Indiana University Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. Little Rock
11/23/2022 9:20:00 PM | General
Postgame Quotes
Indiana vs. Little Rock
Nov. 23, 2022
MIKE WOODSON | HEAD COACH
Q. On Xavier Johnson's play making ability…
WOODSON: Well, I think X, he's capable of doing that. I expect him to do that; he's our point guard. I thought he was solid when things weren't going well for him early.
Q. On Xavier Johnson's assists and the importance of him getting shooters involved…
WOODSON: No, it's very important. Last year, guys, we were one of the top teams in the country in getting wide-open threes, and we just didn't make them. We're going to get our fair share of looks. We've just got to knock them down. X is capable of making them. Everybody on our team now I feel good about when they shoot the ball from the three-point line that it's got a chance to go in.
We'll make our fair share, but we've just got to continue to work on them and get good threes. Forced threes don't get you anything. That's when you shoot poorly.
When the ball is moving around like it did tonight, we had 18 assists, Miller was on the back end of it where in transition he was wide open for a lot of threes, and he made some tonight, which is huge for our team.
Q. On the status of Trayce Jackson-Davis…
WOODSON: Man, I'm not worrying about North Carolina. We've got Jackson State coming in here on Friday. We'll continue to evaluate him. He's kind of beat up a little bit physically. Nothing major. We rested him tonight, and we'll get him ready for hopefully Jackson State. I mean, that's the next one on our schedule.
Q. On setting higher expectations for the team with Trayce out…
WOODSON: No, I just said next man up. Him and Galloway was out; I said next man up. That's what this team has got to be about.
I've always been about that as a coach. I've coached games where my best players have been out of the lineup. I can't wait on those guys. I've got to still coach and get guys to perform and play at a high level. I expect guys to be ready to play.
Q. On the team's three-point shooting…
WOODSON: You already predicted the game. I don't look at it in that light. We've got to get to those games first and see where we are.
I mean, sure, every college coach worries about making threes when they've got shots. My thing is if we've got good shots and we're taking good shots, I feel good about them going in.
You've got to make them against teams that you think we should beat, and you've got to make them against teams that are on the borderline teams, teams that match up well with us like North Carolina and some of the top teams. Yeah, I would hope we will make them. But only time will tell.
Q. On the offensive efficiency around the rim…
WOODSON: Well, again, we're playing against teams that we're a little bit bigger than. It's going to be interesting to see what we match up with like teams against Xavier. They were a big team, and it was a battle.
I think we have the bodies to bang with some of the bigger teams, but only time will tell. I'm anxious to get to games like that, but right now Jackson State is staring us in the face, and we've got to get ready for those guys.
Q. On the rebound discrepancy…
WOODSON: Well, I don't think we had defensive struggles tonight. We won by 20 points. We gave up 60-some points. We've been averaging giving up I think 57, 58 points a game. We let this get a little bit out of hand in terms of where we like to be in terms of holding our opponents to 60 and under, but we won by 19, 20 points. I'm not too disappointed in our defense. We out-rebounded the team. We guarded the three-point line. They didn't shoot well from the three-point line or the two.
I'm pleased. I can't sit here and complain about anything tonight. It was a total team effort.
Q. On the first-half struggles…
WOODSON: Well, we came in up nine after the half, but you've got to give them credit, too. They're a competitive team, and they were competing just like we were trying to compete.
I mean, you like to come in the locker room up 20. I guess that's what you want to see. But it was nine, and I was pleased with that. I thought we started the second half a little slow. They scored, I think, the first four points, and now we've got to really play and pick it up, and I thought we responded.
RACE THOMPSON | FORWARD
Q. On Xavier Johnson's role…
THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, that's a good team we played against. I think me and X, we got into like a little ball screen thing. You see Trayce and X do it all the time, but you get X for Fino on a ball screen and you set a good screen, you're going to make something happen. They'll make the play for you. It was really just X playing, and he made the plays.
