University of Tennessee Athletics
Donnie Tyndall Press Luncheon: Jan 5
January 05, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Head Coach Donnie Tyndall
"Let me start by saying this, obviously to this point in the season we are excited about where we are at. As you guys have got to know me a little bit, 8-4 isn't good enough, I expected to be 12-0, but on the flip side we have played the 13th toughest schedule in the country and to be 8-4, have a couple quality wins and to protect our home court up to this point has been pretty impressive by our young team. A couple updates on certain situations, Braxton Bonds, his (eligibility waiver) appeal was denied, so he will not get to play this season. He will redshirt and have four years of eligibility left. We are disappointed about that but that is really all we can say on that matter. We had a great semester academically with over a 2.5 GPA as a team. Josh [Richardson] and Brandon Lopez are both on target to graduate this spring, which is fantastic for our two seniors. We are down to nine scholarship players now, we only had 12 to begin with, Dominic Woodson transferred, Jabari McGhee broke his foot. He will probably be out the remainder of the season, although we are not positive about that. Ian Chiles has aggravated his (right) shoulder (injury). He has really tried to battle and get through that injury all fall, and he has decided it is just too painful to continue so he will have surgery in the next few weeks and his season will be over. So we are down to nine scholarship players as we move forward. We have had a good (semester) break in regard to how we have practiced, guys have improved and I think the nine guys that we have are tough, hard-nosed competitive kids that are excited about league play."
(On graduate transfer guard Ian Chiles)
"(His shoulder injury was re-aggravated) in practice. It is one of those things where he has been tough and hard-nosed and tried to get through it. I don't know if it was ever getting totally better, he was just trying to play through it. His foot had really bothered him and that healed up to about 100 percent, but this shoulder thing continues to linger and he just doesn't feel like he can get through it. So he is going to have the surgery probably in the next two weeks."
(On the possibility of redshirting injured freshman forward Jabari McGhee)
"[Jabari] McGhee could redshirt, he hasn't played in too many games, so if he doesn't come back in the next three or four weeks, which is doubtful, then we will probably end up redshirting him."
(On the state of SEC basketball)
"I have had the chance to see probably everyone in our league play at least a couple times. I think, without question, from what I have heard, this is the best the league has been in a few years. Top to bottom, you look at the teams around the league that have maybe been in the bottom tier of the league having great seasons. South Carolina is having a great year, Mississippi State just beat a really good Florida State team. So I think, with the exception of Kentucky, you probably have 17 other games that you could lose all 17 or you could win all 17. It is going to be that balanced and that small of a margin. Our team has to be tough, we have to play with detail, we have to end possessions on both sides of the ball, defensively with blockouts and two-hand rebounds, offensively, playing without turning it over, getting good, clean looks to the rim. If you do that, you give yourself a chance. But our league is very good, and it is good top-to-bottom this season."
(On the reduction of fouls UT has committed since earlier in the season)
"It has been a couple things. First and foremost, when you have eight or nine newcomers like we had that have never played at this level, they just aren't very good defensively--there just isn't any other way to say it. Guys are learning. They have no idea how to close out the right way, they have never been held accountable, for the most part, to defend for 40 minutes because their coach in high school or junior college didn't want them getting in foul trouble. I would do the same thing if I was their coach. But at this level, you have to be able to guard without fouling, and it is a transition period for everybody. Secondly, I think early in the year we really tried to extend our zone in the half court, we got out and pressured the ball at 26-28 feet, and it lends itself to picking up cheap fouls on dribble drives where guys that aren't great defensively yet, although we are getting better, where hand-checking and grabbing guys to try to not get beat. We have kind of shrunk the floor, which means condense our zone, pack it in a little bit more. When you do that, you don't get as many steals, but you don't foul as much, either. So we have kind of had to go that route, at least the last five or six games."
(On what he has learned about the team during non-conference play)
"I think we have a very resilient group, and when you have as many newcomers as we have, that usually takes a year or two to get that base in your team. We are very fortunate. We have a very receptive group of kids that are coachable, they have bought in early, the chemistry has been good, so we have been able to overcome some tough spots during games or stretches during the game to stay competitive every night. I use this as an example a lot, but you are down 18 to VCU... that game could have easily went to 30. Instead we cut it to eight three different times, our team never quit competing. We played Kansas, who is a top-10 team, they are up 13, again we could have stopped playing and competing, we actually tied it up with about five minutes to go. The other night against ETSU, we go down 13 to nothing and could have easily felt sorry for ourselves and we didn't. So with all that being said, I think we have a resilient bunch for our lack of our experience and our youth."
