Louisville-IUPUI Postgame Quotes
December 07, 2011 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 7, 2011
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery 
Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino
(Opening statement)
“They did a good job in the first half, and we did not do a good job passing the basketball. We had 40 points, but a low number of assists because we had a lot of one-on-one play. In the second half, even though we missed a lot, we had a lot of good exchanges and did a lot of terrific things. We moved the basketball well and did a much better job. We just have to learn how to play fast and communicate like we do playing slow. We underrated their outside shooting a little bit and they made nine 3s, which was a little disappointing but we'll look at the tape and work on that.”
(On the offensive execution)
“We played well in the second half. It was very one-sided in the second half. We had 40 points off of one-on-one play. I thought Gorgui Dieng played a good game in both halves. We started passing the ball like we were supposed to in the second half.”
(On Rakeem Buckles)
“He was able to get a few minutes. He's been practicing full speed. It's just that the doctor said he was going to disown my friendship if I played him for more than 12 minutes. So, I played him 11. We don't expect anything from Rock for about three weeks. You guys get excited but it takes a long time to come back and get in shape and get back to playing the game of basketball.”
(On how the team played defensively)
“I think we underrated some of their other people shooting the basketball. They had one of those nights where they made a few shots with one second on the clock. You've got to give them credit for that.”
(On Gorgui Dieng)
“We are working with Gorgui on a few offensive moves down low. He loves to pass the ball, which is good because he is a very good passer, but we've been working on something called a crab dribble. He made a couple of really good moves tonight. We missed him last game when he was posting up, but he is doing a lot of good things. Gorgui had a very good game tonight at both ends of the floor. We're trying to get him the ball a little bit more.”
(On Kyle Kuric)
“I don't think he had but one rebound in the game. There is more to the game than running to the corner. That's not his cocoon. He's got to do more things out there and in the second half he did. If you're a smart player and, you get two fouls, you can't hide. I think it was the two fouls that made him very tentative.”
(On Chris Smith)
“He played well in the second half but he had a little Russ Smith in the first half. I want Russ to shoot every time he is open; every time. But I want him to pass it when he's not open. We've got the A part, but we're having a very difficult time with the B part.”
(On struggling with in-bound play under basket offensively)
“I don't think we struggled at all tonight. We did struggle last game. I do think we had problems. He tried to hit the man on the back door lay-up twice when he was wide open and he threw it in to the hands of the man playing the ball. This team didn't play zone, they played man and we had difficulty at Butler and difficulty playing one-three-one traps. Everyone has a difficult time, we really have to throw the ball out by half court, but tonight it was just man to man. We had a couple of lay-ups outside of the one that Kyle [Kuric] threw away. We really didn't have difficulty, but we have in the past.”
(On playing against former players and coaches especially David Padgett)
“He knew all of the calls; I think they were well prepared for it. I told all of the guys to not make any calls and to let the point guard tell you what to run. David (Padgett) is starting out and it is tough to start out losing. It is the best thing for any assistant coach to go to any school like an IUPUI, when you start at major level like Andre McGee; it is the wrong way to start because you start way too high. You have to be a grinder at the beginning and that is what David [Padgett] has to do now and he is going to have to grind it out in every little thing and that's what we all have to learn. Some day when you pay your dues, you work your tail off and recruit good players and then you take the next step. I am very happy for him that he is under such an outstanding head coach and that he gets to work on that with Todd (Howard).”
(On fast break points)
“They average 72 points a game, and they get out on the break. I thought that our pressure was very good full court. I thought it was a tale of two halves. I thought the second half we played good defense and passed the ball and the first half I thought we were selfish and didn't play good defense. We have a lot to learn right now because we have put in just one system to win and survive and now we are putting in another system to pick up the tempo and do other things. Now we are making the next transition and it is going to take some time to learn all of this. We are still going to have some rough spots but in the interim we have to take steps forward and not stay the same.”
(Taking IUPUI lightly)
“No, I think they just made 3s. I think we underrated the 3-point line. If you look statistically and look at the film, we tried to stop No. 5 [Alex Young] from the 3 and their point guard shoots a lot of them but doesn't shoot a high percentage. It was a lack of verbal communication that led to a lot of those things so we are going to work on that. These guys are a good group of guys and they don't take anyone lightly because they know that they could lose.”
IUPUI Head Coach Todd Howard
(Opening Statements)
"This is a good environment. The schools on our level have to play these types of games, and you want to get tested. You go into it thinking there will be some positives and there will be learning opportunities. If we hit that 3 at the end of the first half and cut it to two, then we are 27 minutes in and it's a five point game, so we were feeling really good. Knowing that in this environment and with the type of personnel that they have, it can domino either way. I thought we missed some six- or seven-foot shots along the baseline that, if you make them, it stays at six or it goes down. Those kinds of shots can turn into run outs so quickly. You can tell your guys that we need to send two back or three back, but until you are in that racehorse mentality of what is going on, it is difficult. That is why they are very good at home. I think just they are able to score quickly off of turnovers and quickly in transition off of long run outs. I think they are playing as well as anyone. It was 27 minutes in it is a six point game and we were right there. We got a little bit fatigued, which happens when you run into BIG EAST and BCS level size and depth, and we just weren't at our best. We have been very close, about a year ago we had Ohio State on the ropes and we made a lot of shots. You just cannot have dry spells but they have so much to do with that because of their pressure and the way they extend and the variety of ways that they bring pressure. It is a whale of an experience to go through and I thought our kids handled it. Stephen Thomas came off the bench when he was normally a starter. Our seniors have been pressing to be quite honest. He handled the press for the whole game and only turned it over three times and I really thought on a couple of those there was a lot of contact. I was very impressed with how he handled it. The ball didn't bounce for some of our seniors in regards to Alex and Christian (Siakam). We get back at home for a while and we have a nice home stretch. This is a great environment. I am humbled and much honored to come back home and play because I think the world of the program and the university."
(On taking Alex Young out of starting lineup)
"It's tough because I love those kids to death. We needed something to get them going. We have been very pleased with their effort in practice but in the game setting we just haven't gotten off to good starts. Then you start to press and it is almost like a hitting slump. It is tough to get out of. Do you do more? Do you do less? Do you not think about it? It is a whirlwind, and we thought that this would give us a shot if they came in fresh and I thought they did. The first group really weathered everything and we liked how the momentum was going in the first half. You have a chance to hit a three and maybe cut it to two at the end of the first half. For the first seven minutes it was a two possession game in the second half. But we led to second shots and easy run outs for them. We sometimes stepped up on penetration and gave them layups or and ones. It was just a chance to look at it and if we want to do it down the road. Sometimes you have to have minutes speak the volume and minutes lead to being accountable."
(On snapping 80 game starting streak for Alex Young)
"Yeah, and he is fine with that. He doesn't care about that and that is why he is a good player and a phenomenal kid. He knows that he needs to play better and that we need to play better around him. It is all about the team, and it takes everybody. I just wanted to take that away from him because I saw the pressure mounting every day in drills and practice and preparation. Maybe that let him exhale a little bit. I am excited about the way those three responded."
(On what he means by mounting pressure)
"They just haven't played well. We had so many games that were one possession games and they missed shots that they have made their whole career. He has been a master of the running eight-footer or the pull-up jump shot and they have just rimmed in and out and that happened on a couple today. Sometimes you just need to exhale a little bit. I know they are chomping at the bit to get back on the floor."