Q. On the team's defense…
THOMPSON: I think we're doing good. I think when we get all our pieces together, you have Trayce protecting the rim, you see JG blocking a whole bunch of shots today, but I still think we can get better. I think we work hard at it every day in practice, and in games we'll be better. I think it just makes time.
We have four freshmen that are playing minutes, and when they play minutes, they've just got to still learn every day, every game, and I think these games are helping them learn.
Q. On his injury…
THOMPSON: Honestly, I don't know. I didn't really see the replay. I think it was somebody's elbow, but I don't know. I've got just a big ol' gash right here, but I'm good.
Q. On your confidence in the team before North Carolina…
THOMPSON: Very confident. We know we have a deep team, and I think if Trayce needed to go today, he could have went. I think it was more precautionary for him.
I mean, you've seen what we can do with and without him, so I think that's why this team is special.
Q. On your perspective of a "normal" season after a pandemic and adjusting to life and a different season…
THOMPSON: That's a deep question. I mean, like you've got to be grateful every day. During COVID, that was hard. You guys remember that, we were doing media, and it's just us sitting here with a camera in the back. I think just being grateful, just being able to be around everybody, being able to have fans. I mean, yeah, just being grateful every day because it can be taken away in a split second.
Q. On the team's chemistry…
THOMPSON: Great. I would say great. I've been a part of a lot of teams here at IU, and we've had teams be cliquey; we've had all types of things. I don't think we have that at all this year.
I mean, everybody sits with everybody. Again, we're all joking around, laughing in the locker room. We have a really tight-knit group, so it's a lot of fun to be around them.
JALEN HOOD-SCHIFINO | GUARD
Q. On the importance of continuation even without Trayce…
HOOD-SCHIFINO: I mean, yeah, with Trayce out, that's a big part of what we've got here. I think today, obviously, as everyone has seen, Race and Xavier were great tonight, especially in the pick-and-roll actions. They made plays, and I think they stepped up as our seniors and really led us tonight.
Q. On adjusting to the pace at this level…
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Yeah, it's still early. I haven't really shot the ball too well, but I'm not too worried. Like you said, it's early, so I'm just going to continue to stay in the gym and just keep working. Like Race said, I'm still young, I'm a freshman so I'm still learning on the fly every day.
As the year goes on, I'll get better.
Q. On the team's chemistry…
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Yeah, Race pretty much nailed it on the spot. I think we all have great chemistry off the court, and on the court I think it shows.
Q. On the importance of playing through the game despite the struggles…
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Yeah, like just honestly, just adjusting. Like you said, I started off a little slow, not hitting shots, but I feel like my game I can kind of do everything. If my shot is not falling, I can get others involved; I can rebound the ball, defend. I'm not too worried about it. Like I said, I'm in the gym every day, so eventually those shots are going to fall, but right now it's not hurting us. Everyone is playing well. Like tonight our seniors led us, so everything worked out good.
DARRELL WALKER | LITTLE ROCK HEAD COACH
Q. On playing in Assembly Hall…
WALKER: This is a historical arena. We all know that with all the accolades, the things that Coach Knight has done here and now Coach Woodson is here. I knew it was going to be a tough game for us to win, but I thought my guys and our team played very well. We could have shot better than 33 percent. We probably would have been in the basketball game a lot longer, but we didn't. But give them due. They are very, very talented team and I see why they are ranked 11th/12th in the country. They are a good basketball team.
Q. On the thought process being down seven late in the game…
WALKER: Just keep chopping away at the lead. We did three things wrong defensively in a row and they scored and were able to get the lead back up. But overall, I just told my guys I had no issue about this game. We didn't shoot the ball great. We rebounded pretty well, and we only turned the ball over 12 times. Remember, we shot 33 percent from the field. They had something to do with that too.
Q. On the growth of the team…
WALKER: Tonight, I thought it was a big growth to be in this arena, the 11th/12th ranked team in the country and to compete and come back and get in the basketball game. We stuck around the whole basketball game to the last seven or eight minutes. I thought it was something good for our team to build on.
