University of Tennessee Athletics
Donnie Tyndall Press Luncheon: Feb. 9
February 09, 2015 | Men's Basketball
Head Coach Donnie Tyndall
(Opening statement)
"I'll just start by recapping last week. It was a tough game against Mississippi State at home. Mississippi State played extremely well. Like I said before the game, that was probably the most improved team from week one of conference play to the mid-season point. They came in and played extremely well, especially on the offensive end of the floor. Going to Georgia, which they're an NCAA Tournament team, I thought we competed for 40 minutes, like we have most every game this year. We came up a play or two short. Georgia is one of those teams, kind of like Texas A&M, they really shrink the floor defensively and make you try to score over top of them. We didn't get to the foul line as much as we would have liked and just didn't make shots. It sounds pretty simple, but defensively we forced 20 turnovers, we held them to five offensive rebounds, which are both impressive numbers. We just struggled in regard to getting inside of their defense and getting fouled or finishing plays at the goal. So, it was another tough loss. Big week, this week, at Vanderbilt, who much like Mississippi State, is very improved from earlier in the season. They are very young, and their guards have gotten better and better. Their two big guys... (James) Siakam is a warrior inside, and (Damian) Jones is one of the most talented players in the SEC. So with that balance, it always makes it tough. We know it's a challenging, tough place to play as well. Then, LSU here on Saturday, another NCAA Tournament team with two first-round draft picks on their front line. A team that has had many quality wins already this season, and another team that would be in the NCAA Tournament if the season ended today. So, it's another challenging week for us."
(On importance of finishing shots around the basket)
"With us having a perimeter-oriented team, the bottom line is Armani (Moore) and Derek (Reese), who are quote-unquote `frontcourt players;' they score their balls from the perimeter or from driving and drawing fouls. Then Tariq (Owens) and Willie (Carmichael III) are going to be fine in time, but they aren't go-to options in the post. All of our scoring in the paint is off dribble penetration. When teams shrink the floor like Georgia does, and really makes it hard to get inside the paint, and they give up jump shots over them, you've got to make a few of those to stretch the defense, and we didn't make a lot of jump shots in that game. That's the challenge when you are a perimeter-oriented team and you don't make jump shots--it makes life tough. We work every day versus the pad, being very physical, driving the ball, in what we call a straight-line, body-to-body past the defender. Then at the end of the play, you have to be able to score through or over the defender and when guys are 6-10 and 6-11, blocking those shots. It's easier said than done. So, we have to do a better job of kicking it out to open guys or finding where the help is coming from. Usually, a big helps up and you drop it off to the big and then you have to be able to finish those plays, which we struggle with at times as well."
(On Josh Richardson's response to low scoring performance)
"We didn't have practice (Sunday), so I haven't seen him. I will obviously see him today, but Josh is a resilient guy. People may say this or say that and try to beat him up a little bit because he had a bad game. Josh is a stud. He has been fantastic all year long. We don't evaluate guys on shots made or shots attempted. Like I've said all year long, he had four assists, five rebounds, three or four steals, so he did other things to help our team. Unfortunately, the shots didn't go down. With that being said, I always want to credit the defense because they did a good job on him. They alternated defenders and tried to wear him down a little bit and tried to take a shot or two. But, you know, when you are a confident guy and you are a tough kid like he is, it's not in a selfish way, it's in a competitive, trying-to-win-the-game way. It just wasn't his night from a `making shots' standpoint."
(Assessing his team's defense)
"That's a great question. When you are forcing turnovers, obviously your defense is doing something right from an activity standpoint. We forced 20 turnovers on the road (at Georgia),and I think we forced Mississippi State to eighteen. So we're doing some nice things there. I think the biggest thing we aren't doing is guarding the paint, both from a post standpoint, we aren't getting the post fronted as often as we should. I think that comes from two big guys, in Tariq (Owens) and Willie (Carmichael III), who are trying to work to front but they just aren't strong enough to do that, so they are drawing fouls or aren't getting the job done. We've worked on doubling the post with a forward. We've done a decent job with that, but when you do that, they have opportunities to kick it out and have decent looks from behind the 3-point line. That's definitely an emphasis we have to continue to work at. Then the other thing is guarding the dribble. Josh (Richardson) is playing a lot of minutes right now. And that's not making excuses for him, but late in the game he's being driven some. Kevin Punter has been driven some. Those guys have to lock in and guard the dribble, particularly late in the shot clock, better than they have the last few games."
