OPENING STATEMENT
“I did my radio show Tuesday, at that moment I thought we were still playing Oregon, so it wasn’t until late morning we found out about the postponement. We shifted gears with our week and did a lot of running on Monday after a day off on Sunday and went a little lighter on Tuesday with the knowledge we weren’t going to be playing until Saturday. We had a very nice day yesterday, I really liked what I saw from Remy and Josh, we did a lot of scrimmaging and those two really worked well together so that was really good to see. I thought the ball movement was very good, we’re trying to focus a little more on the offensive end, we’ve stemmed the tide with some of our issues on transition defense and rebounding. We were way better against UCLA, although not as much against USC. I chalked some of that up again, to not having our full complement of guys after UCLA and being a little fatigued after what they took out of us. I want to try to work on the offensive end a little bit, in the UCLA game our numbers weren’t good from three, we had that stretch in the first half where we missed 12 straight shots. In the USC game we didn’t shoot free throws well and overall our shooting numbers were not as great either. We’re trying to get some continuity and chemistry on offense; now that we’re getting some of those guys back, we’re hoping to improve in some of those areas. I had a really good vision of this because a really outstanding offensive team and it hasn’t really come together the way we hoped. The one roster issue for this week will be Taeshon Cherry, he’s not going to play Saturday and won’t be traveling with the team. He’s going to take a little time due to personal reasons; it’s been a really tough year for everybody, so Tae is going to take a step back right now.”
ON HOW TO DEAL WITH POSTPONEMENTS AND MISSING PLAYERS
“We’re creatures of habit with routine. We try to develop chemistry and rhythm on offense because you have guys playing to gather on a continual basis and having disruptions makes it a little more challenging. It’s not exclusive to Arizona State, it’s everywhere, so all the coaches have to deal with it. The team we’re playing on Saturday is going through the same thing we had to having missed the week; they’re obviously going to get their game tonight against Arizona. It’s not the easiest thing that’s why practice this week is very valuable for us as we get Remy back and reintroduce him to what we’re doing.”
ON HOW MARCUS HAS HANDLED HIS RESPONSIBILITY
“He’s got a real maturity about him, how he handles and conducts himself, how he practices and how coachable he is. He’s the type of player that as a coach you want to help find him shots and get him more involved on the offense and that’s a constant process. We had him on a couple flares against UCLA and then in the USC game with no one in the gym you can hear their bench yell flare when Marcus was involved in some screening action and they don’t want to give him clean looks because he’s a guy that can really make shots. He’s a guy that takes charges, had 11 offensive rebounds against the really big and talented front court, so that shows he can put you in a position to win in a variety of ways.”
ON SHOWING HEART ON THE COURT AND MISSING JALEN GRAHAM
“That’s what was impressive to me about the two games, you don’t want to lay your hat on moral victories, we want to win games, but I really liked our competitive spirit and we really battled. There was a will to win, a lot of gut check moments in both games and I think we were up for the challenge. In the UCLA game to play the first half missing 12 straight shots and figure out a way down the stretch to force an overtime. The USC game being down 18 and making a big run and taking the lead in the second half. If we can bottle that up, keep a consistency, and get a little better on that end of the floor then we have a chance to possibly go on a run. Jalen Graham being out with Mono I had a chance to talk to him in my office. For a guy that isn’t as big, he didn’t lose a lot of muscle mass and had a good way about him in our conversation. He’s anxious to get back, he shot some free throws and did some things on his own, so I think it’s not too far in the future that you’re going to see him return.”
ON SOCIAL JUSTICE STANCE AS A TEAM
“I think it’s a positive thing for our league, all our coaches in the Pac-12 believed this was a good thing to do, a moment of solidarity and unity for all of us. The social injustice and things that are happening in our country have been really upsetting and disturbing. I think we need more ways to come together and be unified as a country.
ON DEPTH OF ROSTER MOVING FORWARD
“Being shorthanded the guys stepped up and we were really competitive against really good teams, two teams that I think will be at the top of the league as things start to play out; it’s encouraging to know that. I also don’t think we played our best, we’re learning to play as hard as we need to play, we’re rebounding the ball at the level we need to and now we need to be able to be efficient on offense and make shots. The difference between both of those games was that in the UCLA game we need to make two or three more threes; our shooting numbers were not good from three. In the USC game very similarly, and we added poor free throw shooting. There are things that are in our control and that our guys are capable of doing and I think we have a chance to do that at a better clip as we keep going here.”
