Indiana University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: Eastern Illinois
11/10/2024 2:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Postgame Quotes
No. 17/18 Indiana vs. Eastern Illinois
Nov. 10, 2024
MIKE WOODSON | INDIANA HEAD COACH
Q. On Trey Galloway's passing…
WOODSON: He's been great. A lot of that is a spin from last season. You know, when we basically converted him from off the ball to putting him on the ball based on the injuries that we had.
We're benefitting from it because he's gotten better over the summer. You know, even though he hadn't played much, you could see what little he's done since he's come back after injuries, his injury in practice, that has helped his game tremendously, and we're benefitting from it.
Man, it's really nice to see.
Q. On Mackenzie Mgbako being impactful across the board…
WOODSON: It's very encouraging because he's really starting to extend this game a little bit. You know, he's been very active, like you said, on hitting the boards. He's been able to rebound the ball.
Tonight, he had some assists where he pushed the ball and made the right plays in the open court. It's just nice to see his growth heading in the right direction. We just got to keep him there.
Q. On the team's first half effort…
WOODSON: That's an understatement. I thought we were still home in the bed sleep. It was awful. You got to give Eastern Illinois credit because they played hard and made shots.
I thought our defense intensity was just lacking the first half. We adjusted the second half and guys came out and got after it. Couldn't ask for a better second half.
Q. On the halftime conversation…
WOODSON: No, I will never do that. It was enough to get a fire lit and get us going in the second half. I'm happy that they responded.
Q. On the faster pace…
WOODSON: Yeah, I mean, it's a good thing when you can hold teams to 18 points in a half. That doesn't happen very often in college basketball.
So those guys in that locker room after our halftime talk, you know, they stepped it up and they made catches tough. They made it tough to swing the ball.
You know, we got a lot of loose balls like you said and was able to get out and run and make plays in the open court.
Q. On building Kanaan Carlyle's confidence…
WOODSON: No, it's huge. You know, I mean, I'm going to need him to make shots. Goode made a few shots tonight. As a coach I got to get them comfortable. They can make shots. I know they can. I've seen it since this summer when we assembled this team.
We just got to keep working at it, taking it a practice at a time, and keep pushing these guys in the right direction.
Q. On Malik Reneau rising to a new level…
WOODSON: Again, I mean, his skillset was always there. It was just keeping him on the basketball. That was the biggest hurdle to get over. They are starting to let him play, and he can do a number things. Defensively he's playing better because he has to guard smaller guys now.
We pretty much played him at some 4 but played him a lot at 5, too last season. You know, it's kind of nice to see him able to move his feet and still be able to score down low and make passes for his teammates around him. He's gotten so much better. I can't help but think if he continues to work he'll continue to grow his game.
Q. On Malik Reneau being in the best shape he's been in since being at Indiana…
WOODSON: Again, just his movement up and down the court. I'm not playing him big minutes. He played more minutes last year. I'm sure we'll get his minutes back up to 30, 30 to 31, 32 minutes. Just his movement and being able to recognize things that are in front of him now defensively because we switch a lot.
And just being more of a leader. He's a junior now. You know, so you expect him to step up and be a player for us. He's doing that for us.
Q. On Myles Rice being more aggressive…
WOODSON: When he's got shots, I don't mind him taking them. I haven't told anyone on this team not to take shots. We scored 90 points tonight. That's a lot of points in college basketball.
But I'm encouraging him. You got shots, knock them down. Hell, Goode, you got shots, shoot the ball. I didn't bring you here to not shoot it.
Just got to take positive with these cats and see where it leads us.
Q. On Myles' leadership showing at halftime and going into the second half…
WOODSON: Again, I mean, he, along with that starting group struggled the first half to defend.
That was addressed at halftime. I thought they came out and fixed it. You know, they start getting up in the passing lanes and not letting the ball swing as easy.
When we got the stops we were able to rebound the ball and get it out and got down and got somewhat we call quick strikes up the floor.
So, I was pleased with the way they played the second half. They were good on both ends of the floor.
MALIK RENEAU | JUNIOR FORWARD & BRYSON TUCKER | FRESHMAN FORWARD
Q. On the difficult first half…
RENEAU: We just came out a little flatfooted. I think we thought the team was a little, not sorrier than we thought, but like way less talented than we thought and they came out and performed. They shot about 70% from the field in that first half.
And then I felt like in the second half we just stepped that game up; everybody did. Just was up to touch on guards, pressuring the ball, stuff like that. So we just changed our mindset going into the second half.
But we got to have that for all 40 minutes, and I think that's why they had a great half in the first half.
