Postgame Quotes vs. Bethune-Cookman

Postgame Quotes
Indiana vs. Bethune-Cookman
Nov. 10, 2022

MIKE WOODSON | HEAD COACH
Q. On assists and how Jalen Hood-Schifino impacts the game without making shots…
WOODSON: Again, let's look at the total team effort. Let's not just focus in on Jalen. I mean, there's going to be nights he's going to make shots, and there's going to be nights he's not going to make shots, like he did tonight.

But the bottom line is we won the game, and it was a total team effort from everybody. I mentioned to these guys going into this game that we should average 20 to 25 assists a game. If you're unselfish and a guy is open, you've got to give him the ball.

I thought tonight we shared it, and it didn't hurt us that we made shots from the perimeter and we made our free throws. So I mean, hey, I'm not focusing in on Jalen, to be honest with you. I mean, Jalen had a solid game. He just didn't make shots. The end result was a W, and that's what counts.

Q. On Jalen Hood-Schifino and Xavier Johnson bridging the first and second units…
WOODSON: The short period that I've been in college as a coach, I truly believe you've got to have good point guard play and perimeter play to win at a high level. I mean, just watching teams and the great teams that are from last season and just seems to win every year at a high level, they've got good perimeter players and good guards out front.

X has come into his own. I thought he proved that at the end of last season. And Jalen is still learning, but I think he's ahead of schedule in terms of how he's performed for us on the floor.

So, again, I'm still learning our team. I'm mixing and matching, and guys are responding, and that's kind of nice to see from a coaching standpoint.

Q. On the second unit sharing the ball…
WOODSON: Well, this team is competitive, man. I'm just telling you. If you'd been able to sit in practice and watch the journey from when we started 4 1/2 months ago, they just, they're competitive. They go at each other in practice, which is kind of nice, man.

In return, it's a nice carryover into the ball game. They want to all play. There's only so many minutes in the game, so they're making the most of the minutes when they're out there. The second unit, back-to-back games, man, they've been phenomenal in terms of how they've come and performed and have really built our lead for us. It's kind of nice.

Q. On what Jordan Geronimo brings to the second unit…
WOODSON: He's played well. I mean, we got so many pieces, I think, and again it's what you do with the minutes that you get. That's kind of how I look at it. I've always believed that as a coach, even when I played. Coaches would play me, I tried to give them the best that I could give them based on the minutes I got.

I don't ever want to hear a player complaining, well, I need this many minutes. Well, you're on the wrong team. If I play you, give me positive minutes, and you'll play. That's just how I look at how I coach.

Q. On tonight's defense…
WOODSON: Again, I've just always believed, man, if you defend and rebound, you're going to be in every game. I mean, you're going to be at every game you play, you know what I mean?

Of course shots aren't going to always fall. You're going to miss free throws, but offensively, if you don't turn it over and at least get shots and you defend and rebound the ball, you give yourself a chance to win every night you step out on the floor.

Our defense was solid last year, and it's been a nice carryover into this early season.

Q. On Miller Kopp…
WOODSON: Well, it's very nice because he's put in the work. He's put in a lot of time this summer shooting the basketball. When we all got together, he was making them in practice. So

I'm not shocked that he's making them now in the game. He's in a good space mentally-wise, and it's kind of nice to see him knocking them down because it helps us.

Q. On free throw shooting…
WOODSON: We've been shooting a lot of them, I know that. Nobody wants to go up and miss free throws. I think it's a mental thing, man. I mean, somebody gives you free free throws, you've got to take advantage of it.

I thought tonight, everybody, our focus and concentration level was high, and we stepped up to the line, and we made them.

TREY GALLOWAY | GUARD
Q. On the difference when the team is hitting shots, free throws…
GALLOWAY: Obviously it makes a big difference. Just being able to split out the floor and make shots because we've been working on that and we've been working on game rep shots and getting shots up.
I think just shooting the ball with confidence is a big thing for us because we know we've got guys that can make shots. So just continuous repetition of that and having guys be ready to step up and knock it down.

