Coach Izzo Press Conference
12/5/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Michigan State men's basketball coach Tom Izzo addressed the media at his weekly press conference on Monday, Dec. 5 to discuss Tuesday's meeting with Youngstown State at 7 p.m.
Below is a full transcript of the press conference:
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo
Opening statement...
It is hard to believe that we are a third of the way through the season by the end of this week, which makes it more incredible. It means we have played 11 games in those 30 days since we have started. That is a lot of games in less than a month. I do think that it is hard to see through the trees sometimes, but we have made some progress. We are making, I think, a lot of progress. The last game, I thought we took a little dip back as far as the progress we were making in certain areas. But, looking at the film, we did do a better job. We did do a better job of getting to the free throw line. We did a better job of making free throws and we did a better job of taking care of the ball.
These two games this week, as I said, are very important to us. We need to focus and get our intensity back that we showed for most of the month of November. Most of those games we played pretty hard in. Not always smart, not always great, but pretty hard. I thought we had a little letdown and we are going to make some adjustments to that. We are still adjusting without Miles (Bridges) and yet, that is an opportunity for some other players. As I said a week ago, somebody has to step up. And if we do handle it right, I think it is going to benefit us tremendously in the season to come, especially the Big Ten season.
As far as Youngstown, kind of a dangerous team. They just won four of their last five. They are averaging over 80 points per game. They have three key players from Michigan, which means they are always coming back to say, `Why didn't you recruit me?' But, Cameron Morse is the best. He is ranked fifth in the nation in scoring. He has missed a couple of games with a wrist injury, but expect him back. They have two really good guards. (Francisco) Santiago is another one and they have a 7-foot center who is a big 7-foot center. As always, what we do in these games is we will prepare hard for Youngstown State, but we will prepare harder for Michigan State. We have to do better, ourselves, in a couple of areas that I thought we became deficient in the last game, and that was our effort defensively and the things we need to get better at if we're going to become a good team. Maybe running a bit better, just all of the effort-related things that we are trying to adjust to and trying to adjust putting in new people with Miles out and going to new people with him out. That is 17 points and 10 rebounds, more or less, and so that is going to be part of the process, too.
On the best way to avoid inconsistency...
With Eron (Harris), with Matt (McQuaid) and consistency with Josh (Langford) has got to keep building. His is more in conditioning and getting back on track. I would say those two guys are important. Those two guys have shown where they can be good against very good teams, and yet consistency is the word I put on the board a lot. I talk about it a lot. We talk about it in pregame speeches. That is what we are looking for. It is harder to get consistency out of a young team. It is harder to get consistency out of an inexperienced team that is older, but inexperienced. Our older guys aren't as experienced. And it is really hard to get consistency when right now some of our seniors are trying to find themselves. So, our upperclassmen leadership isn't maybe where it needs to be. We are going to just keep grinding on that and making progress. Consistency is something that young guys struggle for a little bit better than older guys. It is a little bit harder, I should say. We are making some progress, but we're not as consistent as we would like to be and I would say that is a fair assessment.
On Matt McQuaid's lack of confidence in shooting...
It's funny because his dad is a coach, so I gave his dad a call last night just to talk to him about how we can help Matt and [Dane] Fife had talked to him and Dane made the comment to me, he said that for all of the time he had been at Indiana or wherever he's been, he's never heard a coach be mad at a guy for not shooting. That is the case with Matt and I think you ask me questions and I try to give you the best answer and with the six months he missed this summer, you're not going to have the same confidence. Everybody knows that a player's best progress is made from freshman to sophomore and then sophomore to junior year and he had zero. He's not as confident, he's playing a little robotic, he's coming off of screens not being able to shoot and that's what he is - he is a shooter. We talked to him a lot about it yesterday and I'm actually going to meet with him this afternoon about it. Confidence is earned and it's usually earned from a shooter. Like Denzel [Valentine] earned confidence and Bryn [Forbes] earned confidence by living in the gym all summer. Matt didn't take a shot. He couldn't lift a weight. He couldn't do anything because of the double sports hernia. He missed the entire time and then when you start out with a schedule like we did, the young guys or the veterans that need to gain confidence are not doing that as easy against Kentucky and Duke and Arizona, Wichita State and Baylor, as you would maybe against some other teams that most of the time you do get to start out with. I think it's a combination of both, but I think the assessment is true. He's got to look in the mirror and say that his job is to shoot and I have to make sure he knows it. I have to make sure we do a better job getting him even safer shots, but he's got to be ready to shoot. Like all things in life, it's a combination of a couple things.