Q. On the second half stretch to go from down five to being up 20…
RENEAU: Yeah, I felt like we started to play together, play as a unit. We emphasized that going into halftime, but it really happened on the defensive end. We start pressing, up to touch on everybody, and they didn't get a glimpse at the rim. Everybody was up pressuring the ball, and I think that changed the game for us.
And then just opened up free runs down the middle, over-the-top passes, advance passes for threes and stuff like that. I think our defense just took another notch in the second half to open up everything on the offensive end.
Q. On how Trey Galloway played…
RENEAU: Yeah.
Q. On what Galloway does as a facilitator…
WOODSON: Yeah, he opens the floor for everybody. The way he controls the ball and is able to get it to the right gay tee right moment, it just opens up the whole floor for us. It just gives Ballo and us opportunities to post high, I mean, down low, and then the shooters get open and threes and knock them down.
He just knows how to read the defense and get it to where the ball needs to go.
Q. On Bryson Tucker's comfort level…
TUCKER: I mean, I would say just making the most out of my minutes. Like I come in, I know what I'm in there for, to score, play defense. So, I just make the most of that and just stay focused. That's really all there is to that.
Q. On the efficiency of working around 12 feet and out from the basket…
TUCKER: I mean, I would say just working on it. Simply like that. I mean, if you can't get to the rim if they close it up, just stopping popping right is just right there every time. Most times if you just stop, you're usually going to be open, because they are used to people just driving all the way.
So, if you stop, they're still running while you're in the air. We work on that a lot and I just stay focused and try to hit them each time I shoot them.
Q. On the change of mentality going into the second half…
TUCKER: I think most definitely. Nobody expected that team to come out and be up on us at halftime. When we went back to the locker room everybody was really locked in like this should never happen.
Any team we play you don't want to go down at halftime, so we just came out with a whole different level of intensity and we really locked in it.
Q. On the importance to get out and run off of misses and turnovers…
RENEAU: Yeah, when I'm able to run the floor and seal down low and be presence in that standpoint, it just opens up a lot because I'm able to finish at the rim, get over-the-top passes, stuff like that. It just opens up a lot of stuff for us, whether it's just is rip drives, catches, shoots, skip passes, stuff like that.
Being able to just run the floor, it really opens up a lot for us, especially when me and Ballo are consistent at doing the rim runs and stuff like that.
Q. On who on the team takes charge to bring up the momentum and intensity…
TUCKER: I would say most of our older dudes. Like Goode, obviously won where he's been at. He knows where we're trying to get to. He's been win the main talkers. Trey (Galloway), Myles (Rice), too, just being the point guard.
Also, those are the top three, collectively we all really talk to each other and get each other on the same page most of the time.
Q. On Malik Reneau's impressions of Bryson Tucker from over the summer…
RENEAU: As you can see, Bryson (Tucker) is super talented, able to shoot, shoots at a high clip, dribble pull-ups, catch and shoot. He is able to do a little bit of everything. Rip drives, attack close outs. He's athletic. Getting lobs and stuff like that.
So he has the whole game and it's very easy to work around tuck and other guys that are capable of doing a lot of things on the court. It just opens up everything because he doesn't have to limit himself to doing one thing. He is able to rip, drive, shoot, able to pull up.
So it's a lot of stuff that tuck has in his bag that just opens up a lot for us on the court.
Q. On what he's seen from Mackenzie Mgbako taking it to another level…
RENEAU: Yeah, I mean, Mack has taken a huge jump working on his game. He's a tremendous shooter. He's starting to dial in on the little things with the rebounding and the -- just getting in position on the defensive side and being able to play defense at a high clip, too.
So, he's starting to understand the game a lot and is able to put himself in position to be able to offensive rebound, defensive rebound, or be spaced out for the catch and shoot three, what he always does.
It's just I think he's understanding the game way more than he was last year. It's just helping us out a lot from that standpoint.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
MARTY SIMMONS | EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH
Q. On the second half…
SIMMONS: I give Indiana a lot of credit. They really increased their pressure, and we didn't handle it the right way. Lack of offense and lack of execution on offense and defense. But again, give them credit.
Q. On how they disrupted Eastern Illinois in the first half…
SIMMONS: We played pretty hard. We got deflections and we played with confidence. I think they knocked us on our heels in the beginning but we kind of regained it. I thought we had a segment in the first half when we were playing pretty good and competing. We aren't going to match their size and physicality, but we have speed and quickness. I think we were getting a lot of shots, and we weren't getting to the rim and trying to score over (Oumar) Ballo.
Q. On his view of Indiana coming into game...
SIMMONS: We were concerned with the two-guard ball pressure and it definitely showed in the second half as those guys can really get after it. Playing with pace in the half court, ball movement, player movement, I feel like when we did that, our level of success was far better. We weren't as successful when we let their pressure speed up and dribble the ball more.