( (On Josh Richardson playing 35+ minutes per game)
"I've tried to get him out, but you take him out for thirty seconds, and it seems like the complexion of the game could change real quickly with a turnover or bad decision and it's a five-point swing, so you feel like you have to get him back in there. I would like to get him where he is playing 35-36 minutes rather than 38-39. Then maybe he is a little fresher late in the game. But, you look across the league and guys like (Texas A&M's Alex) Caruso are playing 38 minutes most nights. It's the nature of being the best player on our team and us feeling like we have to have him on the floor. He has to just play through it. It is what it is in regard to our team's depth in that position on our team this season."
(On what makes Vanderbilt's Memorial Gym such a tough environment for visiting teams)
"I think a lot of people make a big emphasis about coaching from the end line. But, let's be honest, they have a great coach in coach (Kevin) Stallings, and they have had great players for years and years. They have great crowds who get into the games. That's what makes it hard, the great coaches, the great players, and the challenging environment more so than coaching from the end line. We understand it's a huge rivalry game. Both fan bases will be very excited. I am sure it will be a passionate and electric environment in there on Wednesday. We will have to play very well to give ourselves a chance to win."
(On his awareness of importance of this rivalry)
"I think you just follow the SEC for years and know that this a huge rivalry to both programs and both fan bases. For me, it's no different than Eastern Kentucky at Morehead State or Southern Miss at Memphis. Those are just as important, and you prepare no differently. You also understand, to the fans, it's more important. But to us, we will prepare like we do each and every game."
(On whether or not he will wear the famous orange blazer)
"Yes, we are going to do that."
(On Vanderbilt forward James Siakam)
"He is my type of guy. By that I mean he is a little undersized, but he is a lot like Armani Moore in that he is tough, hard-playing, he is very physical, he goes to the offensive glass every time a shot goes up and gets their team a lot of second- and third-shot opportunities. I believe he is a senior. He is playing like a veteran, and this is his last go-around. You can tell there is a sense of urgency about his game and the way he is playing. I just think he is a stud. He is a warrior that plays extremely hard."
(On Vanderbilt forward Damian Jones)
"Talented. A lot like those two kids at LSU (Jordan Mickey and Jarell Martin), 6-9, 6-10, great length, multi-talented, can step out and take shots, finishes his plays around the rim. I think he is a guy that has a legit shot to play in the NBA."
(On Vanderbilt freshman guard Riley LaChance)
"He is one of those guys that if you saw him playing in the AAU circuit, you would be like, `Eh, I don't know.' But then once you put him in a system, he is so smart and heady, he takes and makes big shots, he doesn't turn it over, he is a smart defender. To me, he certainly would be a guy that would be on the SEC All-Freshman Team right now."
(On recent performance of Tariq Owens and if he will remain in the starting lineup)
"It will be a couple days of practice, we will see how things go. I think Tariq has done a nice job defensively. He had a couple blocks in the game at Georgia, changed another shot or two. But he plays 10 or 12 minutes and doesn't get a rebound. At 6-10, we need him to do a better job rebounding the ball. Willie Carmichael played 10 or 12 minutes, and he didn't get a rebound. You have two five-men there that play 20-25 minutes between them and don't rebound the ball. You have to play with more physicality, and that's asking a lot from a guy, who you guys see, isn't there yet from a strength standpoint."