Indiana vs. Little Rock
Nov. 23, 2022
MIKE WOODSON | HEAD COACH
Q. On Xavier Johnson's play making ability…
WOODSON: Well, I think X, he's capable of doing that. I expect him to do that; he's our point guard. I thought he was solid when things weren't going well for him early.
Q. On Xavier Johnson's assists and the importance of him getting shooters involved…
WOODSON: No, it's very important. Last year, guys, we were one of the top teams in the country in getting wide-open threes, and we just didn't make them. We're going to get our fair share of looks. We've just got to knock them down. X is capable of making them. Everybody on our team now I feel good about when they shoot the ball from the three-point line that it's got a chance to go in.
We'll make our fair share, but we've just got to continue to work on them and get good threes. Forced threes don't get you anything. That's when you shoot poorly.
When the ball is moving around like it did tonight, we had 18 assists, Miller was on the back end of it where in transition he was wide open for a lot of threes, and he made some tonight, which is huge for our team.
Q. On the status of Trayce Jackson-Davis…
WOODSON: Man, I'm not worrying about North Carolina. We've got Jackson State coming in here on Friday. We'll continue to evaluate him. He's kind of beat up a little bit physically. Nothing major. We rested him tonight, and we'll get him ready for hopefully Jackson State. I mean, that's the next one on our schedule.
Q. On setting higher expectations for the team with Trayce out…
WOODSON: No, I just said next man up. Him and Galloway was out; I said next man up. That's what this team has got to be about.
I've always been about that as a coach. I've coached games where my best players have been out of the lineup. I can't wait on those guys. I've got to still coach and get guys to perform and play at a high level. I expect guys to be ready to play.
Q. On the team's three-point shooting…
WOODSON: You already predicted the game. I don't look at it in that light. We've got to get to those games first and see where we are.
I mean, sure, every college coach worries about making threes when they've got shots. My thing is if we've got good shots and we're taking good shots, I feel good about them going in.
You've got to make them against teams that you think we should beat, and you've got to make them against teams that are on the borderline teams, teams that match up well with us like North Carolina and some of the top teams. Yeah, I would hope we will make them. But only time will tell.
Q. On the offensive efficiency around the rim…
WOODSON: Well, again, we're playing against teams that we're a little bit bigger than. It's going to be interesting to see what we match up with like teams against Xavier. They were a big team, and it was a battle.
I think we have the bodies to bang with some of the bigger teams, but only time will tell. I'm anxious to get to games like that, but right now Jackson State is staring us in the face, and we've got to get ready for those guys.
Q. On the rebound discrepancy…
WOODSON: Well, I don't think we had defensive struggles tonight. We won by 20 points. We gave up 60-some points. We've been averaging giving up I think 57, 58 points a game. We let this get a little bit out of hand in terms of where we like to be in terms of holding our opponents to 60 and under, but we won by 19, 20 points. I'm not too disappointed in our defense. We out-rebounded the team. We guarded the three-point line. They didn't shoot well from the three-point line or the two.
I'm pleased. I can't sit here and complain about anything tonight. It was a total team effort.
Q. On the first-half struggles…
WOODSON: Well, we came in up nine after the half, but you've got to give them credit, too. They're a competitive team, and they were competing just like we were trying to compete.
I mean, you like to come in the locker room up 20. I guess that's what you want to see. But it was nine, and I was pleased with that. I thought we started the second half a little slow. They scored, I think, the first four points, and now we've got to really play and pick it up, and I thought we responded.
RACE THOMPSON | FORWARD
Q. On Xavier Johnson's role…
THOMPSON: Yeah, I mean, that's a good team we played against. I think me and X, we got into like a little ball screen thing. You see Trayce and X do it all the time, but you get X for Fino on a ball screen and you set a good screen, you're going to make something happen. They'll make the play for you. It was really just X playing, and he made the plays.
