Mike Woodson, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Miller Kopp and Race Thompson addressed the media following Indiana’s 85-69 loss in opposition to Miami (FL) on Sunday within the 2023 NCAA event second spherical at MVP Area in Albany, New York.
Watch their postgame feedback under:
Transcript through ASAPSports:
THE MODERATOR: We’re joined by Indiana College Coach Woodson and the three gamers, Trayce Jackson-Davis, Miller Kopp, Race Thompson. We’ll begin with opening feedback.
MIKE WOODSON: You’ve acquired to present Miami plenty of credit score. They performed their butts off tonight. It was a well-coached recreation, and I believed they had been the higher group. They confirmed it first half and second half.
I believed once we acquired again in it, we didn’t do the issues to place us in place as soon as we acquired the result in win this recreation. So that you’ve acquired to present Miami plenty of credit score. They performed their butts off.
Q. What acquired you again within the recreation, what acquired you the lead early within the second half, and what acquired away from you as Miami acquired again into it?
TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: What acquired us again within the recreation is we had been enjoying exhausting on the defensive finish of the ground and getting fast baskets, fast display, fast factors within the submit, stuff of that nature. Our protection was main the offense. Type of acquired away from us. They hit a number of robust pictures. They hit some pictures, acquired some rebounds on the offensive finish of the ground that acquired them further possessions.
Once you get down eight to 10, you’ve acquired to press, and so they’re a extremely good group moving into transition. In order that’s when the sport began getting out of hand.
Q. Miller and Race, you guys sort of needed to wrestle by means of the primary half, however then Miller hit that massive three on the finish, and Trey got here out and hit one. Once you acquired forward 42-40, the place had been you at in your thoughts? Did you are feeling you had been again the place you wanted to be and will take it from there?
MILLER KOPP: Yeah, we had been tremendous assured. We got here out and made a run, punched first. That’s what we needed to do popping out of halftime. So for us we had been feeling actually assured, placing Trayce in a great place to share the ball and assault.
We simply didn’t preserve that up.
Q. For Trayce and Race, Miami had 20 offensive rebounds. I imply, how tough was it to attempt to get that contained? Why do you suppose it was tough to get it contained?
TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: They’re an excellent offensive rebounding group. They’ve acquired athletes. They’d shoot pictures. Everybody was crashing. They didn’t have guards getting again. Everybody was going to get the ball.
Omier performed very well on the offensive glass to carry vitality and wedging folks beneath, myself included. They had been enjoying relentless on the glass. So that they punished us, and that’s what they did actually.
Q. Trayce, you had been getting noticeably emotional as the tip of the sport got here to an in depth. When you consider your final 4 years as a Hoosier, what sort of involves your thoughts? What do you consider?
TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: I simply take into consideration simply being a part of the change actually. Simply two years in the past, we had been getting Booed in our dwelling metropolis, Indianapolis, off the court docket within the Massive Ten Event.
Simply being on this second two years later, it’s actually particular. It’s actually particular to me to have the Indiana followers in your again and simply cheering for you and giving them hope. It’s one thing that this program hasn’t had shortly. So I simply thought it was actually cool to be a part of that and be a part of that have.
I do know this man proper subsequent to me goes to make it possible for issues keep in the best path.
Q. The beginning of the second half was good. The beginning of the primary half wasn’t. You fell behind 13-3. I feel in a sideline interview Coach Woodson mentioned you guys had been complaining an excessive amount of and it was an enormous time basketball recreation and also you wanted to play tougher. Did you are feeling such as you didn’t play exhausting sufficient early on?
TRAYCE JACKSON-DAVIS: Yeah, I simply suppose that they acquired off to a fast begin. We didn’t play properly to start out the sport. Then going into the second half, I feel that we sort of punched first. I feel on the finish of the primary half we acquired — I feel it was possibly a run of 5, the place we lower it to 5. Then we punched first at the beginning of the second half and tried to hold that momentum off.
Then it sort of was backwards and forwards, backwards and forwards till they sort of sprung out once more. There was undoubtedly complaining, however we’re simply opponents. We’re attempting to compete. So it occurs.
THE MODERATOR: Thanks to our student-athletes.
Q. What’s the toughest a part of the suddenness of this ending for you?
MIKE WOODSON: This one is hard to swallow as a result of I actually consider that this group had a reliable shot. As a coach, I put a lot stress and warmth on myself to get groups over the hump, so I’ve acquired to take some accountability for this one tonight.