(On reasons for recent defensive breakdowns in the post)
"I think the biggest thing is teams having more of an opportunity to evaluate our defense, watch film, and see what is there and what isn't. They have to decide what is important. Is it getting clean looks on the perimeter or trying to pound the ball inside? And then defensively, we have to decide, depending on the opponent, what we're trying to take away. I think the last few games it almost feels like they are really trying to pound the ball inside, and that certainly was the case in the Georgia game. Derek (Reese), Tariq, and Willie are undersized, but they have to continue to work to front (the post) and be more physical. And we have to have better ball pressure on the perimeter to kind of save the day from the ball being thrown inside so easily."
(On the balancing act of defending the post and extending the zone)
"It is because the more you extend your zone, the driving angles enlarge and you have more room to guard the dribble. And they have more room to beat you off the dribble. So, that leads to fouling or getting driven, and that's happened to us some. When it does go to the post, your slide to get to the red, which we call the double-team red, is bigger, and sometimes they catch so deep you can't get to the red when you are that extended. So it's just one of those things with the roster we have. We have to continue to get those young guys to position themselves and what we call `do their work early.' So many times they are getting buried, then they try to front (the post), but it's too late. The guys are too big and they can't get around them. So they have to do their work early and maybe try to front a pass or two before the ball is actually in position to be entered to the post."
(On freshman forward Willie Carmichael III's tendency to foul too often)
"We've talked about it endlessly to him. The game is so fast for Willie and Tariq (Owens). They know they have to work to front (the post). They know they should meet the guy at the elbow. We call it `meet them at the junction,' to force them away from the rim. In transition, they are sprinting back. They get to the rim. Now, they try to hit the guy, and it's too late. Cheap foul. It's just experience. I remember playing (Marcus) Thornton two years ago when he was a sophomore at Georgia, and we went in there--I was at Southern Miss--and won the game, and he was a non-factor. You think, `Man, I don't think that guy will ever play in this league.' Two years later, he is a real good player in this league. It's just experience. It's playing those minutes, getting used to the pace of this level, and certainly growing and maturing your body along the way."
(On Tariq Owens' potential to develop physically)
"Well, he's never going to be a guy who weighs 260, but if he could get to 210, 215, eventually 220, he is a guy that has good hands. I think his upside is good. He is going to be a guy who can always change and challenge shots around the goal. The problem right now is that he gets posted so deep because of his lack of physicality. When you get 20, 25, 30 pounds on him, in time, I think he will be a good, solid player for us."
(On Owens's weight when he enrolled in the summer)
"I think he was 178. And he is probably about 190 or 192 right now."
(On maintaining his team's confidence)
"I try to preach to our team--when we won four out of five or whatever it was--that it's about the daily grind and continuing to improve. If you lose four out of five, you can't feel sorry for yourself. It's still about the daily grind and trying to improve every day. Nobody in college basketball is going to feel sorry for me, my staff or my team because we are losing, I can promise you that. You have to come back in the gym, come back in the film room with a focus and a determination and try to get better. If you do that, I think eventually the wins will take care of themselves."
(On junior forward Derek Reese's shot selection)
"Derek, he has maybe taken a couple of tough shots here or there, like everybody on our team. But his shot selection is fine."
(On recent passing of college basketball coaching legend Dean Smith)
"Oh, very, very sad. I read the Sports Illustrated article a year or so ago. When you see a legend like that, a guy that has accomplished all he has done and, more importantly, affected so many young guy's lives in a positive way, it's sad to see. It was sad to see the way his life was unfolding and not being able to cherish and remember all the great things he had done. He is in a better place, but I think the neat thing about him, like all of us coaches, is that he can rest in peace knowing he had a great impact on a lot of young guys."
(On the state of major Division I basketball programs in Tennessee, namely UT, Vanderbilt and Memphis)
"I know that all of those programs, including Middle Tennessee State, have had really good teams and programs for years and years. I don't think much about that. I have enough concerns with my team and my program. I think all those programs you just mentioned have great coaches, great fan bases. If this isn't the year [that one gets in the NCAA Tournament], probably in all cases that will change in the very near future."
