Indiana University Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. Miami (OH)
11/20/2022 9:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Postgame Quotes
Indiana vs. Miami (OH)
Nov. 20, 2022
MIKE WOODSON | HEAD COACH
Q. On Trayce Jackson-Davis playing through traps, doubles and navigating traffic…
WOODSON: I mean, he has had enough opportunities at it. It's something that we go over every day based on where we think teams are going to trap him.
The last to games they came from the big and went big-to-big, and he is starting to figure it out and get the ball into the right areas where we can play offense. I mean, it comes out when he is doubled. Sometimes he is able to beat the double-team with his offensive play.
So, I mean, he is playing pretty good right now for us. We've got to keep him playing at a high level.
Q. On the progress of Tamar Bates and CJ Gunn…
WOODSON: Well, I mean, they're fine. I have no gripes with neither one of them. They've done what we've asked them to do on and off the court.
We didn't play Galloway tonight. He got banged up in the game before or he would have been in the rotation. So my thing is, guys, listen, we've got enough bodies on this team. My theme is always going to be next man up if someone gets hurt and when you are called upon, be ready to play.
Q. On Jalen Hood-Schifino's shot and Trey Galloway's injury…
WOODSON: Well, again, Jalen, I mean, he is 5 for 12. I don't think that's too bad. He made some shots tonight, had good looks. It's just the other things that he does on the floor: He defends, he rebounds, he assists, he runs your ball club, and he and a freshman.
I'm not concerned about the shot-making. Hell, we scored 80 points tonight, 80-some points.
We're averaging 90 points. Again, Jalen will be there when it counts. He is capable of making big shots, so that's not a big concern.
As far as Galloway, he is just banged up. He twisted his knee the other night at Xavier, and we're just being cautious to make sure he is okay.
Q. On Xavier Johnson's leadership…
WOODSON: Well, it means a lot. Xavier is a senior. He is supposed to lead. That's his job, and
I'm pushing him in that direction. I'm probably more hard on Xavier than anybody on the team, but at the end of the day he tasted success last year. He was a big part of that success in helping us get to the tournament, so I've got to stay on him to make sure that he continues to grow and do what's expected of him to help us win.
Q. On CJ Gunn's advancement on the team…
WOODSON: Guys, again, CJ is fine. He is in a good place. I'm not going to sit here and play guys because you guys probably think that this guy should play. If he is called upon, hey, I expect him to come out and play and give us positive minutes.
We've got a lot of players on this team. I'm not sitting here playing favoritism to anyone. I'm trying to win basketball games, and I'm going to play the guys that I think I can win with, and he has been a part of us winning.
Q. On the crowd and playing in your home city of Indianapolis…
WOODSON: Well, again, for me it's always great to come back home. I mean, when I played professionally, I lived to come home to play the Pacers. When I started coach, it was the same way.
This is home, man. I mean, all my family and friends are still here, and a lot of them came out tonight to show support. So, I mean, it's good to be back home for me. I've Benoit for a long time, but I've always dropped in to see my family and check on things in Bloomington. So it's good to be back in Indianapolis.
Q. On Miller Kopp's performance through the first four games…
WOODSON: He has been solid. He has had good looks. He has made some shots here and there. I'm comfortable based on where he is. I expect him to make shots when he has them.
I mean, he put the ball on the floor a couple of times tonight and made a couple of plays at the rim. So, hey, that's progress based on where he started when we first got him and where he is today.
Q. On how the team handled a quick turnaround…
WOODSON: I thought it was a great job on our part in handling the short days to get prepared for this game.
The way the schedule is set up is set up like playing in the tournament, which I think is good for us. Every two, three days we're playing a ball game. We'll get a break here and there, but, hey, that's what the schedule is, man. I've just got to get these guys up and ready to play each and every time we step out on that floor.
Q. On the importance of the bench contribution…
WOODSON: Again, our bench is just as important as the guys that start the game. I can't say that loud enough.
And I've got faith and I believe in everybody that's wearing that uniform. They just have got to stay ready. You know, I mean, I am still trying to figure out rotations and who can do what and what combinations work, and that can be an ongoing process, you know, as we navigate this season.
So, hey, just stay ready. That's all I can tell our guys that are coming off the bench. Be ready to play.
MILLER KOPP | FORWARD
Q. On Jalen Hood-Schifino finding his rhythm...
KOPP: I mean, you know, he puts the work in. It's one of those things where it may not -- we've all been through it as players, but, you know, you put the work in, and sometimes it doesn't show right when you want it to.
