Mizzou 88, CMU 70
11/7/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 7, 2011
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Head Coach Frank Haith Post Game Quotes vs. Central Missouri (11/07/11)
Opening Statement....
"I thought for about a 15-minute stretch there in the first half we played really, really good defense. We had a lot of deflections, we were really active. And then I thought we lost some intensity on the defensive end in the second half. We were giving up a lot of dribble penetration so we didn't guard the ball as well, and then we didn't have great rotation so that's something we've got to shore up. Offensively, when we play inside-out through Ricardo, we're able to get really good shots. Ricardo had a good night in terms of just being aggressive. We need him being aggressive. When he takes shots where he's attacking the basket, that's something we've got to shore up, him getting to the free throw line more. We've got to make people pay when we play a line up with Kim English at the four. And that's something that's an advantage for us, playing four guys out there who can shoot the ball. When you have four guys out there, we've got to play through Ricardo. When we did that, we executed pretty good. That's been the biggest challenge, continuing to learn timing situations and executing and running good offense and them understanding you're going to get an extended lead by playing solid on the offensive end. There's not a shot that's going to give you 15 points; it's possession by possession. But we're getting better at that. I thought throughout the three games, we've gotten better each game. This game we played tonight I thought was the best team in terms of their talent, their speed and athleticism, so it was a good challenge for us."
On teaching a senior-laden team a new style of play...
"First of all, they're a willing bunch, so they're excited about coming and doing some things a little different in terms of what we're doing. That's our job, that's what we've got to do. So I think that the first step in that is having a bunch of guys who are willing to learn and willing to accept coaching. They've been great, but sometimes when you get into a game, we're talking about guys that have been here three years. Old habits take time to break. But I do think they're getting better at what we would like to see them do. There's nothing wrong with what they did before, that's just the certain style and system that they played before."
On how ready the Tigers are for regular season opener...
"Well you look across the country, Northern Kentucky goes to West Virginia and wins, and West Virginia's a pretty good ball club. So first and foremost you want to win these games, and we were able to do that, so that's encouraging. I think you get a good feel when you're watching your guys and you're evaluating them. We just have to watch tape and break it down."
On Mike Dixon as the sixth man...
"Mike can score. He's a point guard that has a two guard mentality in the terms that he can score a ball. I like having a guy that can come off the bench that has the sense to be able to be a weapon. I did hear he doesn't like the spark plug thing, so don't call him a spark plug. The biggest thing is guys understanding that it's not necessarily who starts the game, it's who finishes. Mike's going to get his minutes, whatever his minutes are. The only thing he doesn't get is to hear his name called out and slap five with everybody. But he'll play the same amount of minutes whether he's starting or coming off the bench."
On team being ready for season opener this Friday...
"We'll be ready. We are still a work-in progress but we've been working on things collectively as a team. On Friday hopefully we just come out and do the same thing."
On Ricardo's importance in the four-guard offense...
"I feel it's the key to the four-guard lineup. Ricardo is a low down there and when you get the ball inside to him, usually good things happen."
On Dixon's importance as the "sixth" man...
"I feel like Mike (Dixon) is a really good player, and right now he's been giving us a lot off the bench. Sometimes a sixth man role can be hard; I know I've done it before. But he has taken it in stride and he's been productive in it."
On his role as the lone forward in the four guard offense...
"It's kind of what I'm used to. When I played in junior college we played a four-and-one as well. It's kind of like isolation. But I don't have to shoot it every time. I've got to score a couple of times then wait for the defense to come in. Then I can start kicking it out to our shooters. We've got so many shooters that it is going to be hard to guard us."
On chemistry with Steve Moore...
"Steve (Moore) really doesn't like to score as much as he should because he's got a lot better. I think he's the most improved player if we could vote on it. I feel real comfortable playing with him because he rebounds and scores and does all of the little things, so he's just the type of player we need."
