Penn State Men's Basketball
Head Coach Patrick Chambers
vs. Indiana – December 4, 2018
Opening Statement
I loved our fight when we went down 16 there. We went to a small lineup and our guys really competed. When you go 11-for-26 from the free throw line that can really deflate you and play games with your head. I felt like our guys still competed on the defensive end, they still rebounded, that's the sign of a very good team. But on the offensive end we've got work to do, we've got work to do. I thought our execution was good, I thought some of our shots were good. We've got to move Lamar [Stevens] around a little bit more; he's got three or four guys on him. But I like the direction we are headed in. We are a few points away from being 8-0. So we're going to learn from these experiences and we're going to get better. It was a chance to tie or win the game and missing all of those free throws. So, I'm going to remain optimistic and very positive.
Q: Two quick things: could you put your finger on anything with the free throws or were guys just missing them?
A: Just missing them. I wish I had some clever answer for you, I don't.
Q: The last couple of years you guys have been very good on timeouts. I think you had three turnovers in the second half out of timeouts including the last one. What was not working for you?
A: You know, it is guys getting used to each other. Taking care of the details, taking care of the little things and we have been good out of timeouts. And against DePaul we ran a very similar play tonight. Give Indiana credit, Archie [Miller] did a great job. [Romeo] Langford was terrific in the first half; we did a better job on him in the second half. I thought their point guard really stepped up; he was the deciding factor in the game.
Q: What were you looking for out of that last timeout, just to get it to Lamar [Stevens]?
A: It was really kind of a decoy with Mike [Watkins]. A lot of guys went with him including the inbounding defender which was [Romeo] Langford. I just thought we had a good chance to get Lamar on a smaller guy, without so much congestion in the paint because against DePaul there was two guys on him. I wanted to try and get him some space or on a small guy and we did that, we just have to throw the ball. It is pressure situations and we're going to learn from them. This experience is only going to help us.
Q: It seems like the volume of shots that you guys are taking is relatively high not just this game, but the past few games. What is the issue or the challenge in getting more of those shots to fall? You've been stuck at 60.
A: Yeah, keep shooting with confidence. These guys are getting in there, the game is going to slow down for them. They are going to know where they are. I tried to really simplify for this game so they weren't thinking so much about cuts or screens, we tried to simplify a little bit. We'll continue to simplify until they can see the ball go in the basket.
Q: When you grade the tape on a game like this, how do you grade out younger guys that are just going to have these ups and downs because they are so young but at the same time sort of anticipating a certain efficiency from them?
A: I thought our freshmen were terrific. I thought they were really good. They did a lot of good things out there. Penn State basketball has a bright future with these guys, for sure. I'm really proud of Jamari Wheeler too. I took him out of the starting lineup and I thought he handled himself well. He goes out and gets eight rebounds. I thought that was important to show the younger guys, hey it's ok, we're out here to win. But you're right, there are going to be some inconsistencies, we're going to have to live with them.
Q: How would you characterize the offense's identity through the first eight games and what is the biggest area that needs to grow?
A: Wow. We were 9-of-28 on layups. We were 5-for-21 on 3s. I think we're taking pretty good ones. I think everyone just needs to exhale. I think we are getting really good shots. We're getting stops, we turned them over 16 times. The problem is we are only getting 16 points off of those turnovers. Maryland we turned them over 17 times, we only got 18 points. We need to take those turnovers and they need to be baskets, they need to be points. I can't criticize our offense, I think our offense is fine. We've just got to see the ball go through the basket and keep moving around. But we need consistency from the second and third leading scorers.
Q: Obviously 0-2 is a tough way to start Big Ten play. Is there any benefit in getting back to the nonconference now before your next Big Ten game when you guys head to Michigan?
A: Yeah, it is good to see where you are. It is good to see what we need to work on in practice to be the best team we can be by the end of the year. So whether we are 1-1, 0-2 or 2-0 I would feel the same way. We're going to gage, break down the film and see what our weaknesses are and continue to work on them as we approach Colgate.
Q: Obviously Josh (Reaves) had a nice first half at Maryland, are his issues trying to play perfect compounding at this point?
