bleedingTNorange
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Opening statement about Connecticut win
We got a little relaxed there late in the game, but found a way to win. Nothing spectacular, but they were solid with their effort and their approach, especially on the defensive side of the ball."
On Jarnell Stokes
"The biggest key right now is for us to allow Jarnell to continue to grow. He is still about 65-70 percent of where he could be as a player. That is more of the system, conditioning his body and playing at a consistent level. What he has shown more than anything is his ability and his talent level - that he is an elite talent, an elite player. Since he has come aboard, our communication on defense has gotten better. The effort overall has been good, but the communication has gotten a lot better because they try and help him through situations and are constantly taking to him, trying to let him know what is going on. It has really benefited our communication on the defensive side of the ball."
On Stokes' play opening other recruiting doors
"I would like to think that is part of it. But also because of the work our staff has done, mainly our assistant coaches, that's the reason you have a Jarnell Stokes - because you laid the work and you really hit the ground running and are doing a good job recruiting. When you have a guy of this magnitude, it helps across the board - not only guys in the state of Tennessee but in other states as well."
On Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun's compliments about Tennessee
"For me, I have known Coach Calhoun for a long time. He is a guy who recruited me. As a coach and for our staff, I said from Day 1 that if teams say that about our team then we have a chance to be successful. That is all I really want here; everything else is really bonus and everything else falls in place. The individual accolades as far as players, they are well-deserved and they put the work in to receive those accolades. For a program when you are tough, you are hard-nosed, physical - that is a brand more than anything and not many programs have that and we are still working toward getting that."
On how teams will start playing Stokes and Jeronne Maymon in the future
"The thing about it is, you can go in and defend those guys and you can have a game plan, which we have a game plan going into games. But there is no one way you can guard those guys because of the fact they can make plays off of the dribble. They are not just back-to-the-basket guys. They can face up and make plays and make moves. Jeronne, as we continue to work with him, will be one of the best and he is pretty good now. He is pretty good at making moves when he is dribbling, passing and finding guys. Once we get them into practice this spring and summer where you can see it - because once you take over a program, you don't really know it - but now you see he has that ability where he can really be a great facilitator in taking guys off the dribble. It just takes his game to another level. For both those guys it's hard to say one thing you can do to stop them because they can do other things."
On if going deeper to the bench is something that will continue
" Unfortunately, you can't play everybody. I don't think we will go that deep. The game plan with Wes Washpun was really to try and put pressure on the ball and make them work to bring up the ball. That was definitely a key. Dwight (Miller) has worked hard in practice, but there are some things he has to continue to improve upon. He has put the work in, but I don't know if we will go that deep."
On Vanderbilt's John Jenkins
"B] You have to be there on the catch when he has the ball. He has to beat you from start to finish off the dribble. If he's able to catch and shoot consistently, it will be a tough night for us. He has to make plays off the dribble the whole night." [/B]
On Josh Richardson's impact since the start of SEC play
"He has a great impact. He's a tough defender, a good athlete, has good sense and good awareness about the game and who he's defending. When it's all said and done, he will be one of the best at that position as far as being a stopper defensively. We've got to get more guys like him.."
On coaching from the baseline in Memorial Gym
" We don't call our plays vocally anyway, so it won't hurt us from that standpoint. We have a few signals for certain situations - we'll call some after a timeout or draw something up. It will be a little different, so we'll see how it goes."
On Vanderbilt's offense being so difficult because of its variety and diversity
" They can't get multiple shots at that basket. John Jenkins, when you watch him on the film, he's one of the best at relocating when a shot goes up, they get an offensive rebound,[/B] you thought he was right there and the next thing he's on the other side of the floor knocking a three down. They do a great job of finding him to get that second opportunity."
On if wins like Saturday can help on the road
"More than anything, you're good enough to win on the road - that's what it says. Now it's just a matter of the mental part taking over down the stretch of games. You've put yourself in position to win the game, now you just have to win it. But it's not an easy thing to do to win games on the road, even for some of the best teams in America. It's just putting ourselves in position and then trying to win the game."
On if Trae Golden's production has been hampered by his ankle injury
"I don't think so - you'll have to ask him to get his assessment. This time of year, somebody's always injured or hurt. It's just part of it. It's what we do. It's a physical game, a tough game. You have to play. I don't think so. My thing - if you're able to play the game, then you're find."