ON HOW THIS GROUP LOOKS ON OFFENSE
“I don’t want to take away what UCLA and USC were able to do defensively, they are two very good defensive teams in our conference, so our shooting numbers and scoring totals were not great. I do believe in our heart that we are closer to being what we showed against Rhode Island than what we are now currently. As we get Remy back and as Marcus gets more comfortable, and Remy and Josh get more time to work together I’m hoping we can put something together that we hoped to resemble on offense.”
ON DIFFICULTY WINNING WITH POOR REBOUNDING AND HOW TO FIX IT
“If you look at all our games and when we share our numbers with the players, if we are within single number digits on the backboard then we would have been competitive in those games; if there are big disadvantages like in the UTEP or USC game, and we were still right there against USC despite being out rebounded by 20. The Villanova game we were minus 18, all these numbers don’t put you in a great position to have success and that’s something our staff in practices and before games is really emphasizing.”
ON HOLLAND WOOD’S PERFORMANCE
“I thought Holland versus UCLA was really good on Tyger Campbell, I think defensively through the majority of the game did an excellent job staying in front of him, keeping him out of the paint. He’s made more of an impact defensively but in both games, I think he ran the team and managed the game well. He was more offensive minded late in the first half in the USC game which brought us back. In both games he was very solid, his assist to turnover ratio was 4-1 in the USC game, and that’s what you need from your point guard.”
HOW TO BALANCE REAL WORLD ISSUES AND BASKETBALL
“The message is hope and optimism as much as possible. I think the whole country and this team has been beaten up in a lot of ways, stoppages, postponements, and players being in and out. Crazy things happen where we’ll get off the plane thinking everything is okay and the next day I’m spending half of the day figuring out who’s available through contact tracing the day of a game. Everyone has been beaten up this year and I still believe there’s still a chance we rally and get things going again. We have some nice pieces that can do that and guys that prove they can do it. The challenge is knowing we have seven to eight weeks and to go all in and see what we can make out of this season.”
ON MAKING UP POSTPONED GAMES
“We’re going to do the best thing we can do the best way possible to try. Our Sports Administrator, Ken Landphere, has been working very hard behind the scenes to juggle our schedule as all the coaches are open to do things we wouldn’t normally do. We’re still trying to play someone on Monday and there’s a few possibilities but not sure if anything is going to materialize. We’re trying a couple of schools that we’ve already had postponements with to see if we can do it. We’ll fly back and have a short prep for Arizona but if that means we can get another game in then we’re going to do the best we can to do it.”
ON CREATING ENERGY WITHOUT FANS
“It’s been a weird feeling certainly and that’s something I’m hopeful will be a part of our future again. The guys live and feed off the adrenaline of the game and believe me we are still out there fiercely competing and totally locked in, but I do believe the crowd adds another dimension. I’ve seen Remy in close scrimmages have that same intensity leading into the season so it’s hard to say what kind of impact it’s had on a guy like him.”
ON KIMANI LAWRENCE HAVING TO PLAY CENTER DUE TO ABSENCES
“I think for Kimani he held his own with all things considered. He’s playing against guys like Cody Riley [UCLA], Jalen Hill [UCLA], and the Mobleys [USC] and how big they are and how talented those front courts were. He got his shot blocked a couple times because of their size but if you’re not really out there competing against it you don’t see it. I wish that layup didn’t get taken off the board for him, I thought that was really a key play in the USC game with about 5:50 left in the game which would have put us up by two. That was an unfortunate play, but I’d love to see more confidence boosting plays to really get him going. I do like some of things we’re working on with him being a mismatch guy against a bigger player and embracing that role we knew we were shorthanded. I told him I know that’s not his natural position or why you came to Arizona State four years ago, but he was up for the challenge and really gave it everything he had for us.”