(On the team's ability to finish out tight games)
"I think in all four of those games we have done a little something different to win. Against Butler, I feel like we won because of our press. Against Tennessee Tech, we had to execute the last eight minutes in the half court offensively. Against Mercer, I thought that was a team that made us playing against mixing and matching defenses and kept us off balance a little bit. And then the other night against East Tennessee State we had to do a good job, which we didn't do at all times, of guarding the 3-point line. So each team brought a little something different to the table and yet we were able to find a way to win. I think particularly when you are playing in-state schools, like Tennessee Tech, East Tennessee, Tennessee State, you are going to get their best shot. I was in that role or in those shoes when I was at Morehead. I know when we played Louisville or Kentucky, those games were always a little bit more important to our players. We are getting the best shot from those teams, and yet we have found a way to get through and win."
(On his early impressions of Mississippi State) "They are long and athletic. They have had some injuries, but it looks like their team is rounding into shape and getting healthy. [Gavin Ware] is a big, hard-nosed kid. [Craig Sword] is coming off a back injury, and it looks like he is getting better and better every night. They can defend and can get offensive rebounds very well. Playing on the road is obviously tough. They have played a lot in the half court. They are efficient in the half court offensively. Our goal will be to get the game to go up and down a little more than they are used to. They have been a good team here of late, and they are healthy for the first time all year."
(On Josh Richardson's consistency) "I expected him to play at a high level and do some of the things he is doing. The thing I am most surprised and proud about is that he has really grasped the point guard position from the mental standpoint. He is receptive in the film room. He ask questions, and when he makes a mistake, he doesn't shy away from taking responsibility. That is not always the case for a senior who has had good success to this point and you ask him to slide over and sacrifice his part of the game for the betterment of his team. He has been great in adapting to the point guard position."
(On being pleased with junior forward Armani Moore's level of play) "I am, and I have said since I took the job that Armani is my type of guy because of his intensity and his toughness. He is a physical guy. Again, like Josh, he is not hung up on having to slide over and play the four spot some. Some of the people I have coached in the past would say, 'I am not a four; I'm a wing player.' At the end of the day, though, he plays mostly on the perimeter at the four spot anyways. His receptiveness and willingness to do that has been very impressive. He will shoot the ball better before the year is over. It is just a matter of time before he shows people that he is capable of making 20-footers as well."
(On having multiple players competition for minutes on the wing) "I think the competition is great. It keeps guys on edge. It makes practices competitive, which makes your team better. I think those two guys (Robert Hubbs III and Devon Baulkman) have a great competition going. We have competition at all five spots with maybe the exception of point guard, but Josh pushes himself and his teammates in his own way. When you have two good players at each spot, it makes for great competition, which is healthy for your team and guys continue to improve."
(On the team's chemistry so far) "I have always said, with the way I coach, there is going to be one guy who is hard-headed in the locker room and someone who is a jerk, for the lack of a better term, and that is me. Everyone else is going to fall in line. And I think when you hold guys accountable and everything someone gets is earned, that builds chemistry pretty quick. I think we have a great group of guys with great leadership from Josh and Armani. But when you don't give anybody anything, the rest of the team knows that, and you have an instant respect factor for your teammates and coaches. When you watch our huddle and timeouts, our guys' arms are around each other. When guys come out of the game, they give guys high-fives all the way to the end of the bench, and then they come back and sit by coaches. Some people may say that is corny, or they don't do that in the NBA, but we emphasize that. When someone doesn't do that in a game, we point it out in the film room like a missed block out or a turnover. When you make sure that is important to you, it becomes important to your players. That has happened again this season."
Senior guard Josh Richardson
"It definitely involves a lot more thinking than any other position on the court. You pretty much have to know where everybody needs to be on every play. If somebody messes up an assignment, being a point guard and a team leader, it pretty much falls on me. I just try to make sure everything on court stays in order."
(On whether or not his new point guard role requires more film study)
"A little bit. The biggest thing is paying closer attention in practice, more than just what I'm doing. I'm talking to coach a lot about where I'm supposed to be. Just knowing that and getting that to be second nature, so I don't have to think about that, I can just instruct traffic."
(On his perspective on SEC play now that he's a senior)
"I think it's just as important as every other year. The SEC is a great league this year, so there's going to be no easy games. We just have to approach every opponent the same way."
(On whether or not he's told the newcomers anything about preparing for SEC play)
"Coach Tyndall and I told them the other day that it's the funnest time of the year. It's SEC play, and everyone is basically 0-0 right now. You're going to get your best shot from every team."
(On the familiarity of seeing the some of the same opposing SEC players year after year on film)
"I think it's kind of fun. When you see teams (every year) like that, you're probably going to know at least one person on every team that you're going to talk to before the game and after the game. It's nice to have that kind of camaraderie outside of the basketball court."
(On his increased number of steals this season)
"I think coach Tyndall's zone gives us a great opportunity to get out in passing lanes and run around and make a little chaos on the court. When guys get sped up, they kind of make suspect passes. That's when we go out and pick it off."
(On if UT's press and matchup zone will give the team an edge against SEC opponents)
"I definitely think it can rattle some teams. I know the first couple days when I was on offense playing against it in practice, I didn't really know how to attack it. I feel like if other teams can play into what we want to do, I think it can be a great asset for us."
