Coach Mark Gottfried Press Conference Transcript
1/20/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 20, 2009
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - -
Opening statement …
“We got back to work yesterday obviously and talked a lot about things we talked about after the game. Getting our defense better organized, trying to still get in sync, trying find some good rhythm offensively with Torrance in there.
“He’s played well, but we’ve got to get the unit playing better. Every game in our league, they all count the same, they’re [Ole Miss] one, it’s a big game for us like every game is. I think Ole Miss when you look at them, they’re very athletic. I think they didn’t play very well in their last game, neither did we, but they have played very well at other times. [David] Huertas is a heck of a scorer, a good player. A freshman they’ve got coming off the bench Terrico White, he’s had some great games, very athletic, good player as well. They got a lot of good players. Again, we’ve got to get ourselves ready to play on Wednesday night.”
On getting the offense to where it needs to be …
“I think there’s always a fine line that you want to try to help a guy like Mikhail [Torrance] do what his strengths are, which I think the last couple of games we’ve done that. We’ve opened the floor a little bit more and in the process we might have lost some of the things we were doing a little earlier, so you want to find a balance there.
“We want to run some of the offense that we’ve been running that was really good to us earlier and also trying to find ways to help Mikhail [Torrance] sort of blend in there. We’ve got to mesh all of that together. I think Alonzo [Gee] really, until the last couple of games, he just played so well, so well. I don’t want to take a step backwards in some things that we were doing, so I think we’ve just been trying to get it all together.”
“I don’t know if there’s really one way. The team has to get in a rhythm, they have to get in a flow. What we’ve got to do is use Mikhail Torrance’s strengths, which is really penetrating and driving and he’s done a good job of it the last two days. But you don’t want to do that at the expense that now you’re really not running some of the things you used to run that was helping Alonzo [Gee] or Scenario [Hillman] so much earlier.
“You’re trying to blend all that together, I wish it just happened over night. Sometimes those things take a little bit of time. I think Mikhail’s doing a great job. Just getting all that together is where we need to improve. I think that’s kind of all over the floor, that’s defensively as well, some of your matchups. I thought the other day, even just watching the tape, we just seemed not to think. It’s not anybody’s fault, it’s just part of change in the personnel sometimes.”
On the Tide’s three-point shooting …
“Well, you’ve got to play to your strengths, and our strengths are obviously getting to the basket, getting around the basket, getting to the foul line. Those things have helped us at times. We may not be a great three-point shooting team, so you’ve got to find other ways to be effective, which we have at times.
“Obviously, the three-point shot, if you have two or three really good ones, it changes your offense because you can score so easily. But we’ve got to keep finding ways to get the guys that we have playing the right shots.”
On the team’s pace of play …
“We don’t necessarily want to play slow and play in the 60s. That’s not what we’re trying to do, but I think one of the things that I’ve liked about our team this year is that we’ve guarded teams that we’ve played pretty well from behind the line and inside the line. I think in the last couple of games specifically, we have defended as well, so obviously I hope that is something that can continue to be a strength for us.”
On the injury situations facing both UA and Mississippi …
“I think their's [Mississippi’s] was more early in the season. I think they’ve had a number of games where they played this same unit of players. And I think right after, I think Warren went out for 4-or-5 games there where they’re getting reorganized. Obviously, we’re kind of going through it right now.”
On making adjustments due to injury …
“First of all, again, I think when your personnel changes, the way you play changes, it’s obvious. I guess the best way to make an analogy is if you had a great throwing quarterback and you switch quarterbacks, he may not throw it as much.
“Obviously, at the beginning of the year, when you’re anticipating an healthy Ron Steele, you have one way in your mind that you think your team is going to play. So, we had to adjust that some. So you’re always trying to find the way your team needs to be playing. We don’t want to walk the ball up the floor, we want some fast break opportunities.
“But I think even the last couple of games, what hurt us was we weren’t guarding people as well, and you’re taking the ball up to the net so many times, so I think that’s hurting more parts of the game than anything and that’s where we’ve got to get better.”
On combating big runs …
“It’s a little bit of everything, that’s a good question. I think some of it is your offense, like at Clemson, I thought we just had a stretch there. But I don’t think you want to get in a situation, too, where you’re just worrying about, okay we’ve got to score, and they keep scoring, and now we’re just going to try to outscore one another.
“We don’t want to play that way, I think we’ve got the personnel that we can get some stops at key times. I think the last couple of games, we haven’t done that as well. But then, obviously on the other hand, you’ve got to keep scoring and to do well. And sometimes, it’s a combination of things, even when you watch the tape, you always get a little bit of a different perspective when you look at it on film. Sometimes they’re pretty good shots, you’re just not making them around the basket.
“Sometimes, we have been taking quick shots that are maybe not a good decision, a combination of all of those things. I think when your offense is struggling, you just got to slow down a little bit and make sure you’re getting the right shot for your team. But, you also can’t just go down there and give up the runs we’ve givinh up defensively, or offensively for the other team.”