On Skylar McBee's late-game contributions against Connecticut
" He plays hard in practice. It's hard to keep a guy off the floor like that, who competes and brings his hard-hat every day. You watch him in the workouts. He competes at a high level; therefore, he has a chance to be successful in the game because he duplicates game speed. That's the thing we talk about with our perimeter guys. You have to be able to play hard in practice so when the game lights are on, you're able to manufacture the same intensity in the game.
On what impact finally winning a close game might have
"It will be good. Our guys have gotten better - they are better - and I said that even before Jarnell came in the fold. But it's just a matter of completing the mission. The one thing about the guys - they feel good about themselves going into games. We haven't gone into games thinking, `We can't win this game. Why are we showing up?' So now it's just a matter of taking care of the ball more than anything, because we're defending - not at the level we will consistently be, but we are getting there."
On Golden's solid play without scoring many points being a good example for him
"I think so. The one thing about it, in order for us to push forward to the next level as a team and as a program, when you have guys on the interior - Jarnell, Jeronne, Kenny Hall - guys who can make plays, who can score, you have to feed them the ball. And as a shooter, I played with Glenn Robinson. I told him, `Here's the ball. I'll spot up and I'm over here if you need me.' Because when those guys demand that type of pressure and that double-team, if you can make a shot you want to play with those guys. They are more than willing to pass the ball to you. He (Golden) did his best job of really running the team, slowing down when he needed to, directing traffic, making plays. He did a great job of that."
On the team's inside success since the Memphis game
"It's what you have to do, but at the same time it was hard to really sell that if your big guys aren't posting at the level they really need to or demanding the ball. It's one thing to stand down there like you're posting and it's another thing to BE posting. Our guys are doing a good job of really presenting themselves on the blocks to receive the ball. It's a physical game, and a lot of times as guards we don't understand or realize how physical it is around the rim. So if I've got big guys who are working hard, I've got to reward them some type of way. They're getting offensive rebounds, they're running the floor - I have to reward those guys and that's what I tell our guards. If you want to be successful and you want to win as a team, you have to get the ball inside.
BINGO
We got a little relaxed there late in the game, but found a way to win. Nothing spectacular, but they were solid with their effort and their approach, especially on the defensive side of the ball."
On Jarnell Stokes
"The biggest key right now is for us to allow Jarnell to continue to grow. He is still about 65-70 percent of where he could be as a player. That is more of the system, conditioning his body and playing at a consistent level. What he has shown more than anything is his ability and his talent level - that he is an elite talent, an elite player. Since he has come aboard, our communication on defense has gotten better. The effort overall has been good, but the communication has gotten a lot better because they try and help him through situations and are constantly taking to him, trying to let him know what is going on. It has really benefited our communication on the defensive side of the ball."
On Stokes' play opening other recruiting doors
"I would like to think that is part of it. But also because of the work our staff has done, mainly our assistant coaches, that's the reason you have a Jarnell Stokes - because you laid the work and you really hit the ground running and are doing a good job recruiting. When you have a guy of this magnitude, it helps across the board - not only guys in the state of Tennessee but in other states as well."
On Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun's compliments about Tennessee
"For me, I have known Coach Calhoun for a long time. He is a guy who recruited me. As a coach and for our staff, I said from Day 1 that if teams say that about our team then we have a chance to be successful. That is all I really want here; everything else is really bonus and everything else falls in place. The individual accolades as far as players, they are well-deserved and they put the work in to receive those accolades. For a program when you are tough, you are hard-nosed, physical - that is a brand more than anything and not many programs have that and we are still working toward getting that."
On how teams will start playing Stokes and Jeronne Maymon in the future
"The thing about it is, you can go in and defend those guys and you can have a game plan, which we have a game plan going into games. But there is no one way you can guard those guys because of the fact they can make plays off of the dribble. They are not just back-to-the-basket guys. They can face up and make plays and make moves. Jeronne, as we continue to work with him, will be one of the best and he is pretty good now. He is pretty good at making moves when he is dribbling, passing and finding guys. Once we get them into practice this spring and summer where you can see it - because once you take over a program, you don't really know it - but now you see he has that ability where he can really be a great facilitator in taking guys off the dribble. It just takes his game to another level. For both those guys it's hard to say one thing you can do to stop them because they can do other things."