A: He just has to go out and play Josh Reaves basketball. Stat sheet stuff or play with confidence and shoot with confidence. He wants it so badly and I want it for him. He just has to exhale, settle down a little bit, let the game come to you. Continue to be Josh Reaves on the defensive end and rebound and steal and things of that nature. On the offensive end just play with incredible confidence.
Q: By the under-12 minutes timeout in the first half, Indiana had only scored four points but you guys were only up by six. Do you think that you did not make the most of Indiana's slow start shooting the ball?
A: Well I would say no because we missed a bunch of free throws, we should have been up a larger margin. Kind of let them in the game, we let them stay in the game when we should have had a commanding lead. Again, I give Indiana credit. They stayed with what they were doing, they stuck with it and they got the win.
Q: You guys have had a lot of offensive rebounds, multiple offensive rebounds and single possessions some of these games this year but maybe not some of the second chance points that you would see off of that. Do you like the possessions you've had out of some of those multiple possession moments or is it just a matter of sometimes it just doesn't go in?
A: I do like what we're running, I do like the shots we are taking. We're tailbacking, we're going to glass, we're getting extra possessions but we're coming up short, obviously only 15 offensive rebounds and 10 second-chance points. We have to turn that rebound into two or kick out for threes. Right now they're not going. They will, they'll go.
Q: You mentioned the lack of points that you're getting off the amount of turnovers you're creating, you also mentioned the missed layups as well, do you think that has an effect on the missed free throws where you're not getting some of the momentum that you're looking for of a potential lay-up on a fast break that comes from a turnover?
A: We have to keep doing what we are doing. We are putting ourselves in a position to win a lot of games and this team is really good. We just have to keep doing what we are doing. We are defending, we are rebounding. The pieces all are going to come together and this team is going to be really exciting to watch. I want to just mention the student section, they were awesome. I could barely talk in huddles, my voice is killing me right now because they were so loud. I appreciate them coming out.
Q: Just 11 minutes for Mike [Watkins] tonight. Where is he at physically right now or is he just trying to get re-acclimated to getting into a rhythm?
A: Yeah that's a good word, we are trying to get him re-acclimated. It's going to be a game-to-game, day-to-day process and I am going to kind of read and see where he is and we'll get him a little more work each day. He would have more minutes, but we were down 16. I had to go a little bit smaller and speed up the tempo a little bit.
Q: You mentioned starting Jamari [Wheeler], what was the thought process behind that and is Rasir [Bolton] you're starting point guard moving forward?
A: For right now. Analytically, we were just assisting on more plays in the offensive end. Nothing that Jamari [Wheeler] did. Jamari has been fantastic, absolutely fantastic spear-heading our defense. I felt like we just needed an adjustment. We needed some space out there and I think Rasir has earned it. He has done a nice job of playing beyond his years.
Q: You guys have played two early games now against the Big Ten, do you feel like it's a leg up compared to other teams around college basketball that don't get this early conference experience?
A: I do. I think it really helps you. Like I stated earlier, it tells you where you are, it tells you what you need to work on. It prepares you for January and going into the next few weeks, into the holiday, we have things to work on, we have things to adjust, we have things to correct. The positive is it is all correctable. I think the exposure that the Big Ten is getting, I think these games have all for the most part been one-possession games, really close games. I think the Big Ten is getting exactly what they want in terms of exposure for our league.
Q: You mentioned Rasir [Bolton] and what he is doing for the team on offense. Is putting him in the starting lineup just his ability to create off the dribble and attack the basket? It seems like that has something that has been missing from this team where last year it was Tony (Carr) if it's getting late on the shot-clock he can attack the basket off the dribble?
A: I feel like Jamari [Wheeler] can do that as well, but Rasir is doing a good job off ball screens in offense. I just wanted to shuffle it and shake it up a little bit. We needed a little more pop off the bench, a little spark and I think Jamari gave us that little pop, a little spark.
Q: It seems like when you guys need a three-pointer, your three-point guys, all three of them, are freshmen. Is that tough to ask of them in games like these when maybe you need a big shot to have freshmen take a big shot like that?
A: There's no doubt. But we have confidence in them. Those guys live in the gym. We have confidence in them. We have to get Lamar [Stevens] going from beyond the arc, we have to get Josh [Reaves] going from beyond the arc. Those two guys in our NIT run, one was shooting over 40 [percent], one was shooting over 50 [percent]. So we need to get those guys back going.