On if Nick Ward is missing assignments in games...
Nick is far surpassed where I thought he would be at this point offensively. He's not far past the mediocrity defensively, it's the why. It's some of his lack of knowing, some of it is having to come up with all of these different teams that you play when they all run different stuff. Some of it's the quick prep and some of it is the one-day of prep that isn't really fair to him. A couple of those games were no-day preps. That would be hard for a freshman and hard for a freshman that is not used to guarding people. I think he is still trying to get into shape after losing 30 pounds. We all think that that makes you in better shape, and it does, but you have to learn how to play with a new body. You have to learn how to walk with a new body. When you're 30 pounds heavier than you are, you don't work as hard because you can't work as hard. You're not in as good of a shape and then you lose it, but your mind is still working that you're 30 pounds heavier. That is always part of the process too. Nick needs those practice times and he needs these times to get in better shape. We were playing him 15 minutes a game and he was scoring eight or nine points, so right away we assumed that if we played him 30 minutes per game, he would score 20 points. We played him 26 minutes and he did get a lot of points, but I think some of you in here mentioned it the other day that he was tired at the other end. Tired because he did work a lot, but the deficiencies defensively are not just his man. For him, it's being in the right spot and in the right spot on ball screens and that's what we've really spent a lot of time on this week. I've said it before and I'll say it again, nobody on this team has improved more than Nick. There's not a freshman that has and not a player that has from the middle of the summer until now. Nick Ward has made as big of an improvement as maybe any player I've had here. I'd have to look back on who made the most adjustments, but you think he had to change his weight, he had to change how hard he played, he had to adjust to college basketball and he's playing against some of the best teams in the country. I'm pleased and proud of Nick, but I'm just going to keep that very quiet because he's got a long ways to go and yet he's been receptive to everything. He's grown leaps and bounds. It's been fun watching him.
On Miles Bridges' ankle...
From what I assume, I mean there's no break and there's no crack, there's none of that which would extend things longer. It's not going to be this week or next week. I said it would probably be two to three weeks and I'm sure that that's what it will be. It's not just a sprained ankle, it's a sprained ankle, if that makes any sense - which it doesn't. I wish I had him back today and I don't. I'm not going to speed the process. He's still in a boot and he's expected to be in a boot for a couple weeks and then they'll let him get out of it and according to pain, if he's pain free, he can start making progress. If not, they'll hold him out. The one thing that won't even be an inkling of a chance would be to bring him back early. That's for sure.
On who he challenged to step up with Miles out...
The guys I am challenging the most are Cassius [Winston] and Josh [Langford] because I think they have the biggest ceiling to go to. Cassius did some things offensively, I mean, he had 15 points and nine assists and one turnover. That's really good and I think he has made some steps in that direction and I think he's starting to understand the things he has to do defensively and that is critical. We're giving up more points than I think we ever have, but again, we've never had a schedule quite like this either. All of these things, I looked at the Big Ten for the first time when it came out today and all of the different stats. God, we're fifth, sixth, ninth, 12th in a lot of these stats and then I look at who we played and who some of the other teams played and it's hard to compare apples to apples right now. I need Cassius and Josh to step up a little bit. Right now I need Kyle Ahrens to step up because he's taking that position. We'll put Kenny [Goins] there some. We did play some minutes with Kenny and Nick in the game and I think wisdom would ask why I don't do that more, but I get into those minutes with Nick or the minutes with Kenny. Kenny missed all summer too. It's just a mass unit that we have to manage the best we can manage and what seems right on one end may not seem right on the other. The biggest thing still is just keeping them fresh and keeping them out of foul trouble. With those two guys we just don't have a lot of margin for error with our star out.