(On the key to Vanderbilt's recent two-game win streak)
"Well I think early on they lost some close games against quality teams in some tough environments. You can tell watching the tapes, they continue to improve, and those young guys have gotten better and are playing with a lot more confidence. I think the schedule has turned in their favor a little bit too, but they are a team that's improved, and much like we try to do, you can tell the focus is just getting better week-to-week, game-to-game, and they've done that. But I just think, probably the biggest thing is those young guys in the backcourt are playing with a lot more poise the last few weeks."
(On his relationship with Vanderbilt head coach Kevin Stallings and if they talked in the preseason about each program's recent roster turnover)
"Not really. Coach Stallings and I have a good relationship. I respect him a ton, and think he's a great coach. I just think it's the nature of college basketball. Like Tony Bennett for example at Virginia, three years ago people were killing him that he had some guys leave the program and transfer and different things, and now he's (ranked) second in the country. It just takes time to get your guys in there. It takes time to build a culture of how you want things done. In today's day and age, young kids, I mean I have two daughters, they don't know anything but to Google and get a quick answer, and they've got everything at the tips of their fingers. It's the culture of athletics and colleges this day and age. If things don't go someone's way, they want to leave or quit or go in another direction, and that was probably they case with some guys in coach Stallings' program. But you can tell he has his type of guys and guys that are loyal to him and want to do what he wants done at this point in time."
(On Tennessee's final shot Saturday at Georgia, taken by Josh Richardson)
"Anyone that would probably criticize that shot has never been in that position. People that would criticize that shot haven't ever played when the ball's in a scramble and it comes off the rim and three guys are flying at you and you're not sure how much time is left. As a coach today, I'll point out to Josh, Robert (Hubbs III) was open on the right wing and Kevin (Punter) was open on the left wing. But when two guys are flying at you and you're just worried about getting one up before the buzzer goes off, that's a lot more easily said than done. What I'll point out to Josh is there were four or five times earlier in the game when he drove the ball and the defense converged, and now you have to see the help-ups or the help-overs where guys are open but in that instance, that's tough for anybody."
(On Richardson's ability to bounce back from a sub-par game)
"He's a resilient guy. He's played in a bunch of big games. He's had his ups and his downs like everybody has. He'll come in the gym today with a smile on his face, ready to work. I know Josh; he's a resilient kid, he'll be fine."
(On his inclination to tweak things at this point in the season with such a young team)
"I think, this time of year, certainly you are preparing for every opponent and trying to take away their strengths. But it's probably more important to focus on us and what we do and clean a few things up. You hold a team to 56 points on the road (like we did Saturday at Georgia), you feel like you should give yourself a chance to win. We've got to clean up a few things offensively, and it's just more about us and cleaning a few things up and improving what we do as we head down the stretch."
(On Tennessee's ability to force so many turnovers the past two weeks)
"We've been active in the full-court. We've forced some turnovers in our press. And the thing is, we haven't converted those turnovers in to a lot of points, if you look at the stats. In the half-court, we're getting better at what we call slapping down on dribble penetration, when the ball goes to the high post converging on the bounce rather than converging on the catch, and so we're getting some of those things in the game which you'd hope you would here late in the season. But the biggest thing is, we're not converting those turnovers in to transition buckets at the other end. It's just one of those deals when you force turnovers you feel like, hey, you give yourself an opportunity to win, but we're not turning those defensive steals in to offensive points."
(On junior guard Devon Baulkman's decline in minutes the past few games)
"It's just really one of those deals where he hasn't produced the last four or five games. His attitude is fine/ His shoulder has bothered him some all year, but it's not the reason he's playing less minutes, it's just Robert (Hubbs III) is playing a few more minutes, and these games are so close and every possession matters. You shrink your bench a little bit; probably most coaches do this time of year. I wish he was more productive, but the last few games he just hasn't been. Now, he's practicing the right way, he's coachable, his attitude is fine, but he's just got to produce more when he's on the floor, and he knows that."
