Indiana University Athletics
#IUBB Media Availability – Oct. 29
10/27/2023 11:30:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Below is a full transcript of the Zoom press conference with Indiana head coach Mike Woodson on Friday, Oct. 29, 2023.
Mike Woodson
Q. On who stands out this fall…
WOODSON: Well, it's really hard to say because we've been all over the board a little bit. But I would probably say Trey Galloway started out being the most consistent. Mackenzie Mgbako has been pretty solid. Everybody else is just trying to grow together and trying to figure it out.
I haven't had any what I'd like to see really major bright spots, but I've had a lot of good spots where guys have played in spurts that lets me know that we've just got a ways to go in terms of putting things together.
Q. On Mgbako's status…
WOODSON: He will be playing. He's been practicing, and all that's behind us. We've got to move forward.
Q. On the importance of exhibition games…
WOODSON: It's very important. We got together this summer, the process began, and it's been a lot of work up until this point where these guys have pretty much beat up on each other. I'm kind of anxious to see where we are when we tip it up on Sunday to kind of give me some indication of things that we need to do to get better and continue to grow.
I can't wait until Sunday to see where we are.
Q. On Kaleb Banks…
WOODSON: Well, he's grown a little bit. He and CJ Gunn both have grown. Even Malik Reneau. But I need more. Right now, Kaleb has been kind of hampered with a groin pull, so he's kind of been on the sideline the last week and a half. We're kind of gradually bringing him back slowly because that's something that can be nagging all year, and I don't need that. I need him healthy and ready to go. I don't know if we'll play him on Sunday.
But him and CJ and Malik are huge to this season. I'm going to need them to play at a much higher level than they've played in the past.
Q. On the health of the team…
WOODSON: Yeah, this week we've had a couple scrimmages amongst ourselves, and the last scrimmage was really promising, probably the best we've played against one another. Both the red and the white really competed.
But again, only time is going to tell. Sunday will give us a better indication of where we are, and from that point we've just got to continue to grow.
Q. On Gabe Cupps…
WOODSON: He's been solid. I didn't mention him earlier, but he's been really one of the bright spots, too. He seems to do everything that we've asked him to do. I can't help but think in time he's going to continue to get better and grow once he figures out the college game.
But he's done a lot of good things on the floor for us in terms of winning, winning basketball plays. That's what I like to call it because he does a lot of good things to help you win games.
Q. On the preseason ranking…
WOODSON: Only time will tell. Again, what you just said, I don't care about rankings. You've got to play the games. We'll start here soon and kind of get a feel for where we are and what we need to continue to grow in. You're talking about 10 new faces, six guys that came from different programs and that are trying to figure out me as a coach and all the things that I'm asking them to do.
Only time will tell. We've just got to play the games and see where you are.
Q. On extra importance of exhibition games with a new team…
WOODSON: No, every game is important. When I first walked in the door two years ago, these guys didn't know me, and you're putting a system in place. Every game is important.
I came back with the same -- pretty much the same group last year, and you go out and you play, and you try to see if your guys have gotten better individually as well as a team. Every game is important. I don't care if these two scrimmages -- those are important games for our ballclub to grow and get better and see where you are as a team.
Q. On Xavier Johnson…
WOODSON: You know, X, everything is in place for X. I just need X to just lead more. That's all he needs to think about doing. His game will take care of itself based on the fact that he's got experience at the college level now and he knows what I'm about. He's got the speed as a point guard. He can defend. He can score the ball. There's nothing X can't do.
I just need him to lead more and make sure guys are getting better around him and he's holding people accountable. That's what captains are supposed to do.
Q. On playing an actual opponent for the first time this season…
WOODSON: No, I think as a team it's for everybody. CJ and Kaleb and Malik didn't play a whole lot of minutes last year, so it's just as important for those guys as well as the new guys that have come in. We've done a lot since this summer getting together, so now just from a coaching standpoint, my staff and I, we want to see if they've retained a lot of the things that we've taught them, and does it carry over into a real game.
Only time will tell. Then we can see where we are as a ballclub.