Regardless that we didn’t play nowhere close to the place I believed we must be enjoying, you’ve acquired to present Miami plenty of credit score. They performed extraordinarily properly tonight. Once I take a look at the stat sheet and take a look at the paint factors and the rebounding, that’s simply not Indiana basketball. That’s the place the sport was received.
Sure, we had been complaining loads. You may’t do this in big-time faculty basketball video games. They allow you to play. And you must wish to be in that place to be let to play. We didn’t compete. They had been the higher group tonight.
Q. Coach, it’s a brand new age of school basketball, and clearly this loss actually stings. However how lengthy do you’re taking earlier than you begin hitting the switch portal, roster constructing, and people sorts of issues?
MIKE WOODSON: I’ll sleep on this tonight and stand up tomorrow and begin a contemporary day, begin attempting to determine how we are able to get higher for subsequent season.
I’m not taking something away from our season. I advised the fellows within the locker room how a lot I like them and respect them for enjoying for me this yr. The sort of season we had was a promising season. We had a great yr.
We made a step ahead primarily based on the place we had been a yr in the past, however it’s not ok so far as I’m involved. It’s not. We’ve acquired to get higher from a personnel standpoint, and I’ve acquired to get higher as a coach. I imply, it’s simply that easy.
Q. Because you’ve been right here motion you’ve performed by means of Trayce Jackson-Davis, and it’s apparent why you probably did that. I’m simply curious wanting ahead, is it your intent to be extra of a perimeter-focused group? What are your ideas about sort of your most popular fashion going ahead?
MIKE WOODSON: It will depend on personnel. Once I was in New York — Trayce Jackson-Davis is the primary heart that I’ve ever coached in my profession the place I needed to make the most of my heart as a post-up participant.
Trayce has gotten so a lot better being a post-up participant. I imply, he’s a basketball participant now. I’d wish to suppose that my employees and I’ve had loads to do with that. He has gotten so a lot better in so many various areas.
Nevertheless it’s the primary time in my teaching profession that I’ve needed to coach a younger man beginning out on the block and increasing his recreation. I don’t know the place we’re going to be subsequent season by way of how our fashion of play might be. However we’ve acquired to get higher. I do know that.
Q. I do know you’ve talked about what it’s that freshmen must undergo through the course of a season. Even 34 video games in, Jalen actually struggled early popping out of the gate tonight. How a lot of that was nerves and him simply not getting comfy early sufficient?
MIKE WOODSON: I don’t know if I’d name it nerves. We simply didn’t play properly. We did plenty of issues tonight that from an offensive standpoint, we didn’t sacrifice the subsequent cross. It was like individually I needed to beat you. I acquired to do it myself as a substitute of doing it as a group.
There have been plenty of instances we may have made the subsequent cross, and we didn’t do this. After which defensively, I advised them at halftime we gave up 40 factors, and we hadn’t completed that a complete lot this season. Usually we’re sitting on prime.
I advised them, if we gave up 80 factors, you’d have a troublesome time beating this group, and we gave up 80-some factors. Which wasn’t good.
Q. The UM group feels that typically they’re underrated, underappreciated. What do you suppose is the nationwide notion of that group? What sort of respect have they got? Do you suppose they’re somewhat bit underrated?
MIKE WOODSON: Ma’am, I’ll let you know this: I by no means go right into a recreation a group that you just may suppose or anyone may suppose is underrated. I respect all coaches and all groups. You go in with that angle, you received’t be very profitable on this sport.
That coach has completed a helluva job with that group for a lot of, a few years, and that group tonight competed and performed their asses off, and that’s why I’m sitting right here going dwelling and so they’re shifting ahead. So I’ve nothing however respect for each group that we play. That group was fairly rattling good tonight.
Q. Coach, Trayce Jackson-Davis’ ultimate recreation tonight. What does he imply to you and this program?
MIKE WOODSON: Properly, he’s meant loads to this program. I don’t suppose we’re sitting right here immediately if it wasn’t for Trayce Jackson-Davis. He may have left two days after I acquired the job, however he determined to remain on board. He labored his butt off. I pushed him on and off the court docket. Quite a lot of nights and days, it wasn’t fairly for him, however he acquired higher. He benefited from it, and our group benefited from it.
I want him nothing however the very best shifting ahead — him, Miller, and Race, who gave us all they might give us. It was enjoyable instances teaching these guys this season, however they’re going to maneuver on, and I’ve acquired to determine our subsequent transfer so far as our program and shifting this program ahead.
Filed to: 2023 NCAA event, Mike Woodson, Miller Kopp, Race Thompson, Trayce Jackson-Davis