ON WHO HAS STEPPED UP TO BE A LEADER ON THE REBOUNDING SIDE
“On the rebounding side that’s an area that the coaches are trying to lead that charge to be honest. Constant reinforcement, especial with guards that are dynamic and playmakers that it isn’t in their nature to instinctively get rebounds, guys like Verge and Remy who want to play in the open court and get outlet passes and go. I think that Verge did a nice job against UCLA, he got six defensive rebounds, Josh Christopher had nine. If we could get somewhere close with the smaller guys and chip in more, we can close the gap in those numbers.”
ON KEEPING TEAM’S HEAD HIGH
“I keep telling the guys this week that we’re right there and very close. We’ve fixed some things from a competitive spirit, dealing with adversity in both the UTEP and San Diego State game we didn’t have the response, now we have the response. Now we have to add some efficiency on offense and making some shots. We’re doing more shooting drills and trying to encourage guys, telling them we know they can make shots. I know that Remy is not a 29% three-point shooter, I know that Josh Christopher is not a 22% three-point shooter. We’re about a third of the way through the season and we have time to see improvements. I think Marcus is a way better shooter, he’s had some desperation type threes that have hurt his numbers but what he’s shown in practice shows he’s more capable of hitting more of those open ones. I have confidence we will be able to turn it around.”
ON HOLLAND WOOD’S OFFENSIVE VERSATILITY AND ADJUSTMENTS
“We talk a lot about it. He was the guy at Portland State, he was the one with the ball in his hands the whole time so it’s going to be a transition and adjustment for him. He’s been open minded about it and has done a really good job realizing Remy is a Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate and an All-American coming here, so he understands that he needs to find his niche in the offense. When there are multiple guys out it’s good to get a glimpse of what it will look like next year with Holland being a guy getting the ball a lot. He’s done a nice job being a facilitator and sharing the ball, making shots which he did well against USC, and playing good defense which I thought was excellent this weekend.”
ON HOW THE TEAM FEELS MOVING FORWARD
“I thought there was a good vibe and spirit in the gym. There was a possession where we changed sides of the floor three times and the ball was popping, we hit a three and the whole team was excited about not who made the shot but how we made the shot. Some examples like that are what gives me hope and that the guys are enthusiastic. We haven’t traveled in a while so hitting the road and getting a change of scenery will be a positive for us, so there’s a lot of things we’re excited about at the moment.”
“I did my radio show Tuesday, at that moment I thought we were still playing Oregon, so it wasn’t until late morning we found out about the postponement. We shifted gears with our week and did a lot of running on Monday after a day off on Sunday and went a little lighter on Tuesday with the knowledge we weren’t going to be playing until Saturday. We had a very nice day yesterday, I really liked what I saw from Remy and Josh, we did a lot of scrimmaging and those two really worked well together so that was really good to see. I thought the ball movement was very good, we’re trying to focus a little more on the offensive end, we’ve stemmed the tide with some of our issues on transition defense and rebounding. We were way better against UCLA, although not as much against USC. I chalked some of that up again, to not having our full complement of guys after UCLA and being a little fatigued after what they took out of us. I want to try to work on the offensive end a little bit, in the UCLA game our numbers weren’t good from three, we had that stretch in the first half where we missed 12 straight shots. In the USC game we didn’t shoot free throws well and overall our shooting numbers were not as great either. We’re trying to get some continuity and chemistry on offense; now that we’re getting some of those guys back, we’re hoping to improve in some of those areas. I had a really good vision of this because a really outstanding offensive team and it hasn’t really come together the way we hoped. The one roster issue for this week will be Taeshon Cherry, he’s not going to play Saturday and won’t be traveling with the team. He’s going to take a little time due to personal reasons; it’s been a really tough year for everybody, so Tae is going to take a step back right now.”
ON HOW TO DEAL WITH POSTPONEMENTS AND MISSING PLAYERS
“We’re creatures of habit with routine. We try to develop chemistry and rhythm on offense because you have guys playing to gather on a continual basis and having disruptions makes it a little more challenging. It’s not exclusive to Arizona State, it’s everywhere, so all the coaches have to deal with it. The team we’re playing on Saturday is going through the same thing we had to having missed the week; they’re obviously going to get their game tonight against Arizona. It’s not the easiest thing that’s why practice this week is very valuable for us as we get Remy back and reintroduce him to what we’re doing.”
