Indiana University Athletics
Postgame Quotes vs. Morehead State
11/7/2022 8:30:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Indiana vs. Morehead State
Nov. 7, 2022
MIKE WOODSON | INDIANA HEAD COACH
Q. On Jalen Hood-Schifino playing heavy minutes...
WOODSON: Again, a lot was that was because X got in foul trouble. In the St. Francis and Marion game, X was carrying the blunt of the second unit. I kind of want X in with the second unit because he's been around a lot longer than Fino. I think he can run our ball club, so the fact that he got in foul trouble early, you know, it gave Fino a chance to play more minutes with the second unit, which he can play with any unit. Both of them can. So I have no problems there. I mean, I feel comfortable now because through the four and a half, five month stretch we've given Tamar Bates and Galloway an opportunity to handle the ball a lot. So you can even play them two together. I feel good about our perimeter play and who plays what -- any position really.
Q. On the team's shooting percentage...
WOODSON: Make no mistake about it, our strength -- and this is no knock against them -- we were a bigger team. Our strength is playing inside out. I mean, it's no secret. I'm not trying to hide that. And they doubled some and we were able to get the ball out to some of our guys to make shots, and Miller made a couple in transition, which we were capable of doing that as well. So, I mean, I thought it was a solid game. You put up 88 points, I just don't like the fact that we're missing free throws. That's really bothering me as a coach.
Q. On the team's defense...
WOODSON: Well, you hold them to 24 points the second half, I say defensively we did a solid job. I thought our switching, we got burned a couple times, but for the most part I thought our switching was on par. And we rebounded the ball a little bit better. We got to get better in that area, too, man, because this was a close game. I don't know what the rebounding was, but it was fairly close. I know they were up I think one at halftime, so we got to get better. Come out with -- I got to get our guards helping our bigs rebound.
Q. On Malik Reneau in his collegiate debut...
WOODSON: He's been solid ever since he put on the uniform. It's kind of nice to see, man. I told you, the freshman, him and Jalen, they don't play like freshmen. They act like they belong. Kaleb came in who hadn't played really much, came in and was solid when he got if the game. CJ has been solid through the Marian and St. Francis run. So I got a lot of pieces. I just got to figure it out as we go along from a coaching standpoint based on who is playing and how they're playing.
Q. On settling into the game...
WOODSON: Well, starting the second half I thought -- again, I mean, this was the first game for these guys. I don't know if they were jittery or not. I thought we came out with a great start, you know, but you got to give Morehead State some credit. They didn't lay down. They fought early. But I thought the second half we turned it up from a defensive standpoint, did what we had to do to secure the win.
Q. On Miller Kopp's impact...
WOODSON: Everybody. I mean, when you got good looks, I expect you to make them. I mean, he made two big ones to kind of expand our lead, but I think all the guys that are shooting the three ball on our team can make it. That's just how I feel after watching them the last four and a half, five months. So we just -- you know, when we got them, we just got to knock them down. That's kind of how I look at it.
Q. On the team's depth...
WOODSON: Well, we are deeper this season than we were last season. Again, everybody was new last year. I was new. Those guys last season were trying to figure me out, and the guys that came back kind of know who I am now. Now it's just getting the four freshmen up to speed. Again, I like everything about our freshmen because they are competitive. They compete. They like to compete. We're longer. More athletic than we were last season. That helps in the college game, I think.
Q. On the different lineups...
WOODSON: Well, we are big. I mean, I think about three that you mentioned up front, that's a big lineup. Again, I haven't had a chance to really play Malik and Trayce together a lot, and let alone Geronimo along with those three. But, Hey, as a coach I'm still learning, and you are liable to see a lot different lineups based on the talent we have. All I'm telling our guys is just be ready to play, you know, because if I see you not giving it to us, then I got to go somewhere else and get it. That's just how I look at it from a coaching standpoint.
