Coach Q&A: Mike Woodson - SIUE Preview

Mike since you got here you've talked a

lot about wanting to win championships

here at Indiana Big 10 and otherwise um

it hasn't happened the first three years

but do you feel like this team uh is

your most complete team that might have

the best opportunity to do that and

would You' be disappointed if you

didn't look every year I think every

coach comes into the Big 10 wanting to

win a big 10

title so you know it hadn't changed

since I walked through the door you know

and only time will tell yes we are

trying to win a big 10 title we're

trying to win a National Title every

year that I I suit it up that's that's

all I think about I don't think about

anything else so yeah I'm I'm hoping

this team can have a shot a legitimate

shot and winning a big 10 title Seth and

then

Mike yeah Mike just wondering if there's

any update on Kanan and Anthony coming

out of the weekend and on how Trey and

de held up physically after seeing the

court on

Friday well Kanan is still not you know

he didn't do a whole lot in practice the

other day but I'm hoping to day uh

because they had the day off yesterday

we practiced the next day after the ball

game um that he's ready to practice

today uh and I'll get that here in a few

um jaiah you know he was a sore the next

day which you expected um Gallow passed

the test which was great you know he

didn't have any complaints he practiced

the next day had to yesterday off so I'm

hoping that um you know he's can can log

more minutes now I'm hoping you know

that's uh my thought process you know

going into H

Wednesday Mike and then

Jack yeah good morning coach I wanted to

ask you about you know having so much

new Personnel this year as you do every

year are you on the defensive side of

the Court are you tinkering with new

Concepts that that fit these guys or how

how are you approaching defense this

year and what are your early Impressions

on that end of the Court well you know I

I always thought our defense was

somewhat ahead of of our offense um and

uh I like where we are defensively but

we still got a ways to go there are a

number of things that we're going to try

to do differently a little bit anyway

I mean we played some Zone last year um

and uh I'm sure we'll play some a little

bit this year but I just think we have

the Personnel that we can extend and

press a little bit and do some things of

that nature which I hadn't done a whole

lot of that since I've been here so

we'll see Jack and then

Zach hey Mike uh when you're recruiting

Bryson Tucker is there a moment that

stands out to you watching him play

um that really like solidified that you

wanted him at

Indiana I saw

Bryson three years

ago when he was at

IMG you know they they told me about

Bryson I said well let me go look at him

I watched some some film way back when

and so I flew out to Orlando went over

to uh IMG and um watched him work and

walked away from um that workout saying

that this kid is really skilled can do a

lot of things um but I was told that you

know he might go to Duke and uh we

probably wouldn't have a shot in getting

him so you know I just I kind of walked

away from it um he never played on the a

circuit so you never had a shot to see

him really play um and uh after we lost

Lim neilly I got the call you know from

his dad and and asking me did I still

have interest in his young in his young

man and I said Absolutely I'll be on the

plane

tomorrow um to um to talk to you about

him and um one thing led to another and

uh we were able to get him here in

Indiana Zack brownie then

Alex hey coach after the exhibitions do

you have any better idea of how deep

you're going to want to go in the

rotation this year or is that still

something you're going to figure out in

the first couple of games only time

we'll tell I just don't at this point I

don't know yet you know we just got to

keep

uh keep seeing where we are you know

throwing players in and out um and just

see where we

are Alex then

Zach I'm curious when you have this many

new pieces and obviously you you've got

couple of games here early on before

South Carolina

in what what do you really I mean

obviously you want to go in and win

every game but are there certain things

you want to see out of this team in its

first couple games that make you feel

about good about you know where where

they're headed and in progress since the

first exhibition games yeah as I take it

one game at a time you you talking about

South Carolina these next two I we got

we got SI on our schedule next uh that's

all I'm thinking about right now nothing

else um uh and just seeing how we can

get better each practice in each game

that's all that's that's how I've always

approached I can't look ahead Zach and

then

Daniel Mike you've talked about um the

way you the responsibility you give the

point guard position the pressure you I

W say pressure but you know just kind of

the the load that you ask that player to

sort of shoulder in your in your

team I'm curious what was the process

like for building that trust with miles

you know especially over the summer and

figuring out what he's capable of and

and what are maybe some things specific

to his skill set that you think will

open up a little bit more because of the

way he plays point guard well again we

you know we're trying to play faster

based on Personnel that we have and he

he Kanan you know Gallow um you know

guys that can push the ball even Tucker

and make basketball plays um uh so I

think that's the difference uh and you

know I I look at the Tennessee game and

my big concern because they were so

physical watching them on tape um was

was going to be turnovers and you know

we had 10 turnovers the first half from

three to second

and miles didn't have not one and that

said a lot because that

kid that point guard that they had man

is

it doesn't get much better in the heat

that he puts on the ball and forces guys

to to do things they're

not comfortable in doing

and uh I thought he passed the test with

flying colors in terms of how he handled

the ball and and made plays on both ends

of the floor uh and didn't throw the

ball away so I mean we're still getting

to learn one another we've only had two

games um and he's such a good kid man I

mean in terms of wanting to do all the

things right and and and making sure

that uh you know he's making guys around

them better uh you know that's the key

to I think true point guards that they

can still go score the ball and still

make people better around them and

that's hoping I'm hoping that's what

he's able to do because he's he's been

able to show some of that from Summer

play and up until this point Daniel then

Tom yeah Mike um as far as how you all

handled and approached the off season

with you know I want to say I heard

about like blindfolded painting and um

just a variety of like offseason jelling

activities was there maybe a newer way

that you tried to approach that this

year and have you maybe seen um I guess

more jelling from um the roster you have

now from what you had last year I

guess well there's no doubt the roster

is a lot deeper than what we've

had what we had last season

um but we had to go get more players I

mean you know we had to go get seven

players um and we had to f a lot of

different spots you know bigs we had to

get bigs we had to get wings and we had

to get some perimeter guys um that could

truly handle the ball and make

basketball play so um only time will

tell man I

again when you assemble a lot of guys on

a team you know you you know everybody's

got to learn what's going on and then

everybody's got to be on the same page

in terms of the direction where I think

this team should go so um you know we're

still we're still in the building stages

and and still trying to take it like I

said one practice at a time and in one

game at a time that's all you could do

it at this early

stage last question Tom brw Mike uh your

first couple years Trac was a leading

scorer most night just sort of by the

way things went but this team's got so

many weapons yet really at all five

spots and even Off the Bench do you

envision this team sort of maybe having

a different uh top scorer every night

and a lot of variety in that during the

course of the year I think when you put

teams together you know the the cream

will rise to the top in terms of who who

will show who's the lead and score I

mean I've always believed that um and

but it's it won't be just that guy I

mean the way we've kind of built this

team uh there's a number of guys that

can score the ball and it might not be

your

night that night you know you just if

it's not then make somebody else's night

better you know and that's kind of been

my Approach with this team because of so

many guys that are used to having the

ball and used to scoring the basketball

everybody can't score it at one time so

we're going to have to learn to share it

and and when you got opportunities to

score the ball you scored and you go

back on the other end and play defense

and rebound the ball and let's see if we

can go back down and score again so I

mean that's that's kind of where I am

with this team because we do have a lot

of

different guys that can score the ball

and it can be anybody's Night On Any

Given

night all right thanks guys we'll see

you on thank you Mike all right guys