Q. On the team's defense…
THOMPSON: I think we're doing good. I think when we get all our pieces together, you have Trayce protecting the rim, you see JG blocking a whole bunch of shots today, but I still think we can get better. I think we work hard at it every day in practice, and in games we'll be better. I think it just makes time.
We have four freshmen that are playing minutes, and when they play minutes, they've just got to still learn every day, every game, and I think these games are helping them learn.
Q. On his injury…
THOMPSON: Honestly, I don't know. I didn't really see the replay. I think it was somebody's elbow, but I don't know. I've got just a big ol' gash right here, but I'm good.
Q. On your confidence in the team before North Carolina…
THOMPSON: Very confident. We know we have a deep team, and I think if Trayce needed to go today, he could have went. I think it was more precautionary for him.
I mean, you've seen what we can do with and without him, so I think that's why this team is special.
Q. On your perspective of a "normal" season after a pandemic and adjusting to life and a different season…
THOMPSON: That's a deep question. I mean, like you've got to be grateful every day. During COVID, that was hard. You guys remember that, we were doing media, and it's just us sitting here with a camera in the back. I think just being grateful, just being able to be around everybody, being able to have fans. I mean, yeah, just being grateful every day because it can be taken away in a split second.
Q. On the team's chemistry…
THOMPSON: Great. I would say great. I've been a part of a lot of teams here at IU, and we've had teams be cliquey; we've had all types of things. I don't think we have that at all this year.
I mean, everybody sits with everybody. Again, we're all joking around, laughing in the locker room. We have a really tight-knit group, so it's a lot of fun to be around them.
JALEN HOOD-SCHIFINO | GUARD
Q. On the importance of continuation even without Trayce…
HOOD-SCHIFINO: I mean, yeah, with Trayce out, that's a big part of what we've got here. I think today, obviously, as everyone has seen, Race and Xavier were great tonight, especially in the pick-and-roll actions. They made plays, and I think they stepped up as our seniors and really led us tonight.
Q. On adjusting to the pace at this level…
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Yeah, it's still early. I haven't really shot the ball too well, but I'm not too worried. Like you said, it's early, so I'm just going to continue to stay in the gym and just keep working. Like Race said, I'm still young, I'm a freshman so I'm still learning on the fly every day.
As the year goes on, I'll get better.
Q. On the team's chemistry…
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Yeah, Race pretty much nailed it on the spot. I think we all have great chemistry off the court, and on the court I think it shows.
Q. On the importance of playing through the game despite the struggles…
HOOD-SCHIFINO: Yeah, like just honestly, just adjusting. Like you said, I started off a little slow, not hitting shots, but I feel like my game I can kind of do everything. If my shot is not falling, I can get others involved; I can rebound the ball, defend. I'm not too worried about it. Like I said, I'm in the gym every day, so eventually those shots are going to fall, but right now it's not hurting us. Everyone is playing well. Like tonight our seniors led us, so everything worked out good.
DARRELL WALKER | LITTLE ROCK HEAD COACH
Q. On playing in Assembly Hall…
WALKER: This is a historical arena. We all know that with all the accolades, the things that Coach Knight has done here and now Coach Woodson is here. I knew it was going to be a tough game for us to win, but I thought my guys and our team played very well. We could have shot better than 33 percent. We probably would have been in the basketball game a lot longer, but we didn't. But give them due. They are very, very talented team and I see why they are ranked 11th/12th in the country. They are a good basketball team.
Q. On the thought process being down seven late in the game…
WALKER: Just keep chopping away at the lead. We did three things wrong defensively in a row and they scored and were able to get the lead back up. But overall, I just told my guys I had no issue about this game. We didn't shoot the ball great. We rebounded pretty well, and we only turned the ball over 12 times. Remember, we shot 33 percent from the field. They had something to do with that too.
Q. On the growth of the team…
WALKER: Tonight, I thought it was a big growth to be in this arena, the 11th/12th ranked team in the country and to compete and come back and get in the basketball game. We stuck around the whole basketball game to the last seven or eight minutes. I thought it was something good for our team to build on.
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