It's like marinating chicken. You know, you need to let it sit maybe six, eight hours in the frig maybe and then put it on the grill. It tastes a lot better like that.
It's going to come, and the dude works his butt off, so I'm not worried about that.
Q. On handling two games in three days…
KOPP: Well, it's good because the preparation is huge in terms of short turnaround is -- you see it in the NCAA Tournament and the Big Ten Tournament, so it's good to have it now kind of early in the season even for the young guys to experience that and be -- the importance of locking in and washing. You know, having a go ahead game like against Xavier and then coming back, learning from it, moving on, and then coming to a new game is big.
Q. On the defensive difference at the 32-26 mark…
KOPP: I think we just settled in. Playing any game, you know, you scout teams and you know their actions, you know what they're going to run, but getting out there there's a different type of -- it's different when you are out there guarding them and you see their tendencies and you see how they cut with pace and all that kind of stuff.
So, you know, we really just focused in and kind of got a feel for them. And then once everybody kind of understood what they were doing and got into the game really, it just showed.
So, you know, our defense is something where it's unrelenting. Over a course of a game we feel like it's just going to continue to get better.
TAMAR BATES | GUARD
Q. On the improvement of Trayce Jackson-Davis and how you capitalize off of it…
BATES: I feel like because he is such a willing passer, it's pretty easy for him to make reads out of those traps and then with him having guys who can shoot the ball and make shots, I mean, he trusts us to obviously pass it.
Obviously, if he reposts we'll get it back to him, but he does a great job of finding us when we're open. We're fortunate to have him down there just because he brings so much attention to hisself.
He is executing at a high level right now, and that's what we expect out of him. Especially for him being our senior leader. So he is doing a great job of playing out of double-teams.
Q. On what the key focuses for your game are…
BATES: I mean, I always just want to bring a spark off of the bench. No matter how the game is going, I want to kind of pick up the pace or do what I can to affect the game with my particular skill set.
But obviously just making sure that I'm staying healthy. My best ability is my availability, so I just take care of my body, making sure I'm eating the right things, putting the right things in my body, getting a banana in before the game, don't cramp up or nothing like that.
But for me it's just really executing the game plan and doing what my teammates expect of me and continuing to work at it and just go in to try to -- I'm sorry -- go in the game and come out with the end result of winning the game.
Indiana vs. Miami (OH)
Nov. 20, 2022
MIKE WOODSON | HEAD COACH
Q. On Trayce Jackson-Davis playing through traps, doubles and navigating traffic…
WOODSON: I mean, he has had enough opportunities at it. It's something that we go over every day based on where we think teams are going to trap him.
The last to games they came from the big and went big-to-big, and he is starting to figure it out and get the ball into the right areas where we can play offense. I mean, it comes out when he is doubled. Sometimes he is able to beat the double-team with his offensive play.
So, I mean, he is playing pretty good right now for us. We've got to keep him playing at a high level.
Q. On the progress of Tamar Bates and CJ Gunn…
WOODSON: Well, I mean, they're fine. I have no gripes with neither one of them. They've done what we've asked them to do on and off the court.
We didn't play Galloway tonight. He got banged up in the game before or he would have been in the rotation. So my thing is, guys, listen, we've got enough bodies on this team. My theme is always going to be next man up if someone gets hurt and when you are called upon, be ready to play.
Q. On Jalen Hood-Schifino's shot and Trey Galloway's injury…
WOODSON: Well, again, Jalen, I mean, he is 5 for 12. I don't think that's too bad. He made some shots tonight, had good looks. It's just the other things that he does on the floor: He defends, he rebounds, he assists, he runs your ball club, and he and a freshman.
I'm not concerned about the shot-making. Hell, we scored 80 points tonight, 80-some points.
We're averaging 90 points. Again, Jalen will be there when it counts. He is capable of making big shots, so that's not a big concern.
As far as Galloway, he is just banged up. He twisted his knee the other night at Xavier, and we're just being cautious to make sure he is okay.
Q. On Xavier Johnson's leadership…
WOODSON: Well, it means a lot. Xavier is a senior. He is supposed to lead. That's his job, and
I'm pushing him in that direction. I'm probably more hard on Xavier than anybody on the team, but at the end of the day he tasted success last year. He was a big part of that success in helping us get to the tournament, so I've got to stay on him to make sure that he continues to grow and do what's expected of him to help us win.
Q. On CJ Gunn's advancement on the team…
WOODSON: Guys, again, CJ is fine. He is in a good place. I'm not going to sit here and play guys because you guys probably think that this guy should play. If he is called upon, hey, I expect him to come out and play and give us positive minutes.