Q. On recruiting and becoming a grandfather…
WOODSON: Well, only you guys was worrying about the age. That was never a factor when I came in the door. I've been coaching a long time, and I'm healthy enough to coach. Mentally I'm sharp enough to coach.
I didn't have a problem coming back to Indiana. That was you guys saying that I was too old and couldn't recruit. You have to recruit some in the pros, gentlemen, when you're going after free agency, and some of the same things I'm doing now, I had to do at the pro level. You just do it on a bigger scale in terms of -- as far as the money, the money makes it bigger. So, you've got to make sure that you're doing your due diligence when you're recruiting a free agent or getting ready to make a trade, that you know what the hell you're doing because you can get -- it can bite you in the butt.
It's no different than coming to college and having to deal with them. You're dealing with parents in the pros. You're dealing with their handlers in the pros and their agents. It's the same s*** that I'm going through now that I did in the NBA, but you guys wouldn't know that because you weren't there.
I feel good about my position coming in. My thing was just being able to sit at the table with the best players that are out there. That's how I was -- that's the only thing I was thinking about when I came here; how can I get to the best players.
My coaching staff, they gave me their opinions about it early on saying, hey, you've got to wait your turn. Well, I didn't feel as though I had to wait my turn. Just get us to the table and let's see what happens.
We've had some pretty good success being able to recruit and talk to some of the top players. We haven't gotten them all, and you're not. You're going to win some, you're going to lose some. But hell, if you never get an opportunity to talk to the best players, it's not going to work as far as I'm concerned.
As far as being a granddaddy, I'm happy as hell. That's two weeks away, and I'm looking forward to that.
Q. On the status of Kel'el Ware and Anthony Walker…
WOODSON: No, everybody is healthy except right now Kaleb Banks and Jakai Newton. Those two guys won't play on Sunday. I mean, Banks could play if I wanted to play him, but I'm just -- this groin thing, I've dealt with players that had groin pulls, and those and calf pulls, things like that is nagging, and if you don't watch it closely and rehab right, it could be a problem all season.
I'm going to need Kaleb Banks, so we might not play him on Sunday for sure.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sport
Mike Woodson
Q. On who stands out this fall…
WOODSON: Well, it's really hard to say because we've been all over the board a little bit. But I would probably say Trey Galloway started out being the most consistent. Mackenzie Mgbako has been pretty solid. Everybody else is just trying to grow together and trying to figure it out.
I haven't had any what I'd like to see really major bright spots, but I've had a lot of good spots where guys have played in spurts that lets me know that we've just got a ways to go in terms of putting things together.
Q. On Mgbako's status…
WOODSON: He will be playing. He's been practicing, and all that's behind us. We've got to move forward.
Q. On the importance of exhibition games…
WOODSON: It's very important. We got together this summer, the process began, and it's been a lot of work up until this point where these guys have pretty much beat up on each other. I'm kind of anxious to see where we are when we tip it up on Sunday to kind of give me some indication of things that we need to do to get better and continue to grow.
I can't wait until Sunday to see where we are.
Q. On Kaleb Banks…
WOODSON: Well, he's grown a little bit. He and CJ Gunn both have grown. Even Malik Reneau. But I need more. Right now, Kaleb has been kind of hampered with a groin pull, so he's kind of been on the sideline the last week and a half. We're kind of gradually bringing him back slowly because that's something that can be nagging all year, and I don't need that. I need him healthy and ready to go. I don't know if we'll play him on Sunday.
But him and CJ and Malik are huge to this season. I'm going to need them to play at a much higher level than they've played in the past.
Q. On the health of the team…
WOODSON: Yeah, this week we've had a couple scrimmages amongst ourselves, and the last scrimmage was really promising, probably the best we've played against one another. Both the red and the white really competed.
But again, only time is going to tell. Sunday will give us a better indication of where we are, and from that point we've just got to continue to grow.
Q. On Gabe Cupps…
WOODSON: He's been solid. I didn't mention him earlier, but he's been really one of the bright spots, too. He seems to do everything that we've asked him to do. I can't help but think in time he's going to continue to get better and grow once he figures out the college game.
