Penn State Men's Basketball
Associate Head Coach Keith Urgo Postgame Press Conference
vs. Wisconsin– January 6, 2018
Opening Statement
Obviously, this was not the outcome we were hoping for. We're going to watch the film, continue to learn and get better, and get Coach Chambers back in here, which we're looking forward to that. Next, we're looking toward Nebraska.
Q: What was the situation like for you, having to step in, in these unique circumstances?
KU: It was something I've been preparing for, for twelve years. We have a great supporting staff. I've worked for some tremendous coaches, and have played for some tremendous coaches. Coach Chambers and his preparation the last few days with us was about as good as it could possibly be so it was, believe it or not, business as usual.
Q: Obviously, this wasn't the way you wanted this to go. Where do you think things got away from you, especially with the turnovers?
KU: No question about it, turnovers were the key to the game. Taking care of the basketball is something we've needed to work on this entire season. I think we had 11 turnovers in the first half and allowed 19 points off of turnovers compared to four. It's going to be hard to win any basketball games that way. But when you have young guards who are trying to make plays that happens. We need to get a little stronger and a little more physical but [Wisconsin] did a good job. You have to credit Wisconsin. Coach Gard and his staff do a tremendous job teaching one-on-one defense. They stay in front of you and make you make plays off the dribble and unfortunately tonight we struggled a little bit.
Q: You mentioned the young guards particularly Myles [Dread] and Rasir [Bolton] and the turnovers they had early in the game, has the challenge off replacing veterans like Tony [Carr] and Shep [Garner] has been more of a challenge than expected?
KU: No, we've had freshman guards before. I mean Tony [Carr] was a freshman guard and he turned the ball over. It is part of the maturation process but anytime you lose a player of Tony Carr's caliber or you lose a Shep Garner who was a senior and somebody who has been through the battles especially in the Big Ten that's going to hurt you. These guys continue to come every day to work. They are such great kids and they come with such tremendous attitudes and they give us maximum effort that it's going to turn for them. They are big time talents as well it's just that they are learning what it is to play every night in the Big Ten, every play matters. They'll get it.
Q: Fifteen games in now and both statistically and by the eye test, the offense isn't clicking as much as it needs to be. Can you put a finger on exactly why and how concerned is the coaching staff?
KU: Well, turnovers. Turnovers are key, taking care of the basketball. You need to get shots in order for the ball to go into the basket and we're turning the ball over too much. Again, that's just getting as many reps as possible in practice and continuing to put pressure on our guards and get them better with the basketball. We have to continue to move but when you're not making shots it becomes very difficult. It is human nature for these young guys to put their heads down. We can't allow missing or making shots dictate how we play on the defensive end. That's just something we have to continue working on but obviously taking care of the basketball and making sure we get shots is a huge piece to putting up more points.
Q: What can you guys do differently after shooting four from 20 beyond the arc and who can you get more involved to score points?
A: We've just got to continue to shoot the basketball. We've just got to keep shooting it. We've got great shooters, these kids put in the work. We're putting in the work each and every day in the gym. Against a lesser team, a few weeks ago, we ended up with our freshmen went nine from 18 themselves. I think we had 11 threes. So, it's just part of it. We were hoping at home, since we hadn't played here I think one game, 29 games something like that, we figured at home we might get it going a little bit. But again, you have to credit Wisconsin. They contest every shot, we had some of that at Michigan. So, we got to step in, continue to work on our routine, come back to work tomorrow and continue to get up shots. We're going to work on our footwork and preparation, and eventually they'll start to fall.
Q: How did the multiple turnovers affect the confidence of your players throughout the game and what adjustments did you have to make to avoid them?
A: No question about it. That's something that we have to do and remain positive as we possibly can. We need to continue to coach them and teach them. It's going to be hard when you're turning the basketball over and continuously not converting and when you're playing a very disciplined offensive team like Wisconsin is, they're making shots and you give them confidence and next thing you know it trickles down. All of them start making shots. Then you got to continue to stay positive. For us, we've got to teach each and every day. Stay positive as much as possible. Don't compound the problem. You turn the ball over, sprint back on defense and try to get a stop. With young guys, all of that is just experience and repetition. Obviously attitude is a big part of our program. You've got to have a great attitude. You make mistakes, forget them, move on, six seconds, move on. That's what we have to continue to preach to our young guys.
Q: Can you tell us where Coach Chambers was for this game and how difficult was it for him not to be apart of today's game?
A: Pat Chambers isn't here. I'm not exactly sure where he was. Again, you'll have to ask him that question but I have no idea where he was. Obviously, we miss him but when he's available he'll answer those questions.
Q: How have the last two losses affected the team's confidence moving forward with Big Ten play? Have these losses made an impact in the way your team plays?
A: I don't think so. We've got good leaders. Josh Reaves, Lamar Stevens and John Harrar are fantastic leaders each and every day. They're bringing it into practice every single day. They're not getting down on themselves. The energy, the positivity they bring into practice is phenomenal. So what we preach is that you've got to come back each and every day and not worry about the previous game. We learn from our mistakes, but then you've got to focus on that day right there and then. That drill or whatever it might be. These guys have done a great job of that. Now we just got to see and continue to work, become more consistent, take care of the basketball more and we'll be okay.