We've got a lot of players on this team. I'm not sitting here playing favoritism to anyone. I'm trying to win basketball games, and I'm going to play the guys that I think I can win with, and he has been a part of us winning.
Q. On the crowd and playing in your home city of Indianapolis…
WOODSON: Well, again, for me it's always great to come back home. I mean, when I played professionally, I lived to come home to play the Pacers. When I started coach, it was the same way.
This is home, man. I mean, all my family and friends are still here, and a lot of them came out tonight to show support. So, I mean, it's good to be back home for me. I've Benoit for a long time, but I've always dropped in to see my family and check on things in Bloomington. So it's good to be back in Indianapolis.
Q. On Miller Kopp's performance through the first four games…
WOODSON: He has been solid. He has had good looks. He has made some shots here and there. I'm comfortable based on where he is. I expect him to make shots when he has them.
I mean, he put the ball on the floor a couple of times tonight and made a couple of plays at the rim. So, hey, that's progress based on where he started when we first got him and where he is today.
Q. On how the team handled a quick turnaround…
WOODSON: I thought it was a great job on our part in handling the short days to get prepared for this game.
The way the schedule is set up is set up like playing in the tournament, which I think is good for us. Every two, three days we're playing a ball game. We'll get a break here and there, but, hey, that's what the schedule is, man. I've just got to get these guys up and ready to play each and every time we step out on that floor.
Q. On the importance of the bench contribution…
WOODSON: Again, our bench is just as important as the guys that start the game. I can't say that loud enough.
And I've got faith and I believe in everybody that's wearing that uniform. They just have got to stay ready. You know, I mean, I am still trying to figure out rotations and who can do what and what combinations work, and that can be an ongoing process, you know, as we navigate this season.
So, hey, just stay ready. That's all I can tell our guys that are coming off the bench. Be ready to play.
MILLER KOPP | FORWARD
Q. On Jalen Hood-Schifino finding his rhythm...
KOPP: I mean, you know, he puts the work in. It's one of those things where it may not -- we've all been through it as players, but, you know, you put the work in, and sometimes it doesn't show right when you want it to.
It's like marinating chicken. You know, you need to let it sit maybe six, eight hours in the frig maybe and then put it on the grill. It tastes a lot better like that.
It's going to come, and the dude works his butt off, so I'm not worried about that.
Q. On handling two games in three days…
KOPP: Well, it's good because the preparation is huge in terms of short turnaround is -- you see it in the NCAA Tournament and the Big Ten Tournament, so it's good to have it now kind of early in the season even for the young guys to experience that and be -- the importance of locking in and washing. You know, having a go ahead game like against Xavier and then coming back, learning from it, moving on, and then coming to a new game is big.
Q. On the defensive difference at the 32-26 mark…
KOPP: I think we just settled in. Playing any game, you know, you scout teams and you know their actions, you know what they're going to run, but getting out there there's a different type of -- it's different when you are out there guarding them and you see their tendencies and you see how they cut with pace and all that kind of stuff.
So, you know, we really just focused in and kind of got a feel for them. And then once everybody kind of understood what they were doing and got into the game really, it just showed.
So, you know, our defense is something where it's unrelenting. Over a course of a game we feel like it's just going to continue to get better.
TAMAR BATES | GUARD
Q. On the improvement of Trayce Jackson-Davis and how you capitalize off of it…
BATES: I feel like because he is such a willing passer, it's pretty easy for him to make reads out of those traps and then with him having guys who can shoot the ball and make shots, I mean, he trusts us to obviously pass it.
Obviously, if he reposts we'll get it back to him, but he does a great job of finding us when we're open. We're fortunate to have him down there just because he brings so much attention to hisself.
He is executing at a high level right now, and that's what we expect out of him. Especially for him being our senior leader. So he is doing a great job of playing out of double-teams.
Q. On what the key focuses for your game are…
BATES: I mean, I always just want to bring a spark off of the bench. No matter how the game is going, I want to kind of pick up the pace or do what I can to affect the game with my particular skill set.
But obviously just making sure that I'm staying healthy. My best ability is my availability, so I just take care of my body, making sure I'm eating the right things, putting the right things in my body, getting a banana in before the game, don't cramp up or nothing like that.
But for me it's just really executing the game plan and doing what my teammates expect of me and continuing to work at it and just go in to try to -- I'm sorry -- go in the game and come out with the end result of winning the game.
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