Nov. 18, 2009
Recap | Box Score
Wisconsin Head Coach Bo Ryan
On Wisconsin’s defensive outlook
“Basically, we never leave it up to chance. So, we play screens a certain way; we chase them. We try to force them to certain areas. From scouting reports, we try to find out where their comfort zone is. It’s the same thing we’ve been doing for about thirty years now. We helped, we switched out at times. We did a lot fairly well. But, we didn’t exactly light it up, either, from the floor. When both teams are working so hard, a lot of times, it takes away from the scoring. People are trying to find their rhythms right now. Hopefully, we’ll have some nights when somebody’s going to have to pay for the open looks we get. We really had some great open looks tonight. I think we can knock those down in the future.”
On the play of Keaton Nankivil
“He wasn’t guarded a lot on the perimeter, but he got on the glass. He’s trying to keep finding his niche. Obviously, he’s better this year than he was last year. He’s more active, and we need him to be. [Oakland’s Keith] Benson and [Will] Hudson, those guys were great. Somebody better get ready for those two. I thought our bigs did a really good job on them, including Ryan [Evans]. I just think Keaton still has a lot of areas he needs to work on, but whatever he gives us, we’ll take.”
On Wisconsin’s recent shot-blocking ability
“It might be the size of the teams we’re playing right now. We don’t react to statistics. Teams are aggressive going to the rim. They were looking to draw some fouls, but we were disciplined enough to not leave our feet until after they showed their move first. And that’s the key to be able to get away with blocks. We’ve never had teams that really were great shot-blocking teams, but it’s all about timing. You never want to foul any of your guys out of the game trying to block shots. The other thing is, when you’re leaving your feet to block, you’re getting yourself out of position, and other teams get a lot of offensive rebounds.”
On what Wisconsin can improve on
“Both teams are going to have to take care of the ball better in their respective leagues to do anything.”
On Wisconsin’s upcoming tournament in Maui
“Everybody else has a lot of questions. It’s where a lot of things are found. A lot of teams have gone out to Maui and played extremely well. There are teams that have gone out to Maui and gotten into some real tough games and maybe didn’t look that good. But when they came back, they did some things. What we’re looking for is to try and take care of Arizona. Then we’ll take care of the next opponent. We won’t get our normal preparation, and neither will the other team. One of the things we do rely on is preparation, so it’s just the way tournaments are.”
Oakland Head Coach Greg Kampe
Opening statement
“I’m not sure how to sum [the game] up. I think it was critical when we got into foul trouble five minutes into the game when our 6’11 guy [Keith Benson] is on the bench and [Will] Hudson had two fouls as well. I think that changed the whole complex of the game. We came out, got it inside, we scored, I think we were up 8-4, and then we had both of those guys on the bench with two fouls. That changed the whole game. We had to go with smalls and we couldn’t guard them.
"The second half I thought we guarded extremely well. [Keith] Benson stayed in most of the half. Obviously he’s important to us. I thought we guarded really well. We did not shoot the ball well. I thought Trevon Hughes, late in the first half, really dictated the game. He had some great plays and was able to open the score up so we really didn’t have a chance.”
On whether he wanted Benson more aggressive in the second half:
“I basically said, ‘We want to get you the basketball, but you’re not really helping us get you the ball.’ We were coming up and missing shots. I’m going to tell these guys we’re going to get you the basketball, but now you need to make sure you’re in position to get it.”
On whether Wisconsin’s defense affected Oakland’s shooting:
“To be honest with you, I need to check the film before I can give you an honest answer. Wisconsin shot 41 percent. How much of that was our defense? Coaches always want to say, ‘Yeah, that was our defense that held them to 41 percent.’ But when you shoot, you don’t want to give the other team the credit. All coaches say that. We shot 4-for-22 in our opening game at home and now we’re 3-for-19 at the three.
"We’re a team that has a history of having really good three-point shooting teams. It’s perplexing to be 7-for-41 from the three. I don’t think Wisconsin is an in-your-face pressure defense. I think they are a pack defense that protects the basket. So one would say maybe we had more to do with it than them. Our shooting by the basket, that was them. [Keith] Benson never got a look. He had to fight, scratch for everything he got in there. [Will] Hudson had the ball in there four or five times when it looked like, in our league, he would get a basket, but he didn’t get it here.
"I’m going to give Wisconsin a lot of credit by the basket. How many three’s did we miss in transition? Quite a few; and nobody was guarding us on that. I will give Wisconsin a lot of credit. They are very, very well coached. We all know that. We all know [Bo Ryan] is a very good coach, and he’s a defensive-minded, rebounding-minded coach. So I will give them some credit for that.”
UW Player Quotes
Jon Leuer
On the team finding its rhythm before going to Maui
“We’re making a lot of progress. We have some young and inexperienced guys that games like this are great for. In the first few games and the exhibition games they kind of get their feet wet. But they’ve learned a lot already and they’re sticking right with the veterans. We kind of have to bring them along and it’s just a learning process right now. We still have a lot of things to figure out. We’re still learning how to play off of each other. I like what I’m seeing so far with the progress we’ve made. We’re just looking forward to going to Maui now and being competitive there.”
On the team holding its opponents to under 50 points in the first two games
“That’s what our whole system is predicated off of – getting stops defensively, forcing teams to take tough shots. We’ve been able to do that so far. We still feel like we have some room for improvement. Tonight, the guys did a great jobs chasing. The bigs played physical down low. Benson, he’s athletic, he’s long, he’s a down there so we had our hands full. Overall, I think it was just a good team defensive effort.”
Trevon Hughes
On drawing the third foul on Benson in the first half
“I didn’t know he had two fouls on him. I should have known. Just pump-faking. In the scouting report we know that he likes to leave his feet and block shots so it’s just a smart play at the time.”
On taking advantage on the other team’s aggressive play
“I was taking advantage. We know they’re aggressive on the wings, we had the back door to Tim Jarmusz. Our offense felt pressured, people like to pressure us on the wings, especially the guards. I think I’m quick enough to drive by anybody so that’s the spark we needed. But we have got to stay aggressive through 40 minutes and in the last five minutes of the game we weren’t.”
On the team transitioning to playing tougher opponents in Maui
“Everyday in practice we treat it like a game, so we got the experience in practice. We’ve got a talented group this year—one through ten, fifteen, maybe. They’re pushing us on the scout team. In our first two games we had some good opponents that showed us different things – ball screens. This team had a good offense and they had some decent size in the paint this game. Just like that, the pressure defense, we’re going to see that all year and it’s going to get us ready for Maui.”
Keaton Nankivil
On being left open around the three point arc
“I think that for them it wasn’t as much for who we had on the floor. It was about their big guy. He’s a big time shot blocker. As a shot blocker you are going to get a lot of that in the paint and that’s probably where he felt most comfortable. So the way the match-up worked, he was in the paint a lot more than not. I think that was open for us, but it also made it tough for someone like Pop [Trevon Hughes] to try to get into the paint when he’s in the game. I think we made good reads all the way around and we hit the guys that need to be hit, like Jon [Leuer]. Jon knocked down the shots.”
