“Inside Indiana Basketball with Mike Woodson” returned Monday evening for its first reside episode this yr. Woodson sat down with the voice of the Hoosiers, Don Fischer, on the Chop Store Market and Desk in Bloomington.
Right here’s a recap of Woodson’s feedback from this week’s episode of Inside Indiana Basketball:
• Woodson stated “the one option to get out of” the struggles is to proceed to work. Woodson stated IU hasn’t had a full deck but that has had the time to play collectively. He stated, “It’s a troublesome time to look” as a result of the thick of the Huge Ten schedule is right here.
• Woodson stated, “Hopefully, we’ll get (Kel’el) Ware again right here quickly,” and that Indiana has to “get X (Xavier Johnson) going.” He additionally stated his crew wants extra from its seniors when it comes to management and talked about Johnson, Trey Galloway and Anthony Walker.
• On what Indiana appears to be like like at follow: “They battle typically. There’s a lot thrown at these younger gamers. We simply count on that if you get new gamers, that no matter we roll out, they’re supposed to know. Properly, it’s not that approach. It’s not that approach along with your research. If you go to your math class as a result of the instructor rolls it on the market, hell, that doesn’t imply you’re going to choose it up immediately. It’s been a battle from a defensive standpoint of them catching on.”
• Woodson stated going towards Zach Edey was an “eye-opener” for Kel’el Ware. “It was a studying lesson for him.”
• On Ware’s standing: “We’re hoping he’ll be again Saturday, I can’t promise that.” Woodson stated Ware isn’t again on the ground but in follow.
• Woodson stated he’s “coping with new stuff this yr” and stated “this crew is completely different than the crew we’ve had the final two years.” Woodson stated it isn’t an excuse. “Hear, no one desires to win greater than Mike Woodson. The followers, I do know they need to win, however no one desires to win greater than me. That’s the explanation why I took the job and I’m going to maintain pushing these guys till we get the place we must be.”
• On the current play of Galloway: “He’s performed nicely, however once more, we’re not getting sufficient perimeter play to play nicely over a protracted haul of a sport. We’re enjoying nicely in spurts and that’s adequate to get you beat.”
• On Mackenzie Mgbako: “Properly, once more, this was a child that we bought late from a recruiting standpoint. Didn’t know a lot about him. He kinda got here dry to us and we have been dry to him from a training standpoint. And he did battle early. However the child works. And he’s a freshman and it ain’t at all times freshman coming into school tearing it up. There’s a studying curve for all these younger youngsters. And he’s nonetheless studying. However he has made a pleasant little bounce. He’s been constant. I simply gotta get him higher defensively.”
• On Gabe Cupps: “Gabe is giving us the whole lot that I believed he would give us. He was coached by his dad, who did a hell of a job with that younger man in highschool. It’s been a pleasant carry-over into his freshman yr as a result of he’s not very massive, and he’s not shot the ball like I believed he would shoot, however once more, I feel that may are available in time. However the truth that he competes, man, that’s a giant a part of enjoying this sport. You gotta be a competitor and need to compete and he leaves it on the market on the ground when he’s on the market.”
• On Malik Reneau: “Malik simply wanted time on the ground. I at all times believed that. Final yr, simply couldn’t maintain him on the ground as a result of he fouled a lot. They usually’re letting him play now. They see his physique and the way bodily he may be. I simply gotta get him defending higher and rebounding the ball higher. As a result of he’s discovered the opposite components of it. He’ll get higher as time goes alongside, however I want him to get higher now. However I want him to get higher now, I do, however I feel he understands that. However he has made a hell of a bounce.”
• Woodson stated Greg Gard got here as much as him after the Wisconsin sport and stated Bob Knight would have been disillusioned that neither crew performed any protection.
• Woodson stated he had an issue with CJ Gunn’s ejection at Wisconsin: “Man sticks his head in your chest, something is liable to occur within the warmth of a basketball sport. And I’m not saying what CJ executed was proper, he ought to have been the larger individual and walked away, however if you don’t punish the man who instigated, that’s an issue with me. And I’ve expressed that on the high after that ballgame as a result of if he by no means executed that, I don’t suppose CJ would have been strolling to the locker room taking an early bathe.”
• On the problem Illinois presents: “They’re a distinct ballclub than from once we’ve performed them up to now yr. They principally play small basketball. They usually power you to attempt to go small as nicely. However we will’t do this. I bought a 7-footer if he decides to play and I bought Malik. So we gotta make them play us as nicely. They’re enjoying nicely as a ballclub.”
• Fischer requested if this can be a good time for an eight-day break: “Yeah, it provides us a possibility to soul search and work. We’ll have one other day without work which is tomorrow as a result of that’s necessary. If it was as much as me you’d get no days off, however that’s simply the NCAA guidelines. So we’ll be off tomorrow and I’ll go and recruit tomorrow after which we’ll prepare for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after which head up and play Saturday.”
• On whether or not he’s recruiting for subsequent yr or the next yr: “For subsequent yr.” Fischer then stated: “You’ve bought one scholarship participant coming and also you’ve bought a number of spots you’ll have obtainable.” Woodson: “Sure, so we gotta proceed to recruit as nicely.”
Filed to: Mike Woodson