Obviously free-throws is pretty much mental. You've got to go up to the line with that mentality that you're going to step up and knock it down. So I think we've been really focused on taking free throws seriously during practice and walking in and taking them serious and just knocking them down is what matters.

Q. On the second units ability to share the ball…
GALLOWAY: It's our responsibility to just be that second unit and coming in and bringing a spark off the bench because we know, when we come in, we can pick the pace up right away.

I thought the starters did get off to a good lead, but we come in to extend it. I thought we did a good job of that tonight.

Q. On how Jalen Hood-Schifino impacts the game despite an off night…
GALLOWAY: Yeah, like you said, shots aren't falling, they're not going to fall every night. So there's other things and other ways you can impact games, and that's what he does well.

When he's got the ball in his hands, he makes the right play, makes the right reads. He's going to continue to make those plays when we need him to. I think he did a great job of that, just finding guys in transition like Miller, finding open guys, finding me.

We're running. He's doing a good job of pushing it and pushing the pace for sure.

MILLER KOPP | FORWARD
Q. On Jalen Hood-Schifino and Xavier Johnson bridging the first and second units…
KOPP: Both those guys are super skilled and can really share the ball, really handle the ball. I think they're both getting a good feel for playing with each other and then transitioning when it's just one of them on the court together.

So they're doing a good job of learning what Coach Woody wants and how to play with each other and pick their spots and be aggressive and make the right play passing-wise.

They're learning, and they're getting better every day. It's been great to play with them and see their progression. Just see how far they've come and how much more room they have to grow too.

Q. On Jordan Geronimo…
KOPP: He's put a lot of work in in the summer. Mentally he's just more confident, I think. When he goes and makes a move and attacks a rim or takes a shot, there's a level of confidence and certainty that he's doing the right thing.

I think it makes it -- the product of what you see, whether it's make or miss or whatever it may be, it just looks like more natural. So that comes with obviously reps and work in the summer, which he's done.

You just see it on the floor. He looks more comfortable, more natural, which he does and he deserves to be because he's more -- he got a lot better this year.

Q. On Miller Kopp's three-point shooting…
KOPP: I think for me this summer was a big focus. Obviously you always want to shoot better. You can always dribble better. You can always just be better.

Going into the off-season was big for me just focusing on getting reps and mentally being cognitive of how big mentally shooting is and shooting is mentally, I guess.

So I did a lot of work on my golf swing this summer and tried to get outside and get tan a lot. So mentally I think that helped, and I think, if you look at the best basketball players, they all -- Michael Jordan, Steph Curry -- they all are great golfers too. So I think that helped.

REGGIE THEUS | BETHUNE-COOKMAN HEAD COACH
Q. On being able to see and coach against his friend Mike Woodson…
THEUS: I'm just so happy for Woody because I've watched him and this part of his career. I've been in a lot of wars with Woody. We've been in the trenches a long time, and we have had a lot of conversations about the coaching areas too. He's an extremely accomplished coach, that in a lot of ways I don't think he really got the dues he deserved. This is a dream come true for him and as a friend I'm incredibly happy for him. By the way, he's got a hell of a team. Oh boy, got a hell of a team. It's gonna make his job a lot easier.

Q. On how many years his friendship has lasted with Mike Woodson…
THEUS: Almost 50 really. I mean I got traded out of Chicago in '84, I think it was '84, and went to Kansas City. So that's where we met first, and we have been friends ever since.

Q. On Jalen Hood-Schifino and his abilities…
THEUS: He can get to the rim, takes it off the dribble. He's a combo guard. I think he can play both positions and he's got some toughness to him. In games like this you never know how it's going to go. They stuck to their game plan. But I think he's going to have some big nights. In order for them to win like they can win, he has to have big nights.

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