ON HOW MARCUS HAS HANDLED HIS RESPONSIBILITY
“He’s got a real maturity about him, how he handles and conducts himself, how he practices and how coachable he is. He’s the type of player that as a coach you want to help find him shots and get him more involved on the offense and that’s a constant process. We had him on a couple flares against UCLA and then in the USC game with no one in the gym you can hear their bench yell flare when Marcus was involved in some screening action and they don’t want to give him clean looks because he’s a guy that can really make shots. He’s a guy that takes charges, had 11 offensive rebounds against the really big and talented front court, so that shows he can put you in a position to win in a variety of ways.”
ON SHOWING HEART ON THE COURT AND MISSING JALEN GRAHAM
“That’s what was impressive to me about the two games, you don’t want to lay your hat on moral victories, we want to win games, but I really liked our competitive spirit and we really battled. There was a will to win, a lot of gut check moments in both games and I think we were up for the challenge. In the UCLA game to play the first half missing 12 straight shots and figure out a way down the stretch to force an overtime. The USC game being down 18 and making a big run and taking the lead in the second half. If we can bottle that up, keep a consistency, and get a little better on that end of the floor then we have a chance to possibly go on a run. Jalen Graham being out with Mono I had a chance to talk to him in my office. For a guy that isn’t as big, he didn’t lose a lot of muscle mass and had a good way about him in our conversation. He’s anxious to get back, he shot some free throws and did some things on his own, so I think it’s not too far in the future that you’re going to see him return.”
ON SOCIAL JUSTICE STANCE AS A TEAM
“I think it’s a positive thing for our league, all our coaches in the Pac-12 believed this was a good thing to do, a moment of solidarity and unity for all of us. The social injustice and things that are happening in our country have been really upsetting and disturbing. I think we need more ways to come together and be unified as a country.
ON DEPTH OF ROSTER MOVING FORWARD
“Being shorthanded the guys stepped up and we were really competitive against really good teams, two teams that I think will be at the top of the league as things start to play out; it’s encouraging to know that. I also don’t think we played our best, we’re learning to play as hard as we need to play, we’re rebounding the ball at the level we need to and now we need to be able to be efficient on offense and make shots. The difference between both of those games was that in the UCLA game we need to make two or three more threes; our shooting numbers were not good from three. In the USC game very similarly, and we added poor free throw shooting. There are things that are in our control and that our guys are capable of doing and I think we have a chance to do that at a better clip as we keep going here.”
ON HOW THIS GROUP LOOKS ON OFFENSE
“I don’t want to take away what UCLA and USC were able to do defensively, they are two very good defensive teams in our conference, so our shooting numbers and scoring totals were not great. I do believe in our heart that we are closer to being what we showed against Rhode Island than what we are now currently. As we get Remy back and as Marcus gets more comfortable, and Remy and Josh get more time to work together I’m hoping we can put something together that we hoped to resemble on offense.”
ON DIFFICULTY WINNING WITH POOR REBOUNDING AND HOW TO FIX IT
“If you look at all our games and when we share our numbers with the players, if we are within single number digits on the backboard then we would have been competitive in those games; if there are big disadvantages like in the UTEP or USC game, and we were still right there against USC despite being out rebounded by 20. The Villanova game we were minus 18, all these numbers don’t put you in a great position to have success and that’s something our staff in practices and before games is really emphasizing.”
ON HOLLAND WOOD’S PERFORMANCE
“I thought Holland versus UCLA was really good on Tyger Campbell, I think defensively through the majority of the game did an excellent job staying in front of him, keeping him out of the paint. He’s made more of an impact defensively but in both games, I think he ran the team and managed the game well. He was more offensive minded late in the first half in the USC game which brought us back. In both games he was very solid, his assist to turnover ratio was 4-1 in the USC game, and that’s what you need from your point guard.”
HOW TO BALANCE REAL WORLD ISSUES AND BASKETBALL
“The message is hope and optimism as much as possible. I think the whole country and this team has been beaten up in a lot of ways, stoppages, postponements, and players being in and out. Crazy things happen where we’ll get off the plane thinking everything is okay and the next day I’m spending half of the day figuring out who’s available through contact tracing the day of a game. Everyone has been beaten up this year and I still believe there’s still a chance we rally and get things going again. We have some nice pieces that can do that and guys that prove they can do it. The challenge is knowing we have seven to eight weeks and to go all in and see what we can make out of this season.”