On Josh's confidence issues...
Confidence is an issue with every person on the planet. If you do well, you're more confident and if you're not doing as well then you're not going to feel as comfortable and confident. His mother was up this weekend and it was interesting that she saw the same thing that you guys saw. Josh is hard on himself and most of the time you like that, unless it affects them and then you don't like it as much. We're learning to adjust to him and he's got to make some adjustments, but he too is coming off of that three week injury and he's not in great shape yet and he's not going to be because he didn't have time to get back into shape because of the travel we did. Every time I speak up here I feel like I'm the excuse miser and I'm just trying to tell you why. Nobody wants Josh to play better than I do except for himself and he has the ability to play better. We're not about to substitute right yet, so we had three freshman and two walk-ons out and that's not as healthy for Josh either. Guys that are trying to learn how to get better, sometimes you need other people to help you. I thought yesterday, we had a long meeting and a long film session and a decent practice. I think we are making some progress. I think he's starting to understand what he has to do, but the next phase is doing it.
On Miles sitting next to him on the bench...
I made him sit either right next to me or right next to my assistant most of the game so he could hear what we were talking about. Yesterday's meeting, he was pretty good. He told guys what they were doing. I let him be a coach during the film session. I think all of those things are going to help him with them, but him with himself later on. We made sure we told him that he did those things too last week. He just didn't see them the same because he was running up and down the Duke floor instead of watching from the sideline. That is priceless. Those kinds of situations, you never want somebody to be injured, but I'm going to make sure that he's sitting up there this week and he's sitting in the film sessions and he's sitting in practice and I usually go over and talk to him about different things. I have to get a lot out of Miles Bridges for me, for the team, but mostly for himself. He's got to grow. He can't grow as a shooter right now, he can't grow as a rebounder or as a ball-handler right now, but he can grow cerebrally. He can grow in a way where we become a better team and he becomes a better player from what he sees and learns while he is out.
On Nick Ward's sickness last game...
No I think that the biggest impact is just him figuring out his new body. Him figuring out that he has to work harder and all that. But he is on some antibiotics right now. He has more than just a coughing cold. That part, he needs to learn to play through. That cold, it didn't seem to bother him on one end of the court now did it? So he must have a one-end cold. I'll remind him of that today. He has a cold on one end of the floor and I'll tell him that he has to heat that end. So Breslin Center will have to get that other side heated, right? He doesn't even know how hard he has to go yet. But, God, he is making progress. All those freshmen have. Miles made a lot of progress down in the Bahamas and has been moving forward. Josh Langford is struggling the most but he was the one who missed three weeks of the preseason and missed those exhibition games because of his injury. So you know, it's just going to take some time. But what you'll find is that the reason that Nick is in the position he's in, is because he wasn't as disciplined as you needed to be for the past couple years. So if anyone thinks I'm giving Nick Ward anything today or yesterday or tomorrow, forget it. I'm sticking with my way of coaching Nick and he knows why I'm doing it. If you ask him point blank, it's almost embarrassing for a kid to admit or think he's not in great shape. I'm not saying that he isn't in good shape, but 26 minutes is a lot of time to be going up and down the court in a college game. For a freshman his size, it's hard. All I can say is that he's doing well but he'll be doing a lot better by the end of the season.
On adjusting back to a normal routine after traveling...
