to get his confidence. Once Rob has his confidence, he can do a lot of good things for us.
Q. On the offensive spacing…
THOMPSON: Makes it easier for us both. It's hard for other teams to dig on me and Trayce because if they do, me and Trayce are completely comfortable and unselfish enough to throw the ball out and have confidence in our teammates to shoot the ball.
Even tonight when they're going under on X, and sure, he shot 2-for-9 from 3-point, but, again, I would tell him to shoot the 10th one because he can make that shot. Definitely just having that outside threat makes it easier for us to do what we want to do, and then if we get two hard digged on, we'll kick it out, and they'll knock it down.
Q. On getting physically and mentally ready each night…
JACKSON-DAVIS: You just got to take what the defense gives you really. I think today I was a little sped up with double-team. Missed a few easy ones, obviously.
At the same time, you can't get too high or too low because Coach Woodson will have an emphasis to keep feeding me. My teammates are the same way. They know I am the best player on the team, and I have to play like it. Even down the stretch when I missed a few shots, missed a few things, they are still trying to compliment me and raise me up to just go on to the next play. Basically that.
Q. Back on Phinisee…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think all of us as a team, we know what each one of us are capable of, and we know what we can do. We've seen it on the floor. I mean, I played with Rob for three years now. I know he has had games where he has been unbelievable.
So, we know every player on the team and what we can do, and we just got to keep telling him even if you miss a shot, shoot the next one.
X was the same way today. X missed a few shots. He is wide open. They're playing him at the free-throw line. Just got to keep shooting it. I've seen him hit two or three shots in a row, so it's just basically confidence, and we just got to keep telling each other, you can hit those shots and do anything that you need to do basically.
Q. On defending on the perimeter more this season…
THOMPSON: I try to keep a little bit of space. Sometimes they got the step on me a little quicker than me maybe, but I try to just be smart about it and think about -- like I really pay attention to personnel when we do that, what they want to do, what this player likes to do.
And I don't know, I just really key in on that and know that player's strength and try to force him away from that, and, again, force him to Trayce if I get beat or to the middle where most of the help is.
It's really just a scouting thing and just overall just keep doing it and keep getting more comfortable with it. I think it's good for me.
Q. On getting more shots later in the game…
JACKSON-DAVIS: I think Coach Woodson, a big emphasis, whenever that happens, he has a big emphasis right from the start. He starts yelling and starts getting in people's faces talking about playing inside-out. I think that was a big thing, big key.
At the same time, we trust our guards to make the right plays, and if they want to shoot the ball, they can shoot the ball. I know they can hit shots. But after that first sequence, he came and said we're playing inside-out the rest of the game, so ...
Q. On playing with a calm demeanor…
JACKSON-DAVIS: You got to stay level-headed really. You can't get too high. You can't get too low. Obviously, I sometimes let out some emotion, but not too much. And then sometimes you miss layups. You got to stay composed and locked into the game.
I know he didn't mean anything malicious by it. I could tell by the way when I fell, he was still holding me to make sure I didn't fall very hard. It was just a basketball play, and obviously, it happens. I mean, it's not -- it is what it is, I guess. I'm not mad at it.
Q. On Anthony Leal…
JACKSON-DAVIS: Anthony is a huge role on our team. I think he is starting to carve out that role and he knows what he needs to do, and it has to be a spot-up shooter and play hard on defense, and he is doing that.
And he is just going to keep continuing to grow and get better because we need him on the floor, honestly. He is one of our best defenders on the team, and you saw today. He had a huge key stop on that dig, so props to him. His confidence is going to keep growing, and he is just going to keep getting better.
MIKE BREY | NOTRE DAME HEAD COACH
Q. On Trayce Jackson-Davis…
BREY: He is really gifted. He had his numbers. We were afraid of coming down there and really all-out doubling because, again, if they make too many threes, they're too far away from you, and overall, I thought we did a pretty good job, Paul and Nate, wrestling him, with a little help.
But he is a physical specimen, and he really plays with a nice demeanor. He has a great demeanor, and then the defensive presence as far as blocking shots. He is a great talent. I remember him as a young player here in the state and to see who he has become. I love his demeanor. He just kind of plays, and he gets banged on a lot. And, you know, we had the hard foul incident, and him and Cormac Ryan are like, I know what -- he is -- he has a great frame of mind.
On Indiana's defensive pressure…
BREY: Well, he is just so good. I mean, I think we had two possessions where we got it to Atkinson, right, with a chance to maybe take the lead, and it was one-on-one in the post, and Paul -- I think Paul is still in a little bit of an adjustment period coming from the Ivy League playing against Trayce Jackson-Davis kind of bodies that keep coming at him.
And I thought he made an unbelievable play on the reverse layup to block it. It's just a big-time NBA prospect defensive play. Atkinson looked around like where did he come from?
Again, he has a good demeanor. He has a great tempo. He is long. He is up above the rim. When you have a guy that can take away some stuff at the rim defensively, it does help your defense. It really makes your other guys confident, and they have that with him back there.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
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