No. 17/18 Indiana vs. Eastern Illinois
Nov. 10, 2024
MIKE WOODSON | INDIANA HEAD COACH
Q. On Trey Galloway's passing…
WOODSON: He's been great. A lot of that is a spin from last season. You know, when we basically converted him from off the ball to putting him on the ball based on the injuries that we had.
We're benefitting from it because he's gotten better over the summer. You know, even though he hadn't played much, you could see what little he's done since he's come back after injuries, his injury in practice, that has helped his game tremendously, and we're benefitting from it.
Man, it's really nice to see.
Q. On Mackenzie Mgbako being impactful across the board…
WOODSON: It's very encouraging because he's really starting to extend this game a little bit. You know, he's been very active, like you said, on hitting the boards. He's been able to rebound the ball.
Tonight, he had some assists where he pushed the ball and made the right plays in the open court. It's just nice to see his growth heading in the right direction. We just got to keep him there.
Q. On the team's first half effort…
WOODSON: That's an understatement. I thought we were still home in the bed sleep. It was awful. You got to give Eastern Illinois credit because they played hard and made shots.
I thought our defense intensity was just lacking the first half. We adjusted the second half and guys came out and got after it. Couldn't ask for a better second half.
Q. On the halftime conversation…
WOODSON: No, I will never do that. It was enough to get a fire lit and get us going in the second half. I'm happy that they responded.
Q. On the faster pace…
WOODSON: Yeah, I mean, it's a good thing when you can hold teams to 18 points in a half. That doesn't happen very often in college basketball.
So those guys in that locker room after our halftime talk, you know, they stepped it up and they made catches tough. They made it tough to swing the ball.
You know, we got a lot of loose balls like you said and was able to get out and run and make plays in the open court.
Q. On building Kanaan Carlyle's confidence…
WOODSON: No, it's huge. You know, I mean, I'm going to need him to make shots. Goode made a few shots tonight. As a coach I got to get them comfortable. They can make shots. I know they can. I've seen it since this summer when we assembled this team.
We just got to keep working at it, taking it a practice at a time, and keep pushing these guys in the right direction.
Q. On Malik Reneau rising to a new level…
WOODSON: Again, I mean, his skillset was always there. It was just keeping him on the basketball. That was the biggest hurdle to get over. They are starting to let him play, and he can do a number things. Defensively he's playing better because he has to guard smaller guys now.
We pretty much played him at some 4 but played him a lot at 5, too last season. You know, it's kind of nice to see him able to move his feet and still be able to score down low and make passes for his teammates around him. He's gotten so much better. I can't help but think if he continues to work he'll continue to grow his game.
Q. On Malik Reneau being in the best shape he's been in since being at Indiana…
WOODSON: Again, just his movement up and down the court. I'm not playing him big minutes. He played more minutes last year. I'm sure we'll get his minutes back up to 30, 30 to 31, 32 minutes. Just his movement and being able to recognize things that are in front of him now defensively because we switch a lot.
And just being more of a leader. He's a junior now. You know, so you expect him to step up and be a player for us. He's doing that for us.
Q. On Myles Rice being more aggressive…
WOODSON: When he's got shots, I don't mind him taking them. I haven't told anyone on this team not to take shots. We scored 90 points tonight. That's a lot of points in college basketball.
But I'm encouraging him. You got shots, knock them down. Hell, Goode, you got shots, shoot the ball. I didn't bring you here to not shoot it.
Just got to take positive with these cats and see where it leads us.
Q. On Myles' leadership showing at halftime and going into the second half…
WOODSON: Again, I mean, he, along with that starting group struggled the first half to defend.
That was addressed at halftime. I thought they came out and fixed it. You know, they start getting up in the passing lanes and not letting the ball swing as easy.
When we got the stops we were able to rebound the ball and get it out and got down and got somewhat we call quick strikes up the floor.
So, I was pleased with the way they played the second half. They were good on both ends of the floor.
MALIK RENEAU | JUNIOR FORWARD & BRYSON TUCKER | FRESHMAN FORWARD
Q. On the difficult first half…
RENEAU: We just came out a little flatfooted. I think we thought the team was a little, not sorrier than we thought, but like way less talented than we thought and they came out and performed. They shot about 70% from the field in that first half.
And then I felt like in the second half we just stepped that game up; everybody did. Just was up to touch on guards, pressuring the ball, stuff like that. So we just changed our mindset going into the second half.
But we got to have that for all 40 minutes, and I think that's why they had a great half in the first half.
Q. On the second half stretch to go from down five to being up 20…
RENEAU: Yeah, I felt like we started to play together, play as a unit. We emphasized that going into halftime, but it really happened on the defensive end. We start pressing, up to touch on everybody, and they didn't get a glimpse at the rim. Everybody was up pressuring the ball, and I think that changed the game for us.