I think we're pretty fresh now, pretty much so. I don't think it'll come back overnight because it was a long go. Eleven games in 29-30 days, I don't know if we've ever done that. I think the biggest thing is still the practice time. We can overcome the fatigue part of it all. The practice time and making them do it in practice is what counts. Half the reason I apologize to my team is because for example, I think Nick is doing a great job. And yet, I don't know if I've even put him in the position to be in better shape when you can't practice and you just go through walk-thru. So I understand that, I just can't accept it and thankfully they understand it. It'll still be a process.
On having the chance to keep in touch with Denzel Valentine...
I talk to all my guys every week. Last week I talked to Denzel [Valentine] a few times, including him saying, `God, I wish I could be with you at Duke' last week. Denzel seems to be doing well. I talked to Jimmy (Poblum) on the staff there to check up on him. They have a pretty good team and there's no question Dwayne Wade joining the team maybe would hurt his minutes, but it'll help his career. He is learning from a pro's pro. This guy, I've tried to read articles, I've tried to talk to Jimmy about him. If Denzel can play a year, and whether he gets in five minutes or 20 minutes an entire year, if he can play around Dwayne Wade he is going to be a much better player. This guy is special. Adreian (Payne) is playing a little bit more, Allen Anderson is playing a bit more. Bryn Forbes was here on an off day recently and he's doing pretty well. Matt Costello is doing well in the D-league. I talked to Branden Dawson and he's doing good too - averaging 9-10 in the D-league. We got some guys that are doing well. Talked to Draymond Green yesterday and he's getting back on track on how to play with their team because it's been a different deal. I wish I could see Denzel tomorrow night, but hopefully he'll play well back in his home state.
On evaluating the point guard position...
First of all, it's not in Tum Tum's DNA. And second of all, Cassius did play very well in the last game. But, again, what we have right now is a hell of a team if we were in Iowa 30 years ago. We could just play one end of the court. But I need them to play both sides. Cassius is working on it and doing better, he is improving. What I really love about him is that I said when I was recruiting him, that when he was in 8th or 9th grade, I knew then he could be one of the best passers. If he gets those turnovers down, it's critical because I think that's been a problem. As far as defense goes, he's understanding that he needs to get better. He plans the defense at the top because that's the point of attack. That's why it's so important at that position that you can be able to stop people. He does some things that Tum can't do, and Tum does things that Cassius can't do yet, but will eventually be able to. But, no quarterback controversy. Tomorrow, if Tum played five minutes or 30, that kid is never changing. If there is anybody that cares about the team more, it's him. What I enjoyed most about the summer is watching Tum, who knew that it was possible Cassius could take some of his time, still raised him. He still brought him in and helped him. Those two get along great. I don't know what it'll be. I still think they'll play together some. I just hope Cassius keeps improving and I'd like Cassius to help Tum in the area he is deficient in such as shooting. Then Tum can help Cassius with guarding. If we can get the two of them to improve in both areas, then we'll have two amazing players that'll play together a bit more.
On Nick Ward having a mentor such as Deyonta Davis did in Colby Wollenman...
Yeah, he is struggling a bit, but Matt Van Dyk has actually done a very good job, even though he is 6'5 with helping Nick through the defensive end of things. The problem is that we just have so few bodies down there that we have to use Van Dyk in some different ways as well. Sometimes we have walk-ons in there that can't help them because they don't have a clue. The process of it was last year, is that Matt is doing what Colby did last year. But we need Matt in other areas too because of the lack of depth. It's not as easy in that because it hurts Nick's progress. The same for every one of these guys. When you have a Denzel Valentine, a Costello, and a Forbes, and a Colby...A bunch of two, three, and five-year guys...Your progress is tough. That's why I'm impressed with Duke. I think that Amile Jefferson, a fifth year senior is going to help the progress of those freshmen tremendously. So that's something that Nick doesn't have. Gavin Schilling tries to from the sidelines. Matt tries to through the scout team, which is what Colby did a great job of doing last year. It's not quite the same yet for one because Matt doesn't know it like Colby did because Colby was here that much longer. And number two, we can't afford to use Matt in that same spot.