On if going deeper to the bench is something that will continue
" Unfortunately, you can't play everybody. I don't think we will go that deep. The game plan with Wes Washpun was really to try and put pressure on the ball and make them work to bring up the ball. That was definitely a key. Dwight (Miller) has worked hard in practice, but there are some things he has to continue to improve upon. He has put the work in, but I don't know if we will go that deep."
On Vanderbilt's John Jenkins
"B] You have to be there on the catch when he has the ball. He has to beat you from start to finish off the dribble. If he's able to catch and shoot consistently, it will be a tough night for us. He has to make plays off the dribble the whole night." [/B]
On Josh Richardson's impact since the start of SEC play
"He has a great impact. He's a tough defender, a good athlete, has good sense and good awareness about the game and who he's defending. When it's all said and done, he will be one of the best at that position as far as being a stopper defensively. We've got to get more guys like him.."
On coaching from the baseline in Memorial Gym
" We don't call our plays vocally anyway, so it won't hurt us from that standpoint. We have a few signals for certain situations - we'll call some after a timeout or draw something up. It will be a little different, so we'll see how it goes."
On Vanderbilt's offense being so difficult because of its variety and diversity
" They can't get multiple shots at that basket. John Jenkins, when you watch him on the film, he's one of the best at relocating when a shot goes up, they get an offensive rebound,[/B] you thought he was right there and the next thing he's on the other side of the floor knocking a three down. They do a great job of finding him to get that second opportunity."
On if wins like Saturday can help on the road
"More than anything, you're good enough to win on the road - that's what it says. Now it's just a matter of the mental part taking over down the stretch of games. You've put yourself in position to win the game, now you just have to win it. But it's not an easy thing to do to win games on the road, even for some of the best teams in America. It's just putting ourselves in position and then trying to win the game."
On if Trae Golden's production has been hampered by his ankle injury
"I don't think so - you'll have to ask him to get his assessment. This time of year, somebody's always injured or hurt. It's just part of it. It's what we do. It's a physical game, a tough game. You have to play. I don't think so. My thing - if you're able to play the game, then you're find."
On Skylar McBee's late-game contributions against Connecticut
" He plays hard in practice. It's hard to keep a guy off the floor like that, who competes and brings his hard-hat every day. You watch him in the workouts. He competes at a high level; therefore, he has a chance to be successful in the game because he duplicates game speed. That's the thing we talk about with our perimeter guys. You have to be able to play hard in practice so when the game lights are on, you're able to manufacture the same intensity in the game.
On what impact finally winning a close game might have
"It will be good. Our guys have gotten better - they are better - and I said that even before Jarnell came in the fold. But it's just a matter of completing the mission. The one thing about the guys - they feel good about themselves going into games. We haven't gone into games thinking, `We can't win this game. Why are we showing up?' So now it's just a matter of taking care of the ball more than anything, because we're defending - not at the level we will consistently be, but we are getting there."
On Golden's solid play without scoring many points being a good example for him
"I think so. The one thing about it, in order for us to push forward to the next level as a team and as a program, when you have guys on the interior - Jarnell, Jeronne, Kenny Hall - guys who can make plays, who can score, you have to feed them the ball. And as a shooter, I played with Glenn Robinson. I told him, `Here's the ball. I'll spot up and I'm over here if you need me.' Because when those guys demand that type of pressure and that double-team, if you can make a shot you want to play with those guys. They are more than willing to pass the ball to you. He (Golden) did his best job of really running the team, slowing down when he needed to, directing traffic, making plays. He did a great job of that."
On the team's inside success since the Memphis game
"It's what you have to do, but at the same time it was hard to really sell that if your big guys aren't posting at the level they really need to or demanding the ball. It's one thing to stand down there like you're posting and it's another thing to BE posting. Our guys are doing a good job of really presenting themselves on the blocks to receive the ball. It's a physical game, and a lot of times as guards we don't understand or realize how physical it is around the rim. So if I've got big guys who are working hard, I've got to reward them some type of way. They're getting offensive rebounds, they're running the floor - I have to reward those guys and that's what I tell our guards. If you want to be successful and you want to win as a team, you have to get the ball inside.
BINGO
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