Men's Basketball Meets with Media Before Penn State Matchup
1/19/2024 4:15:00 PM | Men's Basketball
How Penn State has improved since the last match up
“In terms of how they play, they’re picking up down the floor may be a little bit more in terms of percentage of overall possessions. They’re still really driven by their dynamic backcourt. Every play - plays through those guys and they’re outstanding, those two guards Baldwin and Clary.”
How the team has improved since the last Penn State match up
"The numbers would show we’ve gotten a little bit better rebounding defensively. We did not rebound it as well against them. Some of that is they put you in a lot of different situations and their athleticism really got us. I think our ball handling is going to be tested tomorrow. They turn you over more than any team in the Big 10, they're at eleventh in the country in turnover percentage. That is as high as any team we played in the Big 10 in a number of years."
On Dale Bonner
“I just talked to Dale. He’s in a good place. He’s just got to keep working, keep putting good days together, keep trusting in his work and his skill set. He’s got a good attitude and a good approach. We’re gonna need him this second half of the season. We really do need another guard, it’s important for us to have another guard. I’m excited about him and Taison both growing into a role that can help our backcourt.”
On dealing with the losing streak
“They're kids so they’re pretty resilient, but they also take losses hard. When you look at some of the best teams we played this year — Clemson, a team we scrimmaged, look at their league record right now, they’re a good team. A&M‘s a good team, look at their league record right now. — You can be in a little bit of a silo if you don’t necessarily follow college basketball, so I think there’s a perspective required. It’s our job as coaches to get them focussed on what really matters and that’s putting in good work, problem-solving and getting better.”
On how they’ll reclaim victory amid recent losses
“I think we just gotta keep trusting the process. We prepare before every game. I feel our preparation is pretty much perfect. We actually cured our game plan to a T almost. The only thing we’re missing is shots. Shots will fall, we just gotta stay confident in each other, the coach's game plan and we’ll be just fine.”
On their upcoming game against Penn State
“It’s extremely important to defend our home court. It would be an amazing turnaround for us to be able to get rolling a little bit, especially in conference play. This is a must-win game for us.”
On Taison Chatman's growth
“Every day you see him come out of his shell. Taison’s a quiet kid so it's just him being more comfortable around the team and the coaches believing in him & putting him in certain positions. During practices, you see the plays that he’s making, now it’s just time for him to be able to make the same plays during the games.”
On the team leadership
“It’s been important for me, as well as guys like Bruce and Jamison, to be able to lead by example and show [the young guys] that it’s okay to struggle. It’s more than fine to struggle. What you do next determines the kind of player and the kind of person you wanna be.”