But he's done a lot of good things on the floor for us in terms of winning, winning basketball plays. That's what I like to call it because he does a lot of good things to help you win games.
Q. On the preseason ranking…
WOODSON: Only time will tell. Again, what you just said, I don't care about rankings. You've got to play the games. We'll start here soon and kind of get a feel for where we are and what we need to continue to grow in. You're talking about 10 new faces, six guys that came from different programs and that are trying to figure out me as a coach and all the things that I'm asking them to do.
Only time will tell. We've just got to play the games and see where you are.
Q. On extra importance of exhibition games with a new team…
WOODSON: No, every game is important. When I first walked in the door two years ago, these guys didn't know me, and you're putting a system in place. Every game is important.
I came back with the same -- pretty much the same group last year, and you go out and you play, and you try to see if your guys have gotten better individually as well as a team. Every game is important. I don't care if these two scrimmages -- those are important games for our ballclub to grow and get better and see where you are as a team.
Q. On Xavier Johnson…
WOODSON: You know, X, everything is in place for X. I just need X to just lead more. That's all he needs to think about doing. His game will take care of itself based on the fact that he's got experience at the college level now and he knows what I'm about. He's got the speed as a point guard. He can defend. He can score the ball. There's nothing X can't do.
I just need him to lead more and make sure guys are getting better around him and he's holding people accountable. That's what captains are supposed to do.
Q. On playing an actual opponent for the first time this season…
WOODSON: No, I think as a team it's for everybody. CJ and Kaleb and Malik didn't play a whole lot of minutes last year, so it's just as important for those guys as well as the new guys that have come in. We've done a lot since this summer getting together, so now just from a coaching standpoint, my staff and I, we want to see if they've retained a lot of the things that we've taught them, and does it carry over into a real game.
Only time will tell. Then we can see where we are as a ballclub.
Q. On recruiting and becoming a grandfather…
WOODSON: Well, only you guys was worrying about the age. That was never a factor when I came in the door. I've been coaching a long time, and I'm healthy enough to coach. Mentally I'm sharp enough to coach.
I didn't have a problem coming back to Indiana. That was you guys saying that I was too old and couldn't recruit. You have to recruit some in the pros, gentlemen, when you're going after free agency, and some of the same things I'm doing now, I had to do at the pro level. You just do it on a bigger scale in terms of -- as far as the money, the money makes it bigger. So, you've got to make sure that you're doing your due diligence when you're recruiting a free agent or getting ready to make a trade, that you know what the hell you're doing because you can get -- it can bite you in the butt.
It's no different than coming to college and having to deal with them. You're dealing with parents in the pros. You're dealing with their handlers in the pros and their agents. It's the same s*** that I'm going through now that I did in the NBA, but you guys wouldn't know that because you weren't there.
I feel good about my position coming in. My thing was just being able to sit at the table with the best players that are out there. That's how I was -- that's the only thing I was thinking about when I came here; how can I get to the best players.
My coaching staff, they gave me their opinions about it early on saying, hey, you've got to wait your turn. Well, I didn't feel as though I had to wait my turn. Just get us to the table and let's see what happens.
We've had some pretty good success being able to recruit and talk to some of the top players. We haven't gotten them all, and you're not. You're going to win some, you're going to lose some. But hell, if you never get an opportunity to talk to the best players, it's not going to work as far as I'm concerned.
As far as being a granddaddy, I'm happy as hell. That's two weeks away, and I'm looking forward to that.
Q. On the status of Kel'el Ware and Anthony Walker…
WOODSON: No, everybody is healthy except right now Kaleb Banks and Jakai Newton. Those two guys won't play on Sunday. I mean, Banks could play if I wanted to play him, but I'm just -- this groin thing, I've dealt with players that had groin pulls, and those and calf pulls, things like that is nagging, and if you don't watch it closely and rehab right, it could be a problem all season.
I'm going to need Kaleb Banks, so we might not play him on Sunday for sure.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sport
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