And then just opened up free runs down the middle, over-the-top passes, advance passes for threes and stuff like that. I think our defense just took another notch in the second half to open up everything on the offensive end.
Q. On how Trey Galloway played…
RENEAU: Yeah.
Q. On what Galloway does as a facilitator…
WOODSON: Yeah, he opens the floor for everybody. The way he controls the ball and is able to get it to the right gay tee right moment, it just opens up the whole floor for us. It just gives Ballo and us opportunities to post high, I mean, down low, and then the shooters get open and threes and knock them down.
He just knows how to read the defense and get it to where the ball needs to go.
Q. On Bryson Tucker's comfort level…
TUCKER: I mean, I would say just making the most out of my minutes. Like I come in, I know what I'm in there for, to score, play defense. So, I just make the most of that and just stay focused. That's really all there is to that.
Q. On the efficiency of working around 12 feet and out from the basket…
TUCKER: I mean, I would say just working on it. Simply like that. I mean, if you can't get to the rim if they close it up, just stopping popping right is just right there every time. Most times if you just stop, you're usually going to be open, because they are used to people just driving all the way.
So, if you stop, they're still running while you're in the air. We work on that a lot and I just stay focused and try to hit them each time I shoot them.
Q. On the change of mentality going into the second half…
TUCKER: I think most definitely. Nobody expected that team to come out and be up on us at halftime. When we went back to the locker room everybody was really locked in like this should never happen.
Any team we play you don't want to go down at halftime, so we just came out with a whole different level of intensity and we really locked in it.
Q. On the importance to get out and run off of misses and turnovers…
RENEAU: Yeah, when I'm able to run the floor and seal down low and be presence in that standpoint, it just opens up a lot because I'm able to finish at the rim, get over-the-top passes, stuff like that. It just opens up a lot of stuff for us, whether it's just is rip drives, catches, shoots, skip passes, stuff like that.
Being able to just run the floor, it really opens up a lot for us, especially when me and Ballo are consistent at doing the rim runs and stuff like that.
Q. On who on the team takes charge to bring up the momentum and intensity…
TUCKER: I would say most of our older dudes. Like Goode, obviously won where he's been at. He knows where we're trying to get to. He's been win the main talkers. Trey (Galloway), Myles (Rice), too, just being the point guard.
Also, those are the top three, collectively we all really talk to each other and get each other on the same page most of the time.
Q. On Malik Reneau's impressions of Bryson Tucker from over the summer…
RENEAU: As you can see, Bryson (Tucker) is super talented, able to shoot, shoots at a high clip, dribble pull-ups, catch and shoot. He is able to do a little bit of everything. Rip drives, attack close outs. He's athletic. Getting lobs and stuff like that.
So he has the whole game and it's very easy to work around tuck and other guys that are capable of doing a lot of things on the court. It just opens up everything because he doesn't have to limit himself to doing one thing. He is able to rip, drive, shoot, able to pull up.
So it's a lot of stuff that tuck has in his bag that just opens up a lot for us on the court.
Q. On what he's seen from Mackenzie Mgbako taking it to another level…
RENEAU: Yeah, I mean, Mack has taken a huge jump working on his game. He's a tremendous shooter. He's starting to dial in on the little things with the rebounding and the -- just getting in position on the defensive side and being able to play defense at a high clip, too.
So, he's starting to understand the game a lot and is able to put himself in position to be able to offensive rebound, defensive rebound, or be spaced out for the catch and shoot three, what he always does.
It's just I think he's understanding the game way more than he was last year. It's just helping us out a lot from that standpoint.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports
MARTY SIMMONS | EASTERN ILLINOIS HEAD COACH
Q. On the second half…
SIMMONS: I give Indiana a lot of credit. They really increased their pressure, and we didn't handle it the right way. Lack of offense and lack of execution on offense and defense. But again, give them credit.
Q. On how they disrupted Eastern Illinois in the first half…
SIMMONS: We played pretty hard. We got deflections and we played with confidence. I think they knocked us on our heels in the beginning but we kind of regained it. I thought we had a segment in the first half when we were playing pretty good and competing. We aren't going to match their size and physicality, but we have speed and quickness. I think we were getting a lot of shots, and we weren't getting to the rim and trying to score over (Oumar) Ballo.
Q. On his view of Indiana coming into game...
SIMMONS: We were concerned with the two-guard ball pressure and it definitely showed in the second half as those guys can really get after it. Playing with pace in the half court, ball movement, player movement, I feel like when we did that, our level of success was far better. We weren't as successful when we let their pressure speed up and dribble the ball more.
Players Mentioned
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Forward
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/ Men's Basketball
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