RACE THOMPSON | INDIANA FORWARD & JORDAN GERONIMO | INDIANA FORWARD
Q. On the team's depth...
THOMPSON: Yeah, as a team I feel like, and we feel like we have 10 starters, 11 starters, 12 starters, so when that second group comes in, there should be no drop off. Malik has been playing great. JG has been playing great. And Fino is running that second team. I mean, just really feels like we got ten starters out there, and we've seen it since we been practicing in the summer. Should be fun.
Q. On Malik Reneau...
THOMPSON: Yeah, I been saying this since he got here. Can't speed him up. He gets to his spots. I mean, I got to guard him every day, so it's fun to compete with him in practice every day, pushing each other.
He has really, really good footwork, really good ball fix. And then just again, like you can't speed him up, so I think that's one of his biggest strengths.
Q. On taking the momentum...
GERONIMO: It's really important for us, coming in like Race said, to have no drop off. The starters who started the game, it's important for us to come with our energy, and when energy is applied it's always going to show on the court. We went on a run. Got some stops, some easy points. That's what you need when you come off the bench, to have that pop to keep you in.
Q. On stepping up at key moments...
GERONIMO: It feels good. I worked on my game all off season, so feels good to be able to play in our first official game and display what I've been working on.
Q. On the halftime conversation...
THOMPSON: I mean, we really looked some at film, saw what we could improve on, and really focused on guarding the three-point line. They got a lot of their points from the three-point like their first half and he hit a good shot at the end of the half. I think our main thing was we can improve, and let's go out there and show them what we can do, and that's what we did when we came out. So I think that was what's it was really good.
Q. On settling in on defense...
THOMPSON: I think that's just us settling in. Everybody had a little bit of nerves coming into the first game. Crowd really showed out and it was a lot of fun. Everybody settled in and calmed down and just locked in on defense and the keys that we focused on in practice. So I think that's where our team starts with, is defense, and if we can get settled in on defense, everything else takes care of itself.
Q. On specific lineups...
GERONIMO: That lineup has been assembled couple times in practice, but during the summer we all play with each other, pick up a lot, and I feel like that allowed us to know each other's game. No matter the I guess rotation or who is on the floor, I kind of feel confident knowing my teammates' style the play. So I feel like that team, whatever team like is assembled is going to be a good team, you know what I mean?
Q. On the trust in the starters...
GERONIMO: I mean, it began when we first got together in the summer. I feel like it's really important for the team to have trust in each other's teammates, you know what I mean? When I pass a ball to my teammate in the corner for an open three, I believe he's going to make it. It's important to have that kind of trust and build that trust and nurture it as the season not goes on. Shout out to my father. It's his birthday today. I just want to say that real quick. Shout out, pops.
PRESTON SPRADLIN | MOREHEAD STATE HEAD COACH
Q. Opening Statement…
SPRADLIN: Indiana is a really, really good team. They do a great job defensively. They're very dynamic with their size and their athleticism, especially in transition. I thought we did some really good things in the first half. Obviously, our point guard (Mark Freeman) goes down and that hurts us, hurts our confidence, our ability to get some easy baskets. Good learning opportunity for our guys. We are going to be good enough to beat an Indiana type team. We're not at the opening of the season and that was my message to our guys. But credit to them. They are a very good team and very deserving of being a top-15 team right now.
Q. On what made it tough to stop Indiana in the post…
SPRADLIN: That's what they do. They are not a big time three point shooting team. I mean, they only attempted 11 threes here tonight. Obviously, they don't shoot a lot of threes every day in practice, so they are very good at protecting the paint and keeping the opponent out of it. They are also very good at getting in there. They've got a really dynamic team with their size and their athleticism, their ability to post the ball and play off the bounce. More often than not, they are going to win that battle in the paint with most of their matchups.
Q. On the environment of Assembly Hall…
SPRADLIN: It's great. It's what college basketball is all about. It's not a deal with it type situation. You will want to play in these types of environments. It's what all of these players for Indiana and Morehead both dream about. It's a lot of fun. Obviously, we would like for the score to be a little bit different, and it is fun when the crowd gets into it. It's a very historic place. So we look at it as a fun opportunity.