ON MAKING UP POSTPONED GAMES
“We’re going to do the best thing we can do the best way possible to try. Our Sports Administrator, Ken Landphere, has been working very hard behind the scenes to juggle our schedule as all the coaches are open to do things we wouldn’t normally do. We’re still trying to play someone on Monday and there’s a few possibilities but not sure if anything is going to materialize. We’re trying a couple of schools that we’ve already had postponements with to see if we can do it. We’ll fly back and have a short prep for Arizona but if that means we can get another game in then we’re going to do the best we can to do it.”
ON CREATING ENERGY WITHOUT FANS
“It’s been a weird feeling certainly and that’s something I’m hopeful will be a part of our future again. The guys live and feed off the adrenaline of the game and believe me we are still out there fiercely competing and totally locked in, but I do believe the crowd adds another dimension. I’ve seen Remy in close scrimmages have that same intensity leading into the season so it’s hard to say what kind of impact it’s had on a guy like him.”
ON KIMANI LAWRENCE HAVING TO PLAY CENTER DUE TO ABSENCES
“I think for Kimani he held his own with all things considered. He’s playing against guys like Cody Riley [UCLA], Jalen Hill [UCLA], and the Mobleys [USC] and how big they are and how talented those front courts were. He got his shot blocked a couple times because of their size but if you’re not really out there competing against it you don’t see it. I wish that layup didn’t get taken off the board for him, I thought that was really a key play in the USC game with about 5:50 left in the game which would have put us up by two. That was an unfortunate play, but I’d love to see more confidence boosting plays to really get him going. I do like some of things we’re working on with him being a mismatch guy against a bigger player and embracing that role we knew we were shorthanded. I told him I know that’s not his natural position or why you came to Arizona State four years ago, but he was up for the challenge and really gave it everything he had for us.”
ON WHO HAS STEPPED UP TO BE A LEADER ON THE REBOUNDING SIDE
“On the rebounding side that’s an area that the coaches are trying to lead that charge to be honest. Constant reinforcement, especial with guards that are dynamic and playmakers that it isn’t in their nature to instinctively get rebounds, guys like Verge and Remy who want to play in the open court and get outlet passes and go. I think that Verge did a nice job against UCLA, he got six defensive rebounds, Josh Christopher had nine. If we could get somewhere close with the smaller guys and chip in more, we can close the gap in those numbers.”
ON KEEPING TEAM’S HEAD HIGH
“I keep telling the guys this week that we’re right there and very close. We’ve fixed some things from a competitive spirit, dealing with adversity in both the UTEP and San Diego State game we didn’t have the response, now we have the response. Now we have to add some efficiency on offense and making some shots. We’re doing more shooting drills and trying to encourage guys, telling them we know they can make shots. I know that Remy is not a 29% three-point shooter, I know that Josh Christopher is not a 22% three-point shooter. We’re about a third of the way through the season and we have time to see improvements. I think Marcus is a way better shooter, he’s had some desperation type threes that have hurt his numbers but what he’s shown in practice shows he’s more capable of hitting more of those open ones. I have confidence we will be able to turn it around.”
ON HOLLAND WOOD’S OFFENSIVE VERSATILITY AND ADJUSTMENTS
“We talk a lot about it. He was the guy at Portland State, he was the one with the ball in his hands the whole time so it’s going to be a transition and adjustment for him. He’s been open minded about it and has done a really good job realizing Remy is a Pac-12 Player of the Year candidate and an All-American coming here, so he understands that he needs to find his niche in the offense. When there are multiple guys out it’s good to get a glimpse of what it will look like next year with Holland being a guy getting the ball a lot. He’s done a nice job being a facilitator and sharing the ball, making shots which he did well against USC, and playing good defense which I thought was excellent this weekend.”
ON HOW THE TEAM FEELS MOVING FORWARD
“I thought there was a good vibe and spirit in the gym. There was a possession where we changed sides of the floor three times and the ball was popping, we hit a three and the whole team was excited about not who made the shot but how we made the shot. Some examples like that are what gives me hope and that the guys are enthusiastic. We haven’t traveled in a while so hitting the road and getting a change of scenery will be a positive for us, so there’s a lot of things we’re excited about at the moment.”